Soufi

Een collega die op doorreis was wees ons de weg.
Bij het hele geburen moest ik aan dat liedje van Raymond v het Groenewoud denken.

Soufi

Each Friday afternoon before sunset, adherents of the tariqa gather to dance and pray, attracting large crowds of observers and participants. It's an amazing sight as the dervishes (Islamic monks) carrying the green banner of the tairiqa, their appearance a world away from the restrained white robes of most Sudanese. Instead, the jallabiyas are a crazy patchwork of green and red, often topped off with leopard skin, chunky beads and dreadlocks. As they march they chant, accompanied by drums and cymbals. A large open space is cleared for the dervishes and the banner is raised for the ritual to begin The pace of the chanting picks up, and the dervishes start to circle the clearing, bobbing and clapping.
The purpose of the frenzy is a ritual called dhiker.
The dhiker relies on the recitation of God’s names to help create a state of ecstatic abandon in which the adherent’s heart can communicate directly with God. This personal communication with God is central to Sufi practices. The Sufis are often called whirling dervishes. Occasionally a dervish will break off and start twirling by himself, spinning on one foot and lost in his own personal path to God. Around het edge of the circle other adherents clap and join in the chanting, creating a highly charged and hypnotic atmosphere.

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Till so far the Bradts version. My personal belief is that the smoke, which came out of the essence burners, weren’t free of the stuff people, from all over the world, travel to Amsterdam for. I am sorry to say, all the time I could hear Raymond van het Groenewoud. Het gaat vooruit…

Blue Nile, North of Khartoum

Saturday 19 September
Reconnaissance mission (reccie) to the Blue Nile. North of Khartoum.

There where the Blue Nile flows in Western direction
After a better map study than last time, we took twice the distance, measured with my fingers and we asked our housemates to pick us up. And by coincidence we would end up at the Blue Nile yacht club. Fantasies at home about this place. The sight at the road was pretty much the same as the day before. Remarkable was a kind of small Disney park.

Stories we’d been told about Sudan indicated, that the Northern part of Sudan was strict Islamic. Shariah (Islamic law) rules, no place for fun and gaiety. Well this proved the opposite, there was even a gambling hall!

Made me think of those women who were wearing trousers. A lot of fuss all over the world a kind of media hype I believe now.
Last days we visit some restaurants and all of the waitresses were wearing trousers!?
I wonder what is forbidden? Were they just provoking things to get some attention?
Or wrong clothes in the wrong place? In Holland you don’t go into Sunday church with swimming pants either. Anyway I have six months to figure this out.

At the side of the road we saw a man washing himself in a puddle of water. When I took a closer look, I saw him spitting water from the same puddle. Cleaning his teeth I suppose. Wonder if I can do the same in a few months without getting sick? Just before the bridge there was the equivalent of the Dutch Intratuin on the shore of the Nile.



Then I saw the Nile as I assumed it should be. The temperature was dwindling immediately due to wind and water. While we enjoyed the view and the nice atmosphere we took some pictures.

Meanwhile we decided to cross the bridge and walk along the other side of the river to the Yacht club . Vaguely remembering that this riverside was a blank spot on the map .But what could happen? Saw the bridge where we wanted to be in the far distance. Just keep going west, sun in the back.

The area on northern side of the river was build up with nice houses and appeared to me to be the wealthy part of Khartoum. All of a sudden we found our selves in an army camp. Barbed wire, armoured vehicles, at the fringe of what seemed to be barracks . Solders sleeping under their vehicles. Gunners dozing behind there guns. We smiled and waved. That’s what we do, when we are on a mission and don’t know what to do.

The gate at the other side of the road was obviously the entrance to a navy barrack. Two life saving belts indicated this clearly. You don’t need to read Arabic for that.
For more than 20 minutes we followed the wall of those barracks. When we looked over the wall we knew that all over the world the barracks are the same. A real obstacle course including the rope section. I felt quite at home. Coming closer to the bridge we wanted to cross, we came at a railroad and a station! Automatically my brain started to make plans. If I buy a return ticket, how long will it take to bring me to Wadi Haifa or Port Sudan or wherever this railroad is going to?
Hope my aluminium case with books will came soon. Can ask The Bradt for advice. Imagining travelling over hundreds of miles through Sudan. Just sitting, watching people and landscapes. Ending at an unknown destination and… just return to where I came from.

The last bridge and the Nile again. I can’t say majestic but at least more impressive than the day before. Making pictures of Tuti Island and the western skyline. I was quite impressed. The oval shaped building looks like a smaller version of the one in Kuwait.



On the top floor seems to be a panoramic window, with a view all over Khartoum. I wonder why they don’t sell postcards with those panoramic views?
Saves me the effort of making good pictures.
On one side of the river I found shipyard ”VOORUIT”. The dry-dock seemed well maintained.
I knew it was a kind of Sunday but not seeing a single ship sailing on the Nile was a bit disappointing. While crossing the bridge I spotted the yacht club I was aiming for…. Well pictures tell more than words.

The only visitors apart from us were some homeless who were sleeping on a kind of roller coaster.

I am afraid that the Sunday lunches I was looking forward to, with wine, port and a hubble bubble will never take place. Phoned our house mates who picked us up half an hour later.

Today 21st during the so called induction course, I had some answers to my fantasies and questions. Lessons in safety and security.
Don’t come outside the sectors one till nine. All they other places are no go for UN.
That’s why they had this blank spots on the maps UN has given us. The Sudanese are afraid you are spying on there barracks. Its forbidden to make pictures. That’s why they don’t have postcards. Travelling outside UN protected area’s is not recommended. See what will happen with the train story.
We have an other 5 months to go, too find out what’s allowed or not

Blue Nile Wandeling

Friday 18 september

Reccie to the Blue Nile. East of Khartoum
After a good map study (10 sec) we decided to go to the Eastern part of Khartoum.
There where the Blue Nile still flows in the Northern direction.
Got out at 06.30 when the temperature is still below 30 degrees.
Hardly any traffic on the road in the early hours, as result, less dust. At the end of the day breathing is almost impossible, the air is full of smog, dust and HOT.
Backpack with 2 litres water and a extra waist belt containing ½ a litre.
Point of return should be half of the water supply.
The route was easy, facing the sun it couldn't go wrong. Stray dogs were roaming the streets. They appear to be street wise. Watching the traffic and staying at the other side of the road. In the meanwhile not losing eye contact with us.
The seem to be harmless. Till now.
Its still confronting to see people sleeping in the open. Little huts made of plastic and other rubbish, Sometimes just a bed or a sleeping mat with hardly any cover.
From my own experiences I know it isn’t that bad to live like that as long as the weather is fine. To be honest it’s a rather nice life. No worries, just live day by day as long as you have enough to eat. And to me those people don’t seem to starve. I do realise that I had the option to go to that other world
After 1/2 an hour we reached the end of the of the civilised part of the city and came into the outskirts.
By the break in the tree line we figured that we where close the Nile.
Before we got there we had to pass a kind of refugee camp.

Despite all the worries and absence of normal facilities, those people have to suffer, they smiled and waved. The ’good morning’ instead of ’salaam’ greetings, made clear that they knew we weren’t from there.
Maybe the green fluorescent shirt and ¾ shorts added some to the obvious.
I felt a kind of reluctance to take photos. After all its not a holiday camp for them. The sights of how those people try to make a kind of living will stay for a while. More tents, bigger one’s, say the size of a six persons tent, beds inside and out. Some man still sleeping in the slowly awakening camp. Mothers washing the children in a cooking pot and I thought: ah… again a multifunctional. It did not occur to me (really) that she could be busy cooking the child. You do realize at those moments that, we have something for everything and they found answers for living with almost nothing of everything. See who will survive in the future? A world apart so to say.
Than the Nile: what a disappointment; less than the river Eem. Stinking, slowly flowing and a darkish colour.
Spoonbills tramping in the mud in search for… Well I couldn’t see.

A kind of stone factory. Stone’s baked out of Nile mud. Must be a kind of slave work to get this job done in the burning sun.


A water pump for water supply to the camp. I wondered if there was any filtering installation I suppose not.
We made some pictures for the record. Still feeling a bit uncomfortable. We don’t know the exact rules yet, for what’s allowed in this country. Or, when do you insult people? You're still a visitor in their back yard. We barely used any water, but decided to go back. Temperature was slowly rising.
On the way back we passed a graveyard next to a football field. Strange combination. It was not exactly the play ground of FC Khartoum, if they ever exist, but they suffer the same troubles as in the Arena. No grass.
On the way back, which was a different way (that’s what you learn in the army, never take the same road, they could be waiting for you) we passed a mosque. It was really tempting to go in. But it was still Ramadan at that time, so I decided to keep this for an other time. Don’t stir up the shit before you have seen the country. By now, sweat was pouring down my spine. But didn’t need much water yet.
At eight we were home again. Only been using half a litre. This experience means we can extend the distance we walk next time, carrying less weight.
After this comedown, we started to make a new plan to visit the river at an other place. (More to follow)

Hollandhuis Khartoum

Kharthoum. Ja wat zal ik er van zeggen. 1 grote bouwput. Stoffig en heet. Langzaam bewegen is het devies. Het verkeer lijkt erg druk maar dat komt omdat ze langzamer rijden dan in nederland.Op mij maakt het als eerste indruk een verbeterd Libanon.Dit is voor mij de meest luxe uitzending ooit. Airco, bijna continu stroom, winkels, restaurants, GSM, E-mail, bed eigenlijk alles wat je thuis hebt.

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Mijn wereld is hier aan het veranderen. Ik heb schone handen.USB stick om je nek om informatie uit te wisselen. Ik weet niet of ik het wel of niet leuk vind allemaal. Maar geod komt tijd komt raad.

Vertrek op Schiphol

Gisteren heel vroeg naar Schiphol. Baggage ingeleverd en dan koffie gedronken met Elma. Een aantal collega's kwam ook langs om zeker te weten dat ik de vliegtuig haalde. Ze hebben ook mijn Majoor strepen/sterren overhandigd. Gelukkig hoefde ik deze keer geen oud/nieuw genever te drinken en hebben we het maar met oud/nieuw water gedaan. Genever drinken 's ochtends als je op weg bent naar een grotendeels alcohol-vrij moslim land is niet zo heel slim. Martin kwam ook net op de valreep opdagen om me uit te zwaaien.
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's avonds een sms-berichtje gestuurd naar Soest om te laten weten dat ik goed aangekomen was en dat ik het voorlopig fantastisch vind hier in Khartoem.

(foto's/eigen verhaal van Klaas volgen misschien later, dit is maar een eerste opening van deze blog van mij als 'ghostwriter'. Elma)