First Impressions: Juba, South Sudan🇸🇸
Intro
I'm well into my Africa trip at the moment, and frankly, South Sudan is one of the last stops on this trip. This morning, I woke up a little bit nervous at the Ethiopian Airlines Skylight hotel in Addis Ababa. Part of me was wondering what I was really doing going to South Sudan in the first place. Part of me was wondering what the situation in South Sudan is really like. Often, the media portrays a certain image, but the one they portray about Juba is mostly inaccurate.
What It's Like
When the plane touched down in Juba, a lot of the surroundings reminded me of my trip to Mogadishu, Somalia. UN places and WFP planes filled the tarmac, with no other commercial aircraft in sight. Still, with no idea what the country was like inside, I was a tad nervous seeing that.
A couple I met working for the United Nations looked at me like I was insane when I said I was visiting Juba for tourism purposes. They have never left the compound, apparently, but to the airport...
But the absolute funniest part about landing in Juba was the people working ATC that day out on the terrace. I have never laughed so hard as they were covering the sun to look for what I believe was a plane😂 or directing traffic, I am not sure.
Thankfully I was in Business Class, and there is a VIP immigration line for Business Class customers. Thus, even without a printed E-Visa (which you need), I made it out of the airport in 10 minutes.
Yellow Fever Vaccines are required!
Around Town
Exiting the airport, I was met by a man named "Mayom," a tall but slender man who would be taking care of me. People in South Sudan are so tall, it's incredible! From the second I met him, I could tell that he was a very friendly man, much like everyone else I have met so far in Juba. We headed off to the car park and off to the hotel!
We arrived at the hotel (which I will not be named for safety reasons), dropped my bags, checked in, and headed off to the Radisson Blu hotel for lunch. The nice aspect about Juba Airport is that most of the town is no more than 10 minutes away.
Pictures are generally not allowed in this country. I have bought a camera permit (in case the government is reading), but in general, it can still be difficult to take pictures.
Okay, who would have thought that there was a fine dining restaurant in Juba?? Not even Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe had this. I was greeted by the manager of the restaurant, who happened to be Filipino. This is the one aspect of South Sudan that has fascinated me, I wasn't expescting to see many expats here, but it seems that there is a big SE Asian population here
Holy frick, was the pasta delicious. Don't get me wrong, this lunch was not cheap in the slightest, but it was divine. The coffee could use a little bit of work, though.
Car+Motorbike Through Juba
Today was supposed to be a rest day in Juba, I have been through quite a lot in the past few weeks, visiting Central America, catching giant black marlin in Mozambique, and seeing Victoria Falls. However, curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to head out for a couple of hours.
First we drove around town, saw a couple of the sights, and the presidents palace (obviously no pictures around government buildings).
However, the highlight was riding on the back of a motorbike into a local market to try and find a South Sudan jersey. Everybody looked at me like I was out of my mind being there, but I am always up for a little adventure.
I genuienlty think that I am the only caucasian toursit in South Sudan at the moment. The only caucasian people I have seen were in UN cars.
Overall, I would say that almost all of the people I met were welcoming to me, laughing with me and talking about football. The othr observation I had was how nicely everyone dresses. As an example, I would say about half of the men I saw wear a collared shirt, and 30% wear a football jersey. Even some tuktuk drivers dress in a collared shirt.
Here is what 20 USD looks like in the local currency...
Final Thoughts
For now, Juba has blown me away, and was nothing like I expected as I went to board my flight this morning. Granted, I have only spent a couple of hours outside, but it's been very pleasant. There is much to understand about this country, such as that English has been adopted as the national language, and I am excited to explore more over the next few days.
Thank you to my hosts, the hotel, and the government for letting me come. I promise I have a camera permit, and I am not taking any pictures of the government buildings!
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