Travel permits and alien registration in Khartoum

We have been spoilt rotten here in Khartoum the past few days and have really enjoyed the rest. On Sunday Chris borrowed us his driver, Salim to take us to the Alien registration office in the city to register ourselves as required by all visitors to Sudan. It was so nice to be driven around in an air con vehicle and poor Salim ended up spending the whole day with us! The alien headquarters office was buzzing with people as it has been closed for the week of Eid. Salim whisked us through the admin process of getting forms filled in and paperwork pushed through a bunch of people all aiming for the same small window – this would have taken us ages. Then we had to wait as our passports and form disappeared and the paperwork started at the back… After the first one and a half hours Francois’ passport reappeared. You then have to go to another small window and make your payment of SDG 100 and then it disappears again. In the meanwhile every now and then someone comes up to the small window shouts out the names of the passports ready for collection and everybody huddles tightly together to push for their passports etc. It all looked too disorganised to me… but Salim was there to watch out for us so it really helped.

After another hour and still no sign of my passport I started to get worried. People were going on lunch and the process at the back slowed down. Eventually Francois’ passport came back out and it was ready with the little sticker with signature that it needed  – still no sign of mine. Salim pulled a few strings, went into the back office and reassured me that it was there and that we just have to wait – it will come. After another 30 minutes and no passport I was starting to get very frustrated – we have been here for more than three hours now. Eventually after Salim and I went back into the back office (they didn’t like this, but they are too polite to chase us away) we finally ushered the passport through its final stages – from the one desk to get a sticker, to lying on the desk another 20min, to going into the second office, where finally it got the little signature on it and into my hands – jippey! Poor Salim spent his whole day with us and we finally got back to the house at 15h00. It would have taken us twice the amount of time if we had to do it on our own!

We still needed a travel permit as well as this is required for all journeys undertaken outside of Sudan. So on Monday morning Chris organised that Salim help us with this too and this time it was quick. We had to explain where we will be travelling to and then we got a letter back in Arabic which we don’t understand a word of, but apparently this letter gives us permission to travel around in Sudan. This letter doesn’t cost anything and you only require a passport photo and copies of your passport and Sudanese Visa. I was very glad when the admin was done and dusted – it would have been a nightmare to figure out on us own – so thanks sooo much to Chris and Salim we owe you big time!

The evening was spent with Chris, Anita, Jan and Tarina having a BRAAI!

The food was amazing! Check this out:

Francois has also been feeling a bit under the weather with a sore throat so the rest here has really helped us a lot. On Wednesday morning we will hit the road again northwards and will then resume our regular posts – sorry we have been very very lazy here in Khartoum! :o)

I love being in Anita and Chris’s home and it is so nice being surrounded by their cool pets. Anita yesterday came back from work with a small puppy!! Someone must have left her along the road and Anita could not leave here there. It seems as if this is not the first time, as they also have a kitten at the moment from the street that still needs a new home. Bashir, their 6 month old dog also came from the gutters. So in total I am surrounded by two dogs, a puppy, a kitten and a cat – feeling right at home here!

Here is the puppy:

and the sophisticted Armani, their cool cat:

It’s great being in a house: