before leaving the town of bentiu, we stopped at a petrol station to pick up some water and food for the trip. as i stepped out of the front seat of a beat up toyota pickup, the sudanese engineer i'm traveling with says, 'do you think we'll make it'? the drive from the UN compound to the petrol station had put some doubt in my mind as well - the shaking front differential when driving on smooth surface, the rattles sounding under the vehicle, the difficulty the driver had in shifting and steering. It was a 50-50 decision and i had been in much worse that had survived pot hole ridden roads. so we got our water and a luke warm red bull and hit the road.
We arrive via caravan (single engine cesna) - flying over the sudd from malakal to bentiu. landed on a hard black cotton soil airstrip in what seemed like the middle of no where. no cows were on the airstrip, but they were walking to it...some how having slipped past the fence.
the first half of the trip from bentiu to mayendit (about an hour and a half) we drove along chinese oil fields. then the roads narrowed and we continue beyond black gold and onto endless grassland with several migratory cow herders who were following the water and green grass.
when we did arrive in mayendit...also the middle of no where, we found the spot where one of our projects was planned and then sat under a shade tree waiting for our ride from rumbek. some plastic chairs were brought over and we were kept company with random people who would stop by for a chat to figure out why on earth a kawaja (white person) was sitting under a shade tree in their village. a hot wind blew all afternoon, so it keep things relatively cool - however i didn't realize the sun rays were sneaking past the tree leaves and now i have a great farmers tan. having no cell coverage - you would be surprised the coverage one can get in south sudan - but mayendit was without. (except from 9pm until 6am, as the locals claimed, they would get a zain signal). i relied on a thurya satellite phone to ensure there was indeed a vehicle en route to our location.
finally, off across a flat dry grass land, a cloud of dust rises and is caught with the wind. only two other vehicles had passed during our time under the shade tree - a kenyan licensed lorry and a pickup truck full of machine gun strapped military men. as the vehicle turned a corned and cleared a clump of tall grass we saw that it was a white land-cruiser with a codan radio antenna...clear indication it's an NGO vehicle.
it is hard to explain the ending of such a long trip. the wash board roads vibrating you brain, the larger pot holes hit straight on, the jarring, the swerving, the heat, the smelly odors in the vehicle (whether gasoline, body odors or smelly shoes or horrible air spray attempting to cover it all up), the lack of decent meals and trying to stay hydrated with warm water. then you finally arrive in a town, but this time it was a town of significance...rumbek. i realized that there are not many things that i consider luxury, but when you check into a prefab camp (also referred to as hotels) and there is a decent bed or place to sleep without getting eaten by something, an AC, a lock on the door and an attached bathroom. one could analyze that, but this place in rumbek also has a pool...nothing to get too excited about, but worth getting in and letting the day wash off. oh and of course another thing that is essential is a cold heinken - the ice cold liquid slowing washing down the esophagus, clearing away hours of dry dust dirt and ragged roads.
We arrive via caravan (single engine cesna) - flying over the sudd from malakal to bentiu. landed on a hard black cotton soil airstrip in what seemed like the middle of no where. no cows were on the airstrip, but they were walking to it...some how having slipped past the fence.
the driver was a rental vehicle that was to take us from bentiu to mayendit county - where we would meet our vehicle from rumbek and continue to rumbek. this guy plowed straight ahead, kamikaze style, pot hole or not, it didn't matter, he just drove. i quickly realized why the truck was falling apart. i think part of the problem where his thick glasses and they probably won't doing the trick anymore. we hit some crater like holes - causing an uncontrolled release of choice words that unfortunately he didn't understand...nor the tone.
fortunately the location of our flat tire happened at a random village turned truck stop, so there was mechanic who inflated our spare- yes, our spare was flat. i usually check these things before starting off on a journey, but with a rental and all, it slipped my mind...when it should have been the first thing to check. as the driver loosened the lug nuts, i pulled a stunned bird out of the radiator grill - of which the mechanic quickly grabbed when he saw it wasn't flying away...probably had a nice pigeon stew for dinner. as the tire was removed i heard the radiator hissing...not a good sign after noticing how hot the cab of the truck was getting while driving - with the heat off. at some point the driver pours in more water and claims all is fine. peering under the hood i didn't have the same confidence, but one must remember that you get along much further than you would expect in africa. the limits are always flexible and stretch beyond western parameters.
the intent of this trip was to check up on ongoing projects and prepare for up coming ones. we spent a few days in bentiu, taking day trips to other payams (county level administrations) to check out new or current projects.
this is where there were hippo prints, unfortunately didn't get to see any as they were probably staying cool in the mud somewhere.
the first half of the trip from bentiu to mayendit (about an hour and a half) we drove along chinese oil fields. then the roads narrowed and we continue beyond black gold and onto endless grassland with several migratory cow herders who were following the water and green grass. 
when we did arrive in mayendit...also the middle of no where, we found the spot where one of our projects was planned and then sat under a shade tree waiting for our ride from rumbek. some plastic chairs were brought over and we were kept company with random people who would stop by for a chat to figure out why on earth a kawaja (white person) was sitting under a shade tree in their village. a hot wind blew all afternoon, so it keep things relatively cool - however i didn't realize the sun rays were sneaking past the tree leaves and now i have a great farmers tan. having no cell coverage - you would be surprised the coverage one can get in south sudan - but mayendit was without. (except from 9pm until 6am, as the locals claimed, they would get a zain signal). i relied on a thurya satellite phone to ensure there was indeed a vehicle en route to our location.
finally, off across a flat dry grass land, a cloud of dust rises and is caught with the wind. only two other vehicles had passed during our time under the shade tree - a kenyan licensed lorry and a pickup truck full of machine gun strapped military men. as the vehicle turned a corned and cleared a clump of tall grass we saw that it was a white land-cruiser with a codan radio antenna...clear indication it's an NGO vehicle.
it is hard to explain the ending of such a long trip. the wash board roads vibrating you brain, the larger pot holes hit straight on, the jarring, the swerving, the heat, the smelly odors in the vehicle (whether gasoline, body odors or smelly shoes or horrible air spray attempting to cover it all up), the lack of decent meals and trying to stay hydrated with warm water. then you finally arrive in a town, but this time it was a town of significance...rumbek. i realized that there are not many things that i consider luxury, but when you check into a prefab camp (also referred to as hotels) and there is a decent bed or place to sleep without getting eaten by something, an AC, a lock on the door and an attached bathroom. one could analyze that, but this place in rumbek also has a pool...nothing to get too excited about, but worth getting in and letting the day wash off. oh and of course another thing that is essential is a cold heinken - the ice cold liquid slowing washing down the esophagus, clearing away hours of dry dust dirt and ragged roads.
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