2008 was a very special year as I have fulfilled a dream I been wishing for the past 7 years of my life, I finally made a return to my second home,UAE. In July 2008, I was able to take a 15 days leave from work, saved enough money and went on a short trip to U.A.E, that trip gave me a chance of a lifetime, whereas I met some old friends, some of them whom I haven’t seen in more than 15 years, believe it or not(Thanks to facebook!). I also met some of my “online friends” and “fellow bloggers”, who are now more than just that. I went on Safari in the Desert, a Dhow Cruise, shopping in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, went bowling, sang karaoke, and did almost anything I ever wanted to do in UAE.
Another trip, and a magnificent magical experience for me in 2008 was my first time visiting a historical place in Sudan. It was very exasperating for me to see all my foreign co-workers go to all the historical and tourist areas in Sudan, while I never had the chance to. I’ve always wanted to visit these places, but it was always a problem of finding the right time and company. I still find it very strange how other Sudanese are never interested in going. Finally in November 2008, my best Norwegian friend “Marte” gave me the opportunity to see, feel and embrace a very important era of Sudanese History. I finally stood face to face with theMerawe Pyramids in Bajarawiya.
I can honestly call 2008, as the year of “Travelling”; only 4 months after my UAE trip, I managed to save enough money to travel again, but this time I was heading West, on a very non-advisable season! Winter in Europe was never an option for travellers and tourists, but I didn’t mind the freezing cold weather that went as low as -9 degrees Celsius in Oslo, because I considered it as a unique experience for myself, as I have never been in such a temperature before, nor have I seen or touched the snow. Oslo was not the only Norwegian city I got to visit, thanks to my hosts in Oslo (F. Thorkildsen and B. Valvik) they hooked me up with the kindest and sweetest couple living in Bergen (Brit & Gunnar), who wholeheartedly welcomed and hosted me during my 2 days stay in the enchanting city of Bergen. Although my main destination was Oslo, Norway, still I made use of the “Schengen Visa” privileges and went to Berlin, Germany by Bus, where I passed through Sweden and Denmark. Berlin was not only a sightseeing trip, but it was a wonderful family reunion with my Aunt and little cousin “Nandi”, whom I have written about her once before in my blog. Not only did I make complete use of the Schengen Visa, but also took advantage of the “Turkish Airlines” ticket and route, and managed to get a transit Visa from the Turkish Embassy here in Khartoum and made a 2 days stop in Istanbul, where I said goodbye to 2008 and welcomed 2009 in one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
Parliament Building (Reichstag)
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Istanbul: City of Mosques
I started out 2009 in the land where European and Asian Cultures come together, in the most beautiful forms of cultural diversity and unity, and I hope that this would be a sign that 2009 will be my year of Cultural and Intellectual escalation and hopefully more travels.
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