  Al Ubayyid
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General Tips: Good Russians and Bad Russians!
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Favorite Thing: Apart from a few Catholic nuns (who get absolutely everywhere!) the only other 'khawajas' in town were Russian pilots flying Antonov planes to the south. The Russians were divided into two groups who couldn't stand the sight of each other!
On the one hand was the group flying humanitarian assistance, who lived in a very basic and cramped house near the city centre, with regular water shortages and power cuts and eight of them sleeping on camp beds in the two bedrooms. Across town, out in the suburbs, another group lived in an enormous luxury mansion with a satellite dish the size of a normal house on the roof! They flew planes dropping bombs and military supplies.
As they literally used to fly out of the airport at the same time the two groups knew each other well. In typical animated Russian style they would spit on the floor and start cursing at the merest mention of the others!
Fondest Memory: Fortunately I got introduced to the 'good' Russians first, who lived nearby. Some of my best nights in El Obeid were sat at their house during the frequent power cuts in our neighbourhood, drinking unimaginably strong home-made vodka (well they called it vodka but it tasted like pure alcohol!)
Living in a 'developing' country can make you very sceptical of aid workers and the whole NGO industry, but I must admit it was uplifting to meet these guys. Many of them had left wives and kids back home in Russia and the Ukraine to slum it in a Sudanese desert town. Their job was one of the most dangerous in the world, as the SPLA rebels have no qualms about using their surface-to-air missiles to shoot down planes - even non-military ones. They used to drink their own weight in vodka every night to stave off depression and then fly into warzones the next morning. For sure they were reasonably well paid - most of the money got sent back home - but they could have made a lot more as pilots elsewhere. Fortunately none of them were killed flying, though one of the guys did die of malaria when he got home to Ukraine.
I know this isn't really a travel tip but hey I'm reminiscing! And it reminds me of the complete chaos and insanity of Sudan underneath the placid and sleepy exterior that you'll see when you first arrive.
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 Comments for mafi_moya about Al Ubayyid | | | | |
awladhassan Tue May 30, 2006 13:52 UTC
Very interesting. Although we have been there it was only for a few days, and we were kids at the time. Remember one of us got malaria and we were sent back to Khartoum in a tiny plabe [six seats,]. | Bwana_Brown Sun Jun 12, 2005 23:05 UTC
A brilliant page! I really enjoyed your informative tips and great writing style. Looks like I may have to check out how you fared further south in the country! | sachara Mon Aug 16, 2004 15:32 UTC
I certainly agree with Pieter !! As I said before such a pity, that it was impossible for me to enter Sudan by land last February. | Bonobo2005 Sun Mar 14, 2004 15:24 UTC
If it is the way you write about it, I would love Al Ubayyid and Sudan with its people, despite its lack of tourist attractions. |
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on Aug 31, 2004
