Yes, typing from Torit: we are back here as incredible as it sounds.
After all though it is not so incredible: Torit has been quiet in the last month and nothing has happened.
The situation seems to be calm here and people are around (definitely a good sign ha).
The best part of coming back was the trip TO Torit. Since we were in Kampala we had to move by car, cross the border and get here. And of course the travelling part was the fun one.
First of all we were in the car for a total of 12 hours. We left Kampala around 8 in the morning (VERY BAD CHOICE, THE AFRICAN TRAFFIC MIGHT KILL YOU AT THAT TIME). Then we proceeded to Gulu in northern Uganda where we had lunch around 3 o'clock (living in Africa in a way is like living in Spain with all its delayed timetables).
Finally we reached Kitgum (closest town to the border with SS) at 5 pm.
And that was only the first day.
And we were still in Uganda.
The next morning we decided to leave early, around 8 am so we could reach the border in one hour and go. Of course, we did not consider the fact that we are in Africa. It's 9 am and our car is still nowhere to be seen. We finally manage to leave around 10:30 am (DUH!) and we reach the border at 12. I cannot even begin to describe how hot it was, we were obviously heading back to South Sudan. The cars which were supposed to pick us up at the border were NOT THERE. We waited for a couple of hours, standard time here and eventually after clearing the passports and the visas we crossed the border. I thought the hardest part was gone.
HA HA HA.
Once we reached the South Sudanese side of the border the police there decided they wanted to check our luggage. We were 9 people, the amount of stuff we had with us was absurd. So one after the other they made us open all our luggage.
Let me describe you this funny scene which I simply found hilarious.
We are in the middle of nowhere. it's hot, it's dusty, it's windy.
The police officer next to me tells me to open my HUGE luggage,.. ON THE GROUND.
I'm Italian so what do you think I had inside my luggage??
I spent 10 minutes explaining to them that yes that thing is a HAM, and yeah that's pasta! that's tuna fish in a can, that's a salami. those are my underwear PLEASE DONT TOUCH MY UNDERWEAR (too late..those dirty, dusty hands on my underwear...sigh) and yeah that's my toothbrush, careful, don't let it fall on the ground (too late for that too..). I mean a disaster. Now multiply that times 9. FUN TIMES.
So after that, we re on the road again. 3 hours from Torit and all I can think of is a cold cold shower. The closer we get to home, the more I long for this shower. I can almost feel the water on my skin, I'm dying!!
Nope, that would have been too easy.
Cherry on the cake?
We reached our compound, we finally open the door of the house and BAM!! There is dust everywhere.
And I don't mean just a little bit of dust, I mean dust like no one has been in the house for 3 or 4 years.. it's everywhere, the smell is so strong you cannot breathe. Normally a house would not accumulate that much dust but hello this is Africa, it's so dusty and windy and no one has been inside of the house for almost a month... this was a great reminder for future references: keep the house clean even if no one is inside!!
So we are all sweating like crazy and at 6 pm after 2 days of travelling we need to start cleaning the house.
KEEP IN MIND WE HAVE NO VACUUM CLEANER OR ANY LUXURIES LIKE THAT.
Long story short, I managed to have my shower around 9 pm, right before the generator goes off and after having cleaned, polished, and washed every single bit of our big, dusty house.
I still don't know how I managed to shower since every single bone of my body was aching.. oh well!
See that's what happens when you travel on Friday the 17th. I know the rest of the world thinks Friday the 13th is bad luck but for the Italians it's always been Friday the 17th.
I'm definitely not superstitious or anything but I mean...
How can i argue with ALL OF THIS??
After all though it is not so incredible: Torit has been quiet in the last month and nothing has happened.
The situation seems to be calm here and people are around (definitely a good sign ha).
The best part of coming back was the trip TO Torit. Since we were in Kampala we had to move by car, cross the border and get here. And of course the travelling part was the fun one.
First of all we were in the car for a total of 12 hours. We left Kampala around 8 in the morning (VERY BAD CHOICE, THE AFRICAN TRAFFIC MIGHT KILL YOU AT THAT TIME). Then we proceeded to Gulu in northern Uganda where we had lunch around 3 o'clock (living in Africa in a way is like living in Spain with all its delayed timetables).
Finally we reached Kitgum (closest town to the border with SS) at 5 pm.
And that was only the first day.
And we were still in Uganda.
The next morning we decided to leave early, around 8 am so we could reach the border in one hour and go. Of course, we did not consider the fact that we are in Africa. It's 9 am and our car is still nowhere to be seen. We finally manage to leave around 10:30 am (DUH!) and we reach the border at 12. I cannot even begin to describe how hot it was, we were obviously heading back to South Sudan. The cars which were supposed to pick us up at the border were NOT THERE. We waited for a couple of hours, standard time here and eventually after clearing the passports and the visas we crossed the border. I thought the hardest part was gone.
HA HA HA.
Once we reached the South Sudanese side of the border the police there decided they wanted to check our luggage. We were 9 people, the amount of stuff we had with us was absurd. So one after the other they made us open all our luggage.
Let me describe you this funny scene which I simply found hilarious.
We are in the middle of nowhere. it's hot, it's dusty, it's windy.
The police officer next to me tells me to open my HUGE luggage,.. ON THE GROUND.
I'm Italian so what do you think I had inside my luggage??
I spent 10 minutes explaining to them that yes that thing is a HAM, and yeah that's pasta! that's tuna fish in a can, that's a salami. those are my underwear PLEASE DONT TOUCH MY UNDERWEAR (too late..those dirty, dusty hands on my underwear...sigh) and yeah that's my toothbrush, careful, don't let it fall on the ground (too late for that too..). I mean a disaster. Now multiply that times 9. FUN TIMES.
So after that, we re on the road again. 3 hours from Torit and all I can think of is a cold cold shower. The closer we get to home, the more I long for this shower. I can almost feel the water on my skin, I'm dying!!
Nope, that would have been too easy.
Cherry on the cake?
We reached our compound, we finally open the door of the house and BAM!! There is dust everywhere.
And I don't mean just a little bit of dust, I mean dust like no one has been in the house for 3 or 4 years.. it's everywhere, the smell is so strong you cannot breathe. Normally a house would not accumulate that much dust but hello this is Africa, it's so dusty and windy and no one has been inside of the house for almost a month... this was a great reminder for future references: keep the house clean even if no one is inside!!
So we are all sweating like crazy and at 6 pm after 2 days of travelling we need to start cleaning the house.
KEEP IN MIND WE HAVE NO VACUUM CLEANER OR ANY LUXURIES LIKE THAT.
Long story short, I managed to have my shower around 9 pm, right before the generator goes off and after having cleaned, polished, and washed every single bit of our big, dusty house.
I still don't know how I managed to shower since every single bone of my body was aching.. oh well!
See that's what happens when you travel on Friday the 17th. I know the rest of the world thinks Friday the 13th is bad luck but for the Italians it's always been Friday the 17th.
I'm definitely not superstitious or anything but I mean...
How can i argue with ALL OF THIS??
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