Amal is our cleaner, she is paid 1000SD (about US$4) for her day's work. The other day over lunch she told me she lives in a "carton house" on the edge of town. She is a "displaced person" from the Nuba Mountains. Naturally, I asked if I could come and see.

When her work is done she washes her clothes and herself before stepping out into the street looking smart, elegant and accomplished.

We walk up to "Bosta" (Post Office) and catch a minibus to souq Libya. This costs 50SD each and takes 30 minutes. At Libya we walk through a large bus station, stopping to buy a kilo of bananas for 100SD.

The first bus in her direction is already full. I wonder if she would have taken it had she been on her own. Never mind, we board the empty bus behind having the pick of the seats, perhaps it's nicer after a day's cleaning to sit down for a while?

The bus is a large Indian Tata with three seats on one side and two on the other over 15 rows. There are doors at the front and back. Passengers no sooner board and hawkers start walking through. They're offering iced water served from a clean jerry can into metal cups, lollipops, biscuits, matches and tissues. Amal buys a strip of lollipops – about 20 for 50SD.

It takes about 20 minutes for the seats to fill up and then another 10 minutes to get hawkers off and standing passengers on. Once we're on our way Amal pays the fare; it's 25SD each. We soon leave the busy bustle of souq Libya and pick our way through the sprawling, unplanned, suburban township to the west of Omdurman. We're no longer on a proper road, just hardened dirt. The houses are mostly built from sun dried mud brick and have boundary walls. Many are in poor condition. Between them are empty plots and occasionally bigger spaces the size of a football field. There is little greenery; all water is delivered here by donkey cart.

As we near the end of the journey there are a few more temporary shacks, out-houses constructed from cartons and nylon sheet. I see a water tower bearing the logo of the Red Crescent; it's the most significant structure around. There are no more minarets. This second ride has taken 30 minutes.