Ellen's Trip to Rumbek: September 12, 2014 - Part 1

There is nothing that says, "Welcome to Africa," as effectively as chapati and greens!  This round, flat, fried bread - hot off the griddle - is "to die for" - and the perfect accompaniment to African greens.  I would say chapti is the equivalent of hot corn bread - dripping with butter - in the deep South.  There was also chicken stewed in savory broth and rice for dinner last night - but my focus was chapati and greens!

I slept well after no sleep in 48 hours.  My queen-sized bed at the CCC Guest House has a new mattress - luxuriously comfortable!  Encased in a mosquito net, my laundry spread over the top to dry, I was protected and comfortable.  No need for as much as a sheet, but with windows open and good screens, it wasn't bad at all.  

I awoke at 5:00 to roosters crowing, and enjoyed the early morning quiet before generators start their necessary racket.  Lights and water for showers depend on the noisy generators, so until they are turned on, there's no need for me to get up as I can't do a thing .

At 8:00 a.m. I walked just up the street to the James Hotel, one of the new, luxury "home away from home" options in Juba.  In air-conditioned comfort, I enjoyed the breakfast buffet - Spanish, omelet, link sausage, stewed plantain, crepes, mixed vegetables, and wonderful African tea.  There was also fresh fruit ( I took a banana for later) fried chicken, and other foods I didn't recognize.  

Curious about this new hotel, I was given permission to wander around.  The James is five stories -with elevators - built around an open courtyard.  Each room has a balcony.  The fifth floor is a complete open-air bar and restaurant called the Terrace Lounge with the most amazing view.  Never having been up this high in Juba, I had no idea the distant vista could be so lovely.  It actually took my breath!  Rooms run from $165 - $180 American D, and you would not be disappointed in the amenities offered at the James!

I could have joined Cathy Groenendijk at CCC for breakfast, but two things were holding me back:  1) I wasn't sure about the time breakfast was served, and 2) there is the problem is "getting there."  The CCC Guest House is on the other side of a very busy, conjested, "take hour life in your hands," no traffic lights or stop signs and  no rules city block - from the main facility where the girls live and where I stayed last year.

I will take a boda boda in Juba only if a CCC guard chooses the driver, negotiates the price, and puts the fear of the Almighty in him of anything happens to me along the way.  Juba isn't Rumbek or Yei!  There is a back way in, but - if anything - it's more dangerous for me than the way I just described.  It's necessary to descend a steep, rock-strewn path into a gulley, ford a small, shallow "river" stepping on stones, then climb up the other side.  And folks, I'm not going to do it!  I'll take my chances with the boda boda - it's more fun!

Mama Ellen