R ‘n R in Torit and the final explorations in Juba
Door: anikasnel
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Anika
12 Juli 2011 | België, Brussel
Hi there,
I am writing this from my hotel room in Brussels. It is almost 8 o’clock in the morning here and I am wide awake despite a serious lack of sleep from the day before. Yesterday I landed in Brussels at 9 o’clock in the morning, after travelling for over 20 hours, including a delay for 7 hours at Juba International Airport. The plane that was supposed to carry me had technical problems, and the plane that was meant to replace the malfunctioning one was delayed due to a heavy rain shower in Juba that lasted for almost three hours. But, I did depart, and since yesterday my big adventure in Eastern Africa has finally come to an end.
Right now, I mostly can’t sleep because my body is still used to rising between 6 and 7 in the morning. I suspect that will be the case for the next couple of days. Thus far, the only acclimatisation I have had to do is getting used again to European weather. Yesterday, it was a nice 24 degrees Celsius here in Brussels. To me, it felt like 14 degrees. Didn’t stop me from walking around town in one of the custom made dresses I brought with me from Juba though. Today I will be traveling back to the Netherlands, but not before Jeroen and I will visit the Koninklijk Museum for Midden Afrika. Yesterday evening we went dining in the KoKoB, an Ethiopian restaurant here in Brussels. We had Enjera - the typical Ethiopian pancake which you use to eat different dishes with your hands – I'll have to get used to ‘plain’ European and Dutch food again. Eating with my hands is one of the typical things I have gotten quite used to in Juba, so it was fun to do so again yesterday. Though, while I have come to like eating with my hands, I don’t mind switching back to eating with a knife and fork from now on.
I figured, because I can’t sleep now anyway, I might as well post some pictures of my final week in Southern Sudan (or the Republic of South Sudan as it is officially called now). So, along with this blog I have posted the pictures I have taken during my short holiday in Torit and the final explorations of Juba my friend Gemma and I did the day before independence. Gemma is a Dutch Graduate student from the Wageningen University I met once at a meeting about the future of Sudan. A couple of weeks ago she came to visit Juba and I showed her around. She then invited me to spend a couple of days in Torit, where she is conducting fieldwork on water and sanitation.
Right after I posted my previous blog I left for Torit. Torit is about three hours away with public transport. Together with four Sudanese guys in a small four person car (all the big busses had already departed for the day) I sped along the Juba-Torit road past the grasslands of Gumbo to the rocky and green area of Eastern Equatoria State. The guys I traveled with were nice travelling companions, pointing out to me the different mountains and villages we passed by. On the way I didn’t encounter any problems, except when we arrived at the checkpoint for Torit. Apparently, I was supposed to bring my blue pass or travel permit along with me, but I only had brought my passport with me. Luckily, the soldiers at the checkpoint were quite reasonable, and after ten minutes of apologising and admitting I had been very stupid we were allowed to continue.
At 7 o’clock in the evening I arrived in Torit. Gemma picked me up upon arrival and we briefly went to the DOT guesthouse we would be staying to drop my stuff before heading out for dinner. We had dinner in the well-known (at least, well known to everyone who has ever been to Torit) Arab Place, where they make a very good kebab for only five SDP. During dinner we met up with Alfred, a student at the Juba University and a good friend of Gemma (kind of like Stephen has been for me). After dinner we enjoyed a cup of local chai before heading back to the guesthouse where we have spend the remaining evening drinking with people of the Dutch development organisation SNV and people from DOT.
During dinner I noticed that a lot of young street boys were lingering near the restaurant area, and as soon as people would finish eating they would rush in to grab the remaining food of the plates. Gemma explained to me this is a very common occurrence in Torit. While Juba also has major problems with street boys, you generally only come across them wandering around at the bus parks or the markets where they operate as pickpockets. I never really encountered them at dining places due to the uptight security in Juba. And while I really enjoyed my kebab, it was difficult to ignore the stares from those boys waiting until we had finished eating.
The following day we went exploring Torit. And I have to say that Torit was absolutely great. It is (compared to Juba) quite a small and quiet place, but during the day and in the evening there is a nice atmosphere which – unlike in Juba – enabled us during the evening to sit outside at for instance the Arab Place which was located right next to the main road. For our explorations, Gemma, Alfred and I went cycling. I have to say, after three months without being able to ride a bicycle due to the craziness that is Juba traffic, those four hours of cycling that we did was pure bliss. The slight saddle pain I had the following day was totally worth it.
Our tour took us to the areas surrounding Torit and the inside of the village itself. Outside Torit we cycled along the Torit-Kapoeta route, beyond the checkpoint (where the soldiers guarding the checkpoint were very supportive of two khawajas ‘exercising’ in a nice 35C). During our tour we stopped at an area which is known to be the area were the first gunshots fell at the start of the first civil war in 1955. We also stopped at an area which had been shelled during the second civil war somewhere at the end of the ’80s. The areas surrounding Torit have seen quite some heavy fighting between the SPLA and military forces from the regime in the North. Many areas got shelled at least once, and when we took a break at the foot of one of the many small mountains in the area, we encountered a couple of empty shells from artillery used during the civil war. In the far distance we also spotted some areas which have not yet fully recovered from the shelling; in those areas vegetation has not fully grown back yet and small black-scorched areas are still visible.
After we explored Torit (which one can complete in one day only, it is that small), Gemma and I travelled back to Juba, for some final explorations there before independence. In my previous blog I said I was supposed to come back on Thursday, but because of the tightening of security and closing off of the roads leading to Juba before the 9th we decided to come back a day early. I have included the pictures we have taken the first weekend Gemma was in Juba and those final days before independence as well. With Gemma I went for instance to the riverbank once more, to see the shipwreck that has been there since the 90’s when it was sunk by the SPLA during the war, to the University of Juba, the statue for the British generals (including the famous Gordon of Khartoum) of the colonial times at May Street roundabout and of course the markets which I have gotten quite familiar with by now. At Jebel market we did our shopping - for me a couple of custom-made dresses tailored by the brilliant and incredibly funny Stella - as part of the preparations of independence. And during the weekend Gemma came to visit me we had another BBQ at the compound, with a huge amount of nyoma choma, beer and wine and even some smooth dancing at the end of the evening. I like to think I am responsible for a new tradition of a BBQ once every month at the ICCO compound.
About independence I can honestly say it was one of the best parties I have ever attended and the best way to conclude 83 days of fieldwork and living in Africa. But I will post a more extensive blog on the preparations for independence and the big day itself after I have gotten back to the Netherlands.
With love (and see you all back in NL),
Anika
I am writing this from my hotel room in Brussels. It is almost 8 o’clock in the morning here and I am wide awake despite a serious lack of sleep from the day before. Yesterday I landed in Brussels at 9 o’clock in the morning, after travelling for over 20 hours, including a delay for 7 hours at Juba International Airport. The plane that was supposed to carry me had technical problems, and the plane that was meant to replace the malfunctioning one was delayed due to a heavy rain shower in Juba that lasted for almost three hours. But, I did depart, and since yesterday my big adventure in Eastern Africa has finally come to an end.
Right now, I mostly can’t sleep because my body is still used to rising between 6 and 7 in the morning. I suspect that will be the case for the next couple of days. Thus far, the only acclimatisation I have had to do is getting used again to European weather. Yesterday, it was a nice 24 degrees Celsius here in Brussels. To me, it felt like 14 degrees. Didn’t stop me from walking around town in one of the custom made dresses I brought with me from Juba though. Today I will be traveling back to the Netherlands, but not before Jeroen and I will visit the Koninklijk Museum for Midden Afrika. Yesterday evening we went dining in the KoKoB, an Ethiopian restaurant here in Brussels. We had Enjera - the typical Ethiopian pancake which you use to eat different dishes with your hands – I'll have to get used to ‘plain’ European and Dutch food again. Eating with my hands is one of the typical things I have gotten quite used to in Juba, so it was fun to do so again yesterday. Though, while I have come to like eating with my hands, I don’t mind switching back to eating with a knife and fork from now on.
I figured, because I can’t sleep now anyway, I might as well post some pictures of my final week in Southern Sudan (or the Republic of South Sudan as it is officially called now). So, along with this blog I have posted the pictures I have taken during my short holiday in Torit and the final explorations of Juba my friend Gemma and I did the day before independence. Gemma is a Dutch Graduate student from the Wageningen University I met once at a meeting about the future of Sudan. A couple of weeks ago she came to visit Juba and I showed her around. She then invited me to spend a couple of days in Torit, where she is conducting fieldwork on water and sanitation.
Right after I posted my previous blog I left for Torit. Torit is about three hours away with public transport. Together with four Sudanese guys in a small four person car (all the big busses had already departed for the day) I sped along the Juba-Torit road past the grasslands of Gumbo to the rocky and green area of Eastern Equatoria State. The guys I traveled with were nice travelling companions, pointing out to me the different mountains and villages we passed by. On the way I didn’t encounter any problems, except when we arrived at the checkpoint for Torit. Apparently, I was supposed to bring my blue pass or travel permit along with me, but I only had brought my passport with me. Luckily, the soldiers at the checkpoint were quite reasonable, and after ten minutes of apologising and admitting I had been very stupid we were allowed to continue.
At 7 o’clock in the evening I arrived in Torit. Gemma picked me up upon arrival and we briefly went to the DOT guesthouse we would be staying to drop my stuff before heading out for dinner. We had dinner in the well-known (at least, well known to everyone who has ever been to Torit) Arab Place, where they make a very good kebab for only five SDP. During dinner we met up with Alfred, a student at the Juba University and a good friend of Gemma (kind of like Stephen has been for me). After dinner we enjoyed a cup of local chai before heading back to the guesthouse where we have spend the remaining evening drinking with people of the Dutch development organisation SNV and people from DOT.
During dinner I noticed that a lot of young street boys were lingering near the restaurant area, and as soon as people would finish eating they would rush in to grab the remaining food of the plates. Gemma explained to me this is a very common occurrence in Torit. While Juba also has major problems with street boys, you generally only come across them wandering around at the bus parks or the markets where they operate as pickpockets. I never really encountered them at dining places due to the uptight security in Juba. And while I really enjoyed my kebab, it was difficult to ignore the stares from those boys waiting until we had finished eating.
The following day we went exploring Torit. And I have to say that Torit was absolutely great. It is (compared to Juba) quite a small and quiet place, but during the day and in the evening there is a nice atmosphere which – unlike in Juba – enabled us during the evening to sit outside at for instance the Arab Place which was located right next to the main road. For our explorations, Gemma, Alfred and I went cycling. I have to say, after three months without being able to ride a bicycle due to the craziness that is Juba traffic, those four hours of cycling that we did was pure bliss. The slight saddle pain I had the following day was totally worth it.
Our tour took us to the areas surrounding Torit and the inside of the village itself. Outside Torit we cycled along the Torit-Kapoeta route, beyond the checkpoint (where the soldiers guarding the checkpoint were very supportive of two khawajas ‘exercising’ in a nice 35C). During our tour we stopped at an area which is known to be the area were the first gunshots fell at the start of the first civil war in 1955. We also stopped at an area which had been shelled during the second civil war somewhere at the end of the ’80s. The areas surrounding Torit have seen quite some heavy fighting between the SPLA and military forces from the regime in the North. Many areas got shelled at least once, and when we took a break at the foot of one of the many small mountains in the area, we encountered a couple of empty shells from artillery used during the civil war. In the far distance we also spotted some areas which have not yet fully recovered from the shelling; in those areas vegetation has not fully grown back yet and small black-scorched areas are still visible.
After we explored Torit (which one can complete in one day only, it is that small), Gemma and I travelled back to Juba, for some final explorations there before independence. In my previous blog I said I was supposed to come back on Thursday, but because of the tightening of security and closing off of the roads leading to Juba before the 9th we decided to come back a day early. I have included the pictures we have taken the first weekend Gemma was in Juba and those final days before independence as well. With Gemma I went for instance to the riverbank once more, to see the shipwreck that has been there since the 90’s when it was sunk by the SPLA during the war, to the University of Juba, the statue for the British generals (including the famous Gordon of Khartoum) of the colonial times at May Street roundabout and of course the markets which I have gotten quite familiar with by now. At Jebel market we did our shopping - for me a couple of custom-made dresses tailored by the brilliant and incredibly funny Stella - as part of the preparations of independence. And during the weekend Gemma came to visit me we had another BBQ at the compound, with a huge amount of nyoma choma, beer and wine and even some smooth dancing at the end of the evening. I like to think I am responsible for a new tradition of a BBQ once every month at the ICCO compound.
About independence I can honestly say it was one of the best parties I have ever attended and the best way to conclude 83 days of fieldwork and living in Africa. But I will post a more extensive blog on the preparations for independence and the big day itself after I have gotten back to the Netherlands.
With love (and see you all back in NL),
Anika
-
12 Juli 2011 - 05:50
Lon:
Welcome back! -
12 Juli 2011 - 09:17
Margot:
Ha An, gezellig dat je in Brussel bent! Jammer dat je vandaag weer terug gaat, anders hadden we een wijntje kunnen doen :) Succes met de cultuurshock, je went vast weer snel aan de bitterballen en broodjes kaas! x -
12 Juli 2011 - 10:16
Marina:
Hoi Anika
Leuk verslag en foto's, ben zeer nieuwsgierig naar de rest.
Tot vanmiddag:).
-
13 Juli 2011 - 04:11
Dorieke:
goeie laatste dagen Anika! Succes met wennen in Nederland, maar dat gaat vaak sneller dan je verwacht... Geniet maar weer van alle gemak, goede wegen, stoplichten, regels en frisheid in Nederland! enne...succes met het afronden van je thesis... :) -
13 Juli 2011 - 09:54
Gerda:
Welkom terug!
Heb genoten van de verslagen en de foto's.
Zal wel weer wennen worden in dit super georganiseerde kikkerland.
Groetjes. -
16 Juli 2011 - 11:33
Gemma:
Hey Anika,
Hoe is het om weer terug te zijn? Grote cultuur-shok? Jaja RnR in Torit (en mijn RnR in Juba) waren zeker een succes! Haha iedereen hier in Kapoeta was echt hoogst verbaasd toen ik ze onze fietsfotos liet zien! :-)
Helaas wel gelijk maandag nadat je weg was, nog even op de valreep gestoken door een Juba-malariamug, dus heb deze hele week met koorts in bed gelegen, maar vandaag voor het eerst gelukkig weer beter.
Veel succes met aclimatiseren. Tot eind augustus!
Liefs, Gemma -
16 Juli 2011 - 16:29
Anika:
Hee Gemma,
Malaria? Dats is balen zeg, hoop dat je er goed overheen gekomen bent. Toch nog te pakken genomen in Juba, had dat niet verwacht gezien mijn mugloze ervaring (al klop ik hier alles nog even af tot ik mijn kuur afgerond heb). Wel nog wat leuks gedaan in Juba op maandag of goed genoten van de oase die de ICCO compound is?
Geen grote cultuurshock hier, maar wel een temperatuurshock. Brussel was koud, ondanks een leuke 24 graden, en NL nu is alleen maar regen, wat ook niet helpt =). Maar verder wisselen bij mij het gevoel dat ik helemaal geen drie maanden weggeweest ben en het gevoel dat ik idd op een geheel unieke plek heb gezeten en daar eveneens unieke ervaringen opgedaan heb zich redelijk af. Gok dat de cultuurshock komt wanneer ik hier voor het eerst weer met een bureaucratie moet dealen, en zie hoe efficient en snel alles hier gaat ivm met de payams in Juba en omgeving ^^.
Heel veel succes met je veldwerk en tot in augustus (ik verheug me al op je kisra!) -
18 Juli 2011 - 11:00
Albert:
Het waren weer leuke verslagen en fietsen door het afrikaanse landschap lijkt me indrukwekkend. Heel wat anders als over de nederlandse wegen, hoewel die ook mooi kunnen zijn. Ik kijk uit naar je verslag omtrent de ervaringen van onafhankelijkheidsdag.
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