So the crew and I decided since we had the day off to take a boat trip. I arranged with a man named Johnson at the Da Vinci Lodge to take us out on our rest day. Everyone who knows me realizes I love spending time on the water. I really wanted to get out fishing on the White Nile, but Johnson’s rods were stolen recently. He offered we could take a trip 15km out of Juba to a island to have a BBQ.
We meet the boat in the mid afternoon. The current flows really hard on the Nile (4-6 kts). As we left Juba, we saw kids in the river swimming, the commercial port, and many barges that ran aground rotting away. As we left the city behind I could see many mud huts with straw roofs dominated the river banks. People were going along with life as if we were not there. It was fascinating seeing the people fishing, and playing in the river.
We arrive at the island, it appears to be deserted, with only a hut that appeared to be lived in. The boat operator unloaded the boat and said he had another pickup to do and would be leaving for an hour or two.
I am out exploring the island, being careful not to step on a black mamba, or cobra snake, when a man comes out of the bush. His name is Phillip and he owns the island. Phillips english is extremely poor but he communicates through gestures and speaking his own mix of local Arabic and Swahili.
Phillip and I go back to where the crew is lighting a fire to cook our sausage and wieners. We cook up a great feast and feed Phillip who can down more hot dogs and sausage than the average man! He tells us his life story, which we can’t understand a word of. Through his gesturing and acting, I can tell it is about his family being killed during the war. Even though we didn’t speak the same language, you can still communicate.
After dinner, I go back out to explore, and find the quietest place I have yet found in Africa. Sitting on the banks of the Nile, I just sit and listen to the birds, monkeys in the trees, and the children playing across the river in a small village. It is a beautiful surrounding. For the past month and a half, I have had no personal space, cars honking, motor cycles (boda) buzzing by, airplanes roaring overhead, people yelling, music blaring and other various noises banging on my ear drums! This was truly peaceful!
After a couple of hours Johnson comes back in the boat with a family from Darfour. Darfour is the area of the country that is still war ravaged and many atrocities have occurred. They area obviously a very wealthy family, are dressed up, have cameras, nice jewelry and have flown in from Khartoum. They have a pair of twin boys that are 4 years old, and a cute little girl that is 1. The kids are amazing and take a liking to us.
After an visit with Phillip, it is time to go home before sunset. We say our goodbyes, and the crew leave some cigarettes for Phillip as he loves them. Once on the boat, I ask Johnson if I could drive for a bit. He obliges and lets me take the helm. It is pretty cool running up river in the middle of Africa in a steel boat! The twin 4 year olds want to drive, so I gratefully hand over the helm to them. They drive us all the way back to Juba and have a smile ear to ear! Future Sudanese boaters!
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