Salah accompanies me - we are on our way to a friend of his who, earlier in the week, I had carelessly agreed to visit. I feel stuffed. The walk is a good idea. Maybe Salah is feeling the same.

He introduces a diversion. Let's just call in on my "colleague" he's getting married next week. His colleague turns out to be a very pleasant, slightly greying, 45 year old (I'm guessing). He's been a banker for the past 12 years so I'm not sure what makes him a colleague. He tells us it will be his first wife, I ask why? provocatively, and why now? (Actually, I want to know what he's been doing with his life up until now?) He asks who will look after him in old age if he has no children and we get into that silly conversation about whether I'm still looking, and if I'm actually trying to find a wife. I recite statistics of world population growth and suggest there are quite enough children already. You won't make any difference, he assures me.

We discuss the banking industry and I'm surprised to find that here too, in Sudan, banking staff have been laid-off due to cost-cutting. I ask about the compensation and he says if you just "sit and watch" you can probably last a year - but if you invest it you can do very well (or badly I suggest).

His wedding is the next Friday. He says I have an open invitation, for which I thank him.