JUBA !/3/2010

The white Nile Jubar

Juba 2/03/2010

The scenery has changed a bit I am sjtting on the banks of the White Nile at BROS Hotel owned by Jooma who also acts for us as an agent to bring in the workers who come up from Kampala,(obtaining ,visas ,work permits etc.

The river is running by our standard fast and  just looking at the tree branches floating down I guess a metre a second or faster so work that out yourselves .

There are people on the other side of the fence picking vegetables on very small plots they take off to market and sell. cant tell what they are so sort of root vegetable .others doing there washing ,some carting water up to there veggie plots in 20 ltr containers to  water them, very peaceful and tranquil the only sound is the radio in the background and the sound of a genset in the distance as there is not much power around so most of the business who can afford it have  their own power

Still having trouble taking photos but managed to get some around Juba but had to be a bit careful as The President was in town doing an election tour and there were quite a few soldiers around.

Hard to explain Juba .A city of several 100’s of thousands, 2 or 3 bitumen roads the rest dirt and full of gutters, potholes, people, wash outs and rubbish.

We are in Juba for work and to meet the people we have work commitments ,attorneys ,airlines ,shipping company’s who will take our gear in barges down the Nile to Adak where from there it goes on truck to Bentiu  where the project is.

People are very friendly and also well dressed puts us westerners to  shame,

Lots of veggies going past now , Kids and all carry there wares it is not what u would call a scienic site

so will load up some photos and you can look for yurself.

The President was in town so we had oor plane sent to park down at the end of the airstrip and had to walk back towards the terminal a couple of ks and the luggage was dumped on the side of the road so no customs check this time that would have been the 3rd for the day. 

Then fFred picked us up he is a Ugandian driver we use in Juba  and took us into town for our meetings with the lawyers, airlines etc , no plastic money all cash and no one else will take sudanese money and some of the african countries only take dead Presidents after 2003.S the others maybe counter fit as they have no water mark.

I will upload photos later when atmosphere is better