My rit noord, verder weg van Naboomspruit en die Suiderkruis af, het
tydelik tot stilstand gekom. Alle reisigers wat noord oor Afrika reis,
stop oor in Addis Adaba om daar vir hul Soedanese visum aansoek te
doen. Soedan is omtrent die enigste land waarvoor 'n mens nie vooraf
vir die visum kan aansoek doen nie.
Op die internet is talle stories van mense wat hier al langer as 'n
maand moes gewag het voordat hulle hul visums kon kry.
Ek sien uit daarna om tydens my kort stop hier so veel moontlik van
die stad te sien. Dis 'n besige stad van ongeveer 4 miljoen inwoners.
Woensdagoggend 9-uur was ek by die Soedanese ambassade. 'n Hekwag in
wit, sittend op 'n tafel (hy het my baie aan Idi Amin herinner), het
die toegang met 'n ysterhand regeer. Sonder seremonie het hy mense
weggejaag as hy dit nodig geag het.
Nadat Idi my ingelaat het, kom mens by 'n sinkafdak met 'n klomp
stoele en nog 'n amptenaar wat op nog 'n tafel sit. Hy het my 'n
sitplek aangewys naby 'n venster. Toe het die wag begin.
Volgens vorige reisigers het 'n mens 'n brief van jou eie ambassade
nodig gehad. Ek het besluit om die kans te waag sonder die brief. Anne
en Anja wat besluit het hulle wou saamkom om die visumaansoek
persoonlik mee te maak, het net geglimlag.
Binne in die geboutjie kon mens mense sien beweeg. Later het een die
venster oopgemaak en paspoorte begin uitdeel. Die beampte op die tafel
het op die tafel voor die venster kom sit om te help.
Toe ek aan die beurt gekom het, was my aansoekvorm uit die internet
verkeerd. Ek het 'n nuwe vorm gekry en moes fotostate van sekere
blaaie van my paspoort laat maak. Anne en Anja het dit gou gaan doen
terwyl ek die nuwe vorm ingevul het.
Vensteramptenaar het weer my aansoek gevat en ek het gewag. En gewag.
En gewag. Twee Amerikaners het ook gekom. Hulle het reeds vroeër
aansoek gedoen. Hulle liggaamstaal was fataal. Die man kon steeds nie
sy visum kry nie en moes sy vlug Woensdagaand Khartoem toe kanselleer.
Die vrou wag al weke vir haar visum.
Net voor middagete het tafelamptenaar vir my gesê om na middagete,
drie-uur, terug te kom om 61 Amerikaanse dollar te betaal.
Drie-uur was ek terug. Idi van die hek het weer mense summier
weggejaag. Onder die afdak het het hy almal wat voor naby die venster
gaan sit het, weggejaag tot heel agter onder die afdak. Net ek,
enigste witte, mag heel voor bly sit het. Dit was bietjie 'n
verleentheid.
Toe kom 'n dame van die ambassade en gaan SIT by die tafel en nie op
die tafel nie!
Sy het al die aansoeke van die oggend uitgedeel sonder om iets te sê.
Ek het maar weer gaan sit en gewag.
Toe sy klaar was, het sy iets onhoorbaars gesê waarop almal opgespring
het, uitgestorm en om die hoek verdwyn het. Ek is agterna om te sien
wat gebeur. By 'n ander vervalle gebou het nog 'n venster oopgegaan en
daar het hek-Idi almal na geslag in twee rye opgedeel. Ek as enigste
witte moes in die middel van die twee rye gaan staan. Toe eers het ek
besef dat ons daar vir die aansoeke moes betaal.
Dit het toe ook al begin te reën. Met die nat kwitansie en nat aansoek
moes ek toe terug sinkafdak toe. Daar was niemand meer wat gewerk het
nie behalwe grynslaggende Idi wat die sopnat aansoeke geneem het.
So, ek is nou paspoort- en identiteitsloos. Ek gaan vandag terug
ambassade toe, en more, en elke dag tot ek my paspoort en hopenlik 'n
visum vir Soedan kry. As jy eendag die voorreg het om in Addis aansoek
te moet doen vir 'n visum vir Soedan, kyk 'n bietjie of my
Naboom2Germany plakker nog daar is. Dis die enigste plakker tussen al
die amptelike kennisgewings!
Groete uit Addis Ababa!
My trip north, further away from Naboomspruit and the Southern Cross,
came, temporarily, to a halt here in Addis Ababa. All overlanders
crossing Africa to the north stop here to apply for their Sudanese
visa. Sudan is the only country where one cannot apply in advance for
a visa.
On the internet there are many stories of people that had to wait more
than a month before their visa were issued.
I look forward to seeing as much as possible of the city during my
short stay here. Addis, with a population of approx. 4 million, is a
busy city.
On Wednesday morning at 9 I was at the Sudanese Embassy. At the gate a
guard in white, sitting on a table, controlled the entrance with an
iron fist. His looks reminded me so much of the late Idi Amin. Without
hesitation he chased away people if deemed necessary.
After Idi allowed me into the compound I got to a structure with a
roof and chairs where a next official, also sitting on a table, showed
me to a seat close to a window. Then the waiting started.
According to other travelers one needs a letter of introduction of
your own embassy. I decided to take a chance without such a letter.
Anne and Anja decided to join me to experience the visa application
first hand.
One could see people at desks inside the building. Later one of those
people opened the window and started handing out passports to some of
the people waiting. The official sitting on the table moved to the
table in front of the window and sat down on it.
When it was my turn at the window I was told that my application form
from the internet was wrong. I had to fill in a new form and had to
make photocopies of certain pages of my passport. Fortunately Anja and
Anne went to make the copies needed while I filled in the new form.
The window official took my application again, and then the waiting
continued. We waited. And waited. Two Americans who did their
applications much earlier, arrived. Their body language was wrong. The
man didn?t get his visa and had to cancel his flight to Khartoum on
Wednesday night. Also the lady had to leave, still no visa after weeks
of waiting.
Just before their lunch break the table official told me to come back
after lunch at three and then to pay the fee of 61 US dollars.
Idi from the gate again chased away a number of people. Under the
roofed structure he chased all the people away from the window to the
back of the structure, except me. That was a weird situation.
Then a lady of the embassy appeared and sat down at the table and not on it!
She handed out all the applications of the morning without saying
anything. I sat down again and waited.
After handing out all the passports she said something inaudible.
Everyone jumped up, ran around the corner and disappeared. I assumed I
had to follow them. At another neglected building a window was opened.
There gate Idi divided all the people according to sex in two lines.
As the only whitey I had to stand in the middle of the two lines! Then
it dawned on me that that was the place where we had to pay for the
visa application.
It started raining in the mean time. With the wet receipt and wet
application I ran back to the open structure. No one at the embassy
was there any more, only gate Idi, totally controlling the wet
situation. Smiling he took my application and disappeared.
So, I am without passport now. I?ll go back there today, and tomorrow,
and every day until I get back my passport and hopefully a visa.
Should you have the fortune to apply for a Sudanese visa in Addis one
day be on the lookout for my Naboom2Germany sticker. It is the only
sticker between all the official notices at the embassy!
Greetings from Addis Ababa.
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