Having revalidated my ferry ticket (bought in Khartoum) and collected my departure card from the immigration office behind the ferry terminal, i am all ready to sail out of Sudan. The ferry departs Wadi Halfa from Wadi Halfa to Aswan every Wednesday. It costs SP95/SP153 for 2nd class/1st class.
A rickshaw charges SP5 for the 2kms from town to the ferry terminal. There are a few more procedures to sort out with a SP21 departure tax to pay and two more almost identical white slips of paper to complete. Although asked to open both my bags, the customs can’t be bothered to even glance at the contents.
departing Wadi HalfaWith the current troubles in Egypt the boat is half empty and it leaves early at 3.40pm. The boat is pretty comfy with a restaurant on board to cash in your free meal ticket. My two berth cabin contains only me, and although lacks a plug socket to recharge my computer and MP3 player, it’s pretty cool. The 2nd class area is somewhat more uncomfortable, but boats three rooms with a different DVD playing in each.
sunset from the ferryEgyptian authorites board the ferry at sunset to stamp us in to Egyptian territory, and yet again, despite all the promises, do not enquire me to show my Yellow Fever vaccination certificate. Either did Rwandan of Ugandan officials as i passed through.
It is already dark as we pass by Abu Simbel on the left hand side, but it does look beautiful and i’ll probably back-track to see it again.
passing Abu SimbelThe boat arrives in Aswan early at 9am but there is no customs officers ready so we are kept on board for more than an hour.
arriving into the dock in Aswan
the Arrival Hall methinks...but maybe notAfter much haggling, i finally secure a taxi into town for EP20.
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