Heron on the Nile
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  Na'faj Ahmed the Civil Engineer Wed 5 Jan 2005  

Khartoum souk Arabi
Khartoum souk Arabi
Back at souq Arabi the transport system is suffering from "mushakil katir" (many problems). In fact I can't see a bus anywhere. There are a lot of hot would-be travellers. The resolution is going to be long and painful. I think through my options. I can stay in town for the afternoon, walk home (though the old bridge is still closed), or hopefully hitch a lift. Taking the last of those I walk down to Jama Street (an inner ring road) and wave at box Toyotas till one of them stops and offers me a lift.

The driver is a guy called Ahmed, a civil engineer for a firm called Dal Consulting. They are responsible for keeping Sudan provided with Coca Cola, Mitsubishi cars, yogurts, railways, highways and the Chinese Bridge (which we are now crossing). He tells me there is one department just for electronic mapping and I relate to him the time I was refused a map without explanation by the Government mapping office. "Top secret," he laughed and offered to get me maps anytime, just ask.

"Chinese Bridge" over the White Nile
"Chinese Bridge" over the White Nile
We have a good level-headed chat about the state of the country and whether peace in the south will set a precedence that can be used in Darfur.
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