Shake and Bake

Okay this is the second time I have written this blog so hopefully this one works. So Ben and I went to Wau for Easter, basically just to use the internet and get some cold drinks. We were able to find some goat and chips at a little restaurant and it wasn't too bad so that was nice. The bad part about Wau is that it is 2 1/2 hours away so it is a long drive but it was a good day. Here is a street in Wau:

The next morning I awoke to find that our driver's wife and family were sick and that he would not be able to take a little trip that was planned and as Ben knows the most about the projects up there, the task fell to me to drive. So I threw a few things in a bag and together with Emmanuel, a great guy working for us, we headed off down the road in our 4 ton truck.

A few things to note about this truck, first the radio does not work (luckily I have some little speakers for my ipod), second the gas tank leaks (we had to stop every 100 miles and refill the tank by hand – more diesel in my clothing), third it is that it is a right hand drive (Afghanistan prepared me well for this), fourth is that this vehicle was not made for these roads and really does not do well (there are some huge potholes out there) - hence the shake, and fifth is the fact that there is no a/c (poor poor phil – I am making fun of myself here) and here is the bake. But this also means having the window open and getting a nice layer of dirt all over.

So off we go, 386 miles in 15 hours. At one point we had traveled for 2 hours and I realized we had only gone 30 miles! Actually the trip went fine, we traveled through Mango tree forests, swamps, land mine fields (the road was clear but you definitely didn’t want to use the shoulder), vehicles the LRA had attacked and burned, and some crazy bridges. One bridge in particular was a real challenge. We arrived to find that there was a 6x5 hole on one end and there was no way around it. It was about a 20 foot drop, and would not be pretty if we didn’t make it but there was only one road and we had to go. So we said a quick prayer and started finding logs to lay across. Apparently this has been this way for about 2 weeks but hadn’t been repaired yet. Well we made it across fine but I have to say I was a bit worried as I drove across.

I had already driven 12 hours and an hour past dark, as we are not suppose to drive at night, so we found a nice little rest stop (it was a stop anyway) about 3 hours outside of Yei for the night and relaxed a little. At any rate we got in around 10 this morning with no real difficulties. It was great to spend sometime with Emmanuel and learn his story which I hope to tell in a future blog. Here are the two of us:

Upon arriving in Yei, I came to find out that I was going to need to stay here for a few weeks. One guy is headed up to another site and so they need someone here to help run the base. So…I am hoping to have my clothes sent down (as I only brought an extra shirt) on the next flight but I am glad to help where I can. The rains have started here and we might even get some tonight. I desperately need a shower (pun intended).

Well that is all for now –