Day 17 - Jan 25

The rest day.....  Ahhhh the rest day.  Nothing is sweeter than the rest day. I took it so nice and easy.  I wish I could say that I had a good nights sleep but the hotel (again I will say using that word is a misnomer and should not conjure up any level of comfort beyond a roof overhead) obviously needs are more defined parameter for a bed.  The bed that I had consisted of a box spring.  I do believe that the mattress must be on back order because it is missing.  Or maybe I got the box spring and the room next to me got the mattress.  Have you ever tried to get a good nights sleep on just a box spring?

A couple of us took a Tuk Tuk up into the market district of Dongola for breakfast.  We bought fresh baked bread at the bakery, some sweet roll things with dates and honey.  A little farther up we got some just off the trees bananas.  And lastly we bought some strawberry jam.  We sat at an outdoor market bench and made a makeshift breakfast.  It was quite good.  

Then a nap of course.

For lunch we rode our bikes up through the central market district.  What an adventure that was.  There are Tuk Tuks flying around everywhere and no one seems to know any traffic laws.  They just pass each other on the side of the road, heading into oncoming traffic or just run two side by side in a sort of game of chicken.  Speaking of chicken, we went to a little hole in the wall place that had a rack of chickens on a rotisserie.  I got a whole chicken, rice and bread for the equivalent of $3.  

I do think the amount of food that I am getting accustomed to eating will be problematic in the long run.  But for now, anything that gets within arms reach is consumed....

After lunch of course was nap #2.  :)

One last note...  when you think that you are doing something epic there is always one that can put you in your place.  For instance, riding Cairo to Capetown sounds epic, right?  After all, less than 500 people have ever done it.  And this year is the longest ever because the road along Lake Nassar just opened.  Previous trips took a two day long ferry, we pedaled the whole way.  Oh well I digressed in my thoughts of the epic ness of this journey.  Yesterday I came across a Spanish guy in his mid 20's as I was coming down the road to Dongela.  He had his bike loaded with 2 front packs, 2 rear packs and a rack on the back stuffed with gear.  He was riding totally self supported with over 50 pounds on his bike.  I asked him how far he came from....  He has been on the road for 8 months and started riding in Madrid!  He was riding to Capetown as well.  So my epic somehow seemed to dim in the light of his truly epic adventure.

This is a Tuk Tuk for those that did not know.  They are everywhere!

This where I am.  Tomorrow starts 4 days of riding and we will be in Khartoum.

There are no napkins at the restaurants.  After you eat you go outside and wash your hands in a trough like the one in the picture.  The water that comes out isn't the cleanest either.

And of course a Tuk Tuk in the picture as well.