PPO Sudan..
This article is written immediately after the trip, which was carried out using the highway and has the appropriate specificity. I tried to put things in it, the most useful for understanding the situation in Sudan and for traveling Dikarem .
1. Driving methods in Sudan.
There are only 2 relatively simple ways to reach Sudan: the first one – by the aircraft from some civilized country to the capital of Sudan – Khartum. It should be noted that from Russia in Sudan there are no direct flights. According to my information, a plane ticket from Cairo in Khartoum costs about $ 200.
The second method – ferry from Aswan, a small town in the south of Egypt, to the small one-story Sudanese Gorodishko Vadir Half. This ferry goes once a week on Mondays from Aswan and on Wednesdays – back. Ferry departs from 10 am to 2 o’clock in the afternoon, but it is better to come in advance – after all, the next ferry will be only a week!
There are 2 tickets of tickets: 1st class costs about $ 40, 2nd class – about $ 22.(Back a bit cheaper, but for departure from Sudan require $ 12) you can buy a ticket in Cairo in advance at the central station or right on the site of the shipment of the ferry – near the famous Asuan dam, which every hour from Aswan has a suburban train.
$ 1 must be paid for departure from Egypt to Asun, but in the same place (be careful!) You will be extremely persistently trying to impose food and 2 cups of tea on a ship. For all this requires $ 3, but the food is simply disgusting quality, so it is better to give up to persistently, then you simply do not give a couple of papers that are coupons for food and tea. But to stock your food follows, t. To. ferry floats 17 hours. Best Place Speed Time when driving 2nd class – Upper deck. If you have hiking accessories for sleep, it is best to sleep on the deck under one of the boats. In the inner rooms intended for passengers of the 2nd class, to fall asleep you still will not succeed. I note that in the cabin of the 1st grade sometimes some cargo. So travel even there may not be quite comfortable.
There are other ways to intersect the Sudanese border, for example, on a car from Chad, Libya and Central Africa, but there are very conditionally. From Libya, even a bus goes from Libya – even a bus – a huge all-purpose Mercedes 6 * 6, which goes more than a thousand km in the desert by off-road. The first major settlement in Sudan on the way of this bus – Dongola, then he goes to Khartoum. Accurate point of sending this bus in Libya I am not known to me.
It is also necessary to know if a foreign citizen has the right to cross the Libyan-Sudanese border on this bus.
The border with Eritrithia, Ethiopia, Kenia, Uganda, Zaire is closed, but our guys were able to see people who came from Ethiopia on Earth. Reverse such maneuver, apparently, is doomed to failure.
Another 3 ferry go from Jeddah a week (with. Arabia) in Suakin (Sudan) in the Red Sea.
2. Roads of Sudan.
Sudan’s highways conveniently divided into good and bad. The middle version is not. Good roads are asphalt, good smooth, speed. Bad Roads are deserted roads that can be called expensive only after a very long stay in Africa. Really, they represent the usual ruts in the sand. In the rainy season, many of these roads are not passable.
Good roads exist primarily around Khartoum, such as the road to Atbaru, to Port Sudan (the one, which is the wado medacy, Gedaref, Cassal), on the bone and on El Obeid. And a plot from El Geneina (the border with Chad) to Yalya also, oddly enough, asphalt. Asphalt and halfdrawn on Debubu and are now underway to build this road towards the debbob.
Bad roads like the road to Wadi Halfu Ch / Z Dongola or Carium is difficult to pass. and the path from Wadi Halfa to Khartoum hitchhiking went 8 days, and this is just a thousand km.
The flow closer to Wadi-Halfe reaches 1-2 cars per day, but in the days of the arrival of the ferry or trains, it slightly increases to 4-7 cars per day.
If you want to move on Sudan on cars for money, the best thing you can do is go to the local market that the people call "Sukk-Shabby" or simply "Sukk". It is from there that Sudanese buses are departed, passenger cars "Toyota Hilux" open body called people "Bakassi", as well as local trucks ("Lorry"), also carrying people simultaneously with the cargo. The roads around the desert are heavy, so the passage is not cheap, but, in no way, the hitchhiking is working here.
Just sitting in the car you need not on the loan, but on the highway near the departure from the settlement.
I will note that Sudanese Lorri is a very funny sight. Imagine our "ZIL", whose covered roof, put a huge durable canopy, withstanding 4 passengers at the top of the cabin, who removed the doors, expanded the cab with wooden walls, put very low wooden-wicket doors, lockable on a large metal cas, instead of old doors, imagine now inside the cab 6 people in white hoods (one of the passengers sitting on the left of the driver), 40 people in a small body riding on bags and bales and you will receive an idea about this Sudan miracle. I think you should not describe how much the fare on it is not comfortable. about the road, overcome with such a car, will be doubly more exotic.
Sudan has an extensive network of railways built by the British in colonial time. about not all of them have a movement, especially passenger. Trains from Khartoum go to the week a week in Wadi Halfu (Mon Morna Poll. Tue evening pribe), in Port Sudan (TW Morning. Wed Day Prib.) and in Karim. There is another train in the south of Khartoum. The train coming on Wadi Halfu is in a ferry in Egypt, coming the day after the arrival of the train in Halfu.
The airfare between Khartoum and Wadi Halfoy is possible on Wednesday for $ 70. The plane crashes from Khartoum at about 10 am and flies 1.5 hours. So you will quite have time to steam in Egypt.
In the trains there are cars 1,2,3 classes, as well as a sleeping car. If you want to go not the 3rd class, the ticket must be purchased in advance.
You can go on the roof for free. It is more convenient to climb everything there immediately before sending the train (otherwise they will be damaged) between the last passenger and the first cargo carriage. Local population actively practices this travel method. oh be careful to fall from there not difficult.
3. Local population
The people living in Sudan is extremely friendly, welcoming and not annoyed that I am glad after Egypt. E is worth believing the horrors that sometimes you have to hear about this good country – it is not true. You see the truth when you almost after each Lorri are invited home, they offer food, tea, overnight and everything else that may need a traveler on the road. In Sudan, good, the best of all countries in which I had to visit, attitudes towards foreigners, and ours – especially.
Relatively often people who studied in Russia and, respectively, who know our. If you suddenly needed help, it is better to turn to such a person, he will quickly understand you.
Many people know English slightly, and even in the villages it is not uncommon.
Standard questions: Where are you from? What is your name? Where are you going? (Inta Men Wen? Essmak? Inta Masha Uyan?)
Sudanese in the north of Khartoum live in clay rectangular single-storey houses with several rooms inside; These houses and courtyards are fenced with a low clay fence. and south – in clay little houses round shape with a cone-shaped roof. The courtyard and the fence around such houses, as a rule, no.
You can also meet nomadic Bedouins living in houses with cane walls and ceiling. Such houses are the poorest. Sudanents – these are pretty clean people in their mass, the courtyards are always caught, everywhere order. Standard clothes are 2 types. First Type – Long White Arab Balahon with Huge Sleeves and White Cap (Type Tubette) on the head.
This Balahon is an optimal view of clothing in hot weather. Second Type – Black Pants and Badlone Shirt. People in Sudan are either a nubice, low people with slightly oblique eyes and almost black-skinned skin, or very dark arabs, or blacks, high, statutory with European features of the face in the north and slightly less growth in the south. Southern people often can be found 2 standard brazy shmille on the right cheek. All the sudanes are very calm and slow. In their life, the whole future is one big tomorrow, a minute in their understanding is 5 times more than actually. These people do not strain the fact that the train goes once a week, but you can only get out of the time from the week. For them, the week passes as well as for us one day. This difference in the temporary perception of the world is one of the reasons why staying in Sudan is rather associated with staying in a parallel world than with stay on the same planet as Russia, Europe and other "civilized" peace.
