West Bank to Sai Island

West bank Nubian village between Sedeinga and Sai Island	From Sedeinga to the village opposite Sai Island is around 15 km	West bank Nubian house painted yellow, Gobbat Salim	Rugged Sudanese truck serving Northern Nubia
West bank Nubian village	Goats in the road of a west bank Nubian village	Peachy Nubian house on the West Bank of the Nile north of Sedeinga	West bank Nubian village, northern Sudan
Cemetery with interesting mudbrick monuments, Upper Nubia	Islamic-era cemetery, Upper Nubia	The monuments almost look like people	Islamic-era cemetery, Upper Nubia
Islamic-era cemetery, Upper Nubia	Very old mudbrick mosque, Upper Nubia	Painted doors, Upper Nubia	Ruins of a small fort between Sedeinga and Sai Island, Northern Sudan
The entrance on the right had been partially walled up	Jabal 'Abri, a prominent mountain on the East Bank of the Nile opposite Sai Island	The sands of the Sahara reach almost to the Nile	The soft sand of this section of the West Bank near Sai Island is difficult to drive through
Before the nice paved road on the East Bank of the Nile, the whole drive to Wadi Halfa was on tracks like these	West Bank of the Nile opposite Sai Island	Parked under palm trees	Looking for the boatman to take us across the river to Sai Island
West Bank of the Nile opposite Sai Island	West Bank of the Nile opposite Sai Island	The desert is reclaiming this village	The desert reclaiming this village along the Nile
Nubian houses half-buried by sand dunes	Sahara sands right up to the Nile	Here, the fertile strip along the Nile is maybe 50m wide	Nubian village lost to the desert
Nubian village lost to the desert	Abandoned homes filled with sand	In a few years, the houses will probably be completely buried in sand	The vast expanse of the Sahara extends 4800 km to the west all the way to the Atlantic Ocean
Palm trees along the Nile - a small buffer against the desert	The Nile at Sai Island (western channel)	The Nile at Sai Island (western channel)	Gate to an abandoned Nubian home on the West Bank of the Nile opposite Sai Island
Gate to an abandoned Nubian home on the West Bank of the Nile opposite Sai Island	Gate to an abandoned Nubian home on the West Bank of the Nile opposite Sai Island	Gate to an abandoned Nubian home	Courtyard of a Nubian home filled with sand
Sahara sands, Nubia	Be careful...don't get stuck in the soft spots	A hardy desert tree	Fields divided into small patches for irrigation
Agriculture along the Nile, Northern Sudan	Palm tree	Crossing the fields	Crops growing along the Nile
Life along the Nile	Jebal Abri, Sudan	SudanZDec09 063.jpg	SudanZDec09 072.jpg
Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis), Northern Sudan-Nubia	Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis), Northern Sudan-Nubia	Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis), Northern Sudan-Nubia	Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis)
Man leading cows to water	The banks of the Nile at Sai Island	Mahmoud has found the boat driver to take us to Sai Island	...the end of the road for us, but it's 215 km to Toshka, Egypt from here
Palm trees and desert along the Nile	Mahmoud surveying the desert from the back of the truck	That looks like it might be a nice picnic area with a view of the river and Sai Island	...but too many little flies...
Panoramic view from our potential picnic spot on the West Bank opposite Sai Island	Karen preparing the salad	"General Store"	Canned tuna, toothpaste, flour, sugar, soap, custard mix, flip flops, etc
Looking across the Nile to Sai Island	Looking across the Nile to Sai Island	After our visit to Sai Island, I wanted to climb up that dune	Mahmoud tried to drive to the top
He almost made it, then had to roll back down	We climbed the big dune on foot	Wind-formed sand patterns	Meanwhile, Mahmoud is not a quitter so he keeps trying
View from the top of the dune towards the village	On top of the big dune	Sand patterns	Sand Dunes to the west of Sai Island
Sand Dunes to the west of Sai Island	The hard desert floor is only partially covered in sand	View from the top of the dune	Saharan landscape
Untouched sand	Panoramic view of the Sahara from the top of the dune near Sai Island	Sai Island and Jebel 'Abri from the west	Sai Island and Jebel 'Abri from the west
Jebel 'Abri	On top of the big sand dune	On top of the big sand dune	Mahmoud is not a quitter...
Karen and Trygve	Mahmoud circling the big dune looking for a way up	Desert of northern Sudan	Karen and Trygve Inda in Sudan
Crater in the Sand Dune	"Crater" in the middle of the big sand dune	Hmmm...looks like Mahmoud got himself stuck	Sand Dune, Sudan
Sand Dune, Sudan	Sand Dune, Sudan	Sand Dune, Sudan	At least we're not far from the village
Mahmoud attempting to dig out the car	He's experienced...I'm sure he knows what he's doing...	...it does look rather stuck...	...if I were driving off into the remote deserts of Sudan, I'd probably pack a shovel...
...but not Mahmoud...	...not little stuck...	...Big Stuck...	Karen and Trygve improvising with dinner plates as shovels
Mahmoud gave up and walked back to the village to summon the calvary	Sturdy looking minaret in a West Bank Nubian village	New looking beehive tomb, Nubia	Driving from Sai Island back to Soleb
West Bank Nubian village between Sai Island and Sedeinga	Nice Nubian house	Mosque with a fort-like minaret	I don't know the name of the village
Passing another set of ancient Egyptian ruins near Sedeinga	Desert bus in Northern Sudan	Driving back to the Nubian Guesthouse in Soleb