I now have a South Sudan work permit, which has allowed me at last to get into South Sudan. These documents tend to be works of fiction; that of a blonde female colleague from Philadelphia confirms the following distinguishing data: hair - black, eyes - black, sex - male. Mine seems ok though, so here I am.
Juba is the capital of South Sudan. Population around 500,000, number of paved roads about 3, number of times today my car had to wait for cows to get out of road 2. In between bouts of cow-watching I attended a security briefing in the Save the Children office, where we discussed guns, land mines and armed robberies. If there is gunfire, stay where you are! If there is an actual fire, get the hell out of there! Most interesting was the warning to stay away from local girls. If I marry one then I will have to pay her clan around 150 to 200 cows, depending on how fit she is. Therefore she may well have trigger-happy clansmen keeping an eye on her. I think I'll steer clear.
Im glad to read that you've made it safely into the country, the trick is now to make your way safely out again. Are cows alternative currency, like trading junk bonds or stock? If so I will give you 4 and a half cows for your golf clubs. you can have the half cow either fresh or suspended in formaldehyde.
ReplyDeleteGood quality amusing blog so far. If you keep it up you'll be able to turn it into a book upon your return and become the next Danny Wallace. Excellent work. Whats the best way to keep in touch? this or your Gmail?
200 cows- you'd expect someone to be pretty darn fit for 200 cows. However I thought it was customary for a dowry to be offered with a suitable wife, not you pay the father! I think in Cyprus my dad was offered an apartment block and a donkey if he married the next door neighbour: he said she was rather unfortunate looking so her father felt the need to stump up A LOT of cash to try and palm her off on some unsuspecting suitor! I like the Sudanese way of doing it- got to really like the girl :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you post photos to this blog. I want to see the handover of 200 cows at a Sudanese wedding ... ;)
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