Travel: Adventures in Khartoum

Al Ahram Weekly (Mohamed El Hebeishy)

Another enjoyable travel account from the author of Egypt Rediscovered.

Sitting among friends in one of Cairo's old traditional cafes, I heard the most intriguing comment when they found out I was heading for Khartoum: "Being in a hurry in Khartoum is simply unrealistic. It's the world's largest waiting room."

It was somewhere around 4am when my Kenya Airways flight landed at Khartoum International Airport. Though it was March, it felt like July, except for a summer night breeze timidly puffing every now and then. Deserted, with a couple of planes on the runway, there were only a handful of passengers, me included. A huge square-shaped hall, all with neon light, a bluish ambiance set the tone of the very quiet airport, if not for the monotonous hissing of the ceiling fans. Though it is not expected from employees to be energetic at such an hour, I finished all the procedures in a relatively short time. If you have experienced Cairo International Airport, the same welcoming committee is usually there. A big crowd of family and friends waiting impatiently for you, and if not, be waiting for someone else. End point in Cairo, the waiting crowd is there, all the nagging taxi drivers are there and the unbearable pollution of this horrendously crowded capital is also there. To my surprise, none of these were there in Khartoum. Despite the heat of the weather, the air smelled fresh. Aside from a couple of people who were waiting anxiously, that was the entire crowd I could spot. What really surprised me were the taxi drivers. Mind you, I might not look like some blond blue-eyed European tourist, but surely I don't look Sudanese either. Still, no nagging taxi drivers who don't take no for an answer. First, I was delighted by such a burden not being there, but in a few moments I was already thinking, "Downtown is only four kilometres away, but I still need a taxi." Standing outside the hall, puffing one of my cigarettes, I finally discovered where they were: parked in a queue in designated parking area. Though they could certainly spot me, none tried approaching. To wrap up the night of surprises, I am the one who ended up approaching the taxis, still of course needing to bargain the fare, and off I went, content for no other reason but for the laid-back first impression Khartoum cast on me.

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