Text: Tania Steyn. Photos: Tania & Francois Steyn. Article from the June/July 2012 issue of DO IT NOW Magazine.
Cape to Cairo on two 200cc Motomia Motorcycles: Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
The last stretch of our journey into the northern parts of Africa was the section we had read most about during our preparations for our Cape to Cairo trip. It was also the part we had heard the most stories about. Amongst other challenges, we knew we had to tackle the difficult Marsabit to Moyale road to get to Ethiopia, cross the steep mountain passes of Ethiopia and hot desert of Sudan and then get our bikes onto the ferry in Wadi Halfa that was bound for Egypt. The final task was to ship the bikes from Alexandria back to South Africa at the end of our journey.
Up to now we have travelled on our two Chinese 200cc MotoMia bikes without any major incidents, but in the small village of Webuye, in Kenya, Francois got his first flat tyre. At the time we were pushing hard to make it to a campsite about 100 kilometres away before sunset. We tried some tyre weld, but it leaked uncontrollably through the valve. With the sun already sinking below the horizon, we realised that we were stuck here for the night. Luckily we had ended up stranded in front of George Machasio’s hotel, and the 76-year-old George offered us a room even though his hotel was under construction. There was no electricity or water, but George and his wife boiled some hot water for us to bathe in. After Francois fixed the tyre we enjoyed a long conversation with George about Kenya, his 15 kids, the hotel he had built in 1965 with his own two hands and South Africa. By the time we left the next morning, we felt like family.
We travelled eastwards towards Nairobi over the next two days, trying to make up some time as we needed to get to Nairobi before the weekend to arrange our Sudanese visas. We arrived at Jungle Junction, in Nairobi, late Wednesday afternoon and well ahead of the weekend. However, the next day was a public holiday and the embassy would be closed. I was devastated as we would be stuck in Nairobi for longer than planned. Nevertheless we tried our luck on Friday morning and were ecstatic to find the embassy open, and our Sudanese visas were issued the same day!
While in Nairobi, we had hoped to meet some fellow travellers that could ride with us to the border of Ethiopia. The Marsabit to Moyale road has a bad reputation and to make matters worse we’d heard reports of massive thunderstorms that had passed through this area over the past few days, turning the roads into a muddy and slippery affair. We couldn’t wait any longer and decided to tackle the dreaded road on our own. I was quite nervous and wondered how the bikes would hold up in these serious off-road conditions.
The next day we set off on the worst gravel towards Marsabit and found ourselves in the most desolate area we’ve ever entered; the whole area gradually becoming more desert like and barren. We took it slowly over the corrugated gravel roads and sandy sections, relieved to finally reach Marsabit that afternoon with only a few minor falls, but nothing serious, and our bikes still intact.
The following day we headed out at 07h00 on a long stretch of road, which was rocky and the ride bumpy. With the stretch to Moyale still to cover, we were happy with our progress. Then halfway I got a flat tyre too. Francois immediately started working on the wheel as we still had a long way to go and there was only a few hours of sunlight left. Just then an old, red Land Rover pulled up next to us and the Wadie family came to our rescue. The family of three, who were on their way towards Uganda and had travelled all the way from England, helped us fix the tyre in no time. Despite the last section of road being a bit wet, which caused my MotoMia to slide all over as I grew more tired, we reached Moyale just after 18h00.
The border to Ethiopia was closed, so we looked for a place to overnight. We ended up in a dilapidated motel sharing our beds with some bedbugs, fleas and mosquitoes, and it was a very long night to say the least. By the time the sun’s first rays were up, we were more than ready to hit the road again. We arrived at the border to find it still closed, but some kind Kenyan officials helped us to slip through before officially opening. While waiting for the Ethiopian side to open, we used the opportunity to enjoy our first Ethiopian cup of coffee. Delicious!
In Ethiopia, with its breathtaking highlands, green mountains and spectacular views, we travelled from Moyale, in the south, northwards past three of Ethiopia’s lakes – Lake Awassa, Lake Langano and Lake Ziway – towards Addis Ababa. Lake Langano was our home for a night and we camped on a tiny, pristine beach next to the water, which we shared with a pair of beautiful fish eagles. From Addis Ababa we travelled northwards past Debre Sina, over some beautiful mountain passes and through a few tunnels in the direction of Lalibela. The last 60 kilometres is a gravel road and despite some heavy rain the MotoMias handled well. Very tired and wet, we reached Lalibela where the roads teemed with children and animals, making driving here even more challenging. The constant calls of, “You, you, you!” were still ringing in our ears as we retired for the night.
We were extremely excited to see the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. The 11 churches were built in 1166 and it took King Lalibela 23 years to complete them. The King claimed he built them himself and that in the evenings the angels would help him to complete them. The other version of the story was that there were 8,000 Egyptian workers who built these churches. After a very informative tour and participating in an official coffee ceremony we said goodbye to Lalibela and travelled to Gondar, in the west of Ethiopia, before crossing the border into Sudan.
The Sudanese border crossing was the one we had heard a lot about, but it turned out to be the one we loved the most in the end. Everything was slow, but in the process we were invited by the border officials to have lunch with them. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed with open arms and the Sudanese’s hospitality immediately made us feel at home.
Camping in the desert next to the Meroe Pyramids, just past Khartoum, was one of the highlights of our trip. This site has more than 200 different pyramids that date back to 800 B.C. to 280 A.D., and are Sudan’s main tourist attraction. During the night we woke up to find ourselves surrounded by a group of about 20 camels grazing in the moonlight – it was all quite surreal.
While in Sudan we often received tea, tomatoes, water and other food from the local people for free. We camped for a few nights in the desert, and luckily it was winter so there was always a cool breeze in the air. In Wadi Haifa we met up with some fellow South African travellers, the Voetspore Team and three cyclists from Cape Town, and set off together for Aswan, in Egypt, by ferry; the only way to get into Egypt from Sudan. Mazaar, our local fixer, proved invaluable by helping us with the necessary paperwork and getting the vehicles and motorbikes on the barge with minimal hassle.
The 18-hour ferry ride was spent on deck, curled up asleep in our sleeping bags under the glistening stars, and by 10h30 the next morning we had reached Aswan. It took a while to disembark and in the process a few unhappy Egyptians started swinging their fists around – about what no one knew! After some pushing we finally reached the ‘arrival hole’ and then took a taxi into town where we spent a few days, while waiting for the bikes to arrive on the barge. During our time here we visited the amazing temple at Abu Simbel, shopped at the local souq and discovered McDonalds – the only place where you don’t bargain about the price. Five days later the bikes finally arrived and after an intricate process and lesson in Egyptian bureaucracy we were ready for the final stretch to Alexandria.
We had three days to complete the long 1,500 kilometres to Alexandria so that we could get the bikes shipped before our flight departed to South Africa. It was the final push and the MotoMias were starting to suffer a bit as we were still riding with the same chains and sprockets we’d left with 13,000km ago. Taking the western route through the desert, we spent three nights wild camping in the most stunning and remote locations. We were also invited to spend the night with an Egyptian family and although we could not understand a word they said it was one of the best experiences of our trip. They plied us with so much amazing food that we nearly rolled out of there the next day.
Shipping the bikes back to South Africa was a challenging task, but luck was on our side and we joined up with the Voetspore Team, who kindly allowed us to ship the two MotoMias back home in one of their containers.
Overall, we were mightily impressed and are proud to say that the bikes made it all the way to Alexandria in one piece, bar two flat tyres, in retrospect I can’t think of a better bike for the job and we ended up saving a lot of money, having only spent about R12 000 on fuel, for both bikes, to drive 13,000km from South Africa to Cairo. MotoMia – it’s the way to go!
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