We are in Khartoum (and for once this blog entry isn't months out of date)

We haven't blogged for ages. This isn't entirely due to lethargy. Surprisingly, the internet access we have had for much of the way recently has been terrible, and the blogger website appears to be blocked by Ethiopian censors. Anyway we have finally caught up with where we are. We drove into Khartoum (the capital of Sudan for those whose geography is a little rusty) yesterday, which wasn't a great day to be on the roads since it is the day before Eid Al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice and the most important holiday in the religious calendar (and it coincides with the Haj - that special time of year when millions of muslims trample each other in Mecca). Everyone was driving home to slaughter goats and celebrate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac because a voice in his head which he attributed to God told him to. The devil tried to intervene, wickedly suggesting he shouldn't murder his own son, but fortunately Abraham ignored this evil influence to continue on his filicidal path before God relented and let him substitute a lamb. Even more amazing than the story is the fact that it is used as a source of moral education by many hundreds of millions of Christians, Muslims and Jews. Anyway Sudan shuts down for a couple of days so we have been relaxing in Khartoum right at the confluence of the Blue and White Niles. From here we head up the big loop of the Nile to see the Sudanese pyramids. We have a ferry booked across Lake Nasser from Wadi Halfa to Aswan on the 17th Dec and fingers crossed should be in Cairo for Christmas.