1 00:00:43,807 --> 00:00:49,200 Sudan, the biggest country in Africa, is an overnight ferry ride from Egypt. 2 00:00:49,367 --> 00:00:51,597 But life here is very different. 3 00:00:51,767 --> 00:00:54,406 Sudan does not encourage visitors. 4 00:00:54,567 --> 00:00:57,559 Do you know how I get to Wadi Halfa? 5 00:00:57,727 --> 00:01:01,276 - Wadi Halfa. Is there a bus? - Bus? 6 00:01:01,447 --> 00:01:04,086 Bus or... Where's the bus? 7 00:01:05,567 --> 00:01:07,125 Bus? 8 00:01:07,287 --> 00:01:10,643 - I want to know how to get to Wadi Halfa. - Halfa? 9 00:01:10,807 --> 00:01:15,278 - OK. Halfa is near here. - I thought it was here, but it's not. 10 00:01:15,447 --> 00:01:19,156 - How far? - I don't know. You'll have to ask. 11 00:01:19,327 --> 00:01:23,240 - It's too far to walk? - Too far? 12 00:01:23,407 --> 00:01:25,398 - Walk or bus? - Car. 13 00:01:25,567 --> 00:01:28,365 - OK. Where's the car? - Near here. 14 00:01:28,527 --> 00:01:31,200 OK. If you point the way... 15 00:01:37,807 --> 00:01:43,439 It all seems to be going swimmingly when, suddenly, my guide isn't there any more. 16 00:01:49,127 --> 00:01:51,880 I've been in unfamiliar places on this trip, 17 00:01:52,047 --> 00:01:54,880 but never felt quite such an outsider. 18 00:01:55,047 --> 00:01:58,722 What is this country all about? Ally of Saddam Hussein, 19 00:01:58,887 --> 00:02:02,675 supporter of the Russian generals' coup against Gorbachev. 20 00:02:02,847 --> 00:02:04,883 I'd better start finding out. 21 00:02:06,047 --> 00:02:09,357 I need a car to go to Wadi Halfa. OK? 22 00:02:09,527 --> 00:02:12,997 You go to the hotel at Wadi Halfa centre. 23 00:02:40,207 --> 00:02:43,961 The Sudan is clearly a very eccentric country. 24 00:02:44,127 --> 00:02:50,123 To get the most out of life here, I'd better forget I've ever been anywhere else. 25 00:02:56,967 --> 00:02:59,037 This is new Wadi Halfa. 26 00:02:59,207 --> 00:03:04,486 The old town disappeared under Lake Nasser 29 years ago. 27 00:03:09,287 --> 00:03:14,680 Despite its name, the best hotel now only looks out over desert sands. 28 00:03:19,127 --> 00:03:21,038 - Hello. - Hello. 29 00:03:21,207 --> 00:03:24,882 - Have you got a room for the night? - Yeah. 30 00:03:25,047 --> 00:03:29,120 I've got to catch the train. That goes tomorrow? 31 00:03:29,287 --> 00:03:32,120 - Yes, tomorrow. Four o'clock. - Fine. 32 00:03:32,287 --> 00:03:37,042 The station in front of us. The Nile Hotel, and that is the station. 33 00:03:37,207 --> 00:03:41,405 - OK. I'd just like a room, please. - Welcome. 34 00:03:42,967 --> 00:03:47,882 The owner has photos of the old Nile Hotel, with balconies and river views. 35 00:03:48,047 --> 00:03:50,481 Now it's a "no frills" service. 36 00:03:50,647 --> 00:03:52,638 Thank you. 37 00:04:00,247 --> 00:04:02,238 The darkness is comforting. 38 00:04:02,407 --> 00:04:07,242 In the Sudan, a bit of shade is worth the price of admission alone. 39 00:04:21,567 --> 00:04:23,319 Simple. 40 00:04:24,207 --> 00:04:25,640 But... 41 00:04:30,647 --> 00:04:34,720 98.4. 42 00:04:34,887 --> 00:04:36,878 That's what it should be. 43 00:04:39,727 --> 00:04:43,322 The hottest part of the day is from nine in the morning 44 00:04:43,487 --> 00:04:45,523 till nine in the evening. 45 00:04:45,687 --> 00:04:50,556 Abdulah Ahmed Adam is the governor who'd made our ferry trip possible. 46 00:04:50,727 --> 00:04:52,319 What's the travel news? 47 00:04:52,487 --> 00:04:56,366 The train is supposed to take about 48 hours, 48 00:04:56,527 --> 00:05:01,157 but due to some difficulties sometimes it takes more. 49 00:05:01,327 --> 00:05:04,922 What sort of difficulties might we encounter? 50 00:05:05,087 --> 00:05:09,080 Maybe the pulling force for the locomotives. 51 00:05:10,007 --> 00:05:13,363 And any maintenance, maybe. 52 00:05:13,527 --> 00:05:16,758 - Do you travel by train? - Yes, definitely. 53 00:05:16,927 --> 00:05:22,126 My last journey from Khartoum, I came by train, with my whole family. 54 00:05:23,847 --> 00:05:26,441 Were there any problems? 55 00:05:26,607 --> 00:05:28,359 No problems! 56 00:05:30,687 --> 00:05:34,157 By next morning, the Nile Hotel is full to bursting. 57 00:05:34,327 --> 00:05:37,000 Today is the day of the train. 58 00:05:50,807 --> 00:05:56,006 The water jars are all empty but I'm directed to the executive washroom. 59 00:06:26,967 --> 00:06:31,438 Washed and brushed up, I go in search of food for the journey ahead. 60 00:06:33,727 --> 00:06:37,276 The train from Khartoum, which should run twice a week, 61 00:06:37,447 --> 00:06:41,520 has just arrived for the first time in a month. 62 00:06:53,607 --> 00:06:56,997 The resources of Wadi Halfa are at full stretch. 63 00:06:57,167 --> 00:07:00,921 There's no famine here, but no surplus either. 64 00:07:03,327 --> 00:07:06,956 Any fresh food quickly deteriorates in the heat. 65 00:07:07,127 --> 00:07:09,846 Fruit seems to be the most sensible bet. 66 00:07:16,287 --> 00:07:19,359 Can I have some bananas? 67 00:07:21,047 --> 00:07:23,402 Bananas? How much? 68 00:07:24,607 --> 00:07:27,405 I have Egyptian money. 69 00:07:27,567 --> 00:07:31,446 Is that OK? Can I pay with Egyptian money? 70 00:07:31,607 --> 00:07:33,916 - Kilo? - Kilo, yeah. 71 00:07:35,887 --> 00:07:38,526 Can you measure me a kilo? 72 00:07:38,687 --> 00:07:40,439 Sudanese? 73 00:07:40,607 --> 00:07:43,326 I only have Egyptian. 74 00:07:43,487 --> 00:07:45,443 - No? - No Egyptian. 75 00:07:45,607 --> 00:07:49,805 No Egyptian? Where can I change the money? 76 00:07:49,967 --> 00:07:54,199 Where in Wadi Halfa can I change the money? 77 00:07:55,047 --> 00:07:57,880 - Is there a bank? - No. 78 00:07:58,967 --> 00:08:00,958 Hotel maybe? 79 00:08:01,807 --> 00:08:05,846 But you won't sell me anything for Egyptian money? 80 00:08:06,887 --> 00:08:08,206 - No? - No. 81 00:08:08,367 --> 00:08:11,598 Armed with Sudanese pounds, I try again. 82 00:08:12,367 --> 00:08:14,358 Can I buy some tins? 83 00:08:15,647 --> 00:08:18,207 Can I buy some tins of food? 84 00:08:18,367 --> 00:08:21,803 - What have you got? Chicken? - Ten pounds. 85 00:08:21,967 --> 00:08:26,722 - Chicken? No. - What is it? Show me what it is. 86 00:08:26,887 --> 00:08:29,242 - This? - No, tin. That's right. 87 00:08:29,407 --> 00:08:32,399 - He knows. That's right. - Tin? 88 00:08:32,567 --> 00:08:34,125 Yes. 89 00:08:39,687 --> 00:08:44,636 What is this? "Ma Ling. Fried young chicken." 90 00:08:45,847 --> 00:08:48,202 Chinese. Good? 91 00:08:48,367 --> 00:08:51,757 I'll have one of those. Have you anything else? 92 00:08:53,007 --> 00:08:56,204 "Stewed chicken with bone." 93 00:08:56,367 --> 00:08:58,403 OK. How much? 94 00:08:58,567 --> 00:09:00,717 40 and 40. 95 00:09:02,087 --> 00:09:04,396 - Is that enough? - 130. 96 00:09:04,567 --> 00:09:06,922 130? Oh, dear. 97 00:09:07,087 --> 00:09:10,079 (THEY SPEAK IN ARABIC) 98 00:09:11,047 --> 00:09:13,322 Just two chicken. 99 00:09:17,487 --> 00:09:19,443 Thank you. 100 00:09:21,207 --> 00:09:24,517 The hardest thing of all to find is fresh bread. 101 00:09:26,367 --> 00:09:29,006 Can I have a bag? 102 00:09:29,167 --> 00:09:31,476 Put them in there. 103 00:09:31,647 --> 00:09:34,207 Banana sandwich! 104 00:09:34,367 --> 00:09:36,437 Yep. How much? 105 00:09:37,727 --> 00:09:39,319 How much? 106 00:09:39,487 --> 00:09:41,796 That's 75 there. 107 00:09:45,047 --> 00:09:47,038 Any change? 108 00:09:47,207 --> 00:09:49,038 Change? 109 00:09:49,207 --> 00:09:51,675 OK, it's 75! 110 00:09:51,847 --> 00:09:54,407 All right. Thank you very much. 111 00:09:57,487 --> 00:10:01,480 The train at platform one is the Nile Valley Express, 112 00:10:01,647 --> 00:10:04,639 once the pride of the British Empire. 113 00:10:07,367 --> 00:10:10,882 As Sudan's problems increase and the economy crumbles, 114 00:10:11,047 --> 00:10:14,084 it's an erratic and declining service. 115 00:10:18,487 --> 00:10:23,481 But there's an air of festivity here that you'd never find at Waterloo. 116 00:10:23,647 --> 00:10:28,323 0n the day of the train, Wadi Halfa station is one big party. 117 00:10:28,487 --> 00:10:32,799 How nice to see you! You've come to make sure we go? 118 00:10:32,967 --> 00:10:38,485 Well, the train's here, we're here, so thank you very much. 119 00:10:38,647 --> 00:10:42,356 I feel as though I've been here for... 120 00:10:42,527 --> 00:10:45,724 - Dates. - For us? Oh, thank you! 121 00:10:45,887 --> 00:10:52,599 Dates! I was trying to buy these this morning, with no success. These look wonderful! 122 00:10:53,327 --> 00:10:57,559 Marvellous. We'll all have one. There you are, Nigel. 123 00:10:59,767 --> 00:11:01,758 They're very nice indeed. 124 00:11:02,487 --> 00:11:04,682 Thank you very much. 125 00:11:04,847 --> 00:11:07,839 There's a heightened sense of drama in the Sudan. 126 00:11:08,007 --> 00:11:13,718 Departure isn't just the start of a journey, it's the start of an adventure. 127 00:11:13,887 --> 00:11:16,959 (WHISTLE BLOWS) 128 00:11:18,567 --> 00:11:23,118 Like all good adventures, none of us knows how it's going to end. 129 00:11:23,287 --> 00:11:26,279 Bye! Thank you! 130 00:11:50,967 --> 00:11:55,995 This long straight line runs 230 miles across the Nubian Desert, 131 00:11:56,167 --> 00:11:58,601 avoiding the rapids of the Nile 132 00:11:58,767 --> 00:12:03,124 and connecting Wadi Halfa with the cities of Atbara and Khartoum. 133 00:12:03,287 --> 00:12:06,404 A single track through the middle of nowhere. 134 00:12:06,567 --> 00:12:11,038 All we can do is pray that the train keeps going. 135 00:12:11,207 --> 00:12:14,483 (TRAIN GRINDS TO A HALT) 136 00:12:16,927 --> 00:12:20,681 This is the third time we've stopped in about... 137 00:12:20,847 --> 00:12:25,079 We've been going about - it's half past twelve - seven hours. 138 00:12:25,247 --> 00:12:28,159 The previous two times have been breakdowns. 139 00:12:28,327 --> 00:12:30,522 One was just a vacuum pipe. 140 00:12:30,687 --> 00:12:35,886 The next was more ominous. A one-hour breakdown of the locomotive. 141 00:12:36,047 --> 00:12:41,041 Once that goes, we could be here for days or even a week. 142 00:12:41,207 --> 00:12:44,961 There's nothing much they can do but wait till it's fixed. 143 00:12:45,127 --> 00:12:47,800 So I just don't know what's going on. 144 00:12:48,847 --> 00:12:54,638 We're moving very, very slowly. Maybe the superintendent can tell us what's happened. 145 00:12:56,647 --> 00:12:59,559 I'll see if I can see him. 146 00:13:00,327 --> 00:13:03,080 I never did find anyone to tell me what's happening. 147 00:13:03,247 --> 00:13:05,807 But next morning, we're still moving. 148 00:13:08,847 --> 00:13:12,442 These desert stations have no names, only numbers. 149 00:13:12,607 --> 00:13:18,000 This man could be the stationmaster of number five, six, seven or eight. 150 00:13:18,167 --> 00:13:22,001 The line was built by General Kitchener to retake Khartoum 151 00:13:22,167 --> 00:13:24,727 and avenge the death of General Gordon. 152 00:13:32,967 --> 00:13:38,997 Working in one of the hottest places on earth, engineers laid a mile of track every two days. 153 00:13:39,167 --> 00:13:41,522 How do they look after it now? 154 00:13:41,687 --> 00:13:46,124 Last night, we seemed to be always surrounded by sand. 155 00:13:46,287 --> 00:13:51,281 There was a wind blowing the sand. Is that a big problem for the engine? 156 00:13:51,447 --> 00:13:55,759 - The sand covers the line sometimes. - Yeah. 157 00:13:55,927 --> 00:14:02,196 So the labourers come and take it away from the track. 158 00:14:02,367 --> 00:14:06,519 - Do you bring labourers with you on the train? - Two or three. 159 00:14:07,447 --> 00:14:11,201 - How often... - By their materials. 160 00:14:11,367 --> 00:14:13,961 They take off the sand. 161 00:14:20,087 --> 00:14:25,400 The good news about the Nice Valley Express - it does have a restaurant car. 162 00:14:25,567 --> 00:14:28,161 The bad news - this is it. 163 00:14:41,847 --> 00:14:43,644 Tea? 164 00:14:43,807 --> 00:14:46,924 Tea? Chai? Thank you. 165 00:14:48,647 --> 00:14:53,277 Cucumber sandwiches, please, and a dessert menu. No, a desert menu! 166 00:14:53,447 --> 00:14:55,836 This isn't the only restaurant. 167 00:15:01,967 --> 00:15:04,959 Roof class have their own catering. 168 00:15:07,327 --> 00:15:09,557 Everyone up here travels free, 169 00:15:09,727 --> 00:15:15,723 and there are plenty of punters willing to risk sun, sand and sliding off into the desert. 170 00:15:23,687 --> 00:15:27,521 Some were surprised we didn't travel like this in England. 171 00:15:27,687 --> 00:15:30,963 I explained to them about bridges. 172 00:15:34,407 --> 00:15:36,796 Sleep well? Sleep well? 173 00:15:38,607 --> 00:15:42,646 It's a great view. It's better than first class. 174 00:15:42,807 --> 00:15:46,516 You've got a better view. It's not so hot. 175 00:15:46,687 --> 00:15:49,679 - It's not hot. - Just very fine. 176 00:15:50,927 --> 00:15:53,919 Better than inside. Better than inside. 177 00:15:54,087 --> 00:15:58,126 Yeah. They're all crammed together down there in first class. 178 00:15:58,287 --> 00:16:00,676 One cup of tea amongst ten of them. 179 00:16:00,847 --> 00:16:04,317 - Where are you going to? - Khartoum. 180 00:16:05,127 --> 00:16:09,040 Do you always travel like this on top of the train? 181 00:16:09,207 --> 00:16:11,675 Yes, sometimes. 182 00:16:11,847 --> 00:16:16,318 Sometimes. But when the day's too hot... 183 00:16:17,407 --> 00:16:21,400 In the middle of the day you have to get inside. 184 00:16:22,687 --> 00:16:29,126 What happens today? It's going to be very hot. It was 110 in the sun yesterday. 185 00:16:29,287 --> 00:16:34,281 What happens today in the heat of the day? Do you find some shade? 186 00:16:34,447 --> 00:16:38,725 - Shade? - Do you get out of the sun on a day like today? 187 00:16:38,887 --> 00:16:41,276 Yes, I get inside. 188 00:16:43,127 --> 00:16:47,245 There are 3,000 to 4,000 passengers on the Nile Valley Express. 189 00:16:47,407 --> 00:16:49,716 It's like a small town on the move. 190 00:16:49,887 --> 00:16:54,836 Progress is governed less by timetables than by the needs of the townsfolk. 191 00:16:55,007 --> 00:16:57,840 (HORN BLASTS) 192 00:16:58,007 --> 00:17:00,441 Goodbye! See you. 193 00:17:01,647 --> 00:17:07,438 It may look chaotic, but it's one of the most user-friendly trains I've ever been on. 194 00:17:11,287 --> 00:17:14,563 But you do have to know how to use it. 195 00:17:20,967 --> 00:17:25,757 In the good old days on the Nile Express you could get food, 196 00:17:25,927 --> 00:17:28,919 a five-course meal, God knows what, 197 00:17:29,087 --> 00:17:32,045 and probably have a liqueur at the end of it. 198 00:17:32,207 --> 00:17:34,721 Now it's self-catering on this line. 199 00:17:34,887 --> 00:17:40,598 This is what I got yesterday. I'll try the stewed chicken with bone. 200 00:17:40,767 --> 00:17:43,440 What will I get first? 201 00:17:46,407 --> 00:17:49,160 A little industrial, but not bad. 202 00:17:49,327 --> 00:17:52,319 Bread which is now about a day old. 203 00:17:52,487 --> 00:17:54,842 A bit of dunking. 204 00:17:58,687 --> 00:18:02,236 It's not the Grand Hotel, but it's quite tasty. 205 00:18:07,887 --> 00:18:10,196 Water, very essential. 206 00:18:12,607 --> 00:18:15,280 It's very, very hot out there. 207 00:18:16,047 --> 00:18:18,402 About 120 degrees. 208 00:18:21,767 --> 00:18:24,076 The water is probably... 209 00:18:27,327 --> 00:18:29,443 ...almost boiling. 210 00:18:29,607 --> 00:18:31,882 About as fresh as you can get. 211 00:18:34,247 --> 00:18:39,116 There you are. I recommend Ma Ling's stewed chicken with bone. 212 00:18:40,647 --> 00:18:43,639 Followed by hot Sahara desert water. 213 00:18:46,847 --> 00:18:49,998 Followed by a quick trip to the toilet! 214 00:18:51,007 --> 00:18:54,966 Which also leaves something to be desired. 215 00:18:58,087 --> 00:19:00,647 Ah! With bone. 216 00:19:02,927 --> 00:19:07,125 You may think this is ecologically unsound, 217 00:19:08,167 --> 00:19:13,924 but there are a lot of other bones in the desert, so... that goes out there. 218 00:19:31,327 --> 00:19:38,324 One of the most hazardous and fraught parts of the journey through Africa is safely over. 219 00:19:38,487 --> 00:19:41,479 I did get a ferry from Egypt to the Sudan, 220 00:19:41,647 --> 00:19:45,037 the highly unpredictable train did run on time, 221 00:19:45,207 --> 00:19:49,837 and now, 29 hours and three hours' sleep later, 222 00:19:50,007 --> 00:19:55,559 we are safely across one of the most inhospitable bits of desert in the world. 223 00:19:55,727 --> 00:19:59,879 Although most of that desert is up my nose, in my hair and ears, 224 00:20:00,047 --> 00:20:04,325 it's a small price to pay for being here in deepest Sudan 225 00:20:04,487 --> 00:20:08,765 and well on the way to... more problems, really. 226 00:20:08,927 --> 00:20:11,521 So, let's go. 227 00:20:19,727 --> 00:20:24,437 We opt to go on to Khartoum by bus, for extra reliability. 228 00:20:24,607 --> 00:20:29,635 The daily service covers the 200 miles from Atbara to the capital. 229 00:20:32,887 --> 00:20:35,720 The technology is tried and tested. 230 00:20:35,887 --> 00:20:40,677 This bus has already been a Bedford truck - and that was 40 years ago. 231 00:20:44,047 --> 00:20:46,845 We get a bus almost to ourselves. 232 00:20:47,007 --> 00:20:50,841 They're actually licensed to carry 107 people. 233 00:20:51,007 --> 00:20:54,397 At least the roads are empty - if this is a road. 234 00:20:55,967 --> 00:21:00,438 How do you know which route to take? It all looks exactly the same. 235 00:21:02,887 --> 00:21:06,721 You drive this way every day, right? 236 00:21:06,887 --> 00:21:09,640 So I suppose you know. 237 00:21:11,247 --> 00:21:15,638 When it... When the... Is there ever rain? Does it ever rain here? 238 00:21:18,167 --> 00:21:21,239 If it rains, I suppose you're just stuck. 239 00:21:22,647 --> 00:21:27,437 The driver and I chatter on. I think he just wants someone to talk to. 240 00:21:28,927 --> 00:21:31,077 Make your own M1. 241 00:21:36,687 --> 00:21:41,807 When at last we do find the road, things only get worse. 242 00:21:49,767 --> 00:21:55,364 It doesn't seem to have been finished, assuming it was ever started. 243 00:22:03,847 --> 00:22:07,840 2,000 years ago, this was the kingdom of Meroe. 244 00:22:10,407 --> 00:22:13,922 A cluster of pyramids can still be seen, 245 00:22:14,087 --> 00:22:17,966 broken and leaning like a row of bad teeth. 246 00:22:27,847 --> 00:22:31,522 How could a civilisation, rich in iron and agriculture, 247 00:22:31,687 --> 00:22:34,759 pass so completely out of history? 248 00:22:37,447 --> 00:22:43,636 I thought of asking the driver, but there's no guarantee of stopping him once he'd started. 249 00:22:46,727 --> 00:22:52,040 I thought of stopping for a nice cold beer, but alcohol's illegal in the Sudan. 250 00:22:52,207 --> 00:22:54,880 There's not much to do but get hot and dusty 251 00:22:55,047 --> 00:22:57,356 and, like those Victorian generals, 252 00:22:57,527 --> 00:23:02,476 think of all the things I'm going to relieve in Khartoum. 253 00:23:15,167 --> 00:23:18,842 Here in the capital are the first signs of trouble ahead. 254 00:23:19,007 --> 00:23:22,397 For eight years, the mainly Christian south has been at war 255 00:23:22,567 --> 00:23:26,355 with the hardline Muslim government in Khartoum. 256 00:23:26,527 --> 00:23:31,601 Unfortunately for us, the war zone lies straight across our path. 257 00:23:31,767 --> 00:23:35,442 I've just had a meeting in the Ministry of Information 258 00:23:35,607 --> 00:23:39,998 which is responsible for the permits and passes to cross Sudan. 259 00:23:40,167 --> 00:23:45,560 We've not been given permission to travel south through Sudan 260 00:23:45,727 --> 00:23:49,686 which we need to do to stay anywhere near 30 degrees. 261 00:23:49,847 --> 00:23:54,159 They won't guarantee our safety and we just can't go. 262 00:23:54,327 --> 00:23:58,559 We can fly into Juba but we can't get out of it. It's surrounded. 263 00:23:58,727 --> 00:24:03,596 So we're absolutely stuck. We've got to find another way out of Sudan. 264 00:24:03,767 --> 00:24:06,600 It won't be easy, but we'll look. 265 00:24:17,927 --> 00:24:21,556 This is not a country renowned for its sense of urgency. 266 00:24:21,727 --> 00:24:24,525 Things happen slowly, if at all. 267 00:24:24,687 --> 00:24:28,282 To get into the country requires the patience of Job. 268 00:24:28,447 --> 00:24:31,678 God knows what we need to get out. 269 00:24:36,847 --> 00:24:39,441 It's so easy to get discouraged, 270 00:24:39,607 --> 00:24:44,601 to let helplessness descend like the blanket of hot sticky air in the city. 271 00:24:44,767 --> 00:24:48,646 How does a foreigner survive in the Sudan? 272 00:24:52,207 --> 00:24:57,918 To find out, I'm directed to the one place where foreigners regularly meet. 273 00:25:00,527 --> 00:25:04,645 Before Sudan won her independence from Britain in 1956, 274 00:25:04,807 --> 00:25:09,562 the club's membership was over 1,000. Now it's barely 200. 275 00:25:09,727 --> 00:25:14,005 But the menu remains reassuringly Western, as do the diners. 276 00:25:14,887 --> 00:25:18,323 Alan Woodruff is a professor of tropical medicine, 277 00:25:18,487 --> 00:25:22,639 which makes him far from the ideal dining companion. 278 00:25:22,807 --> 00:25:28,404 - It's a very generous plateful. - It's full of salad! You know I never eat salad. 279 00:25:28,567 --> 00:25:33,243 Salad is one of the worst ways of contracting dysentery. 280 00:25:34,807 --> 00:25:38,595 And also, in this part of the world, hydatid disease. 281 00:25:38,767 --> 00:25:41,076 Bring me one without salad. 282 00:25:41,247 --> 00:25:46,605 Well, I'm not keen to get dysentery. If I put mine on the side here... 283 00:25:46,767 --> 00:25:48,758 Is it really that bad? 284 00:25:48,927 --> 00:25:53,159 It's one of the first principles of keeping fit in the tropics. 285 00:25:53,327 --> 00:25:57,923 - You avoid salads like the plague. - I've been eating salad all week. 286 00:25:58,087 --> 00:26:00,362 - Well... - The tomatoes look good. 287 00:26:00,527 --> 00:26:02,722 - Yes. - So far no problem. 288 00:26:02,887 --> 00:26:09,884 The things that look good are those which are most likely to transmit the dysentery. 289 00:26:10,047 --> 00:26:14,199 You've frightened me now. I'll keep it on one side. 290 00:26:15,047 --> 00:26:19,802 I know the books say you should make sure everything's peeled. 291 00:26:19,967 --> 00:26:24,199 They obviously have been peeled. Is it more serious than that? 292 00:26:25,487 --> 00:26:27,682 Well, yes. 293 00:26:27,847 --> 00:26:33,399 - Is it how they're grown? - No, it's difficult to know who's peeled them. 294 00:26:33,567 --> 00:26:36,400 - Because they're not heated up. - Right. 295 00:26:36,567 --> 00:26:38,717 So all this has been done... 296 00:26:38,887 --> 00:26:45,201 In your trip, I think that the best advice you could have about keeping fit 297 00:26:45,367 --> 00:26:49,645 would be to eat only those things which are served hot, 298 00:26:49,807 --> 00:26:53,402 come from the kitchen and are served hot. 299 00:26:53,567 --> 00:26:58,846 Oh, dear. Scotch egg seems a very traditional dish. What else do they have here? 300 00:26:59,007 --> 00:27:03,364 Well... The food is mostly traditional. 301 00:27:03,527 --> 00:27:06,087 Steak and kidney pie. 302 00:27:06,247 --> 00:27:11,321 We had roast beef yesterday, with Yorkshire pudding. 303 00:27:13,607 --> 00:27:17,885 There was no cabbage. Some sort of greens that grow by the river 304 00:27:18,047 --> 00:27:21,756 had to serve for cabbage, but it was very tasty. 305 00:27:21,927 --> 00:27:26,478 - Is the chef English? - No, Sudanese. Very good chap, too. 306 00:27:27,967 --> 00:27:31,277 To make amends for all the salads I've eaten, 307 00:27:31,447 --> 00:27:35,201 I foolhardily accept a sporting challenge. 308 00:27:47,527 --> 00:27:51,076 My opponent, Noshir Antia, was most accommodating 309 00:27:51,247 --> 00:27:56,685 but it's 100 Fahrenheit and, after several seconds, I've passed my peak. 310 00:27:56,847 --> 00:27:59,884 He kindly agrees to an adjournment. 311 00:28:00,047 --> 00:28:04,040 It's nice out here. You don't have a drug problem, 312 00:28:04,207 --> 00:28:08,962 you don't have mindless violence in this place. 313 00:28:09,127 --> 00:28:12,676 - The family gets together. - Is it a tricky language? 314 00:28:12,847 --> 00:28:17,318 Once you've learned the language, the people are extremely nice. 315 00:28:17,487 --> 00:28:21,526 They may laugh, but they take you to their hearts. 316 00:28:21,687 --> 00:28:27,000 - When did you learn? - When I came out here, I only spoke English. 317 00:28:27,167 --> 00:28:30,955 They only spoke Arabic, so I had to communicate very fast. 318 00:28:31,127 --> 00:28:34,119 I learnt through the school of hard knocks. 319 00:28:34,287 --> 00:28:39,441 - I'm hopeless. I don't know anything. - "Malish" should be your first one. 320 00:28:39,607 --> 00:28:42,201 - "Malish". - What's that? 321 00:28:42,367 --> 00:28:44,927 - "Sorry, never mind"! - That's good! 322 00:28:45,087 --> 00:28:48,397 - I could use that when I play squash! - You could. 323 00:28:48,567 --> 00:28:51,877 I could use that a lot. Malish! Malish! 324 00:28:52,767 --> 00:28:57,283 You probably want another game. Don't let me detain you. 325 00:28:57,447 --> 00:29:00,325 It's only lemonade. Honestly! 326 00:29:00,487 --> 00:29:04,799 - OK. Thank you very much. See you again. - Thank you very much. 327 00:29:04,967 --> 00:29:08,039 Bye. Lovely man. Lovely man. 328 00:29:08,207 --> 00:29:12,758 I let him win, of course. Little shots, but you have to, don't you? 329 00:29:13,607 --> 00:29:15,723 - Bye. - Bye! 330 00:29:27,247 --> 00:29:31,081 This is 0mdurman, across the River Nile from Khartoum. 331 00:29:31,247 --> 00:29:36,958 Ask anyone here the best way to get around their country, and there's only one answer. 332 00:29:38,407 --> 00:29:43,435 This is a "camel-mart". Dealers come here from all over the eastern Sahara. 333 00:29:59,887 --> 00:30:05,996 What does a second-hand ship of the desert, one owner, go for these days? 334 00:30:06,807 --> 00:30:09,367 - These yours? - 25,000. 335 00:30:09,527 --> 00:30:12,166 - How much? - 25,000. 336 00:30:12,327 --> 00:30:15,205 - For one camel? - 25,000. 337 00:30:15,367 --> 00:30:18,518 - That's a lot of money. That's... - 25,000. 338 00:30:18,687 --> 00:30:21,201 - I'll see. - 25,000. 339 00:30:21,367 --> 00:30:23,801 That's about 1,000 quid. 340 00:30:23,967 --> 00:30:29,360 I've got... 20, 40... I've got about maybe 100 here. 341 00:30:29,527 --> 00:30:33,281 - 25,000. - OK. Can I buy a bit of a camel? 342 00:30:33,447 --> 00:30:36,280 - 25,000. - A hump? 343 00:30:36,447 --> 00:30:41,601 Tell you what. A bulk order. We need seven of them. Bulk discount. 344 00:30:41,767 --> 00:30:45,555 - 25,000. - You're a hard man. Thanks. 345 00:30:49,247 --> 00:30:51,761 25,000 for that? I 346 00:30:52,727 --> 00:30:57,596 Ayusha Travel, a transport company run by Eritreans from Ethiopia 347 00:30:57,767 --> 00:31:00,964 could solve our problem of leaving the Sudan. 348 00:31:01,127 --> 00:31:03,721 They have experience of border crossing 349 00:31:03,887 --> 00:31:07,323 gained from their 30-year war with the central government. 350 00:31:07,487 --> 00:31:13,005 The ending of that war four months ago could be the piece of luck we need. 351 00:31:13,167 --> 00:31:15,635 We can't follow the White Nile south. 352 00:31:15,807 --> 00:31:18,719 West leads through Zaire, as difficult as Sudan. 353 00:31:18,887 --> 00:31:21,765 East is Ethiopia, freshly liberated, 354 00:31:21,927 --> 00:31:24,805 and, in theory, open for business. 355 00:31:24,967 --> 00:31:29,006 We want to get down to Addis, really, eventually. 356 00:31:29,167 --> 00:31:35,197 - Which route would you take us? - From Khartoum to Medani, to Gedaref. 357 00:31:35,367 --> 00:31:38,484 That is Medani. Then you have to reach Gedaref. 358 00:31:38,647 --> 00:31:44,324 - This looks all quite good road. - Asphalted road. It's a good road. 359 00:31:44,487 --> 00:31:49,117 - Where do we go then? - From Gedaref to Metema. 360 00:31:49,287 --> 00:31:52,438 Metema. I see. That's on the border. 361 00:31:52,607 --> 00:31:56,759 It's a border town. Then from Metema to Gonder. 362 00:31:56,927 --> 00:32:01,159 Lake Tana. From Gedaref to Metema it's rough roads. 363 00:32:01,327 --> 00:32:03,522 - Rocky road? - Yeah. 364 00:32:03,687 --> 00:32:09,842 Due to rainy season, the soil is washed out so it's somewhat rough. 365 00:32:10,007 --> 00:32:16,082 With a land cruiser it's all right. But with other cars it's impossible. 366 00:32:16,247 --> 00:32:21,321 Do you have land cruisers sufficient to take myself, six others and... 367 00:32:21,487 --> 00:32:25,924 We are in this business of transporting people. 368 00:32:26,087 --> 00:32:29,636 - And... - How long have you been doing this? 369 00:32:29,807 --> 00:32:32,116 Almost two years now. 370 00:32:32,287 --> 00:32:35,757 One of your cars is starting up now. It works! 371 00:32:36,527 --> 00:32:39,087 This may look just like a lot of water, 372 00:32:39,247 --> 00:32:44,321 but it's where the two Niles, the Blue Nile - or brown Nile, as it is here - 373 00:32:44,487 --> 00:32:49,003 and the White Nile - or grey Nile over there - actually meet. 374 00:32:49,167 --> 00:32:53,285 If things had gone right, we'd have followed the White Nile 375 00:32:53,447 --> 00:32:58,646 right down into Central Africa, but we can't do that, as we know. 376 00:32:58,807 --> 00:33:02,641 So we're going to follow the Blue - or brown - Nile 377 00:33:02,807 --> 00:33:08,723 on a zigzag course to its source in Ethiopia. Much more exciting. 378 00:33:08,887 --> 00:33:14,120 Look at the brownness of the Blue Nile and the greyness of the White Nile. 379 00:33:14,287 --> 00:33:18,075 We'll look for the source of the Turquoise Nile. 380 00:33:20,967 --> 00:33:24,357 In 0mdurman every Friday, an hour before dusk, 381 00:33:24,527 --> 00:33:27,803 followers of the 19th-century Sheikh Hamed El Niel 382 00:33:27,967 --> 00:33:34,076 gather to celebrate his teachings and dance themselves closer to Allah. 383 00:33:40,327 --> 00:33:43,444 They're better known as the Whirling Dervishes. 384 00:33:43,607 --> 00:33:46,883 If this is religion, I'd like to join. 385 00:34:22,647 --> 00:34:28,517 If I see Allah, I'll ask him to make this happy night my last memory of Khartoum. 386 00:34:28,687 --> 00:34:34,364 We've been stuck here almost a week, and it's time we can no longer afford. 387 00:34:50,087 --> 00:34:53,477 We're now about to leave Khartoum. 388 00:34:53,647 --> 00:34:57,242 We have transport, courtesy of the Eritreans. 389 00:34:57,407 --> 00:35:02,276 After quite a wait we've finally got our permit to go to Gedaref 390 00:35:02,447 --> 00:35:06,998 from the Sudan police headquarters. Without this we can't move at all. 391 00:35:07,167 --> 00:35:11,558 So we can go to Gedaref and across the border into Ethiopia. 392 00:35:11,727 --> 00:35:16,517 It'll be a rough ride, but a second sandstorm hit Khartoum last night. 393 00:35:16,687 --> 00:35:18,678 I think we should go. 394 00:35:43,327 --> 00:35:46,444 After a day's travelling, we're clear of the desert. 395 00:35:46,607 --> 00:35:48,723 It's marvellous to see greenery, 396 00:35:48,887 --> 00:35:53,278 but it's only there because the rains have ended unusually late. 397 00:36:14,087 --> 00:36:18,877 Most people we pass are on foot. I can soon understand why. 398 00:36:31,447 --> 00:36:35,963 The thick black soil has not yet had time to dry out. 399 00:36:40,487 --> 00:36:45,322 But this is the road to the border and we can only hope it gets better. 400 00:37:11,207 --> 00:37:14,563 Vehicles much heavier than ours have passed this way 401 00:37:14,727 --> 00:37:18,276 and ground deep ruts into the soft earth. 402 00:37:37,527 --> 00:37:41,759 For the first time, my faith in the Eritrean drivers is shaken. 403 00:37:41,927 --> 00:37:46,000 0nce stuck, they seem to lose heart easily. 404 00:37:56,927 --> 00:38:01,682 0n the move, riding the ridges with skill, they're in their element. 405 00:38:01,847 --> 00:38:04,361 They even act as a bus service. 406 00:38:04,527 --> 00:38:06,438 What is your name? 407 00:38:06,607 --> 00:38:08,882 (GIVES LONG ARABIC NAME) 408 00:38:10,087 --> 00:38:12,999 Mine is Michael. Not quite as grand as that. 409 00:38:13,167 --> 00:38:15,601 - Where are you going to? - Doka. 410 00:38:16,647 --> 00:38:21,516 - Doka? Is that a village? - No. 411 00:38:21,687 --> 00:38:25,566 I have a field on that side. 412 00:38:26,607 --> 00:38:29,679 What do you grow in your field? 413 00:38:29,847 --> 00:38:31,758 (IN ARABIC) 414 00:38:31,927 --> 00:38:34,395 Sim-sim? Sesame? 415 00:38:36,767 --> 00:38:40,442 How long does it take you to get to Gedaref? 416 00:38:41,807 --> 00:38:43,525 Two days. 417 00:38:45,247 --> 00:38:49,240 How do you travel? Do you travel on a bus? 418 00:38:49,407 --> 00:38:51,602 - Lorry. - Lorry. 419 00:38:51,767 --> 00:38:55,203 How many people are there on the lorry? 420 00:38:56,527 --> 00:38:58,802 Many people? 421 00:38:59,127 --> 00:39:01,800 More than 20. 422 00:39:03,167 --> 00:39:06,284 Tough ride. You all bump around. 423 00:39:10,447 --> 00:39:12,756 Some lorries don't make it. 424 00:39:12,927 --> 00:39:18,160 We pick our way around them knowing it could so easily be us. 425 00:39:18,327 --> 00:39:21,444 (ENGINE STALLS) 426 00:39:22,287 --> 00:39:24,562 And very soon it is. 427 00:39:44,127 --> 00:39:47,164 I lend a hand, wherever possible. 428 00:39:54,527 --> 00:39:58,520 At this rate, I can see real trouble ahead. 429 00:39:58,687 --> 00:40:04,045 We've reached Doka, the half-way point between here and the border at Gallabat. 430 00:40:04,207 --> 00:40:09,042 We've asked for vehicles at Gallabat to take us into Ethiopia tonight. 431 00:40:09,207 --> 00:40:12,040 We started at 6.30. It's now just after 12. 432 00:40:12,207 --> 00:40:14,960 It's very unlikely we'll get there on time. 433 00:40:15,127 --> 00:40:18,085 Whether they'll wait for us, we don't know. 434 00:40:18,247 --> 00:40:23,719 With the roads the way they are, it'll be very tight to rendezvous with them. 435 00:40:28,807 --> 00:40:32,277 After Doka, our drivers lose the road completely. 436 00:40:32,447 --> 00:40:37,475 We plunge on through the fields with increasing desperation. 437 00:40:43,207 --> 00:40:46,438 (THEY SPEAK IN ARABIC) 438 00:40:49,607 --> 00:40:52,599 There's not much left to do but pray. 439 00:40:57,647 --> 00:41:02,767 Another truck stuck, another tow. Still, no sense in rushing. 440 00:41:03,447 --> 00:41:05,756 They've got the right idea. 441 00:41:19,167 --> 00:41:24,195 OK. I've got a feeling we're not gonna win our race against time 442 00:41:24,367 --> 00:41:27,040 to get to Gallabat by dusk. 443 00:41:27,207 --> 00:41:30,517 This is the road. It's virtually impassable. 444 00:41:30,687 --> 00:41:35,715 It's so deeply grooved we keep having to stop to pull vehicles out. 445 00:41:35,887 --> 00:41:39,118 Nobody is quite sure where the border is. 446 00:41:39,287 --> 00:41:44,566 These two things mean in the last half-hour we've covered five kilometres. 447 00:41:44,727 --> 00:41:49,278 We've been going nine hours or so. It's quarter to four. 448 00:41:49,447 --> 00:41:53,565 We have about another hour and a half of daylight. 449 00:41:53,727 --> 00:41:59,643 Unless things get very much better, I think we'll be picnicking in the bush. 450 00:42:06,127 --> 00:42:11,997 Well, the adventure continues. We never did reach Gallabat last night. 451 00:42:12,167 --> 00:42:15,682 After one of many halts, and 13 hours of driving, 452 00:42:15,847 --> 00:42:20,363 we stopped dead in a small village called Kanina. 453 00:42:20,527 --> 00:42:25,362 We asked the police whether we could get to Gallabat. They said stay here. 454 00:42:25,527 --> 00:42:29,122 So we spent the night in the police station. 455 00:42:29,287 --> 00:42:32,199 This is the compound of the station. 456 00:42:32,367 --> 00:42:36,360 Didn't sleep well, but I never do in police stations. 457 00:42:36,527 --> 00:42:40,566 But we're here, and we're trying to find the border. 458 00:42:40,727 --> 00:42:46,404 Answers on a postcard to "Pole To Pole" lost on the Sudan / Ethiopia border, Monday. 459 00:43:08,327 --> 00:43:13,321 Being by nature an optimist, I don't think things can get any worse. 460 00:43:13,487 --> 00:43:17,799 Wrong again. Before you can say Nigel Mansell, we're in the pits. 461 00:43:17,967 --> 00:43:21,357 (ENGINE REVS) 462 00:43:27,167 --> 00:43:30,159 No grip on here at all. 463 00:43:38,527 --> 00:43:42,361 Strange people appear to see what we're doing. 464 00:43:42,527 --> 00:43:47,760 I haven't the heart to tell them we're going to the South Pole. 465 00:43:58,367 --> 00:44:03,316 Things are now so bad, even the director has to push. 466 00:44:05,287 --> 00:44:08,563 It really does seem like the end of the road. 467 00:44:08,727 --> 00:44:12,356 The vehicles ahead of us are also stuck. 468 00:44:20,847 --> 00:44:25,125 But just as I'm thinking of taking Sudanese nationality, 469 00:44:25,287 --> 00:44:27,960 hope backs towards us. 470 00:44:49,367 --> 00:44:51,881 It's a last-minute reprieve. 471 00:44:52,047 --> 00:44:57,758 We pull ourselves out of the rough to find we are closer to the road than we thought. 472 00:44:57,927 --> 00:45:01,476 Mind you, some people are even closer. 473 00:45:28,647 --> 00:45:32,686 Someone's trying to tell us something about this journey. 474 00:45:32,847 --> 00:45:37,284 We've been going about seven hours since we left the police station. 475 00:45:37,447 --> 00:45:42,760 We've covered about 20 kilometres. Gallabat is just over there, I'm told. 476 00:45:42,927 --> 00:45:47,762 Just as we arrive, we find this lorry has overturned 477 00:45:47,927 --> 00:45:52,523 and has blocked the road, so we're held up again. 478 00:45:52,687 --> 00:45:55,201 This is not a good place to stop 479 00:45:55,367 --> 00:46:00,646 because in these hills on the border there are ex-Ethiopian troops 480 00:46:00,807 --> 00:46:03,799 who are living almost as mercenaries. 481 00:46:03,967 --> 00:46:09,564 We have to have an armed guard. They're fanning out to protect us. 482 00:46:09,727 --> 00:46:13,481 Way back when we tried to film, we were told not to. 483 00:46:13,647 --> 00:46:16,639 I shouldn't film now if I were you. 484 00:46:21,287 --> 00:46:24,723 The trouble with real roads is that people use them. 485 00:46:24,887 --> 00:46:31,360 Having seen nothing for 24 hours, we run into a convoy of trucks coming from Ethiopia. 486 00:46:39,807 --> 00:46:44,119 0nce they're past, we speed on... for at least 100 yards. 487 00:46:45,607 --> 00:46:48,883 This is like one of those never-ending board games 488 00:46:49,047 --> 00:46:52,437 where you have to throw the exact number to finish. 489 00:46:52,607 --> 00:46:56,759 Stop here under the tree? Yeah, we're waiting for him. 490 00:47:18,047 --> 00:47:20,481 - Hmm. - Gallabat. 491 00:47:20,647 --> 00:47:22,638 - What? - Gallabat. 492 00:47:22,807 --> 00:47:25,116 Gallabat? Here? 493 00:47:25,287 --> 00:47:27,881 It must have a sign. 494 00:47:28,047 --> 00:47:29,446 No. 495 00:47:29,607 --> 00:47:34,920 Why do they have no road signs in the Sudan? Round here? Why not? 496 00:47:37,167 --> 00:47:41,957 Just when I'd ceased to believe in the existence of Gallabat, there it is. 497 00:47:48,047 --> 00:47:50,561 We've taken well over 24 hours 498 00:47:50,727 --> 00:47:55,164 to cover the distance between London and 0xford. 499 00:48:08,047 --> 00:48:10,800 Gallabat may seem like the Promised Land, 500 00:48:10,967 --> 00:48:16,041 but we know to our cost it's one of the least accessible places in Africa. 501 00:48:18,927 --> 00:48:24,763 We've made it. The question now is, "Will anyone be there to meet us?"