country side

went for a joy ride into the country side this afternoon - along the road that we will be reconstructing.

there has been a trickle of people now returning to their homes in southern sudan, but there is a danger of land mines that litter the country side. there is no clear scope of the extent of mines or unexploded ordinances in sudan and de-mining the land is a long and tedious undertaking.

this rock has red and white paint on it indicating which areas has been de-mined. the white indicates that the area is clear of any mines (theoretically) and the red indicates an area that has not been de-mined yet...or is it the other way around?? ;)
missing decking on one of the bridges along the road to uganda. years of neglect and overloaded
trucks are pounding the life out the structures. we had to spend a few minutes at one bridge, moving the steel sheet back over the stringer in order to pass - it must have slipped out of place after a large truck sped over the bridge. bridges are also areas that were heavily mined.
here a lady is collecting water in a dry creek bed. the ground water in this area is over 150 feet deep. the only reason there are people living near where this picture was taken is because of this small supply of water in this creek bed. in the rainy season it will fill up about 10 feet deep, but during the dry season this is all they have.
in the country side - it smells like the africa i remember - that burnt grass mixed with earthy post-rain smell. driving outside of juba, one leaves civilization. there are small villages along the road, but most only consist of all grass huts and mud/stick houses.