DOC Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Our time to prospect was limited to only three days. And most of that time was spent travelling. We left the northern gold fields in the afternoon on Thursday and drove over 400 miles to get back to Khartoum, where I checked back into the Prince Hotel. Friday, Esam and his brother picked me up at the hotel and took me to lunch and took me on a sight-seeing tour of Khartoum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Doc, I have watched every video, from start to finish, and here is what I think.I think you did a wonderful job of documenting a trip to a place most of us will never visit. You delivered the texture and shades needed to understand the realities of culture, life and travel there. I felt the heat with you, the cold at 3am with no blanket, the frustration of waiting - you made it possible for us to actually travel with you!For those of us that really wanted to see you and the others find a huge honkin' chunk of gold well, I guess Sudan isn’t Hollywood eh? Yeah, I was bummed about the lack of gold, but hey, so were you - and that came through, along with these conclusions: The gold rush has slowed; The "easy" gold is gone; people are working hard for the gold they are finding; you need about 4-months to prospect a new area over there. Gosh that sounds familiar. Did the video's drag in places? You bet. A lot of hotel bathroom and shower footage Doc. I think we’ll need more time to analyze that! There were also humorous parts – I especially liked the angry Sudanese motorists beeping at the idiot tourists stopping on the highway to take pictures of the camels! Kinda reminded me of the Asian folks that stopped their car dead in the middle of Central Avenue in Downtown Phoenix, to take a picture of a cactus and palm tree. Doc - from me to you, thank you for sharing your experience, insight and opinions through this series of videos. They taught me a lot about Sudan, and the gold prospectors there. It also taught me a little about you, and I enjoyed the lesson. - Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted January 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 Yes I realize footage of bathrooms and showers would be the highlights of the videos, .This was the trip of a lifetime and one of which I had no control over. I went as an ignorant incompetent. In other words I didn't even know what I didn't know. So I could not orchestrate the trip then. If I had it over to do again I would do it different.One of the reasons I took a lot of footage which I knew would not be dynamic to other people is because I knew this trip was going to be a whirlwind trip. It was going to be that way before I lost 2 days waiting for the Visa to get straightened out. I wanted to make sure after I got home, and had a chance to catch up with life, that I could actually remember everything I did.In addition, I had a family I left at home while I got to go on an adventure, the least I could do was to bring home video that showed them what the trip was all about; it also showed them they would not have enjoyed doing the things I did.Yes I too had visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, chunks of gold I could barely carry, but that is not what is going on over there right now.If any of you are fortunate enough to ever get to go to N. Sudan hopefully this video will make you much more informed than I was, and help make your trip more productive.I edited out hardly anything I shot. I realize I could have made it a little less draggy if I had got rid of some of the parts that no one cared about, like showers and bathrooms, however, I wanted all of those details included for posterity.Thank you Terry, you have been one of the few people that have followed this all the way through and commented. I went over there determined to provide a narrative of the trip regardless of how things went. I wanted everyone to get a sense of what the culture and the gold rush was about.I would have done things different but I really enjoyed myself. It was a tough trip for an old man, but hey, I lived through it.DocDoc, I have watched every video, from start to finish, and here is what I think.I think you did a wonderful job of documenting a trip to a place most of us will never visit. You delivered the texture and shades needed to understand the realities of culture, life and travel there. I felt the heat with you, the cold at 3am with no blanket, the frustration of waiting - you made it possible for us to actually travel with you!For those of us that really wanted to see you and the others find a huge honkin' chunk of gold well, I guess Sudan isn’t Hollywood eh? Yeah, I was bummed about the lack of gold, but hey, so were you - and that came through, along with these conclusions: The gold rush has slowed; The "easy" gold is gone; people are working hard for the gold they are finding; you need about 4-months to prospect a new area over there. Gosh that sounds familiar. Did the video's drag in places? You bet. A lot of hotel bathroom and shower footage Doc. I think we’ll need more time to analyze that! There were also humorous parts – I especially liked the angry Sudanese motorists beeping at the idiot tourists stopping on the highway to take pictures of the camels! Kinda reminded me of the Asian folks that stopped their car dead in the middle of Central Avenue in Downtown Phoenix, to take a picture of a cactus and palm tree. Doc - from me to you, thank you for sharing your experience, insight and opinions through this series of videos. They taught me a lot about Sudan, and the gold prospectors there. It also taught me a little about you, and I enjoyed the lesson. - Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Border Boy Posted January 12, 2011 Report Share Posted January 12, 2011 you did a great job Doc , theres always tomorow and the next day. Every first trip somewhere new is a learning experiance, thank you for the great videos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlakMagnet Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 Hi DOC,Have watched each episode with interest; not only to get a sense of placewhich you captured really well, but also, as Terry alluded to, it is insightful to seewhen you decided to turn the camera on and what you decided to include in the clips. In a funny way, even though some of them were longish and repetitive, your shots helped to impart the sense of fatigue and discomfort you were feelingthe incredible strangeness of being in a totally different culture (I have been to Africa),and the vast distances you were covering. The music was especially evocative and immersive. It made me want to hear more.I suppose if I am left with one impression it is that a lot of thought needs to be spent on planning a trip like that and a big part of that planning should includebeing ready to spend a large amount of time just plain prospecting.Thanks for taking the time to show us.Flak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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