Simons Swamp Story - Sudan Update 8

Dear All,

Well as you will know Keren is with you in the UK so instead of her normal lucid accounts I thought you might like to hear of my rather longer than expected trips to two of the new school sites. Please excuse somewhat factual account to tired to make proper prose.

As I said we had a hell of a journey, at one point it felt as if I might never return!

The initial journey to Kodok went ok (Kodok under normal circumstances should be about 2 hours by fast boat north of malakal on the Nile), apart from setting off late and the fact they were all so badly organised we made good progress up the river and the boat was roomy enough to sit comfortable and take tea and sandwiches.

After about 4 hours we ran into problems with the engine and ended up drifting with the current towards Kodok for about 30 minutes or so as we had no tools to fix the engine. The Bishop had insisted we take their new boat rather than the usually overcrowded local river boats, it turned out our driver knew nothing about boats or engines. Thankfully a very nice driver of a passenger boat stopped and fixed the engine and then after our driver failed to work it properly jumped back aboard and decided to drive us all the way to Kodok leaving his boat to be driven by his assistant. Turns out the driver was from Nigeria.

When we arrived in Kodok we stopped only briefly before crossing the river and walking to Riang. It was about 4 at this point and the walk to Riang took about an hour through very beautiful forests and countryside very reminiscent of the UK with grazing cattle lush green fields. The path took us south running alongside the river although we were further inland as it is swampy near the river, we had crossed the swamp in a canoe at a very small village further north.

Riang is surprisingly a very lovely place. The word means an area with no trees and that is what it is, an area of slightly higher land in the middle of the forest on which no trees grow. The school looked good and was just being finished when we arrived (photo attached). We left after only about 30mins as light was fading and we had a long walk. Arrived safely to back to Kodok and stayed overnight in the commissioners guest house which was just like Mellut.

On Saturday morning we saw the school at Kodok which just needs the plastering finishing (photo attached) and although a little delayed left at about 1 for home having acquired 4 extra passengers (including the former commissioner of the county and his SPLA bodyguards) and some wooden poles.

After about 3 hours of rain and a few engine problems we arrived at Lul an old catholic mission station and stopped to try and fix the boat and dry off a little (photo attached). The mission is now deserted as the fathers and sisters of the mission were driven out by the Northern army during the war.
The army left when the peace agreement was signed however it seems unlikely that the Catholics will return as Malakal has become the centre of the region. After about 30 mins we left again, the rain had stopped and the boat was surprisingly working again.

However the engine was not working well and we only got about an hour from Lul going very slowly before it stopped altogether and wouldn't work. We managed to get to shore but it wouldn't restart. I made a fire and we tried to dry off as it was getting cold and had been raining solidly. By now it was about 6 o'clock and starting to get dark. We decided to drift back to Lul to try and find shelter. The current and a little rowing with the wooden planks we had been sitting on carried us to lul in the dark of night. At about 9 we arrived at Lul, it was pitch back and we could barely see we were there. A very kind family living in the old mission station (built in 1901) took us in housing us in some school rooms in the right wing of the building. We managed to make a fire and we cooked the fish that had be brought from Kodok with us. We tried to dry off and warm up huddled around the fire. This very poor family were so kind giving me a blanket to sleep on and even some of there food.

We slept the night on the concrete floor (me and the bishop under the same mosquito net!), I slept surprisingly well although I was by this point very sun burnt from the boat and bitten all over from the evening in the open.

The next morning the people of Lul provided us with lovely fresh bread (much better than the stuff you get in town) and we managed to find some tea by cooking up water at the police station (a small hut near to the mission), with some walking to the near market for sugar and milk. Again the family shared food with us and by 11 we were fed and dry as the sun had come out.
We then walked to the waters edge to await a boat which might be able to help us fix ours.

By about 12.30 a boat arrived from Malakal and the driver fixed our boat and we were ready to leave. We left having acquired 3 more passengers and a goat as a gift from the chief! By this point the boat was very full and travelling very slowly. We managed to travel on for about 3 hours when we started to run low on fuel. We stopped a couple of boats but they had no petrol only diesel. Eventually a boat stopped and gave us some petrol for free.

After about another hour we managed to get to Wau Shillock which is only about 30 mins from Malakal by fast boat. We managed to get bottled water there and had some more tea. We then set out again. We got only about 1 hour further before the engine cut out again, we had run out of fuel and were in the middle of the river. Thankfully it started one last time and took us to shore.

However it wasn't land merely an island so we had to wade through the marsh (the water was up to my chin) to dry land. We saw a plane going in and realised we were on the flight path to the airport. We managed to walk up to the road and followed it in towards the airport. We walked for about 2 hours until we had passed the UN log base and the airport, it must have been about
3 miles we walked. I then managed to get a taxi from malakia to home.
Arriving back at 7.30 exhausted. I then slept for 12 hours straight.

Stupidly they had left two people with the boat and were going to try and get back to them last night. They didn't make it but did manage to get a boat to go and tow the boat back this morning although that took 3 hours.

It was quite a journey, and not one I would wish to repeat. I must confess there was a point when we were drifting in the dark on Saturday night that I thought we might never return to Malakal. I think the thing that has remained with me however is that I was never hungry or thirsty and apart from a few bites, some bad sun burn and very tired legs I feel good.

Looking forward to seeing you all over the coming weeks. Love to all

Simon