Day 11 Ferry boat 17 Km

Day eleven- Ferry boat 17kms

We started the day in an organized focused manner and ended it amidst chaos. We rode a convoy across both the old and new Aswan dams. It seemed very casual for a ride across the catalyst for cataclysmic change throughout both Egypt and Sudan. There was a lot of security, but overall it seemed surprisingly organized. Then we hit the ferry boat which would spend the night chauffeuring us to Sudan. We were told to expect the worst, but Sharita was on her game again, making it to the too deck within thirty minutes...nobody messes with that woman, not even the Sudanese ferry captains who we yelling out orders like it was their duty to micromanage every piece of pink shag carpet that made it onto the boat. We brought our bicycles to the top deck (which was deceptively empty at the time) and our luggage to our cabin. This was an ordeal as it seems the same rules that apply to Cairo traffic also apply to onloading boats. People attempting to defy the rules of physics as they used every available space and then some to cram their 'valuables' on board as quickly as possible without worrying about who or what lay ahead of them. Bulldozer style. Crew made a mission of simply yelling at anyone and everyone until they were out of earshot. I think at least ten people were employed for their qualifications for pointing out people's stupidity loudly, but their job description did not extend to actually doing anything about it. The cabin was a little bit of sweet reprieve from the chaos, but far from luxurious with graffiti everywhere and stained mattresses. We watched an impossible scene from the upper deck. Thousands of people hauling odd items on their backs and clamouring to make that initial step on board...knowing once that was made, nothing short of death would gotten off. With only one ferry each week, it is somewhat understandable. Refrigerators, enough carpet to cover a house, boxes of lifelong belongings rode the backs of prospect travelers. Every usable space was maximized until the people were sardined together destined to spoon with the nearest warm body. One of the riders woke up four times in the night to find she was spooning with four different people...and this became normal. It is amazing how quickly you can get used to the abnormal on this trip. We were on the boat by noon and departed by seven pm...this is the new barometer for success...I then realized how similar Sudan and Egypt may actually be. As I watched how much they were piling on board, I formulated my plan for when the boat started sinking...which did not include life rafts as there we clearly not enough. Amazingly we made it to the other side, slightly worse for wear, but alive and well.