Khartoum

my multimedia mess:

(The above video clips were recorded this past Friday evening, during the weekly Sufi celebration here in Khartoum. In the course of one day, how completely one's reality of a place can shift. From sick in stinky overpriced hotel to breathing fresh air and eating wild arugula on the banks of the Blue Nile, Friday was an epic in itself which ended with these two hours of ectsatic music and dance in a Sufi cemetrary.)

Friday Saturday and Sunday

Where to begin eludes me (also where to end and where to go in between). It seems like I have been here in Sudan for years, but only three days have elapsed. How quick I was to judge! And how ironic that I would choose the word groovy in my previous post, sarcastically describing and nearly dismissing the whole of the country in one FOUL mood! Understandably, entry into a new atmosphere is always a bit rough with no guidance systems whatsoever. I came here blindly and what's more is that I was quite fixated on how pleasant and pleasurable the previous atmosphere was. Let me stand completely corrected. The experience of being in Khartoum for three days has evolved beyond me and my puny ideas of how it should and shouldn't be. This is the most basic realization there is for me. That when traveling to a new place, there is no choice but to let go of all preconceptions and believe nothing until it is presented as true by the experience itself.

The tendency for me is to enter a place looking to confirm or refute some simplified preconception, usually an association that has been generated over the years by a mix of media and government messages. In Ethiopia, it was famine. In Sudan, it's war, genocide, Islamism, or whatever's the latest NPR buzz word. But after being here for THREE days, I'm finished with that approach. Regrettably I am of course catching the train tomorrow to Egypt, so there is no more time to try any approach. This has been my typical pattern. The minute I arrive, my mind and body start to settle and tune in. And Like a tree sapling which is planted in fertile soil, I resist being uprooted. Just as the first tendrils take hold, it happens again. In Sudan, the medium is very rich indeed but tapping in and actually absorbing something of value is slow and restrained. this is the nature of the Muslim culture. The opening up and ability to relate is all the more valuable.

Camping at the Blue Nile Sailing Club has been the ultimate boon to my existence here. Through the club, I've been blessed with the most beautiful scenery in the entire city, cool temps, gentle evening breezes, and most importantly a steady stream of interesting english speaking Sudanese and tourist people with whom to chat and pass the time

This is a view of the Blue Nile Sailing Club from the water. The church in the background is catholic which is an oddity in Sudan. this morning sunday the church rang its bell on the hour every hour from 12 am to 9am and i did not sleep because the bell was in my head in my tent. i think the church must feel a little competitive edge with the constant public address coming from the countless mosques that surround it. who can blame the for a little aggressive bell ringing.

Now it's way past midnight and I'm supposed to be a the train station at six am. i'm losing it. this bog (blog) is consuming my brain. sudan is indescribable. so much experience, so little time. i;m smoking benson and hedges with the high rolling chinese engineers. last night they took us out for a 200 dollar meal at Khartoum's only Korean restaurant. endless gernousity. tonight we sit around at their hotel using the free internet. the hotel sells beer which is illegal in this country. nothing makes sense, i'm losing it. must stop uploading video. takes hours. tomorrow I travel on the 48 hour slow train with two backpacker friends from hong kong. we have to sit in separate rooms on the train because they are female. whatever comes my way here is a miracle. the whole trip is miraculous. traveling is a metaphor for life. journey to nowhere. new places everyday. it's all illusion. allah is the only god. they say in the the Koran it's written that jesus is not the son of god, but only a prophet like Muhammad. i believe what they tell me. i am adaptable, why not?

ok, so this is not my intention to ramble endlessly but nothing is permenent in the realm of the autosave.

ps.-- this last picture i dub the Libyan Egg Mall. Contrary to what the shape of the building embodies, I imagine the Libyans who financed this project in downtown Khartoum never intended to sell any poultry products in any scale. It dominates the skyline and is set to open its shopping plaza, hotel and offices sometime in the next month. for all those who think sudan is a war torn poverty stricken african country run by islamic fundamentalists, well it's all that and then some. one thing is clear, the sudanese government is not getting any poorer and neither are the NGO's who come here to save the people from themselves. that said i'm going to camp on the river. hasta las pyramides...