Rumcona market the shop we buy our vegetables from is on te right next to the open air butcher who suprisingly we dont use.
Leaving the bank getaway car catcher
El Fresco Ruumcona style
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Rumcona/caterpillars
Rumcona market the shop we buy our vegetables from is on te right next to the open air butcher who suprisingly we dont use.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
27th July 2010
Anothe week of Camp building newimproved venue for the Farm manager to live with the latest interior decorations and styles of South Sudan and the Orient has to offer with plenty of light and a touch of timber panneliing to offset the steel blue of the contaainers ambient grace.
The inside shower and toilet are another luxuory that has been manufactured and as soon as the floor is dry and I
have stopped the odd leak it will be ready for show and the first weekend of August will be our home open for all keen investors eagerly awaiting the first release of "The White Sands Road ,Concord Village Via Munga " housing development.
Rain has been persistent this week and we are in a bit of a mess and we need to have acouple of dry days so we can clean up a bit and get some more gravel and sand down to enable us to walk around.
I have put some trial sweet corn,maize,butternuts in and they are about 2 to 3" high after 8 days so we can grow al things soil is great and stays warm which sets offf the germination and the growing patterns plenty of bugs to beat and grass have rialled some herbicides as premergent and are going ok doing a second round will be more difficult.
Two helicopters landed today and out poped my mate the governor and some oil executives who were flying around looking at some leases and are also interested in setting up some farming along with the oil in an area south of here near Gwit large areas of open country and trees as well perfect for rice but the birds will eat them out .Little finches xcalled Quellia [dont know if spelling is right] I have seen them in Zim black out the sky and they are here all rear round just waiting for a nice rice or srghum crop pop up.
We will be ok as the maize is in a sheath and they cant get at it.
Sending more boys home as the wet sets in they may as well do nothing at home as eat us out of supplies here .Would be different if we had got enough money for hard stand and were able to work under cover but not to be so will get on with other jobs and prepare area for new kitchen etc which is in Port Sudan and waiting for us to pick up .Will be ready to fly once wet is over and has dried out enough to do some tree killing and clearing,Also need to put all our machines together ready for work once they get here.
Have found Daak one of the body guards has been a soldier since he was eleven and he is now 27 .he knows nothing else like so many men in the army.It is going to be a real problem what to do with them if and when they demobilise them.No skills ,high rate iliteratcy.no work ethic,drunk and I suspect drugs these last two due to boredome and o dissipline .A real problem if they ever let them loose.
Did not take him with me the other day only James and had a bit of trouble at one of the check points in a place we do not go often.Taken into the interview hut for a bit of interogattion and education who was running this country and how they had to know all about me for security reasons and sabouter were around and many criminals and what I do etc [which they already knew] all they wanted was money.
Which they did not get so then due to no doe had to put up with drunken soldiers in the back and wanting lifts much fingure pointing and gun waving so had to give in a bit to the hoards so finaly got going with about 10 in the back back and 4 in back seat and me and Jim in the front.
Quite a site really apparently there is a bit of prestige if your seen being driven around by a white man so it is quite competitive to get on board the Boss Kawagas ute from Concord Farm White Sands Road Maanga.
The long arm of the bank has also being a pain in the arse this week .Due to increased security i cant do an international transfer to another country when I am out of the country with out a token.I had been able to up till now.So I said to the voice on the other end how are you going to get me home as we dont have a mail or courier service here.Answer policy is policy but I said I cnat get home or buy ant food or accommodation what am I too do {rule are made to protect your money sir} but i will starve and the hyenias will eat my bones and I still wont get home.[I am sorry sir there is nothing I can do Just hold and i will speak to my supervisor,============== Sorry sir there is nothing we can do rules are made to protect customers assets] What about the customer who cant get home?[I know exactly where you are coming from sir but i cant help you} Ok then i guess I will have to stay until I die then [thats up to you sir is there any thing else I can help you with concerning your banking today]
So Fin now is my Aussie banker and Master of my fortune [and doing a great job even making me force save] so any one looking for a loan dont bother the Boys have spent it on parking fines.
The inside shower and toilet are another luxuory that has been manufactured and as soon as the floor is dry and I
have stopped the odd leak it will be ready for show and the first weekend of August will be our home open for all keen investors eagerly awaiting the first release of "The White Sands Road ,Concord Village Via Munga " housing development.
Rain has been persistent this week and we are in a bit of a mess and we need to have acouple of dry days so we can clean up a bit and get some more gravel and sand down to enable us to walk around.
I have put some trial sweet corn,maize,butternuts in and they are about 2 to 3" high after 8 days so we can grow al things soil is great and stays warm which sets offf the germination and the growing patterns plenty of bugs to beat and grass have rialled some herbicides as premergent and are going ok doing a second round will be more difficult.
Two helicopters landed today and out poped my mate the governor and some oil executives who were flying around looking at some leases and are also interested in setting up some farming along with the oil in an area south of here near Gwit large areas of open country and trees as well perfect for rice but the birds will eat them out .Little finches xcalled Quellia [dont know if spelling is right] I have seen them in Zim black out the sky and they are here all rear round just waiting for a nice rice or srghum crop pop up.
We will be ok as the maize is in a sheath and they cant get at it.
Sending more boys home as the wet sets in they may as well do nothing at home as eat us out of supplies here .Would be different if we had got enough money for hard stand and were able to work under cover but not to be so will get on with other jobs and prepare area for new kitchen etc which is in Port Sudan and waiting for us to pick up .Will be ready to fly once wet is over and has dried out enough to do some tree killing and clearing,Also need to put all our machines together ready for work once they get here.
Have found Daak one of the body guards has been a soldier since he was eleven and he is now 27 .he knows nothing else like so many men in the army.It is going to be a real problem what to do with them if and when they demobilise them.No skills ,high rate iliteratcy.no work ethic,drunk and I suspect drugs these last two due to boredome and o dissipline .A real problem if they ever let them loose.
Did not take him with me the other day only James and had a bit of trouble at one of the check points in a place we do not go often.Taken into the interview hut for a bit of interogattion and education who was running this country and how they had to know all about me for security reasons and sabouter were around and many criminals and what I do etc [which they already knew] all they wanted was money.
Which they did not get so then due to no doe had to put up with drunken soldiers in the back and wanting lifts much fingure pointing and gun waving so had to give in a bit to the hoards so finaly got going with about 10 in the back back and 4 in back seat and me and Jim in the front.
Quite a site really apparently there is a bit of prestige if your seen being driven around by a white man so it is quite competitive to get on board the Boss Kawagas ute from Concord Farm White Sands Road Maanga.
The long arm of the bank has also being a pain in the arse this week .Due to increased security i cant do an international transfer to another country when I am out of the country with out a token.I had been able to up till now.So I said to the voice on the other end how are you going to get me home as we dont have a mail or courier service here.Answer policy is policy but I said I cnat get home or buy ant food or accommodation what am I too do {rule are made to protect your money sir} but i will starve and the hyenias will eat my bones and I still wont get home.[I am sorry sir there is nothing I can do Just hold and i will speak to my supervisor,============== Sorry sir there is nothing we can do rules are made to protect customers assets] What about the customer who cant get home?[I know exactly where you are coming from sir but i cant help you} Ok then i guess I will have to stay until I die then [thats up to you sir is there any thing else I can help you with concerning your banking today]
So Fin now is my Aussie banker and Master of my fortune [and doing a great job even making me force save] so any one looking for a loan dont bother the Boys have spent it on parking fines.
Monday, July 19, 2010
18/7/2010
Have had a little rain this week and so subject to the mud again.Have been able to locate a local contractor who can provide us with white sand from a paleo channel that a quite common in various parts aroumd here the good sand is just like beach sand so hopeflly this is good and it should make our life much easier.
The gravel we cart in comes 120ks and is 1500 sdg per load about 600 US so this is only 350 sdg so will see how we go.
Still building up the camp have put the roof on the new High rise and starting on a bathroom with shower and real toilets that should be finioshed Wednesday.
Vegie garden coming along well and we should be able to eat the first of the Spinach this week so will be nice to have some real greens.
Has een dry enough to contimue with raking of the boundary around our first chained are and looks quite good will then plow this area to give us a definite boundary for the locals amd any cattle herders etc coming along after the wet.
Steve counted a 119 mongooses in a mob out in the field last week all rumaging in the plowed area godness knows what they were eating maybe the white ants and other grubs.
Plenty of Guinea fowl around so will try and get a trap up and going this week and have some different poultry.
Finaly got a truck load of fuel so that makes life easier and are in the process of setting up a fuel farm we think we will have to have around 500k litres on hand all the time to try and have enough in case there is another refinery breakdown or a full scale no supply from the North next year.
Life has been ticking away pretty well this week apart from the discovery of a hole in a tooth which i am sure will be giving me a bit of gtief over the next few months until I can get it fixed where there is a dentist who knows what teeth look like. Probably Nairobi on my way to London or maybe there see how it goes. So age does have a way of making your teeth not perfect any more and a meed to go to the dentist at least twice a decade instead of once if lucky.
The gravel we cart in comes 120ks and is 1500 sdg per load about 600 US so this is only 350 sdg so will see how we go.
Still building up the camp have put the roof on the new High rise and starting on a bathroom with shower and real toilets that should be finioshed Wednesday.
Vegie garden coming along well and we should be able to eat the first of the Spinach this week so will be nice to have some real greens.
Has een dry enough to contimue with raking of the boundary around our first chained are and looks quite good will then plow this area to give us a definite boundary for the locals amd any cattle herders etc coming along after the wet.
Steve counted a 119 mongooses in a mob out in the field last week all rumaging in the plowed area godness knows what they were eating maybe the white ants and other grubs.
Plenty of Guinea fowl around so will try and get a trap up and going this week and have some different poultry.
Finaly got a truck load of fuel so that makes life easier and are in the process of setting up a fuel farm we think we will have to have around 500k litres on hand all the time to try and have enough in case there is another refinery breakdown or a full scale no supply from the North next year.
Life has been ticking away pretty well this week apart from the discovery of a hole in a tooth which i am sure will be giving me a bit of gtief over the next few months until I can get it fixed where there is a dentist who knows what teeth look like. Probably Nairobi on my way to London or maybe there see how it goes. So age does have a way of making your teeth not perfect any more and a meed to go to the dentist at least twice a decade instead of once if lucky.
Vegies coming along/also grass out the back
Roof on now for verandahs?
Steve reflecting on Bathroom Renovations.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
From Bob/made my day /he is a very happy man
hey dad java was pretty sick saw some realy cool stuff. i drank the blood of a cobra and ate it soon after from a vender on the street in jakarta where they kill it infront of you. then we drove arcoss the country to see borabrodorrhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Borobudur and pranadamhttp://wikitravel.org/en/Prambanan witch is so cool. and we climb mount bromohttp://wikitravel.org/en/Bromo-Tengger-Semeru_National_Park witch is this fuckin phyco volcano that you can see inside it was like 300 steps up the fin they were at the bali airportal bit and there was an old lady selling bottles of water the for 80cents and it was cheaper the then went to the gili islands in lombok.
oh yeh i couldnt be fucked with goin home yet so i am currently on an isalnd off the coast of mayalsia called the prehentian islands whent to KL for a bit hese caves called butu cave and more stairs like 270 http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Cavesbloody crazy things.saw tnow am here ill probs head home at the end of the week might go to malacca first who knows ill send you some pictures when i get home.
seeya
Just as it came ,
oh yeh i couldnt be fucked with goin home yet so i am currently on an isalnd off the coast of mayalsia called the prehentian islands whent to KL for a bit hese caves called butu cave and more stairs like 270 http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Cavesbloody crazy things.saw tnow am here ill probs head home at the end of the week might go to malacca first who knows ill send you some pictures when i get home.
seeya
Just as it came ,
Saturday, July 10, 2010
In the pool bar
I was sitting in the pool bar when I penned this piece of pure literay genius and luckily I could not up load it and have been able to censure it myself before been let loose on the readers of this esteemed publication so[ ex and contary mate your advise has been taken into account] the full and unadulterated version is still around.
Well her I am day 1 long walk on beach really good even swam in the see .Sitting in the pool bar with 8 serengetis and a couple of other roughies inside and feeling pretty good aout things,
There is aphoto coming that proves a nerd can and does get the chick with th hottest arse on the beach and boy it is good as I glance over to the other side of the pool and there are more eyes than 2 on it I can tell you .[ i may have to censor this photo as this is a family publication]
In relection as one does as they walk along the beach and sit at pool bars the world is f2u&*^k> d. This is a vey profitable hotel here owned by an Italian who employs people for $40 a month and another large part of the work force as trainnees and does not pay them this can go on for 3 or more months then they just trade them in on others if not up to their standard and this is typical of what happens ,All the money they make leaves the country and probably the European money does not even get paid here just stays in a swiss bank account so even the country misses out on the foreign exchange.
It annoys me intensley that this happens every where in Africa even th NGOs are no different just cause huge in flation over tax the countries already limitrd resources why dont they just speng there money on some decent infastructure and get access for all the areas up to a good standard and then the locals themselves will be able to help there own people a lot easier and also make the real humanity aid delivers jobs a lot easier and more efficent.
So we must make sure our little farm at Maanga realy makes a difference to the loacals first and foremost and then it will I hope have a snowball effect on the rest of the area,
Whilst redoing this rambling It wpould be remiss of me to not mention Millicent the young or not so young Tanzinian working as a hooker in Nairobi because there is no work in Tanzanier
Finally got the plow up and going this week and boy did it do a good job .soil is beautiful and so friable we will be able to grow babies in it.Pity we dont have some seed and a planter maybe get the locals with sticks to do it same as they do.
The cahange in the bush is incredible with grass every where about a foot high .Guinea fowls and franklin ,the odd gazelle and locals say the Lion will be about when the grass gets higher.
Camp is progressing along we have done a lot more benching and put some drainage in so the next decent rain event we should be able to handle. Chinese junk still giving us trouble but we will get over it .The gensets are just on a permanet rotation of being fixed and used.
The North still giving us grief this time stopping the truck taking tents and aircons back for repairs sayng the covering letter should be in Arabic not English but last time all they wanted was English and a stamp so the border guards are determined to make things hard for us and the rule s change or in reality they just want money.
Well her I am day 1 long walk on beach really good even swam in the see .Sitting in the pool bar with 8 serengetis and a couple of other roughies inside and feeling pretty good aout things,
There is aphoto coming that proves a nerd can and does get the chick with th hottest arse on the beach and boy it is good as I glance over to the other side of the pool and there are more eyes than 2 on it I can tell you .[ i may have to censor this photo as this is a family publication]
In relection as one does as they walk along the beach and sit at pool bars the world is f2u&*^k> d. This is a vey profitable hotel here owned by an Italian who employs people for $40 a month and another large part of the work force as trainnees and does not pay them this can go on for 3 or more months then they just trade them in on others if not up to their standard and this is typical of what happens ,All the money they make leaves the country and probably the European money does not even get paid here just stays in a swiss bank account so even the country misses out on the foreign exchange.
It annoys me intensley that this happens every where in Africa even th NGOs are no different just cause huge in flation over tax the countries already limitrd resources why dont they just speng there money on some decent infastructure and get access for all the areas up to a good standard and then the locals themselves will be able to help there own people a lot easier and also make the real humanity aid delivers jobs a lot easier and more efficent.
So we must make sure our little farm at Maanga realy makes a difference to the loacals first and foremost and then it will I hope have a snowball effect on the rest of the area,
Whilst redoing this rambling It wpould be remiss of me to not mention Millicent the young or not so young Tanzinian working as a hooker in Nairobi because there is no work in Tanzanier
Finally got the plow up and going this week and boy did it do a good job .soil is beautiful and so friable we will be able to grow babies in it.Pity we dont have some seed and a planter maybe get the locals with sticks to do it same as they do.
The cahange in the bush is incredible with grass every where about a foot high .Guinea fowls and franklin ,the odd gazelle and locals say the Lion will be about when the grass gets higher.
Camp is progressing along we have done a lot more benching and put some drainage in so the next decent rain event we should be able to handle. Chinese junk still giving us trouble but we will get over it .The gensets are just on a permanet rotation of being fixed and used.
The North still giving us grief this time stopping the truck taking tents and aircons back for repairs sayng the covering letter should be in Arabic not English but last time all they wanted was English and a stamp so the border guards are determined to make things hard for us and the rule s change or in reality they just want money.
My new Container Penthouse suite
Good looking arn't I
Mt Kilamanjaro
First Person to drive one in South Sudan
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
THere and Back
On The Move 22/06/2010
Juba was in my mind a place not having much to recommend itself to the world at all Just another rat infested hole with a lt of people sitting around,But as Noel and I were driving around doing some errands before we flew to Nairobi we both decided it was a little better than before a few more tar roads ,finished new buildings,but maybe the excess rats ,dirt ,rubbish and the mountains of plastic bottles had been washed down the roads and thence into the White Nile and dpwn into Egypt for recclng at another dump on the way due to heavy rain that has just been.
But it did seem more vibrant and moving forward in anticipation of the UNs new 20,000 strong base they are constucting in.So reat assured your tax payers dollars are been well spent frrging and accommodating them and making sure the Administration is first rate.The build up is due to the referendum for South Sudan independence,which will be in January .
I went to a shop called VAMP and met an intriging lady called Talith .Who has set up this great shop suppling frozen meats cheese,vegies grog and eventually Chemist products .She imports all here goods from Uganda,Kenya and Holland ,has hers own trucks and likes a challenge every mans type of woman.It is a great addition to Juba and we will certainly be using it to fly our food supplies up to Thar Jars .I am sure her timing is perfect and she will do very well hope fully we will be able to use some of her logistics skills and knowledge for our own operation when we start nringing gear in from Mombasa .This will be necessary due to independence and the North making our lives hard as they are already with the obstructionist behaviour going on now with our containers and fuel deliveries.
Nairobi?Well what a go ahead place this is .Buildings ,business parks,roads all going and lots and lots of people.Many without jobs many with and the main thing they all do is start a business.The Kenyan lives for the scent of money ,and is happy to take it off you and provide all kinds of services to do so.I spent 2 and half days searching out suppliers for our needs regarding all aspects of the operation,all major machinery and motor car brands are in Nairobi and offer as good service as any where you will find also the farm shops are good but do lack the range of gear we are used to having at home,Also found a future procurment man some helpfull ladies who handle overweight areo plane lugggae and seem make it lighter for a fee .just like most things here there us always away to get it done at the right price.
If your thinking of coming to Africa for a family holiday make sure you have lots of doe as it very exepensive for non residents all game parks ,tourist destinations,Visa and all essentials are in US dollars and it is between 75 and 100 dollars a day to do anything so save for a long time.(not feeling too good)
Saturday flew to Zanzibar.
Tropical Paradise? The next few days will tell if that is true or not.
On arrival it seems just like another Juba without Donkey carts they use tiny Bulls (Nairobi no animals so it is people pulling the carts}
to pull them rubbish every where and I just thought another shit hole why did I bother as we progreesed furthe across the island it did change for the better once out side the city are althougj it is an island of sand and limstone not exactly a Paradise there are frew good raes for farming and one huge avenue of Mangoe trees with trucks a metre or two round .The houses are cement and iron and some made out of the Limestone.The people are Muslim and are a lot smaller and different to the mainland .Most are friendly but I dont think they realy us underneath as they have over the years and still now been ripped of by the European way back from the slave trade days when it was a major market to now with the predominantly foreign owned tourist trade.
The hotel is aresort on a beach with reef right up to it and is indeed vert nice and is very well set up but not the place I would have picked for a break ,Full of honey mooners ,ptach up couples and families not a grumpy middle aged man feeling crook and annoyed any how I am sure I will enjoy. The beer is cold.
Juba was in my mind a place not having much to recommend itself to the world at all Just another rat infested hole with a lt of people sitting around,But as Noel and I were driving around doing some errands before we flew to Nairobi we both decided it was a little better than before a few more tar roads ,finished new buildings,but maybe the excess rats ,dirt ,rubbish and the mountains of plastic bottles had been washed down the roads and thence into the White Nile and dpwn into Egypt for recclng at another dump on the way due to heavy rain that has just been.
But it did seem more vibrant and moving forward in anticipation of the UNs new 20,000 strong base they are constucting in.So reat assured your tax payers dollars are been well spent frrging and accommodating them and making sure the Administration is first rate.The build up is due to the referendum for South Sudan independence,which will be in January .
I went to a shop called VAMP and met an intriging lady called Talith .Who has set up this great shop suppling frozen meats cheese,vegies grog and eventually Chemist products .She imports all here goods from Uganda,Kenya and Holland ,has hers own trucks and likes a challenge every mans type of woman.It is a great addition to Juba and we will certainly be using it to fly our food supplies up to Thar Jars .I am sure her timing is perfect and she will do very well hope fully we will be able to use some of her logistics skills and knowledge for our own operation when we start nringing gear in from Mombasa .This will be necessary due to independence and the North making our lives hard as they are already with the obstructionist behaviour going on now with our containers and fuel deliveries.
Nairobi?Well what a go ahead place this is .Buildings ,business parks,roads all going and lots and lots of people.Many without jobs many with and the main thing they all do is start a business.The Kenyan lives for the scent of money ,and is happy to take it off you and provide all kinds of services to do so.I spent 2 and half days searching out suppliers for our needs regarding all aspects of the operation,all major machinery and motor car brands are in Nairobi and offer as good service as any where you will find also the farm shops are good but do lack the range of gear we are used to having at home,Also found a future procurment man some helpfull ladies who handle overweight areo plane lugggae and seem make it lighter for a fee .just like most things here there us always away to get it done at the right price.
If your thinking of coming to Africa for a family holiday make sure you have lots of doe as it very exepensive for non residents all game parks ,tourist destinations,Visa and all essentials are in US dollars and it is between 75 and 100 dollars a day to do anything so save for a long time.(not feeling too good)
Saturday flew to Zanzibar.
Tropical Paradise? The next few days will tell if that is true or not.
On arrival it seems just like another Juba without Donkey carts they use tiny Bulls (Nairobi no animals so it is people pulling the carts}
to pull them rubbish every where and I just thought another shit hole why did I bother as we progreesed furthe across the island it did change for the better once out side the city are althougj it is an island of sand and limstone not exactly a Paradise there are frew good raes for farming and one huge avenue of Mangoe trees with trucks a metre or two round .The houses are cement and iron and some made out of the Limestone.The people are Muslim and are a lot smaller and different to the mainland .Most are friendly but I dont think they realy us underneath as they have over the years and still now been ripped of by the European way back from the slave trade days when it was a major market to now with the predominantly foreign owned tourist trade.
The hotel is aresort on a beach with reef right up to it and is indeed vert nice and is very well set up but not the place I would have picked for a break ,Full of honey mooners ,ptach up couples and families not a grumpy middle aged man feeling crook and annoyed any how I am sure I will enjoy. The beer is cold.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)