Sudan - lots of videos and some wrestling
More than 1 month in the Sudan
I have a lot to say about traveling over land versus flying to destinations. But I won't go on a rampage right now. Suffice to say that if you remove air traffic from the equation, then you're definitely dealing with a whole new ballgame! But I still tip my hat to anyone who reached every country...no matter how they did so.
Another week has already passed and this is going to be a short blog (check out last weeks blog which was well received: www.onceuponasaga.dk/182-sudan-deeper-down-the-rabbit-hole). I'm somewhat powerless over the current visa situation, and cannot do much else than wait. I feel like I've done and prepared as much as possible on most things I can think of.
The victorious wrestler is being paraded around the areana.
David Hanse, the country manager for BMMI and GSS here in Eastern Africa, was in Khartoum for a few days (www.bmmigroup.com). Since neither of us had seen the Nuba wrestling we decided to go together. We were joined by Kamal from the office who's from Algeria and together we all set out on this adventure. David and I first met in Djibouti a few months ago and throughout my time in Sudan, we have already met several times. That's how long I've been here! Anyway, the Nuba wrestling is a very old tradition which can be traced back at least 4,300 years. It involves a lot of FairPlay and it's clear that the rivaling teams are friends and are having a good time. Although there's also no doubt that nobody wants to loose! I made a short video for all of you to enjoy: https://youtu.be/F5E5HGYYcbs
The video explaines much more about the wrestling. I chose to use Egyptian music for the video, because I was recently introduced to it. But also it's not quite inappropriate as the Nuba wrestling has cultural influence from both Egypt and Sudan.
The weather is changing. One day the air filled with dust. A sign that the heat is coming.
I also managed to create a short video from the wedding. It includes the first few days from the henna parties and finishes with the wedding itself: https://youtu.be/hapmIPu_Ix4 My henna is still slightly visible, but if I keep scrubbing then it will be gone in a few days. However the color in the nails will stay unaltered until my nails grow out (6 months). I was on a skype conversation with my friend Cam in Australia who noticed I was wearing "nail polish" on one hand. I really hope I'll see it as a fond memory of a great wedding and not a feminine touch to my appearance!!! :)
After the wedding ended my friend Marwan returned from Dubai. I'm so sorry on his behalf that he missed the wedding. Abdallah (the groom) is his friend. But with Marwan back in Khartoum I was able to do this little cultural pearl! It's the 4 greetings of Sudan in a short and fun video: https://youtu.be/dUPGTB6Gx6A Sudan is a fairly large country and holds a lot of culture and tradition. But at least we managed the 4 most common greetings. You'll hear Marwan's cousin Mohammed laughing in the background ;)
One of my favorite ways to pass time is to sit with a cup of tea and smoke shisha while pretending that I have no troubles.
Finally I got around to making this shoutout to www.friluftsland.dk who replaced my stolen daypack with a new one: https://youtu.be/s1YZvkXvUKU Besides showing you the landscape around the Meroë pyramids you also get to experience my English accent turning slightly more Danish in this video. My accent is all over the place and is easily influenced by whoever is near. In this case my fiancée who was holding the camera :)
Starbox: proof that Sudan has humor :)
We are getting closer to Eritrea. I can feel it!! But I'm still without a visa though. I'm so exited about reaching Eritrea as one of the worlds most difficult countries to reach. But also because of its culture and extraordinary beauty. Probably my greatest excitement is tied to being one step closer to finally leaving Africa and feeling some real progress. On April 6th we will have spent 2 full years in Africa...
When did you last watch Braveheart?
Best regards
Mr. Torbjørn C. Pedersen (Thor) - still around
"A stranger is a friend you've never met before"
ONCE UPON A SAGA