Unfortunately, the elation we experienced as we rolled into Wadi Halfa was premature. We were informed, shortly after arrival, that the Aswan vehicle ferry had been discontinued. A new road had recently been constructed that led directly into Egypt. Vehicles were now required to enter by land, through a border post located 30km north.
Bubbles was in pretty poor shape at this point, but not completely inoperable. A quick inspection from a mechanic in Wadi Halfa confirmed that her gasket was blown, but she would still drive. Not particularly quickly, but she would still drive. If you went easy on her you would get a few kilometers before the radiator was completely empty, and the engine was on the verge of melting into a solid block of steel. And thus, our proposal to get to the border was as follows:
At one stage, in the early hours of the morning, we were stopped by the Police. Well, “stopped” is the wrong word. They caught us napping on the side of the road while we were waiting for the car to cool. The Police ordered us to turn back. It was apparently not safe to drive these roads at night because of a high concentration of bandits. Good to know at this stage, exactly half way between Wadi Halfa and the border, limping along in a semi-functional vehicle. We convinced the officers to let us push through and arrived at a sprightly 4am, now only a mile away from the sanction-free holy land of Egypt.
Joburg to Scotland 