Sudan, the Land of Friendly People

Doctors from Europe and medical students

Planning a trip to Sudan was tough. There is no Lonely Planet for Sudan, there are few online blogs or other records about Sudan, and there is little current experience of travellling there after the pandemic. Everything became easier when a follower wrote us on Instagram that she had been doing a short internship in Sudan and could give us contact with an acquaintance, a medical student from the capital Khartoum. Mitwakil has proven invaluable. Not only did he give us a lot of information before the trip, even during the trip, he took care of us, as two VIPs or "doctors from Europe", as they called us. Not because we are really doctors, but because in Sudan, most of the white people are somehow connected to humanitarian aid and as doctors they get more respect among the locals. To make it easier for us to get through, Mitwakil told us to introduce ourselves everywhere as doctors from Europe.

We arrived in Sudan around midnight local time. We felt a bit uncomfortable about finding a taxi in the middle of the night in a "dangerous" African country. When we mentioned this to Mitwakil a few days before our arrival and asked him what would be the safest option for transportation from the airport to our accommodation, he offered to pick us up at the airport. "I can't do anything else at night anyway," was his reply.

After landing, he waited for us right after passport control, so he managed to get into the international airport area. It is worth mentioning that things are not as strictly regulated in Sudan as they are in Slovenia. The airport is small and terribly chaotic, and Mitwakil mentioned to the security guard that he had come for two "doctors from Europe" and was smoothly let into international space.

Together, we then waited for our luggage, which was carried by hand from the plane to the airport. With our large and dusty backpacks and our clothes wrinkled from the long journey, we certainly did not look like doctors from Europe, but the security guard at the exit did not mind. We loaded our luggage into Mitwakil's car and drove away. Parking fees should be paid when exiting the car park. The magic words "doctor from Europe" were said again, and we were able to go out for free.

Mitwakil took us to our accommodation, and then handed us another big bag of food: "So you can have breakfast." Crazy, what kindness from a complete stranger.

We spent the next two days in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, in the company of Mitwakil and his friends. They helped us with the bureaucracy (when you come to Sudan, you have to register with the police within a few days, which is a complicated and time-consuming process in African terms), and as much time as we had left, they drove us around like two counts. We were shown around the city of Khartoum, which is located at the confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile, we visited some beautiful mosques (Sudan is a Muslim country) as well as some churches (they have a Coptic and a Christian minority), and above all, they made sure we were not hungry. We wanted to make it up to them for their kindness and at least pay them some dinner. "No way! You are guests, you will not pay anything!" was their constant reply, and they never let us pay anything. In the evenings, we sat on the bank of the Nile and drank Sudanese tea (mint tea with a lot of sugar), nibbled on Sudanese peanuts and dates, and talked about life in Sudan and compared it with Slovenia. Though, the number of common points was quite low. One interesting fact that we certainly did not expect: in Sudan, it is still quite normal for a man to have several wives. This is just a part of life, the young guys explained to us. They say it is not cheating on the wife, it is just a normal thing and women are aware of it and expect it. While it is true that having more wives also means having more expenses. A husband must take care of his wife and children. Offer her a house, food, clothes... So only the wealthy can afford polygamy.

Pyramids of Meroë

As we left Khartoum and headed for the Meroë pyramids, we encountered a problem again. Although this is under UNESCO protection and the Meroë Pyramids are Sudan's biggest landmark, no public transport goes to these pyramids. Mitwakil activated all his acquaintances to arrange transportation for us. At 5 am, he picked us up from our accommodation and took us to the bus station. In the dark, on the outskirts of the city, the bus stop was the last place we wanted to be. There were many beggars, unpleasant pedestrians, and the bus drivers shouted all the time, inviting us to get on their bus. Of course, everything in Arabic. Fortunately, Mitwakil was with us, who escorted us to the right bus, and arranged with the chauffeur to drop us off near the pyramids of Meroë.

When we visited the pyramids a few hours later, we called Mitwakil, he called his contacts and told them that doctors from Europe would need a ride from the pyramids to the next major city, Atbara. In less than half an hour, a colourful local bus came down the road and picked us up, despite the fact that people were already sitting on the floor. But there were two vacant seats for two white "European doctors". We felt a bit embarrassed to be treated like this.

And the pyramids of Meroë... they are one of the most beautiful things we have ever seen. There are about a hundred pyramids on a relatively small area, in the middle of the desert, the Sahara and no living soul anywhere. We visited the ancient pyramids in peace. No crowds of tourists, no annoying vendors, no expensive entrance fees. Yes, that is the charm of Sudan. It is difficult to reach these pyramids, but then you experience them in all their might.

I am buying tea for the only two white people at the bus stop

This parted our ways with Mitwakil, but the kindness of the Sudanese people was not over. For example, when we travelled from Karima (the place where interesting Egyptian tombs are located) to Abri (a Nubian village), we had to stop in Dongola. A bus stop in Dongola is like an airport. A tidy, air-conditioned building that also sells a variety of food and beverages. While waiting, we wanted some Sudanese tea. We got it for free. The lady at the kiosk insisted that she pay for it. Another passer-by invited us to his house for lunch, and everyone who knew a few words of English came to talk to us. Everyone wanted to know who we were, where we were from, and how we got to Sudan. As two white people with big backpacks, we stood out from the crowd. No one wanted to trick us, rob us, or sell us anything. No, everyone was genuienly curious about us and everyone wanted to show us how beautiful Sudan is.

With a local on a sandy island in the middle of the Nile

From Abri, in the north of Sudan, in the province of Nubia, we went on a trip to the island of Arneti in the middle of the Nile. On the small boat, we were once again the only white people besides the locals. One gentleman knew enough English to start talking to us. When we got off at the island, he offered to show us around. And we went... together through the sandy alleys of a small island in the middle of the Nile River. He showed us his house, his field, his bean and date plantations, told us how many employees he has, where his family lives, how the irrigation system works, and finally took us to a neighbour's house for Sudanese tea. But to let us pay for it? Of course not! Guests in Sudan will not pay for anything!

Egyptian Soleb Temple

The next day we went from Abri to the temple of Soleb. This is a beautiful Egyptian temple. But again, to get there was a whole project. We had to hitch-hike first, and despite it being a Friday (which is like a Sunday in Europe), a bus drove by. An overcrowded bus. But in Sudan there is always a little more space, so we were crammed in, and we drove to the village of Wawa. There, we had to find someone who had a boat to take us to the other side of the Nile, to the temple itself. We found a family that was just outside the house. We told them who we were looking for by gesturing and using Google Translate. They immediately called an acquaintance who owned a boat. While we were waiting, we were again served as royalty. They brought us drinks, and a whole bowl of fresh dates and oranges. In return they did not want anything, of course.

The Soleb Temple was exceptional. A huge Egyptian temple dedicated to the sun god, with 15m high columns and fully painted with Egyptian hieroglyphics. And of course there was no one there again. Just the two of us, we had the whole temple to ourselves. A few days later, in Egypt, we walked and struggled through the crowds at the Karnak Temple in Luxor, and here we could visit the temple of our choice, take photos where we wanted, without anyone "jumping" in front of our cameras. This is Sudan, beautiful but unvisited.

We hitchhiked back from Soleb Temple to Abri. This time there was no bus. We stood for an hour on a flat road in the middle of the desert, in the scorching sun. We were slowly giving up, when a truck drove by and stopped. Inside sat a young boy who was happy to have company. The first thing he did when we sat down next to him in the truck: he gave us a cooled chocolate bar and a juice. He had a cooler with drinks and snacks under his seat. You can imagine how much we enjoyed something cold after a long wait in the sun.

Best of Sudan: the friendliness of the locals

We often felt quite awkward when the people in Sudan were so very friendly, so hospitable, but at the same time so simple. They do not have comfortable houses, clean drinking water, proper sewage systems, fine cars. They live in mud houses (dried mud bricks), in small villages, for example, on an island in the middle of the Nile, in the middle of the desert in Sudan. They are surrounded by bean and date plantations. This is also mostly what they eat. They do not have a lot of money, they cannot afford to travel around the world. But they have a big heart.

Sudan has many really beautiful pyramids, ancient Egyptian tombs and temples, churches, mosques, the beautiful Nile River, the desert... We saw all this and were fascinated by it. But the best thing about Sudan was certainly the people. Extremely hospitable and friendly. At the moment, Sudan is again in the grip of unrest, and travelling there may not be the smartest decision. But when things calm down, we highly recommend a trip to Sudan. Check out this hidden gem of North Africa, where you can wander among the ancient pyramids and temples on your own and meet the world's friendliest people.