Last week I visited South Sudan's capital city - Juba. What an eye-opening experience. It literally felt like I was visiting another country. The climate.. the culture and atmosphere.. the scenery and people all were radically different then what I am used to here in the North. From the moment I stepped off the plane I was greeted by this hot humid air. I complain about the 45 C heat here but it's a dry heat, which is nothing compared to 35 C plus 100% humidity.... stifling! Plus you're quite close to the equator which helps in maintaining the sun burned look. A few things right within Juba really stood out to me. One - I don't think I saw anything that looked like development, it seemed to be a small town on steroids surrounded by white British people driving around in Landcruisers - running the show. Almost a throw back to the days of colonialism. Secondly - That sense of pride that says you want to do things your way just wasn't there. You see this in the North, they want to run things, they want to own things, they want to be the boss. So different in the South. If the South chooses to separate I really can't see what will keep them afloat.... the Oil? I made a 12 hr road trip to the town of Nimule on the Ugandan border to pick up a new vehicle. It was a fantastic drive through lush green forests, rich earthy smells and back-breaking pot-holes! What was really encouraging to see were all the returnees coming back from Uganda and Kenya and other areas. People returning to where they used to live and starting to rebuild their tukhuls after so many years of civil war. Some of the villages I drove through looked so fresh, so new - they really had hope! I hope for the best for them too.... but the reality is the future looks like a long uphill struggle. At the end of the week I jumped on the plane and flew back to the North. As I flew into Khartoum, looking down on the city I couldn't help but think Khartoum carries the appearance of being a massive city that has it all together. Khartoum has it's issues.... but it's light years ahead of Juba.... Khartoum is the spoiled rich kid..... Juba's the kid who deserves a break.
