After posting on Saturday I decided to walk off my
blue mood. I wandered around the nearby souq (
see photo above of food section) and mosque then weaved through the down town streets. Finding a tree that gave shade to rest under and a beautiful trunk to draw seemed the perfect solution to my mood. I leant against a wall and started to draw. I was relaxing nicely, when along came a police guard. I showed him what I was doing, uninterested he asked for my passport
, which was not on me. So I gave him my driver's license, which he pretended to read as I'm sure he couldn't read English. Then, he told me I could not stay there, even drawing a tree. He had a fair point as the wall I was leaning against both is for the Republican museum and the Presidential Palace. Shame though as I think it would have been a good sketch when finished. (
see right)
Trundling on, I reached Nile Street and it struck me how different the Nile looks from when I first arrived. The reason is the water level is now far higher since earlier in the month when the dams were opened downstream to aid irrigation. After the disappointment of being moved on, I enjoyed my walk alongside the river, chatting to some interesting characters on route - I am trying to erase from memory the lewd security guard by one ministry and the man who was looking for a western wife. They were the exceptions to the normal friendly Sudanese that I have come to really like and respect. I finished the day feeling tired, having walked miles, emotionally wrung out, but happy and ready for a new week to begin.
BTW In case you are interested, my friend and I made up.
