As the plane began to land, I pressed my face against
the window with excitement. All my worries have now turned into anticipation.
What was revealed in front of me was far from what I could have imagined.
Between the trees and grass, I could see canals of the River Nile, modern
buildings and straw huts side by side.
The Juba airport was definitely an experience. It is
by no means similar to any airport I’ve ever been to. The entire airport is one
small, overcrowded room, with powerful smells of urine and sweat floating in
the air. All in the same arrivals hall, you queue to buy a visa, pick up your
luggage from the floor in the corner, and have officers check your bags just
before passport control – basically, a man standing at the door who glances at
passports.
Driving out of the airport I was fascinated, trying to
take it all in. Juba is the capital and largest city of the Republic of South Sudan. Before the
war it used to be a transportation hub connection Kenya, Uganda and DRC. Distraction
and neglect changed it completely; today there aren’t
really roads in Juba. Some of the main roads are paved but most are just, well,
a dirt path full of holes and ditches, with a few big track tires used as
roundabouts.
On the two sides of the street there are old, rundown
buildings or improvised shads. The nicer buildings belong to the many
international NGO and agencies operating in Juba, they are easy to recognize by
the heavy security around them, including wired fence and guards.
There are many small shops, and remarkably a large
number of hair salons, which made me reach the conclusion that hairstyle must
be quite important around here! The streets are busy, and between the dogs,
rats and burning rubbish, most people seem to go about their daily lives by
cooking and socializing outdoors.
I
don’t think I can quite explain how it is like. It guess different will be an
appropriate word. Also, I can’t really pin point why, but surprisingly, I like
it a lot. I am wondering though if Juba is by far the most developed city in
South Sudan how does the rest of the country look like… I can’t wait to go to Wau.
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