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)