Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, is big chaotic city, with not that much to see but a lot to experience. The main boulevard stretches along the Nile, here you can find many ministries and the president's palace. That means that there are no open vehicles allowed to pass. Also no bicycles. Near the city center the 2 Niles meet, the Blue Nile from the Ethiopian heights meets the White Nile from the marches of South Sudan. After the heat and the dust on the road towards Khartoum we are very happy to plunge into all the inducements of a city. This also includes an excellent dinner in a indian restaurant, not very authentic we know, but very tasty. And a hamburger in a snack bar run by Eritreans, very nice!
Our days are packed with administration issues:
- registration (not necessary since done in Wadi Halfa but gives the government the opportunity to make more money!),
- visa extension which, due to bureaucracy, takes us 3 days to obtain and
- a photo and travel permit (which no one ever looked at!).
Our nerves are badly tested and more than once we have to walk out not to strangle the arrogant clerk behind the window! Officially the administrations opens at 8am. Walk in at 9am and you might find someone working... 11am is breakfast time, all work is interrupted for 45 minutes and no new affairs are treated after that. 3pm is closing time.
Talk about efficiency: our visa extension was to be given back by 2pm. We had handed it in with all the necessary documentation at 10 in the morning. So we thought, since at least 7 people had checked the application before giving us a green light to go. Starting to ask around 12am, our passports are not there yet. Coming back at 1pm and 2pm still nothing. At 2.30pm Yann insists on the clerk checking all the passports lying around, even the ones
behind the clerk. Ah yes, there are our passports, but... there is a document missing! We can't give you the visa extension today! Come back tomorrow! And all the time the passports had been lying there and we could have gotten the missing document on the same day! But since they close at 3pm... ;-(
It's written in the guide book that Sudan runs on IBM: Incha'allah-Bukra-Malesh (If God wants - tomorrow - sorry).... it's an experience!
Sudanese are overwhelmingly welcoming and polite people, but when it comes to administration, the concept of lining up is not in their vocabulary! You know someone inside? Your paperwork is treated preferentially! You might be dealing with a clerk and at the same time 3 other persons are asking the same clerk something, handing him/her their passports or asking for an information! Ever heard about customer service? Or is there no sudanese translation of this??? The fittest survive!
Asking for an Ethiopian visa is a whole different world! Fill out the form at the entrance, leave ALL your stuff there, go into the embassy and LINE UP to have your paperwork taken care of. Pay. That's it, your visa is ready to be taken in 1 hour. Talk about efficiency! And all of a sudden all Sudanese know how to line up. And every newcomer is well introduced to the lining up by the one already there!
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| Everyday, so it seems there is wedding in Karthoum. Here we were invited by our hotel manager to come along and join the one of his friend. This weeding is more in a western style, the bride wears a white dress and the groom a suit. But nevertheless the older male still wear the djalaba. The wedding is a big affair in which everybody they know is invited, even people they don't know. They rent a big event hall and there is plenty of food, music, and dancing. At around eleven pm everybody leaves and the party is over. |
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| Taxis, a battered affair. Most of them are beyond repair but still driving or better rumpling around. |
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| Street-live in Karthoum, the capital.... |
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| Suuk, or market.. |
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| Flip-Flops, the TEVA of Sudan. (TEVA is THE outdoor sandal branch in Switzerland) |
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| Departing meal at the guest-familiy of Matt and Tom. They will leave directly towards Ethiopia. We say good by and hope to see you soon, again.... |
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| In Omdurman, besides Khartoum, there is a Sufi dance every Friday holding place at a big mosque. |
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| The sufi priest dance and performe their trance like chanting in front of a big crowd of followers. |
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| The front rows consist of the most devote young mens. |
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| The women stand in a separate place and observe the spectacle. The whole festivity feels more african than muslimic, everybody dances, sings and moves their hips to the rhythm of the drum and the chanting. |
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| It'a a family event, everybody joins in.... |
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| Towards the end there is joint prayer said for everybody in the audience.... |
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| Before the sun sets, all the assembled men pray together. After that everybody sits down and chats and drinks chai... |
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| The day we wanted to leave... a big sandstorm was upon the city, so we stayed another day. |
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| Some ice for your fruit juice? |
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| Our breakfast in town... Zalabias and chai... |
