I had another nice lay in today and left the guesthouse to get registered at about half 9. I knew I had to go to the airport but I had no clue what to do from there so was looking forward to another little mission in a big alien city.
After an overpriced Tuktuk ride and minibus trip later I found myself at the airport and after asking about 4 or 5 different people where immigration was, I finally found the right place. I had everything I needed so that was a start but as always in these situations you are at the mercy of how bothered the staff can be. Charm offensive always seems to work in offices like this, either that or doing something stupid like leaning too far forward and head butting the perspex. Anything that produces a slight smile and breaks the workers from their usual mundane 9-5 can sometimes fast track you to a favourable quick in and out.
Today didn't start off looking like my day as I could see my passport get hidden under a handbag and then frowned at and passed around 3 or 4 people. I could also sense a red mark emerging on my head! One guy must've took pity on me though and he flew through it, took my money and it took him 5 minutes to get me registered and send me on my way.
I was finished by half 10 which gave me a chance to enjoy what now seems a trademark walkabout that I do to sus out all the new towns and cities I go to. The walk soon turned into a bit of a sweat fest and Khartoum is just too big to do on foot. After a very uninspiring walk due to the airport being the majority of the panoramic view I returned back to the guesthouse at 12:45.
In the reception area happened to be Sinada and another guy and I told him that I was all registered up. Naturally his next question was, "so what do you need to do now and how much money do you need?" If I could get my Ethiopian visa today that would be amazing because tomorrow is a nothing day and the chances are the embassy will be closed on Saturday as well so I would end up staying till Sunday. Then i would probably stay one more night on top of that so I could start with an early ride away on Monday. This would mean spending alot of money in Khartoum which is ok but not at all ideal.
As I told him my plans, Sinada's friend had been there just last week and told me that I had to apply for a visa between 9 and 11 and it takes 3 hours to proceed so that's why the embassy is open till 3:30. I was gutted, if I hadn't of taken my stupid walkabout I could've got everything sorted and had maybe a couple of days to relax!
I could go there anyway and chance it and even if I applied today I could always pick up my passport early on Sunday on my way out. If i was quick enough and lucky enough i could get it processed today as well (I'm a dreamer-that's half the reason I'm here in the first place) The visa is 40USD so Sinada have me 100 dollar note and I grabbed a couple of pounds for the taxi and legged it out to find a taxi a-la challenge Anika.
The first 3 tuktuks I stopped all paused for far too long when I told them Ethiopian Embassy, "nope, you're not the one" then I moved onto the next. I found a guy who knew where it was so in true movie style I told him to step on it. The 50cc engine roared and what they lack in top speed, they gain in manoeuvre ability and they are normally driven by daring nutcase drivers like myself that aren't afraid to get stuck into gaps and down alleys that most people couldn't walk down. I would definitely be a Tuktuk driver if I lived here, I probably would need brakes and tyres changed on a regular basis but I think I would enjoy it, even if my customers didn't!
I got to the embassy and the first thing the lady said was "why didn't you come earlier?" Technically it does say the embassy is open till half 3 so I played the "I didn't know I had to rush" card and I told her I had to register first and she didn't seem to mind, she gave me a form and a pen and it seemed to me that I had made it in time! I filled out the form and walked through a tiny security box into a garden and onto another building. There I handed over my form and passport and was asked a few questions whilst all the time not really knowing if I was going to get the visa today or not.
I got moved along to another window for payment and it was only 20USD so I was happy with that. I handed my 100 note and he took one look at it and said "sorry we can't accept this. This is from 1996 and the Sudanese banks won't accept anything before 2000 so we won't have it sorry" "so what do I do now?" I only had 15 minutes before the man was closing up and my options were go back to the guesthouse and return on Monday which defeated my manic rush or run around to see if anyone had 20USD that I could buy off them with the little Sudanese pounds I had. I have more chance of seeing a Muslim woman sunbathing then I have finding a person out of the 25 or so waiting around that had 20USD on them.
I ran around and tried a few rooms then one man said that he would give me 20USD for 200 Sudanese pounds. I counted through how much I had, I had 110. Great, so I found myself a miracle but couldn't grab it because I was 90 pounds short. I ran back to the initial security box I walked through and sort of positioned myself in the way of people walking through. Realistically it was not the end of the world but I was so close to getting it all sorted and taking a weight off my shoulders it would be a real inconvenience if I had to return back to the embassy.
As I stood in the doorway a man (Assad) asked what the problem was. I told him the situation and he gave me the 90 pounds right there right then. "Go and get your visa and I will go back to your hotel with you and you can give me the money back" I couldn't believe it, yet again, another extraordinary act of kindness. I went to pay for my visa and he said it would take 30 minutes to process. Pants! I cant expect Assad to wait half an hour as well!
I returned back outside to tell him and he said he would swing by the hotel to tomorrow (despite not having a car!) Incredible! What did he have to gain in doing a good deed? Nothing! If anything he could end out of pocket and he would definitely end out of time! An amazing act of kindness again that I will take with me for the rest of my life and aspire to be like in the future. As Assad left, a man came up to me and asked if I could give an old lady the otherside of security a message he had written on a piece d paper (I guess he was not allowed through security for some reason) it was the least I could do considering what Assad had just done for me!
I walked back into the building and the visa was there in my passport waiting for me! So much for applying before 11 and so much for taking 3 hours. If my 100 dollar note was in date the whole process would've taken me half an hour! I was buzzing as I walked away but I was all out of Sudanese pounds, had 100USD that banks would not accept and had about a 2 hour walk in 40 degree heat ahead of me.
Well maybe if I tried the Derren Brown confidence thing I thought. Go to the bank and just eyeball the clerc and say very directly "I would like you to change this to Sudanese pounds please" I went into the bank and did just that. The lady didn't speak much English but she moved me along to another window to speak to someone who could. Instead of processing my request with no questions asked she did one better. She leaned over "I have a friend who will give you a much better rate for your money then the bank will" she said. After a quick phone call she pointed me across the road to her friend who owned the jewellers opposite and instead of getting 550 for 100USD I got 770. This was a huge difference and I worked out I found myself £30 (English) up. This helped as I spent double the exchange rate getting my 20USD for 200 Sudanese but after the crazy chain of events, I found myself well up overall and with the correct currency in my pocket.
I walked into the Syrian restaurant next door to the jewellers to celebrate with a beautiful kebab which I could actually enjoy for a little bit before making a pitstop. There have been so many aspects to my ride and my life that are like games or races. The race against time combined with the game of completing little tasks gives me just as much an adrenaline rush as flying down a mountain on Nigel.
You have to play the bargaining game as well if you're in the mood. To finish my highly productive and successful day off, the Tuktuk I got to the embassy in cost me 30 pounds but I got the return trip for 20. This is nothing by English pound standards but as always that's not the point, percentage wise, I was well chuffed!
Back to the room I went for a few movies, some skyping and some sweet dreams.
A manic day by anyone's standards but an increasingly more typical one for me it seems.
An astonishing act of generosity from Assad that I am truly grateful for. An act that some people may never experience yet an increasingly more typical act for me it seems.
Im so blessed and so focused on giving them as well as receiving. Everyday seems to bring a new lesson or new opportunity to do good or at least show kindness. This doesn't mean giving everybody you meet £100. Most of the time they maybe small like saying hello, waving or smiling but one thing is for sure, life is so much more fun and worthwhile when you make that little extra effort that costs absolutely nothing.
No comments:
Post a Comment