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We left Kampala this morning and took a twin engine plane up to Arua. The Ugandian landscape was amazing and we got to see the nile from the air.
We met our Sudan host, David, and our driver Dante. Some of our luggage had been driven up the day before and we loaded the rest in the van. Half of us piled in the van and the other half in the land cruiser (special africian addition).
We needed to be at the border by 4pm, so no time was wasted in town. The paved portion of the international highway didn't last long. And the remaining 3 hours was on the worst road I had ever seen. The region has been experiencing the most rainfall they've had in 20 years. What does that mean for road conditions? We were about to find out......
We only ended up having to take two detours. The first one was due to a truck blocking the road. Some guys cut a "road/detour" into the grass. So David paid the guy and put the land cruiser in 4 wheel drive. The detour was just a tall grassy field. Every once in a while a track would appear. It was awesome. It spit us out into someone's back yard and she was not happy. They had blockaded the exit with logs. Nothing a little money couldn't handle. We were back on the road.
The next detour was actually on a road, just not the one we were planning on taking. Apparently a whole section of road was impassable due to the rain, so we went around and hoped the road we took woule hook back up with the international highway. It did.
The countryside was just beautiful. The rainy season is just ending so everything is lush and green. The fields are full of corn, gee nuts, potatoes and cassava. There were people everywhere, walking, riding bicycles or motorcycles. Everyone we passed would wave and smile. It's more than just a smile-their whole face would like up and it would just make you giggle. It's hard to explain, but something that definitely needs to be experienced.
We arrived at the mission, which would be our home base for the next nine days. David and Darlene are our hosts. This place is really nice. We hve bunkhouses with beds and mosquito nets and a bathroom. No running water, but we have an actual toilet instead of a hole.
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