it's good to be back [round two]

i've just landed back on home soil after 26 hours of flight time and 15 hours of transit. for once i can say, fuck it's good to be back home!

khartoum, sudan was an experience; it really was. one by the 2nd hour i was already begging to go home. let's see, i've seen anti aircraft guns at the airport but i can't take photos of it because the security law prevents me from doing that. i've seen a group of men sitting behind a pickup staring at us, i thought it was all fine till i saw his gun holster. military personnel walk the streets of khartoum carrying sawed AK-47's.

now how the fuck would that make me feel? ... i was ready to get the fuck outta there within the hour. nonetheless i shallowed and breathe shit loads of african sand to last 4 days. we landed on thursday (their official weekend starts on thursday & friday) had some food and slept off our jetlag because we had to fuckin go to the airport at 1am . had some broast chicken (yeah what is broast? it's like KFC but they call broast because it is cooked by a pressure fryer) for dinner at 930pm. the streets are already dead at 5pm, just dust and plastic bags flying around.

the next day turned out to be a real disaster, it was friday. no one worked in khartoum, no taxi drivers nothing because they were praying. so i had to settle for some gastric juices for at least 3 hours and wait for our pick up at 4pm. Right up until then i had decided maybe i didn't wanna be a part of this 4 day moderation team. So the reps from the other university comes and now everyone motherfucker wants to take us out. ok fine with that. so we ended up with an agent friend who graciously took us to the Nile river and some lamb dinner after.

The next couple of days was just work which neither of them knew what to prepare. So nevermind i've worked with dimwits before, this is nothing new.We settled everything by the Sunday but maybe they wanted to squeeze a little more publicity outta us. a little stardom in a foreign country doesn't hurt. what caught my attention was when the people in charge said, we need to plan something on monday for you guys.

the thoughts of national reserve came to my mind again. when i was in botswana, i really wanted to see wildlife at a game reserve. i mean i already in fucking afrika, im so close. but no candy. Unfortunately i might have to do the game reserve on my own because even the locals were afraid of seeing the lions, wilderbeast etc. sadness among many things came crashing down, after 3 days but it soon lit up as one mentioned," have you seen the pyramids?" holy fuckin high hell, you have pyramids in sudan?

i've always believe that in everyone's lifetime they should go see the pyramids, it's amazing how civilization could be so determined, intelligent and dedicated to build monuments that stood the test of time and recorded everything down using visuals. fucking amazing!

that night i was so fucking happy, i ate fish from the Nile river, got a littel sick but still determined to go for it. i didn't wanna leave Sudan with just memories of dust and plastic bags littering the city. it was a 2 hours ride in a VW Toureg and after a sore arse and sweltering heat.....



it isn't as monumental as egypt but hey i ain't complaining. that about sums up my experience in Sudan. the place itself is very fucking dusty and littered with plastic bags, it seems like a fucking plastic bag graveyard. The people are ok but you really need a guide who speaks arabic, without one you're as good as fucked because if you plan to stay more than 3 days you have to register with the police with 2 passport photos (and the cops don't speak english) failing to register means payment of USD45 at the immigration counter where they will hold you till 5 minutes of your flight (yes, not a good thing). without an arabic guide you can't pass through security checkpoints where you must clarify to them why you are leaving khartoum (in arabic) - the security officers are plain clothes and they carry guns.

money is a fucking hassle, airport tax is Sudanese Pound 45 and they will not accept any other currency. i begged them to accept the USD20 with a (about to cry face) you can do it. it's so fucking dusty that you nose will bleed and have a headache everytime you step out into the sun. so wear a hat and have lots of moisturising lotion on you. You're better off wearing slippers unless you want your white nike's to turn brown gradually.

The river Nile was great but i think i'd appreciate it more in Cairo. The pyramids was the highlight to breakup a fucked up journey back (i hate sitting by the window, where fat fucks like me need to go lavatory every 5 minutes).

would i go back?

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fuck NO!