From Khartoum to Gedaref

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

 

Like so many things on my trip, the failed attempt at leaving Khartoum for Gedaref on Saturday would prove to be a blessing in disguise. While waiting for the luxury bus to arrive, I heard someone shout out my name "Keeeenny!". As I looked around the busy terminal, I spotted a somewhat familiar face that was just so excited to see me. I'd give myself about a 6 or 7 out of 10 when it comes to remembering names, but with a name of "Zainalabdean Dafaalla Alzain Abdarrahman" I think it's fair to say that in this cause I could be excused. I'd first met Zainalabdean, or Zain for short, back on the ferry from Egypt. He doesn't speak much English, and what little he does is hard to understand, but for some reason this guy lights up like a Christmas tree when he sees me. Sorry folks, but honestly I've never met anyone so excited to see and call out my name with such enthusiasm as Zain does, it's almost creepy.

 

Turns out Zain is going down to Gedaref so now I've got a travel partner. The ride down from Khartoum to Gedaref is in stark contrast to the bus journeys in the north. Heading south, the road is paved and the bus is modern. If not for the landscape outside, you could easily be traveling in Europe or North America. Outside, we've left the sandy desert of the north behind and instead this is more of a wasteland of low, dry vegetation. More in line with Death Valley in California then with the sandy deserts of the north. Which isn't really saying much when you consider the fact that I'm saying something that looks like Death Valley has more vegetation and geographical diversity then the north.

 

After a few hours of luxury traveling, we rolled into the dusty and remote town of Gedaref. There really isn't much to see here or reason to visit Gedaref. About the only reason a traveler passes through here is because it's the main connection for arranging transportation to the border town of Gallabat, from where you can cross into Ethiopia.

 

With Zain as my guide, we quickly got a boksi (pick-up) ride into town and headed to the first restaurant we could find for some much needed lunch. One of the things most travelers echo about Sudan is the hospitality of the people and my time with Zain in Gedaref would take hospitality to a new level. It started with the boksi ride in from the bus station and continued at lunch. No matter how hard I tried, Zain wouldn't let me pay for everything. A drink here or there is fine, but when you start paying for my lunch then things start getting a little uncomfortable, at least for me.

 

I never could quite figure out where we went next, but Zain, a local friend of his and I all headed into the residential part of town and ended up, I think, at someones house. It didn't really feel like a house in that I only really saw one room that had 5 beds in it and a table in the corner. I could easily say that it was as much a dorm room as anything else, but it was clean and comfortable, so I wasn't complaining. There was a small courtyard outside and the entire building was surrounding by a wall, which sounds ominous but really every building has a mud wall or something around it, sort of the Sudanese equivalent of a fence, I guess.

 

We rested up a bit there before, and this happens all the time in Sudan, a bunch of food just magically appeared. I never saw a kitchen, never saw anyone order anything nor do I have any idea where it came from, but all of a sudden a bunch of us are outside in the courtyard eating a late lunch. Go figure.

 

Every since I had met Zain on the ferry, he always kept mentioning that he had two friends living in Calgary, Canada. In my travels, it seems that every one I've met knows someone or has a relative in Canada, so I normally just blow it off but in Zains case he was quite adamant that I understand he knows people in Calgary. From what I can tell, he was supposed to travel to Calgary with his two friends but never got the visa. Sometimes he asks me if I can help him get a visa from Canada, but I have to keep explaining to him that I honestly have no idea what it takes to get one and other then telling him to go to the embassy, I really can't be much help.

 

Well, for some reason, Zain decides to call Calgary so that I can talk to his friend. He hands me over his mobile phone and sure enough I'm talking to someone with a Calgary area code. Thankfully he speaks a bit better English, but it's still tough to get across to him. I was trying to get a mailing address for Zain in Sudan so that I could send him a photo, but Mr Calgary never really understand that. He kept thinking I wanted the address so that I could send him a visa for Canada. Needless to say, there was a bit of a misunderstanding, which was kind of surprising because I thought he spoke decent enough English. In the end, he took down my email address and was supposed to email me a bunch of information which I've yet to see. So sadly, I don't think I'll get to send Zain any photos.

 

We then headed into town for yet more tea in the local souq. Zain bumped into another of his friends (I think Zain is from Gedaref, but again, I never could get a complete understandable answer.) Anyways, this friend had a pick-up truck so we all piled into it and went for a slow cruise through town and into the immediate "foothills". Being relatively close to Ethiopia, the houses in Gedaref seem to be built in one of two mains: the traditional mud way that you see in the north, which creates very square buildings and the more Ethiopian way of round buildings with thatched roofs and small chimneys popping out of the middle of them.

 

Back in town I tried to track down a mosquito net with Zains help. I also needed some toothpaste and by now I had learned not to tell Zain anything that I wanted because otherwise he would pay for it. At the pharmacies, I had to physically grab his arm so that I could purchase my own mosquito net and toothpaste. All very strange but buying me a mosquito net is where I draw the line. Later I would make the mistake of mentioning that I wanted some bottled water. Zain just said we could get some in a few minutes, when all of a sudden a friend of his appeared and gave me a bottle. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was all magic or something, but then again since I don't understand Arabic, it's quite possible that Zain asked his friend to get me a bottle of water right in front of my face. For the rest of the night I never mentioned anything I wanted.

 

We seemed to make an attempt at visiting Zain's fathers house, though again, I'm not quite sure if it was his father. Regardless, we entered a house (and this did feel more like a house) sat in a room for a few minutes, then just got up and left. Not quite sure if we were waiting for someone or something, but whatever it was I don't think it appeared. So we headed back to Zain's place, with one more stop for tea along the way. Back at Zain's, a few other people here hanging out and yet again, out of nowhere, someone walked into the room carrying a television set. Not sure where it came from since by now it was getting pretty late, but it provided us with the ability to watch the Cameroon/Congo match from the African Nations cup in Egypt for the rest of the night.

 

Kenny