Andy Explores

About 30 minutes North of Shendi, the bus pulled over at a very indistinct patch of sand, and we realised that we really were in the middle of nowhere, at least it very much felt like that in the dark.  The only feature of note was a sad looking petrol station, which one of our fellow passengers pointed at and indicated we should sleep there for the night, and with that the bus drive off into the starry night, leaving us to our own devices in the middle of the Sudanese desert…

If the scenario was frenzied before, then at this request it became absolute pandemonium!  The crowd clearly hadn’t thought about this possible development, and the excitement about what I was trying to achieve was palpable!  Shouts went out to find a bicycle, and within seconds one of the older guys from the workshop had produced a sturdy two-wheeled beast, not unlike the one which my Great Grandfather was leaning on in the photograph…

Welcome to the next instalment of my journey into the different types of accommodation you might encounter on your upcoming trip of a lifetime.  Part Two is all about staying in hostels and hotels, how to find them, what are the pros and cons of each one, and how to make the most of them when you get there…

Without really having time to process what was happening, the angry man marched me around the corner, and into the yard of a police station where eight other very serious looking men in police uniforms were sat around a boiling kettle making tea.  The atmosphere wasn’t welcoming in the slightest, and I began to feel very, very uncomfortable.

Loud, uncomfortable, rusty, dangerous, and slow; local buses typically don’t have the best reputation when it comes to a reliable choice of adventure transport.  However, given the choice between a busy and ramshackle public bus, or a spacious, air-conditioned private one, my heart will only be drawn one way…towards the more exciting and adventurous option…

Shelter is a fundamental part of human existence, and it is as varied as the humans who need it to survive.  At its most basic, accommodation is a simple shelter with a couple of barriers from the wind and something to keep the rain off. This blog post is dedicated to the more basic style of accommodation, looking at wild camping and free accommodation options, to hopefully convince you that you don’t always have to stay in a hostel or bed and breakfast whilst out on the road…