The Confluence of the Nile

In addition to being really far behind in updating this blog, I am now going to go out of order. Chronologically, I should be writing about the scuba diving trip I took in October. But, because I have a lot to say about that, and I am currently blogging from the Khartoum airport while awaiting my flight back to the US for the holidays, I have decided to jump ahead and say a little about boating/cruising on the Nile.

Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White and Blue Niles, While the Blue Nile is a clear, serene river, which meanders along from Ethiopia up into Sudan, the While Nile is a turbulent channel of muddy water, which originates in bogs and wetlands in southern Sudan, with its southern most tributaries flowing from Lake Victoria. I've read that the name Khartoum refers to the confluence of the two Niles at this point in the desert, but I've also read that it means "elephant trunk." So, I'm not really sure what the deal is...



I have been out on the Nile twice since arriving in Sudan. The first time was in mid-November. I went out with a group of people who work for the US embassy here in Khartoum. They had rented a "cruise" boat of sorts, with an awning and enough room for a couple of plastic tables and chairs.

We set out in the late afternoon with fabulous Syrian food and several bottles of wine (Ssshhhh!) and slowly cruised up the Bue Nile. It was a very relaxing journey, and showed me a much more pleasant side of Khartoum; away from the dust and the traffic and the garbage. The houses along the Nile are some of the most beautiful in the city. And Sudanese we passed on the banks of the Nile waved at us and smiled rather than shouting "khawaja" (white foreigner) as they often do when you pass on the streets.



We even got to observe the Khartoum beach scene (below). It was crazy. This was a Friday afternoon, and this beach on the Nile was full of people swimming, riding motorcycles, bar-b-quing, listening to music, and generally having a good time. This too was unexpected, as the streets of Khartoum are usually eerily deserted on Fridays. Apparently, the locals are all at the beach!!



In any case, we cruised up to Crocodile Island, which I was disappointed to learn does not have any crocodiles on it. Instead, it is apparently called Crocodile Island because it is shaped like a crocodile.

When we finally made it back to the dock, it was 9:00pm, and I was tired and tipsy but also in a good mood.

My second trip onto the Nile occurred earlier this month. The second time, I went out on a speed boat, which belongs to the British embassy with my friend Avni, who works at the embassy, her two children, and our friend Nota.



In the speed boat, it only took us about 15 minutes to travel from the dock downtown to Crocodile Island. This time, rather than spending most of the time on the boat, we disembarked at Crocodile Island and had a picnic on the shore while shepards watered their livestock in the Nile. The livestock kept appearing from the other side of the island, and we could never figure out where they were all coming from. Initially, we thought that maybe there was a village on the other side of the Nile, but after discounting that theory, we were left without an answer as to the origin of the livestock.




After a relaxing picnic on Crocodile Island, we took the boat back down the Blue Nile to the confluence of the two Niles. There, we experienced the not-so-smooth transition from the Blue to the White Nile. Rather than flowing together smoothly, the two rivers seem to be fighting to maintain their individuality, with rougher White Nile pushing its muddy waves into the tranquil waters of the Blue Nile. Where the two rivers meet, you can clearly perceive the colors of the two different Niles. But, ultimately, nature wins out and the two rivers merge into the mighty river of Egyptian mythology.