Since I had a terrible experience in a massage place in East Timor, I was hesitating to go to such places here in Khartoum. I am not a big fun of paying to be tortured. But I really felt like a massage this week so I asked my best friend to take me to this place that she had been going for a while for a Thai massage. I took a chance and didn’t get lucky :)
As soon as I get in the place, they ask for money (advance payment always, here!) and then I am told to go to room #4 and wait. The tone in the receptionist’s voice wasn’t so pleasant, but Sudanese in general are not very client oriented. I didn’t mind that so much and did as told. I get in the room, change into some extremely large pants and sit on the mattress on the floor -(the only thing in the room). A nice lady comes in a little bit later and as soon as she begins the massage, the lights go off. I immediately ask if they have a generator in that “spa” and shaking her head she says: “it’s broken Madame.” I thought to myself: “just my luck!”
What could have been a quite good experience (because the girl was actually from Thailand and a professional) turned out to be 30mins of a sweaty and “mosquitoey” session. I don’t think I have to repeat myself about the heat in Khartoum so I leave up to your imagination to picture the scene! I had paid for 1h, but I could only tolerate 30mins of it. I left a little annoyed, not surprised though. I came to a mission area, a place where hardship allowance is paid to us, so “pampering” is a luxury I shouldn’t have expected. :)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The Nubian region of Sudan...
This weekend, I went on my first excursion out of Khartoum. I joined a colleague who works at the Brazilian embassy and we took the “Bin Laden road” (BL fund the contruction of this road during the time he lived here in the 90s) to an area called “Mussawarat es-sufra”. It’s an area with ruins, temples and some pyramids. It was a 2 ½ hour drive north of Khartoum.
The pyramids here in Sudan are the “poor cousins” of the ones in Gyza, but I enjoyed seeing them. The heat was extreme in that area. The temperature must have been around 55C. The sand was getting inside my sandals and burning my feet, but I refused to ride the camel. It just isn't my kind of thing :) . My friend jokingly said that here in Sudan, there isn’t “one sun”, but “one sun for each person”. It’s really indescribable!
The pyramids here in Sudan are the “poor cousins” of the ones in Gyza, but I enjoyed seeing them. The heat was extreme in that area. The temperature must have been around 55C. The sand was getting inside my sandals and burning my feet, but I refused to ride the camel. It just isn't my kind of thing :) . My friend jokingly said that here in Sudan, there isn’t “one sun”, but “one sun for each person”. It’s really indescribable!
Anyway, the road was good for most of the time, but at some point we had to make a turn into the sandy area. It was like going on a safari, only with very limited types of animals to see. We just saw camels, donkeys and goats. It was a bumpy ride and the car got stuck in the sand, but it was just a scary minute. We managed to get it out.
We met a few people who lived in the communities around the temples and it amazed me that they were there. It’s hard to imagine that one can survive in such dry conditions…
Hope you enjoy the
pictures.
We met a few people who lived in the communities around the temples and it amazed me that they were there. It’s hard to imagine that one can survive in such dry conditions…
Hope you enjoy the
pictures. Thursday, April 9, 2009
My Birthday
It’s really true, time flies! Yesterday I turned 31. And I never thought I’d celebrate it in Africa! Wow! I am looking forward to the rest of my life! :)
Yesterday was a quite usual day for me. Not many people in the office knew it was my birthday and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Only a few colleagues wished me well. But I received plenty of messages and phone calls from my friends abroad to make up for it!
The sun was shining really strongly in Khartoum as usual. At 7:45am the temperature was about 105F and by noon it was already 115F, so I spent most of my day inside the office (with a/c). I had lunch with one of my Brazilian colleagues and at the end of the day, I went to the gym.
Afterwards, I had a very nice dinner at the Rotana with two other friends. I had the “Om Ali” dessert that I like so much, plus many many others! :)
Yesterday was a quite usual day for me. Not many people in the office knew it was my birthday and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Only a few colleagues wished me well. But I received plenty of messages and phone calls from my friends abroad to make up for it!
The sun was shining really strongly in Khartoum as usual. At 7:45am the temperature was about 105F and by noon it was already 115F, so I spent most of my day inside the office (with a/c). I had lunch with one of my Brazilian colleagues and at the end of the day, I went to the gym.
Afterwards, I had a very nice dinner at the Rotana with two other friends. I had the “Om Ali” dessert that I like so much, plus many many others! :)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Egypt
I just came back from a wonderful vacation with Matt and my mom in Egypt! Although we did visit basically all the temples there, took a boat, four planes and a car, we also managed to find a lot of down time to just relax.
We spent a total of 3 days in Cairo where we rode horses (Matt rode a Camel) to the Pyramids, visited the Sphinx, the Cairo museum, the famous local Souq, the Citadel and the Coptic city area.
We also took the Nile cruise and stopped in all the major towns along the river: Aswan, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Luxor. We visited a temple devoted to a crocodile god, saw the Dam that stopped the Nile river and created Lake Nasser, visited a local spice market in Aswan and drove 2.5 hours to Abu Simbel (which is the probably the world’s biggest middle of nowhere! Through the window of the van, I saw absolutely nothing but sand during the whole time!) The temple in Abu Simbel was great though. It was worth the trip.
Our last stop on the cruise was Luxor. It is a cute town, nicely kept, but clearly very touristy. There, we visited the Valley of the Kings, which is an enormous pharaonic cemetery (where king Tut’s tomb is), the temple of Hatshepsut (the female ruler), and the gigantic temples of Karnak and Luxor. We also experienced a sandstorm in this town. It was incredible!
We had a private guide the whole time and he was very educated about Egyptology. The ancient Egyptian monuments and the hieroglyphic texts were all amazing to see.
We also took the Nile cruise and stopped in all the major towns along the river: Aswan, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Luxor. We visited a temple devoted to a crocodile god, saw the Dam that stopped the Nile river and created Lake Nasser, visited a local spice market in Aswan and drove 2.5 hours to Abu Simbel (which is the probably the world’s biggest middle of nowhere! Through the window of the van, I saw absolutely nothing but sand during the whole time!) The temple in Abu Simbel was great though. It was worth the trip.
Our last stop on the cruise was Luxor. It is a cute town, nicely kept, but clearly very touristy. There, we visited the Valley of the Kings, which is an enormous pharaonic cemetery (where king Tut’s tomb is), the temple of Hatshepsut (the female ruler), and the gigantic temples of Karnak and Luxor. We also experienced a sandstorm in this town. It was incredible!
We had a private guide the whole time and he was very educated about Egyptology. The ancient Egyptian monuments and the hieroglyphic texts were all amazing to see.
We ended our trip in the nice beach resort town of Sharm el Sheikh. Matt and I relaxed a lot by the Red Sea. We stayed in the Naama Bay area, which is the center and THE place to be. We ate a lot of good food, went to a casino, saw belly dancers and whirling dervishes’ dancers, tried sheesha, laughed and enjoyed each other's company very much!
Now I am back in Sudan. Well rested and ready for another couple of weeks of work before my next vacation… :)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Update
Hi all!I don’t have much news to report. These past few days have been normal and although the ICC decision caused all of us to be more concerned and alert, thank God nothing major has happened here in Khartoum and we’ve been going about our business as usual.
I am just going to post some pictures of me so you all see that I am fine and describe a little of my routine in this city.
I ride to work everyday at 8:00 with my Brazilian colleague 
(10min drive). Once I arrive in the office, I make a phone call to the U.S., read the daily local newspaper and start working. Our department is in preparation phase and there are still a lot to be organized before the elections actually happen!
Around lunch time I usually have a sandwich or a yogurt at my desk. Sometimes some of us from the office go out to a restaurant. I never eat in the UNMIS cafeteria. The food there is terrible!
(10min drive). Once I arrive in the office, I make a phone call to the U.S., read the daily local newspaper and start working. Our department is in preparation phase and there are still a lot to be organized before the elections actually happen!Around lunch time I usually have a sandwich or a yogurt at my desk. Sometimes some of us from the office go out to a restaurant. I never eat in the UNMIS cafeteria. The food there is terrible!
About 3x a week I go to the Rotana in the evenings to work out for 1 hour. (Tef and Yndira will be surprised to read this!) but I am not on any better shape. I eat lots of 
sweets; There are amazing ones here! The gym is just to pass time :)
On weekends, I also work out a little and then go spend the rest of the day by the pool. It’s great! I read, chat with my friend and play with her kids.
So, that’s it. Today is Sunday here and I am about to start my last work week before a 10-day vacation! Yay! :)
sweets; There are amazing ones here! The gym is just to pass time :)On weekends, I also work out a little and then go spend the rest of the day by the pool. It’s great! I read, chat with my friend and play with her kids.
So, that’s it. Today is Sunday here and I am about to start my last work week before a 10-day vacation! Yay! :)
Friday, March 6, 2009
"Isabel"
I didn’t expect that after officially changing my last name, I’d create a new confusion!
When it was just "Aline Alves", the problem most people seemed to have was getting the right pronunciation of my first name. However, “Alves” was always pronounced correctly. After all, it is a Spanish last name! :)
Here in Sudan, I think people’s eyes are getting puzzled with the As and Ls in both names or they are just too lazy to try to pronounce Aline, because Asbell has stuck in their minds and a few people have assumed that my first name is “Isabel” :)
So, in the UN compound, I am known to some as Aline and to others as Isabel!
I have to come up with a way to use that to my advantage…
When it was just "Aline Alves", the problem most people seemed to have was getting the right pronunciation of my first name. However, “Alves” was always pronounced correctly. After all, it is a Spanish last name! :)
Here in Sudan, I think people’s eyes are getting puzzled with the As and Ls in both names or they are just too lazy to try to pronounce Aline, because Asbell has stuck in their minds and a few people have assumed that my first name is “Isabel” :)
So, in the UN compound, I am known to some as Aline and to others as Isabel!
I have to come up with a way to use that to my advantage…
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Hummus
Last Saturday, I was invited for a barbeque lunch over my Lebanese friend’s house. We had delicious lamb kebabs and I saw (and learned) how hummus is made from scratch! It was a fun day. However, it was the day I found out that I cannot pronounce the word “hummus”! I’ve been saying it for years and no one ever corrected me, but this one day, my friend’s brother-in-law corrected my pronunciation all the time! :)
Anyway, this afternoon the ICC will deliver its decision on the charges against the Sudanese president. We are probably going to be released from work soon...
Anyway, this afternoon the ICC will deliver its decision on the charges against the Sudanese president. We are probably going to be released from work soon...
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