On The Road Again

Tune of Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again" comes to mind when the instruction came down for me to go to Sudan....again....

"Kaotim"ed wifey by promising her a shopping trip to Bangkok and Pattaya when I get back....no deffering or cancellation this time cause I paid for the trip liao......hehehehe....that got her smiling from ear to ear.

Sudan.....land of a 25 year Civil War and Unrest...guarantee culture shock for newbies upon touching down. Temperature variance are at a scorching 52 Degrees C ( max ) and a bone chilling 14 Degree C ( min ).

Will be staying at the Grand Holiday Villa ( Khartoum )....located beside the Nile River ( White Nile I think ) and a stone's throw away from the Sudanese Goverment Prefecture ( lotsa riots and demos ). The Grand itself is not bad...but not that good either....spa is available ( crazy ar? )...so is a swimming pool which they have to top up with water every few hours because of the high evaporation rate ( HAHAHAHA )....food at the Grand taste lousy as hell but the free wireless access in the lobby ( limited time only ) and the air condition serves as a consolation and respite against the harsh and unfamiliar enviroment.

The Goverment of Sudan assures the safety of guest at the Grand by parking 3 to 4 Jeeps armed with heavy calibered machine guns at all corners of the hotel ( yeah...I feel sooooo safe ). All the guest ( foreign ) are required to hand over their passports within 3 days of arrival for an exercise they call " Police Registration". Failure to do so will result in imprisonment...good huh? They claim that the Police wants the record to provide assitance in case of unrest but the truth is the paranoid buggers wants to monitor what we do, where we go, who we talk to, etc.

Taking pictures in Khatoum is at the risk of 2 weeks imprisonment and in the outskirts it is at the risk of death from the kampung people.....in this case, its better that one learn to keep thy cam in thy pants OR at least have the courtesy to ask first before thy start clicking away.

The Sudanese have a hell of a shopping centre that they are super proud of in Khartoum...its called AFRA. Afra is a fully air condition, 2 storey high building, as large as Hiong Kong Supermarket or your typical Mydin. The goods they are for the rich and super rich to buy only as they are all imported goods from Dubai, UAE and such ( mainly arabian countries ).

They is more to write on this heavenly country but not enough espace to do so.

To make it simple for those who have yet to have the pleasure of visiting Sudan, here are some simple steps to help you picture the place :

Imagine that you are in a time machine/capsule....you wave goodbye to your loved ones before closing the door....both your left and right hands are continously flicking switches and your brain is in overdrive mode to remember all the safety check list before the commencement of your flight back in time......with deliberate and precise movements, your hands turn the date dial back to the year 1960 and wait for the signal to ignite the Flux Capacitor ( copyrighted from "Back To The Future" ).....Green is achieved within a minute, the Flux Capacitor starts humming and you hesitantly press the magnetic switch to initiate the sequence........FUUUUWOOOMPH...then silence....you apprehensively open the door....you see dust all around, you hear people crying, screaming, laughing.....a jungle of noise throws you momentarily off guard....a swarm of flies invade your time machine which causes you to hurriedly step out and close the door.

You take a look around and say "FUCK! what have I gotten myself into?"....within a moment you are surrounded by black bodies...pulling at your clothes your hair...the smell makes you feel like puking....people asking for handouts, asking for your pants, your hat, your shoes...and whatever you have on.......your world swirls around as you try your best to grasp the situation at hand.........you realise that you are in hell........you turn around to get back to your live saving time machine but it is no longer where it should be.....you are alone...in hell.....THE END.

I have been travelling quite a lot these few months.....but the more I travel the more I relate to the age old saying of "THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME" ..ooops...before I forget....your credit card is worth shit in Sudan because of the sanction...so bring lotsa cash ( and balls ) when you go there,k?

2 every1 his/her OWN............................