29 NOVEMBER 2010 - Crossing the biggest country in Africa without seeing anything, experiencing anything, or doing anything other than drive. Beautiful bush camping though.
Full stop.
Have you ever wondered what the mural at the bottom of each page of this site means? In a graphical representation of the trip, Sudan is the bit where we're getting shot at. It's a no-go according to DFAT, but we've never heard of anyone having any troubles here, feel completely safe, and have found the people to be the most welcoming on the continent so far.
There was a guy amongst the crowd in The Khartoum - all waiting for embassies to open on Monday so they can start dealing with the stupid Ethiopian letter - who was so Irish that he had managed to source some locally brewed bootlegged spirits. Possession of alcohol earns you 7 lashes in The Sudan. That kind of commitment needs to be acknowledged.
We ate masses of The Chicken Schwarma in The Khartoum and then had a slightly ugly incident when the tuk tuk took us everywhere but where we wanted to go.
Diesel is 35 cents per litre.
We have been bush camping in The Nubian Desert, in lunar landscapes of sand and gravel. It is utterly silent at night, there is no moon and the stars are incredibly bright. The Sudan is delivering the best bush camping of the whole trip.
This afternoon we sat on a dune (with cups of tea; we had to give away all our beer in Ethiopia) and watched the sun set. Darfur is somewhere over that horizon.
SC
Full stop.
Have you ever wondered what the mural at the bottom of each page of this site means? In a graphical representation of the trip, Sudan is the bit where we're getting shot at. It's a no-go according to DFAT, but we've never heard of anyone having any troubles here, feel completely safe, and have found the people to be the most welcoming on the continent so far.
There was a guy amongst the crowd in The Khartoum - all waiting for embassies to open on Monday so they can start dealing with the stupid Ethiopian letter - who was so Irish that he had managed to source some locally brewed bootlegged spirits. Possession of alcohol earns you 7 lashes in The Sudan. That kind of commitment needs to be acknowledged.
We ate masses of The Chicken Schwarma in The Khartoum and then had a slightly ugly incident when the tuk tuk took us everywhere but where we wanted to go.
Diesel is 35 cents per litre.
We have been bush camping in The Nubian Desert, in lunar landscapes of sand and gravel. It is utterly silent at night, there is no moon and the stars are incredibly bright. The Sudan is delivering the best bush camping of the whole trip.
This afternoon we sat on a dune (with cups of tea; we had to give away all our beer in Ethiopia) and watched the sun set. Darfur is somewhere over that horizon.
SC
SUDAN DIARIES
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30 NOVEMBER 2010 - Wadi Halfa, the ferry, and Sudanese formalities
If you are not planning a trip, tune out now. If you are, read on.
Sudanese hospitality is something else. We are staying at our fixers house, drinking mint tea. We are using Magdi Boshara to get us and our vehicle onto the ferry and out of Sudan: he knows all the right people, takes care of all paperwork and arrangements, and is a great guy. We are paying $25 US to him on top of tickets, fees, taxes, etc. Magdi's mobile: 012 173 0885 or 012 226 2060; email_nubatia51@yahoo.com
The passenger ferry currently runs north on Wednesday at 4pm. The barge and vehicles leave on Thursday morning. There is far more traffic coming south than going north, so don't be too put off by the horror stories about the ferry from those heading south.
In response to recent queries, here is the procedure for getting Sudanese visas in Nairobi:
- Application forms in duplicate (available at the Sudanese Embassy)
- 2 passport photos
- Letter of introduction from your own embassy (we tried without this and got sent away)
- Copy of credit card (use a Visa Debit if you have one - they don't know the difference and can't use it to purchase stuff)
- Copy of carnet if driving
- Copy of passport - only required sometimes
- 4,000 Kenyan Shillings.
You must drop your paperwork off between 8am and 12pm. Pickup is normally at 3pm the next day. The Embassy appears to follow the western working week and is open on Fridays. Be exceptionally careful with the woman at the desk - she will have you thrown out by security if you blink - this happened to some English friends of ours for politely asking a question.
We were not asked to show a visa for Egypt, either on application or upon entering Sudan.
Americans will have significant difficulty getting a visa, to the point where it verges on the dreaded 'not possible'. Obama can't help you now. But we have unconfirmed info that people in Addis Ababa might. Apparently Americans may be able to get a visa through a certain visa agent there. Good luck.
Someone at the border will mumble something about registration. You must "register" in the country within 3 days. If you do not, you are going to have difficulty exiting. We're still unsure what it all means, but I believe you are registering your presence with either the Immigration Department or the police. We had heard that Waleed at Blue Nile Sailing Club could take care of this, and asked him to do so. It turns out that although he did something, it wasn't registration as required, and ultimately we had Magdi deal with the problem. There will be a fee payable, so if no-one asks you for money (110 Sudanese pounds each for us), you have not registered.
Finally, you will be required to produce a letter from your embassy in Ethiopia, taking responsibility for your vehicle, when you enter Ethiopia from Sudan. We know of many people who were held at the border until they could do so, and even met some people sitting under a tree at the Ethiopian customs gate. Obtain this letter from Khartoum (or before), as there are no fax machines at the border. The British and Germans are all over it and are issuing it quickly. We have heard that the Germans will also help out fellow EU citizens, but can't confirm. This letter only appears to be required at the northern border. We did not have to produce this letter to enter Ethiopia from Kenya.
The referendum is scheduled for sometime in early January 2011. I wouldn't want to be here then.
SC
If you are not planning a trip, tune out now. If you are, read on.
Sudanese hospitality is something else. We are staying at our fixers house, drinking mint tea. We are using Magdi Boshara to get us and our vehicle onto the ferry and out of Sudan: he knows all the right people, takes care of all paperwork and arrangements, and is a great guy. We are paying $25 US to him on top of tickets, fees, taxes, etc. Magdi's mobile: 012 173 0885 or 012 226 2060; email_nubatia51@yahoo.com
The passenger ferry currently runs north on Wednesday at 4pm. The barge and vehicles leave on Thursday morning. There is far more traffic coming south than going north, so don't be too put off by the horror stories about the ferry from those heading south.
In response to recent queries, here is the procedure for getting Sudanese visas in Nairobi:
- Application forms in duplicate (available at the Sudanese Embassy)
- 2 passport photos
- Letter of introduction from your own embassy (we tried without this and got sent away)
- Copy of credit card (use a Visa Debit if you have one - they don't know the difference and can't use it to purchase stuff)
- Copy of carnet if driving
- Copy of passport - only required sometimes
- 4,000 Kenyan Shillings.
You must drop your paperwork off between 8am and 12pm. Pickup is normally at 3pm the next day. The Embassy appears to follow the western working week and is open on Fridays. Be exceptionally careful with the woman at the desk - she will have you thrown out by security if you blink - this happened to some English friends of ours for politely asking a question.
We were not asked to show a visa for Egypt, either on application or upon entering Sudan.
Americans will have significant difficulty getting a visa, to the point where it verges on the dreaded 'not possible'. Obama can't help you now. But we have unconfirmed info that people in Addis Ababa might. Apparently Americans may be able to get a visa through a certain visa agent there. Good luck.
Someone at the border will mumble something about registration. You must "register" in the country within 3 days. If you do not, you are going to have difficulty exiting. We're still unsure what it all means, but I believe you are registering your presence with either the Immigration Department or the police. We had heard that Waleed at Blue Nile Sailing Club could take care of this, and asked him to do so. It turns out that although he did something, it wasn't registration as required, and ultimately we had Magdi deal with the problem. There will be a fee payable, so if no-one asks you for money (110 Sudanese pounds each for us), you have not registered.
Finally, you will be required to produce a letter from your embassy in Ethiopia, taking responsibility for your vehicle, when you enter Ethiopia from Sudan. We know of many people who were held at the border until they could do so, and even met some people sitting under a tree at the Ethiopian customs gate. Obtain this letter from Khartoum (or before), as there are no fax machines at the border. The British and Germans are all over it and are issuing it quickly. We have heard that the Germans will also help out fellow EU citizens, but can't confirm. This letter only appears to be required at the northern border. We did not have to produce this letter to enter Ethiopia from Kenya.
The referendum is scheduled for sometime in early January 2011. I wouldn't want to be here then.
SC
