Sudan
First Impressions
It's hot, very, very hot!!
Flying in over Sudan, we had our first views of the country. Most of the land seemed very barren - just sandy desert. Occasionally we saw settlements. The square houses had a separate wall some distance from the main building. Several such homes would make up a small settlement. There was very little sign of paved roading. Suddenly we reached green fields, and shortly after had our first glimpse of the river Nile.
Coming into Khartoum, we flew over the city. At first sight, this looked much like any other capital city - with roads, cars, buses, lorries and lots of buildings. Even a tall tower with a huge Pepsi sign on it. Then we flew over the confluence of the two Niles - the White and the Blue Niles - and landed at the airport. It was 6:00pm, and the temperature was still 40 degrees Centigrade. The heat and humidity as we left the plane were a shock, and the bus to take us to the air conditioned terminal was even hotter.
Leaving the airport we were introduced to the Khartoum traffic. Everyone seemed well behaved, but we were then told about some of the interesting traffic laws. To drive in Sudan, you need a good knowledge of history. All is well until there is a power cut (a common occurence), which stops the traffic lights working. Then the rules revert to the previous state, where right of way is given to the road which was paved first. If you do not know in which order the roads were paved - look out. If the traffic lights have replaced a roundabout - then the rules of the roundabout apply once more. As soon as the power is restored, everything goes back to normal.
To get to Elizabeth and Leoma's house, we turned into some smaller roads. At first sight, these did not seem to be paved, as we drove over the ruts made from sand and mud. Apparently the roads are paved several inches below the surface, but no-one digs down to see this.
Welcome to our hosts' home. Thirst things first: we are sat down and given a drink of water. Water is extracted from wells supplied by the Nile, so it is filtered by the ground and then has some sort of treatment at the local waterworks. Leoma and Elizabeth filter it again before using it for cooking or drinking, and we're glad of this, because the sediment in the unadulerated tap water has bunged up the loo (the feed from the cistern, not out of the bowl)!
The house is a typical Sudanese compound, a collection of rooms leading off a central courtyard. Some of the rooms are connected, others are not. The house is shady and cooled by ceiling fans and water coolers which draw air over damp mats before blowing it into the room. The coolers are very effective most of the year, but the high humidity in the rainy season (July - October) reduces the rate of evaporation. They are a Godsend as far as we are concerned.
The electrical wiring looks like a safety officer's nightmare! On the other hand, you could say the same about many older churches. Wires are draped gracefully and copiously around the walls of rooms, it looks somewaht haphazard, but things work, which is all anyone really wants.
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| ©2004-6 St Mary's Church, Embsay with Eastby | Last
modified:
March 19, 2006
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