Green Village Hotel Khartoum

... all is peaceful. Then two women appear out of the dark, obviously the ‘Mama’ of the farmer’s house wants to inspect these curious foreigners. Sizing us up with one long look she deems the situation safe and calls over her sons, daughters and a herd of grandchildren. ‘Mama’ has come to inspect our ‘home’. Obligingly we give them the grand tour of the LandRover - the penthouse roof-top tent, veranda, kitchen and supply rooms ...

... The truck was OK, but the bus was about 10 cm shorter. They were clearly waiting for a policeman to show up and take statements. The Ethiopians do believe that a horde of angels built the Lalibela churches overnight, so the relatively simple sudden appearance of a policeman, landing on a brilliant cloud, must be not beyond their wildest expectations. We think otherwise, a wait of several hours was more likely. Fortunately we were able to squeeze the last ...

... in at night a week earlier, using a low water level in the Nile. Tomorrow we have one full day to explore this exotic city of between 8 and 12 million (they are still counting the first ever Sudanese census results), then we will be headed for Ethiopia. We regret not to be able to explore this interesting country better, but because of the severe travel restrictions for foreigners as well as locals we are only in transit here, so will have to be content.

... tourist must apply for one in order to take pictures in Sudan. And even then, there are strict regulations about what you can photograph. I must resist the urge to just snap whenever and at whatever. After changing some money at the FOREX bureau, we went in search for the Landy Garage to buy some spare parts and to have our back left passenger door fitted with a padlock. We've been having problems with it on and off ...

... down and nobody knows when it'll resume again. So here I am, sitting at the kebab 'n fruit place (again) next door, plugged in and feeling a bit cooler with the breeze of the fans. It is incredibly interesting to be here, watching young adults share a meal, both girls and guys together, chatting animatedly, laughing excitedly, and sending the usual tell-tale flirtatious signs that young people do worldwide. Except here, there is absolutely no physical contact. The only contact I'm ...

... short. It costs us 175SP to register as aliens in Sudan. So on top of the $300 visa fee we have to pay another $87.50 just for the privilege of being in Sudan. If we want to travel outside of Khartoum and see some archeological sites we would have to get more permits with several days delay and pay more fees. But we've read that we can travel to the Ethiopian border without travel permits. January 15, 2008 Khartoum, Sudan This morning we walk to the ...

... However they managed to cobble together a fix that looked better than my attempt but so many of the links were damaged that I held very little hope that it would last. I definitely need a new one in Khartoum. Fingers crossed that I'd get there. The guy with the pickup truck had demanded 15 Sudanese Pounds (about 7.50USD) from me for the trip he was making anyway and I don't know whether the mechanic was a little embarrassed at his ...

... Khartoum (where the White & Blue Nile Rivers merge into the Nile), the capital of the country of The Sudan. People are friendly here, hotels are relatively expensive, tourists are scarce, and the weather is hot and humid. We have parted with the group for a few days while they camp at the Sailing Club, and checked into a hotel with air-conditioning, fridge and shower. Saturday morning we will start our way towards Ethiopia. We will continue from there...

... repoussé mes limites. Je regarde tout le chemin fait depuis mon arrivée au Soudan ... je n'aurais même pas pu imaginer faire une mission si remplie, si impliquée dans tout ce qui me passionne (ou presque...) dans un contexte aussi fascinant. Mais maintenant détendue, après avoir pris du recul et profité un peu de la vie, je me rends compte à quel point j'ai appris et comment j'en suis un peu venu au bout de ce que je peux apprendre avec ce poste. C'est pourquoi j'ai enfin ...

... The hassles, the plonkers, the pedants, the food, the journeys, the  habitual over-charging, the food ... perhaps we'll tell you more about  it one day.  Sudan has been just the tonic to refresh our travelling  batteries.  The people are the friendliest this side of Ghana.   Delightful vegetarian food - we've been living on fuul (bean stew) and  falafel since we arrived.  Buses with comfortable seats.  Affordable  internet with fast connections. For what more ...