Khartoum, Sudan
Khartoum, Republic of the Sudan
You know you’re in a Muslim country when: there is a red arrow on the ceiling of your hotel room pointing to Mecca, there is a prayer rug and large copy of the Qur’an (bilingual) in your room, the mini bar is full of non-alcoholic beer, and the man in the minaret awakens you at 5:00 with amplified calls of “Allah akhbar” (God is great) as part of the morning call to prayer.
To be fair, only the north of Sudan is Muslim. Tomorrow I’ll be in the Christian south where I doubt there will be as many mosques with loud speakers. Still, it’s a pretty exotic sound. E (the human rights lawyer I’m traveling with) and I were outside on what is called the "patio" of the hotel (Moony Hotel is a cheap four story walk up) late last night sharing a shisha (water pipe, aka “hubbly bubbly”, apple spice flavoured) and heard the last call of the day to prayer. Exotic is the appropriate term.
Other oddities here – at the tiny patch of grass out front of our hotel that passes for the “patio” the waitress (Muslim headscarf, skin tight jeans) offered coffee. No Turkish coffee available, but she’d be happy to make “chocolate coffee”. OK, sounds good. We got a tea pot of boiling water, two packets of Nescafe instant coffee, a very large bowl of sugar and an equally large bowl of chocolate powder. Truth in advertising. We heard something rustling on the other side of the hedge, but thought maybe a dog or rat. It wasn’t until the next morning that I looked out my patio and discovered what it was. Read on…
To see our hotel, go to http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1207541473059488675ifkdpJ It’s claim to fame is that it is right beside the huge UN Mission compound, where we have a briefing meeting this morning. Due to its proximity to the UN, it's not a cheap hotel.
We arrived early last evening from Frankfurt (lovely night stay at the airport Sheraton) after a flight over the Mediterranean, Libya and then hours over the Sahara. Khartoum goes on forever. Everything is reddish brown from the blowing fine sand. Few buildings are over 4 or 5 stories. This is where the Blue and White Nile meet to flow towards the Mediterranean.
Long delay at the airport as we were shunted from line to line to pick up our visas ($110 US each, and a further $50 US today for some second visa/permit. Who knows. They ask, we hand over dollars and ask for a receipt. It’s all in Arabic). Brusque functionaries. My suitcase was marked with a chalk X, meaning secondary inspection, so off we go to that counter. Our UN escort talks to the customs guy who waves us off ten feet (no search) to the guy at the exit (who has observed all this) without opening my bag. The exit guy won’t let us pass without a sticker saying the bag has been inspected. Back to the first guy who makes a show of opening one zipper of the suitcase 12 inches (it’s now been officially inspected) and then putting the inspection sticker on it. The second guy is happy now as there is an official sticker. Rules to be followed. Welcome to Africa.
I’m traveling with a woman who is an international human rights lawyer and also does work for Doctors Without Borders (can’t spell the actual French name) and spent four months here in Khartoum when the civil war was still on. E has been in quite a few places I have no desire to see. Lots of experience with prolonged stays in tents and refugee camps. Admirable, but not for me.
Just before heading upstairs to breakfast, I went out on my second floor balcony to get a picture of the sunrise. Major road out front, UNMIS (UN Mission in Sudan) compound to my left, and to my right are several herds of sheep having breakfast right beside the hotel, being shooed about by men in turbans and flowing white robes. We’re not in Kansas any more Toto. (See picture)
Turns out the sheep are for roadside sale (dinner on the hoof). You buy and slaughter a sheep for any notable event/feast – somebody had a child, got out of hospital, etc. Prices double during the holy Muslim festivals.
Right behind the roadside "sheep to go" market is a hut made of tree branches, scrap, burlap and plastic. There are people living in it, and ones similar to it further back from the road. Remember, this is right beside our hotel, with the massive UN compound on the other side of the hotel. Incredible disparity. (see picture)
After our UN briefing, we were taken for a tour of Khartoum, and to pick up our flight tickets for Juba tomorrow morning (driver will pick us up at 5:30 am). Drove over the Nile a couple of times, saw where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet, went to the market (see pictures – the pyramid shaped nut dealer is neat), go stuck in lots of traffic, had a fabulous outdoor lunch.
Lots of red dust/sand covering everything, lots of chaotic traffic, massive numbers of vehicles (lots new), construction, more dust, donkey carts, tricycle taxis, litter. Reminds me of lots of other places I’ve been. Fascinating, maddening, wild, but sensory overload, especially with the jet lag.
You know you’re in a Muslim country when: there is a red arrow on the ceiling of your hotel room pointing to Mecca, there is a prayer rug and large copy of the Qur’an (bilingual) in your room, the mini bar is full of non-alcoholic beer, and the man in the minaret awakens you at 5:00 with amplified calls of “Allah akhbar” (God is great) as part of the morning call to prayer.
To be fair, only the north of Sudan is Muslim. Tomorrow I’ll be in the Christian south where I doubt there will be as many mosques with loud speakers. Still, it’s a pretty exotic sound. E (the human rights lawyer I’m traveling with) and I were outside on what is called the "patio" of the hotel (Moony Hotel is a cheap four story walk up) late last night sharing a shisha (water pipe, aka “hubbly bubbly”, apple spice flavoured) and heard the last call of the day to prayer. Exotic is the appropriate term.
Other oddities here – at the tiny patch of grass out front of our hotel that passes for the “patio” the waitress (Muslim headscarf, skin tight jeans) offered coffee. No Turkish coffee available, but she’d be happy to make “chocolate coffee”. OK, sounds good. We got a tea pot of boiling water, two packets of Nescafe instant coffee, a very large bowl of sugar and an equally large bowl of chocolate powder. Truth in advertising. We heard something rustling on the other side of the hedge, but thought maybe a dog or rat. It wasn’t until the next morning that I looked out my patio and discovered what it was. Read on…
To see our hotel, go to http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1207541473059488675ifkdpJ It’s claim to fame is that it is right beside the huge UN Mission compound, where we have a briefing meeting this morning. Due to its proximity to the UN, it's not a cheap hotel.
We arrived early last evening from Frankfurt (lovely night stay at the airport Sheraton) after a flight over the Mediterranean, Libya and then hours over the Sahara. Khartoum goes on forever. Everything is reddish brown from the blowing fine sand. Few buildings are over 4 or 5 stories. This is where the Blue and White Nile meet to flow towards the Mediterranean.
Long delay at the airport as we were shunted from line to line to pick up our visas ($110 US each, and a further $50 US today for some second visa/permit. Who knows. They ask, we hand over dollars and ask for a receipt. It’s all in Arabic). Brusque functionaries. My suitcase was marked with a chalk X, meaning secondary inspection, so off we go to that counter. Our UN escort talks to the customs guy who waves us off ten feet (no search) to the guy at the exit (who has observed all this) without opening my bag. The exit guy won’t let us pass without a sticker saying the bag has been inspected. Back to the first guy who makes a show of opening one zipper of the suitcase 12 inches (it’s now been officially inspected) and then putting the inspection sticker on it. The second guy is happy now as there is an official sticker. Rules to be followed. Welcome to Africa.
I’m traveling with a woman who is an international human rights lawyer and also does work for Doctors Without Borders (can’t spell the actual French name) and spent four months here in Khartoum when the civil war was still on. E has been in quite a few places I have no desire to see. Lots of experience with prolonged stays in tents and refugee camps. Admirable, but not for me.
Just before heading upstairs to breakfast, I went out on my second floor balcony to get a picture of the sunrise. Major road out front, UNMIS (UN Mission in Sudan) compound to my left, and to my right are several herds of sheep having breakfast right beside the hotel, being shooed about by men in turbans and flowing white robes. We’re not in Kansas any more Toto. (See picture)
Turns out the sheep are for roadside sale (dinner on the hoof). You buy and slaughter a sheep for any notable event/feast – somebody had a child, got out of hospital, etc. Prices double during the holy Muslim festivals.
Right behind the roadside "sheep to go" market is a hut made of tree branches, scrap, burlap and plastic. There are people living in it, and ones similar to it further back from the road. Remember, this is right beside our hotel, with the massive UN compound on the other side of the hotel. Incredible disparity. (see picture)
After our UN briefing, we were taken for a tour of Khartoum, and to pick up our flight tickets for Juba tomorrow morning (driver will pick us up at 5:30 am). Drove over the Nile a couple of times, saw where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet, went to the market (see pictures – the pyramid shaped nut dealer is neat), go stuck in lots of traffic, had a fabulous outdoor lunch.
Lots of red dust/sand covering everything, lots of chaotic traffic, massive numbers of vehicles (lots new), construction, more dust, donkey carts, tricycle taxis, litter. Reminds me of lots of other places I’ve been. Fascinating, maddening, wild, but sensory overload, especially with the jet lag.
Not all sure what, if any, Internet access I'll have in Juba, so don't expect new pictures until after I get home...
posted by Mark L at
11:15 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home