Try and guess

It's not always considered polite to ask too many details when you are being offered a local culinary speciality. Last week though, I found myself in a true 'guessing game' when I visited the market. The man who owned the stall with nuts and spices challenged me to guess exactly what he was selling. I had to smell it, feel it and taste it and then..it was time for me to guess exactly what it was. With most of the products I felt quite comfortable (although I still don't know if I guessed the right names, since the salesman didn't speak English ;). But with one of the products I was hesitant; they looked like small white stones or chalks in various shapes and sizes. I was afraid I would break my teeth! The salesman and the colleague who joined me were laughing and convinced me I should take some home and put them in a glass of water for a 15 minute soak; it would make delicious juice! I was not really sure if they were serious or just trying to see how easily I would be convinced (or joked with;). But I decided to do what they told me to do as soon as I got home. After I had soaked the white 'stones' for a quarter of an hour I sifted them and prepared myself for my new experiment. The juice turned out to be very refreshing and tasty! Frank examined it for a while and concluded the white 'stones' are pieces of the fruit from a Baobab tree. During one of his many safari's in Africa, Frank was told an interesting story about this particular Baobab tree. According to an African myth, God made a mistake when he created the Baobab tree; he dropped it from heaven and the tree landed up-side-down in the earth! (..not difficult to imagine when you look at the attached photo :). I am curious if the salesman from the market would have guessed that..

Road adventures

Sudan is not the only country where you can get considerable delays while you are driving. In many countries, traffic jams are the usual start of the day. Overloaded or stranded trucks are also quite common in the world. But some of the delay-causing 'road adventures' here in Sudan are not very likely to be seen elsewhere. Yesterday, Frank commenced his 5 hour journey from Kosti to Khartoum in the early afternoon. While he and his colleague were chatting the time away, the driver suddenly stopped. Right in front of the car, in the middle of the road, stood a friendly camel clearly enjoying a nice day dream. She didn't seem to mind or notice the car in front of her, while she stoically stared at the horizon. This camel really seemed to over-think some essential philosophical issues! Patience is a virtue in Sudan, so the journey only proceeded after the camel had decided to come back to reality and moved on.

Melancholic sounds

Although the local Sudanese music is in many ways very different from Dutch music, I have discovered at least one similarity. Yesterday I sat in the car and the radio was providing nice background music while we drove to the other side of town. Suddenly my two fellow passengers jumped up and turned the volume of the radio up. It didn't take long before they both started singing like they had ended up in the finals of a singing contest. I really liked the sounds of the music, but I had no idea what the lyrics of the song were about. I guessed the song was about the love for his wife or something in that direction. But one of my colleagues translated the words to me, after the song had finished: "Time flies by and life is too short. We are old before we know it." When she continued her translations I started smiling; this could have well been the text of a typical Dutch 'levenslied'! Some of the sentences were a true copy-paste from songs I have heard in Dutch. I guess this melancholic theme is a universal hit..

Charity

Here in (North) Sudan, it's very common to see big terracotta coloured pots standing on the side of a road or a gate. These pots are called 'zeer' (pronounce like zier) and they are filled with drinking water. I was told that the pots are made of some kind of sand because of its natural functionality as a water filter. The water inside stays remarkably cool, which is no unnecessary luxury in this climate. The reason why I gave this blog the title: 'Charity', is because these pots are used as a way of caring for others by offering them water. The pots are placed outside in public places, so everyone who passes can freely drink water from these pots. Often after a family member has passed away, the remaining family members take the initiative to buy and place these pots outside, in remembrance of the person who passed away. In that sense,.. every sip of water that one drinks from these zeer pots is both a 'tribute' to the person who passed away and also a way to save the life of someone else.

Friends in the Souq

The curtain section of Souq Al-Shabi

"Souq Al-Shabi is the place to be!" This is what my colleague decisively said, when I asked her where we could find the fabric that is needed for one the children's games in Kosti. There are plenty of 'Souqs' (markets) in Khartoum, but she couldn't wait to show me her favourite one. A few minutes after we had entered the Souq, I was happy that I wasn't there by myself; I would have lost my way in the maze of all the market stalls! We started our search for the special ('parachute') fabric and we asked everyone around. The first man said he didn't sell it, but he was sure that his friend a few meters ahead would sell it. So, with good hopes we went there and asked the same question. He was very sorry he didn't have it in his collection, but he assured me that his friend around the corner definitely sells it. So, we proceeded. The next salesman looked at us for some time, frowned his eyebrows and knew for sure that his best friend on the other side of the Souq would give us a good price...Two hours later, we still hadn't find the right fabric but we surely had a nice time strolling over the market area. And one thing is for sure..even for making friends, Souq Al-Shabi is the place to be!

Plane spotting

Some people love to look at (aero)planes; they will do whatever they can to find exactly the right position and angle to be able to see the different planes landing and taking off. Well,..for these people Khartoum would be paradise! The international airport of Khartoum is namely located in the middle of town! (see: city map of Khartoum). So from early morning until late evening, and all time in between, you can see, hear and feel (!) the different planes arriving and departing. Last week I visited the National Council for Literacy which is located very close to one of the airstrips. During our meetings we were obliged to take a short break whenever a plane would fly over, because it would be impossible to actually hear each other. One of the participants asked me if I had ever touched the wheels of a plane. I said no and asked him why. He assured me that if I would stand on my toes on the rooftop of the building, I would be able to touch them with my hands. An interesting offer, but I think I prefer to spot them from a distance..