Transport

In all of my seven trips to South Sudan I cannot remember one single time when I took any form of road transportation for granted. Back in 2004, after landing, we loaded our stuff on a trailer pulled by truck and followed on foot down a path to the compound.
 In 2008 I left the airstrip standing on the bed of a truck. I have squeezed on seats and held on for dear life as we rattled and rumbled over the worst of roads. I have even taken part in negotiations to retain the service of a donkey to carry our supplies! You do what you have to do, that's part of being in South Sudan.  You may not know that there is only 50 miles of paved road in a country the size of France, with a population of around 11 million. Transportation is a big challenge. I think the difficulty has forced some to be very creative.

Let's take this bicycle built for two. Who of you would have ever thought to tie a chair onto your bike? White plastic chairs and very popular versions too.
It seems to work great.Who knew?

Now this vehicle is tried and true. I have had many rides in the front, sharing a seat that is meant for one, with my left leg kind of in the way of the gear stick. It proved road worthy, getting us over and through some huge potholes.

At times we picked up passengers with big pieces of wood, broken down bikes, chickens, goats and whatever else need to be hauled from one place to another.

This photo would have to be one of my favorites. I was so amazed to see these. I wish I had gotten a better angle so you could fully appreciate what I am trying to show.
These vehicles are actually ambulances!
The set up is like a motor cycle with a side car. The side car in this case being a flat bed of metal where the patient lies. It's ingenious and so practical for South Sudan.

Well here's a form of transportation that I have seen a lot but have not had the opportunity to use.
It may become a vey useful option in the future, if negotiations and paper work can be arranged.