Leaving Las Khartoum

So I'm on my way, I travelled 9 hours to meet up with Kasia and Maria two volunteers who work long hours in the middle of nowhere (outside a place called El Obeid) teaching English and other useful skills to Darfurians. Really wonderful to see them. I met them at the church where mass was in full swing, I went through the wrong door and ended up in the wings stage left with a few nuns. I pretended I was praying while sending a text to Kasia who came and found me. Spent a night in a convent, in a hospital bed. all very clean and white and proper.

Yesterday I came down to Dilling. I'm spending a couple of nights here hanging out with John, a volunteer from the programme that I was with. It's beautiful, really peaceful and chilled. they have electricity for two hours in the evening... how the hell am I typing this then? some places (like the information centre at the University where John works) have their own generators.

I'm staying in a guest room at an NGO called FAR (something African relief - I think) . It's more expensive than a guest house but the information is invaluable. The owner/manager/whatever is from Uganda and knows the roads south. so I asked him a few things and we went through my maps together (maps that I printed off the UN joint logistics centre website before I left) :

Are the trucks regular? yes, there are no buses but plenty of trucks that take passengers.
Land mines? there are land mines in the areas, but the trucks don't drive in those areas.
Guest houses? there are a few, but lots of people who travel sleep outside, you will be probably invited to stay in peoples houses.
Do women and children travel these routes? Yes, not as much as the men, but you'll find them.
Language? it will be mostly Arabic but you'll get more English the further south you go.
Timescale? to Uganda probably 6-9 days.

Good info.

I was feeling all very apathetic and numb about travelling, I think I might have been my defence to all the information of how dangerous it is to travel south. I know it is not going to be easy, and yes I know it's dangerous. but after talking to loads of people I still think it is my safest and most practical overland route. I have now decided that to stop myself going crazy with anxiety that I'm only going to listen to advise from people who have actually been here. Now that I'm on my way and I'm getting useful advice (like information about water... there will be nothing filtered for a good part of the trip, I have purification tablets for 75 litres) I'm starting to get more excited, and am really looking forward to the journey.

What Sudan lacks in infrastructure, sealed roads, public transport systems and reliability, it makes up for in people who consider it an absolute honour to help a foreigner.

I still need to find a contact in Juba. The city that is second only to Tokyo in accommodation prices.

It all seems very do-able, and you may see being a small single female traveller as a disadvantage, but there are a hell of a lot a benefits, like the overwhelming desire for people to protect me. To make myself more understandable, and more treasured I have invented a husband, I'm wearing a wedding ring, and have photos (thanks Joss). My husband is perfect, he is waiting for me in Juba, and he is big and tough and strong and powerful (but not rich) and he owns me.

I have had to lose a lot of weight... my bag, not me personally. I'm down to one pair of trousers, one skirt, a face flannel for a towel (trick learnt from mick). I still have too much weight, sleeping bag, mosquito net, first aid. Also loads of unnecessaries, I have two red t-shirts, one is about the bucket fountain in wellington and was designed by my friend so I can't lose that, and the other was given to me when I joined the ministry of burlesque in 2003 and it says 'foxy' on the back so I can't lost that either. I have two pairs of socks and two bras but 7 pairs of pants... and you can't give pants away so it means throwing them away. I'm far to attached to my possessions to ever be Buddhist.

By the way (Alison), I'm back to size 12. I Had toned into a trim size ten last year when I was dancing, and ghost touring. but after months of no exercise and sugary foods I'm back to normal. my can-can butt is comfortably sliding down to the backs of my knees and since I stopped pole-dancing the bingo wings have made a comeback.

This might be my last post for a few hundred kilometres, I'm losing reception on my phone too. So remember no news is good news. I'll be in touch as soon as I can.