Living next to a river gives an extra dimension to life here in Sudan; the water determines the daily schedule of the households and provides for the necessary facilities (like cooking, washing clothes, bathing and feeding the cattle). Last night we went for a walk along the banks of the Nile here in Kosti and we clearly felt and saw the importance of this particular river to the local communities around. While we walked around admiring the bird life we saw the local people going through their daily routine. One man was standing near the water, busy with washing both his clothes and himself. A bit further down the 'path', a young man was seated under a tree, watching the river and wooden boats passing by, while listening to some music. A couple of goats were grazing the green grass and being looked after by two boys. Their grandpa was keeping an eye on them from a distance, while seated in the grass on the riverbanks. Out of one of the simple huts came a man carrying a bucket full of self-made juice and he insisted us on tasting it before continuing our walk. We simply couldn't refuse this and (though a bit hesitant) we both took a sip or two. We thanked him and he waved us good bye with a big smile. Although we really appreciated his gesture and kindness we both somehow prefer to
look at the Nile rather than to
taste it..
