My Sudanese Girlfriend is a Sweet Ride

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go on a "Cultural Awareness Tour" to see the pyramids in the region of northern Sudan. I jumped at the chance to go. After a long 4 hour drive we finally found the pyramids. As luck would have it there did not appear to be any roads that led to the pyramids that we could see in the distance, so we went a little offroading. Then, as my luck would have it, I got us stuck in the sand. I was not a happy camper. Nothing like a bunch of police and military A-type personalities telling you what you should or should not have done to not get stuck. I just laughed in my head. It was quite comical actually. Especially because I always seem to get vehicles stuck in the sand, mud, snow, you name it. Sure enough though, as if getting stuck was a sign of better things to come, a young arabic boy showed up on a camel. We all quickly forgot that we were stuck for a few moments. Anyway, we freed the vehicle and then we all got to go for a camel ride. The camel and I are now dating and I tell you, my Sudanese girlfriend is a sweet ride. She grunts alot though, likes to spit, is a little stubborn, and smells like shit. Hey that rhymes!!! I had a blast. I can now cross "camel ride" off of my list of things to do.

I was able to manoeuver the van we were in to the entrance to the pyramids. After having a look at some of the trinkets for sale and paying our fee to enter the area, we all began walking through the sandy grave of the Meroe Pyramids. What an awesome sight. I did expect the pyramids to be bigger, but it didn't matter. I was in awe of it all. I think I said this before, but I felt like I was in something out of a movie. A dream come true. I did not talk much to anyone, and except for a few photo opportunities, I walked through and was in my own little world for a while.

Now for some facts:

The pyramids in northern Sudan were built from the 4th century BC to 3d century AD. They belong to Nubian kings. Between 712-657 BC, Sudanese kings conquered and ruled Egypt. By

about 300 BC the center of the kingdom had shifted south to the Meroe region in central Sudan, where the pyramids and tombs were built to house the bodies of their kings and queens.
All the tombs at Meroe became victim to grave robbers that stole everything of value. The majority of the pyramids had the tops blown off in the early 19th cenury by an Italian explorer named Giuseppe Ferlini. He apparently found gold hidden in the top portion of one of the pyramids (which was a rare find) and started blowing the tops off of the others. He never found any more gold though. The gold he found is now on display at museums in Munich and Berlin.

As you will see in some of my photos, efforts have gone into reconstructing some of the pyramids to what they would have looked like originally. I don't know if I really agree with this. There is something to be said about leaving things as they have been found. If they were to repair all of the pyramids to their original state, I think they would lack the historical authenticity that they possess.

Hope you enjoy the photos,

Gonzo

A village near the pyramids close to a town called Shendi where people live.

This is what a "tuk tuk" taxi looks like.