Sudan!

Quite unexpectedly, Sudan has turned out to be one of my favorite countries in Africa! I’ve really liked it here. The desert is beautiful, the food is great, and the people are friendly, respectful, and warm. They don’t impose and they don’t hassle you to buy their goods either! A story: A lot of us bought SIM cards and found that we couldn’t send or receive international texts. When I spoke to an MTN representative in Jedaref, he promised that the problem would be taken care of in 24 hours - he genuinely seemed to care. He even called a few days later to see that the problem was resolved. (It never did get fixed, but it was nice that he tried.)

It’s a bit of a shame that we are here during Ramadan because the food I have been able to try has been great! We crossed the border from Ethiopia into Sudan at Gallabat and there’s not much to report about the town except that the best falafels I’ve ever had in my life were purchased here. They sold seven amazing squished-ping-pong-ball-size falafels for 1 Sudanese Pound (~$0.33). I don’t eat falafels in the US but it’s because you can’t ever find them this good! Best chicken I’ve had in Africa has also been in Sudan. Admittedly, chicken in most of Africa so far has been suspect, but it was absolutely wonderful from this hole-in-the-wall eatery in Khartoum. I also happened upon the fancy schmancy Burj Al-Fateh hotel and enjoyed a milkshake – pretty much the best thing ever after having walked three hours in 110 degree heat!

Other than a lot of businesses being closed, Ramadan did not affect us too much. We were able to have lunch on the truck since a lot of eateries were closed during the day and we’d duck behind cars or into alleys to take a drink of water. Keeping our slutty knees and shoulders covered wasn’t ideal in the heat, but I’ve stopped caring that I’ve worn the exact same thing for ten days in a row. (I only brought one t-shirt with me.) You’d see a lot of people resting during the day, but things definitely livened up at night. We stumbled upon group after group of Sudanese people picnicking one night and one guy who seemed drunk (dry country??!) told us it was safe. I really liked that he said, “No one will attack you.”

Note: It is apparently a punishment of 40 lashes if you are caught drinking alcohol. I had approximately 8 bottles of wine, a fifth of vodka, and two six-packs with me on the truck upon entry - good thing they didn't check at customs :)


Khartoum: I like this city! It’s not African at all! You can tell Khartoum has (oil) money with its nice buildings and hotels. I loved walking around the market and along the Nile and I’m looking forward to seeing more Arab cities. I didn’t realize how much I like cities and how much I’m looking forward to seeing more high rises and modern architecture in Amman and Dubai :) I had a chance to see the biggest souk (market) in Sudan, the confluence of the Blue and White Niles, Mahdi’s tomb, and the president-kind of. At one point, a vehicle zoomed past us, another, and then this tight convoy of BMWs, followed by two SUVs. We were close to the presidential palace so it could have been him!


These are the Meroe Pyramids:


They are very cool 8th Century royal tombs or something. (Sorry, I don’t really know anything else about them).

The heat has been surprisingly manageable and not really a cause for complaint except in Khartoum. I probably have 6-7 liters of water a day though. Some people have been afflicted by grumpy bowels but I think I left mine behind in Ethiopia. I was a bit miserable when camping at night because it was hot, humid, and sticky, and then our tents were pitched close to people loudly talking with their children running around our tents until late into the night. The last few days though, we’ve been in the desert where it’s very dry but very beautiful.

We pulled off the tar-sealed road and have been driving through the dry desert. It’s still and quiet with no people around, only vast sandy landscape to gaze at. Sunsets and sunrises have been spectacular and I’ve loved watching an orangey moon rise up from the desert. We passed some abandoned railway stations as we followed the railroad up to Wadi Halfa and a (gold) mining “town.” All of a sudden we came across a camp of sorts with an unending array of blue tarps set up. No women whatsoever, just a lot of men who took a break from the mining to wave enthusiastically at us. I couldn’t imagine living in the heat the way they do…

Because we pulled off the tar-sealed roads, it’s also been incredibly dusty and dirty. I’ve reached a whole new level of dirty where no less than three people said to me the other day, “Have you seen what you look like?!” If there had been an award for dirtiest on the truck, I’d have won that day.


Tonight, I will have a water bottle shower in preparation for our ferry ride across Lake Nasser. We leave Sudan on the 17th and arrive in Egypt the next day! I can’t believe it’s finally here! Egypt in two days!!!! More important, in two days, I will finally get to see Theo when we meet in Aswan!!! Of (potentially) equal importance, I will stumble upon the first Mcdonald’s I’ll have seen since April!! Egypt here I come! Meanwhile, I shall try to keep the count limited to days instead of hours :)Hope everyone is doing well at home!