Meroe.
March 2012.
We drive north in the middle of a beautiful sand storm.
There is an incredible number of old Bedfords, and we have a thought for David and Tisha who took this road a few month ago with BOB (Big Orange Bedford).
In the desert, no problem to find a place for picnic.
We reach the site of Meroe, beautifully situated on a hilltop.
At the entrance, a few Bedouins are waiting for tourists with their camels.
Kids love it, even if they do not feel comfortable when the camel rises on its feet ! And off we go for a walk in the dunes !
Not easy to explain to a bedouin how to take a picture, but we eventually got there.
The site of Meroe was unfortunately badly damaged by an Italian adventurer in the middle of the nineteenth.
He blew up all the tops with dynamite, in search of a hypothetical treasure.
But standing in the middle of the desert, this site has something magical.
The hieroglyphs are somewhat damaged, but the kids are really interested.
The children climb on a pyramid to jump in the dunes, but they are whistled by the guard: run for your life !
Matthieu bring them to heel !!!
Little talks at the end of the ride.
They ask for double price, that's africa !
At nightfall, we camp near the site, and a Bedouin just pays us a visit.
The road north goes through a vast desert somewhat monotonous.
We make a small detour in the Nile Valley to discover ancient Nubian tombs.
The site is not that much visited, and we must first find the keeper !
The paintings dating back over 3000 years are surprisingly well preserved.
Nothing to do with the cemeteries today !
Near Karima, Jebel Barkal is overlooking the Nile.
Down the mountain, some pyramids have escaped the Italian grave robber!
From the top of the mountain, the view over the Nile valley is superb.
We understand why this place was the most sacred of ancient Nubia.
We leave the premises at dark, after admiring the magnificent sunset.
But looking for a bivouac in the desert after dark, it's the best way to silt up.
Eventually we will sleep there, waiting until tomorrow to deflate the tires !
