Day 21 - Jan 29

Well things have solidified for me to an extent if you know what I mean.  I have been taking some anti nausea pills which has brought back my appetite somewhat.  So I am on the mend!

I road the 87 kilometers into Khartoum today.  We did this before lunch.  The closer we came to Khartoum the more the desert was giving up its bareness to acacia trees and scrub bushes.  We had to pass thru several police check points on the road.  They were no big deal because the tour company had already gotten approval for us to pass.  But at one check point there was not only the typical police/military with their small arms and AK47's but just a bit past it was a soldier manning a heavy weapons anti tank/anti aircraft gun.  From what we hear things are heating up here in Sudan.  Doctors Without Borders has ordered all of their people out of the country.  The Blue Nile region is the hotspot as the government supposedly bombed a hospital.  We had to get special Visa Permits when we entered Sudan to be able to take photos.  Part of the Visa spells out that we are not to take photos that are unflattering to Sudan.  And that the police can check our cameras at any time and confiscate them if unflattering photos are found.  I guess that is to control photo journalists.

Well back to the journey into Khartoum...  We had an escort from the Tourism Police when we got to Khartoum.  We had to all gather up and cycle as a tight group with police vehicles front and back as well as others rushing ahead to close off intersections.  We were the event of the year as we entered.  People all stopped and watched as we rode by.  We created one helluva traffic mess.  We passed through very rural markets and shops as we entered the city proper.  When we came to the bridge crossing the Blue Nile... large modern high rise buildings appeared.  It looked like two completely different cities.  One was very poor and third worldly and the other a rich modern one.  It will be interesting to explore it tomorrow.

I am going to rest tomorrow as I am not all the way back to the pink of it as yet.  So i am not sure how much i am going to see.  I am getting a hotel room rather than camping for the rest day. Oh a hotel!!! A room with a real toilet, not a desert you have to dig a hole in or a hole in the floor that you have to strategically hit.  And a bed... this time with a box spring and a mattress.  The simple things of life.