The Pics didn't post for some reason. So I'm posting them again...

Bost Trippin' Up the Nile

I have promised several people that I would do my next blog post on what my normal day is like. What do I do, what is work like, what is the food like, how are the evenings, etc. But thats hugely boring compared to the boat trip up the Nile that I took last week. So 'A Day in the Life Of' is going to have to wait. Let's instead imagine ourselves traveling by boat up the Nile River.

As above the picture indicates, I went with a group of people (friends & coworkers...coworkers=friends here as I still don't really know anybody else) and chartered a boat to take us up the Nile. Our trip was to last about 5 hours, and we were supposed to head towards some pretty waterfall up river. We were able (thank god) to pack our boat full of food and alcohol as well as fun loving people.

The waterfall never really materialized (it ended up being some rapids that wouldn't have even been much fun in a raft), but the scenery was well worth the trip. Sudan used to be home to hundreds of species of land animals as well as bird life. Only 60 years ago one could find elephants, lions, African buffalo, hyenas, and all sorts of other big game...but hunting, poaching, and 40 years of civil war have eliminated almost all wildlife. We did see lots of colorful and interesting looking birds though (not pictured), and were hoping to see crocodiles. The Nile is apparently stuffed full of crocs, but we didn't get to see any.

Not seeing crocs was probably a good thing though...as I and others went swimming and floating when the day got too hot (and the lack of onboard bathroom facilities proved to be too much). When we got to a point that was walking distance from the 'waterfall' we pulled to shore for a brief hike along the riverside. It was a good break and a good chance to see some different scenery.

There were seveal times throughout the day when I had to pinch myself. I couldn't believe that I was boating up and swimming in the Nile...one of the biggest, most important rivers in the world. I truly felt like I was in Africa. The day was beautiful, the water was beautiful, the people were beautiful. Everything was perfect.

My Home in Juba

These are some pics of my cabin in Juba. Don't be misled though...I don't really live in a jungle paradise. If you look closely at the top picture you will see the 10ftx15ft Home Depot garden shed that I call home. The setup around everything is pretty nice, I'm not complaining...but looking at these pictures now I think they might be a bit misleading.

This is my first try posting pictures, and I'm not terribly sure how well its going to work. So this is going to be it for now. But if this looks good, I'll be sure to put more up.

Best Post Ever!!!!

I apologize in advance. This won't really be the best post ever. I just wanted to put something up there to grab your attention. It's been so long since my last post (sorry) that I'm afraid that my readership is going to drop from the four or five people who likely logged on to read the last one to only one or two, probably related to me. A catchy title like 'Best Post Ever' with so many exclamation points should get people coming again. I'm pretty sure.

Anyway...first order of business is to let you all know that I am alive and well. Oliver pointed out that when one lives in a country like Sudan, and one's last post is about being sick to death, one may be feared to have actually died when one does not post on the blog that he or she has promised to post on at least once per week. This thought had not occurred to me, as I was alive and well. But I promise that if I ever write about being sick again I will keep you all updated with my recovery. I think this is what Oliver really wanted...to know how often I go to the bathroom.

A few posts back, in an attempt to pique your collective interests and to get you coming back, I promised to tell you tales about exotic pets and potential helicopter rides. Well now I will.

First the pets. We have, at our compound, a living, breathing mongoose as a family pet. A MONGOOSE. Now, I don't know what you know about mongooses (mongeese? mongeeses? foie gras?), but all I knew about them before arriving here and having one as a pet was that they are known to catch, kill, and eat poisonous snakes...like cobras (which I'm told we do have around here too somewhere, but I'm not particularly keen to invite one of those here to join us in our adventure).

Well, surprise surprise, the little devil is actually quite cute, and as long as you don't dress your arm up like a snake, its actually playful and loving and fun. He likes to bite your fingers, but he's pretty good about not sinking his little fangs too deep. The less you pull away when your finger is in his mouth, the better...he just kind of nibbles. Now, to be fair, he's still a bit of a youngster, and when he becomes a teen he might decide to become a punk. But for now he's happy enough to burrow into your lap at the end of the night and fall asleep. Lovely.

Now, helicopters. I had never been on a helicopter before coming here. Had always wanted to be on one, but offers never made their way to me. Then, in the space of four days, I not only got to spend about 13 hours flying on them, but also got to fly in an Mi-26...the biggest, heaviest, most powerful helicopter ever built. I suggest you Wikipedia it. It's crazily big. It can transport over 90 people fully geared up. We moved two Land Cruisers, about 300 liters of water, and a bunch of food on it when we flew.

Now, I recognize that this might not seem all that cool to all of you. But thats probably because you hate fun and things that are amazing. For all of you who love fun, and love amazing things...you are amazed and having lots of fun reading this post.

Maybe it is the best post ever after all. I hope so.

I'll try to be better about posting. And promise to try and upload some pictures. I'm still not sure how to do it...but thats mostly because I haven't tried.