Kassala Nightlife

HAHAHAHA...nightlife in Kassala?!!! You must be joking! Well, actually, that's not quite true, but there isn't much to do if you don't know anyone. One option is the open-air cinema, which shows heavily-edited Bollywood films subtitled in Arabic...obviously if you cannot read Arabic quick enough and your Hindi needs brushing up, the film itself will be of limited enjoyment, but watching the audience is quite amusing...they boo and cheer at all the right moments, and when the film is cut at that vital moment, all sorts of obscenities and gestures are aimed at the projector! Hindi films tend to be long...count on three hours at least, a long time to sit on metal chairs (although there are a few more comfy chairs in the balcony, you'll still get ridges on your bottom). Apart form the cinema, you cna drink coffee in the market, or go to one of the clubs...you are supposed to be a member, but usually a foreign guest is welcomed without question. Of course all of this is for men only, as any good woman should be firmly tucked away in the kitchen or the bedroom after sunset...but as a foreign woman, you'll have a bit of tolerance, even if you might not feel all that comfortable in the cinema as the only woman in sight. STOP PRESS: The cinema has now been repaired, and still shows Indian films every night (look out for the billboards in the bus station to find out what's showing). Good news for female travellers is that Kassala's first mixed cinema has opened in the Osman Digna park...again, only Indian films are shown, but you can't have everything...

Dress Code: Wear whatever you want to (not too outrageous), but in certain months you'll regret it if you forget your mosquito repellent.