• Sombre mood at PAT camp
August 28, 2004
Sudan gave the team a reprieve from the heat today during the CR Programme. The temperature was quite pleasant the whole day making our job of cleaning and other refurbishments to the Tayeb Saeed Basic School much easier. Unfortunately, we weren’t so lucky with the clearing of the cars. Logistic Director Faruk Abdul Rahman went to Soba Inland Port with a team of drivers and mechanics in the hope that the trucks carrying our cars had arrived and were waiting to be cleared.
Excuses, bureaucracy, the weather, territorial gatekeepers and a hundred other elements conspire to make life difficult for Faruk and his team. Sidik Khan commented, “The only thing nice I can say about today is that it wasn’t hot”. After 10 hours at Soba Inland Port, Faruk and team finally gave up; only six cars were out of their containers and another 12 nowhere to be seen. The six cars were also not allowed to leave the port until all the others were cleared. Returning to the hotel, Faruk immediately briefed the expedition leader and the rest of the management team. Alternative and back up plans were discussed and decided upon.
The mood was quite sombre at dinner as team members without their cars were like fish out of water. The PETRONAS Sudan staff who were invited for dinner empathized with the team’s experience with the port authorities. Most of them advised us to be patient and expect delays throughout our journey – but the most important thing to do is SMILE.
Lastly, we hope we can get our cars tomorrow and be able to flag off on time Monday to begin the 6th PETRONAS Adventure Team expedition – the PETRONAS Trans-Sahara 2004.
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