Training 40 KM Wije

Training 40Kkm is starting to become a smooth endeavor now although I do have concerns over being able to do so for four consecutive days in a row. I am now walking 40km rather than the promised 50km and the reason for this change is because I fear my inability to complete the extra 10km. It isnt carved in stone and can be altered at a later date should I feel able to. Please click here for the route.

We walked through the de Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park for part of the distance and were accompanied by a rather active dog that a friend was babysitting, unfortunately we had to keep him on a leash throughout the whole trip as per the parks regulation. It isnt easy training with a jittery dog, luckily he accompanied us for only about an hour or so. There were fleeting sightings of deer.



Endless trails

 At one point the dog (I can't recal his name but it sounded Fresian) dashed into the foliage almost dragging me along with it, turns out he had sighted a deer. Whats more, the dog is a hunting breed by nature and deffinately one to keep an eye on.

This forest/wood was quite pretty and I couldnt help admire the natural flow of things which unlike many woody areas in the Netherlands that I have been in did not have the trees planted in geometrical preciseness of streight lines.

Back home theres good news and theres bad news, the good news is that on the 5 of May, parties to the conflict signed an agreement under the Intergovernmental Authority of Development (IGAD), recommitting to the humanitarian affairs in the cessation of hostilities. The bad news is said talks have now been put on hold due to a supposed insult to the conflicting parties. The term 'stupid' was used by the IGAD mediator and now our president demands an apology.


Thousands of people are dying of starvation and desease within this humanitarian crisis yet ones bruised ego surpasses all this. A halt to the talks on forming an interim government is the most 'stupid' thing I have heard in a while. You can read the story here and here.



A very Gezellig looking cottage in a valley

The right image of a hut in the valley was very ''warm and fuzzy'' one cannot help but fantasize about staying in there, cut off from the world surrounded by tranquility and nature without the sound of an automotive or civilisation for that matter. A love nest or a recluse to write, reflect or paint.

I also noticed the lack of actual dangerouse species, every time an alien bug flies at me I jump, I have to keep reminding myself that this is not Africa where you cannot just dash into the foliage and must keep an eye on what lands on you and what approaches your vacinity. Other than the Adder snake, bees and wasps I'm not sure what other life threatenning wildlife and creatures exist in this cute little country although Wolves are known to stray over from Germany.




A rare Dirt Road

Speaking of wild animals, the conflict back home also takes a toll on our wildlife. Elaphants are being hunted for their flesh as well as their tusks, you can read the sad story here.

Dirt roads are rare here, walking on them always gives me a feeling of being elsewhere as the Netherlands feels like SIM city, everything is you see has been planned, it all looks so perfect to the point where a little ruggedness is always pleasant.

We started walking around 10:20 and arrived at destination at about 20:00. The destination was a friend who had prepared a lovely meal for us in her garden. We had it in the sunlight, speaking of sunlight the days are longer now and sunset is at around 22:00. I find this quite strange to have sunlight all the way to midnight at times here, in South Sudan, sunrise and sunset times donot fluctuate for more that3 to four hours at most (my estimates although for accurate times google shall provide)



More cows

I also noticed an outdoor culture here in the Netherlands, people are always outdoors especially now that summer is upon is. There was a time when I was growing up where the males in our family had to be careful about being outdoors as they may not come back. This is because in Khartoum, forced army recruitment took place. You would be grabbed from the street and put in a truck. The next thing you know, a messenger arrives at your home telling you to collect your familys members body from the morgue, he died fighting for his country in the South!




Another dirt road.

Conscription is now happening in Unity State although there is resistance from many to it. Click here for full story. Fighting for ones country should be voluntary and conscription is a sad reality especially when it involves children as is well put in this story here from World Vision.



As people continue to flee their homes I cant help but wonder how far I would get, they say the human body is capable of enduring harsher conditions, that is true, yet at the end of every training day, the pain cripples and the determination wavers, but then again, I am not running from eminent death nor am I walking in the bush where the threat of wild animals is just as great as the threat of a gunshot wound, rape and countless more horrors. More reason to continue and hope that change is inevitable and all this horror will be over.



A poem of dispair.

I wrote the following poem a while back in 2008, at the time it reflected my state of mind and although I have no recollection of how I felt at the time, I feel this poem to be fitting in relation to the current situation at home, a situation so tragic it reflects life as we see through its constant disruption to peace, to stability and to prosperity for again, it has come...

It has come

what dreadful beast
what malicious being
to descent upon ones innocent being
to be caught unawares
when time is spent to avoid such descent

It has come
It has caught me again
A game of tag, or catch or chase
It has come

Oh what to give to rid ones being of such
It blinds my eyes and deafens my ears
disillusioned and paranoid

It has come

It has come again though last I vowed
to note its approach and tame its coming

It has come
yet not for long
a lifelong visitor
known not to last

But woe for now
It has come

Piwang Ayang

Training 43.5 km

This walk took place on the Dutch Commemoration day or Remembrance day, see here. A day to remember the fallen during conflict since World War 2 and the dead are honored on the 4th of May. Writing this post also coincides with our very own SPLA/SPLM day which took place on the 16th May. See here.

 Events back home are still headed towards a downward spiral. Although an agreement to cease hostilities has been reached between the President Salva Kiir and the rebel leader Riak Machar (click here for article) it is but a first step, the challenge now is to exercise control and discipline over military personnel on the ground. Whether or not we see change on that front will attest to the two parties military capabilities that goes back decades. We continue to pray that they put a stop to the killing. 

Whats more, the threat of a cholera outbreak  threatens to worsen the already fragile environment as well as looming food insecurities as expressed better in this article here. This conflict has gravely crippled my home and unless a stop is put to the fighting, it will be a very steep slope towards improvement, one cannot help but feel let down and betrayed by the government. 

Our walk was along the coast, although windy, it was a pleasant day. There were bunkers along the dunes where soldiers hid to spy on the enemy should they attack via the sea. Those were trying times for the Dutch especially when the Germans invaded however all of that is in the past and this country enjoys a prosperity that I wish to see in South Sudan one day during my lifetime. 

Herring from the tail.

At one point we spotted a fish outlet and decided to take a break and have a raw herring. Ever since I arrived here in the Netherlands, I developed an addiction to the raw fish eaten with chopped onions. I wonder what my mother would make of it as its one of those things where you either love it or hate it as is the case with Drop (liquorish) which I absolutely despise.


At 8 O'Clock we took another break and listened into the radio where a minute of silence was undergone in memory of all who died. This was followed by the Dutch national anthem which we also witnessed as we turned the corner through a gathering of people. It was a moment of silence for the fallen in wars all over the world, past and current as well as those of my fellow South Sudanese. 

Training day-30km

Note the shoes hanging on the rails above

It was a grey dreary walk whilst training this time. 30 km did not feel as scary as it did at first and it appears to be that my body is growing accustomed to such endurance seeing as the next day, all signs of aching had gone. We walked from Dordrecht as seen here. The grey overcast skies personified the continued conflict in South Sudan.

The International Community, the United Nations, heads of states as well as many others condemn the fighting and encourage peace dialogue and an end to the fighting. Both the president as well as the rebel leader expressed their willingness to talk although I am very skeptical about the good such talks will bring. We are in a state of war with territory being captured and recaptured, meanwhile food security is non existent for many as well as the continued additions to the death toll. Please click on BBC news.

Yumm!

Although the rainy season brings floods and the threat of diseases, it is also known to hinder conflict, perhaps it is now down to mother nature to put a hold on death.

This walk had plenty of delights, it took us through the Kinderdijks. A system of windmills that manage the water flow, without it, a huge part of the Netherlands would have a serious problem and I constantly admire the Dutch innovation in keeping most of their country dry whilst being below the sea level. Somebody once told me the bridge that links Juba and Gumbo was built by the Dutch, an injection of such skilled labor could do us some good in Nation building.

 







Further on during the walk, we came across this poster to the right outside someones house, I asked my partner to translate it for me as the premises did not look like a hotel, here is what it means in English:
Hotel Mama,
All inclusive 24 hours, 7 days a week open,
Unlimited food and drink, washing and ironing service, Homework assistance,
Taxi service, this hotel is lovingly run and worthy of more than 5 stars.

I thought it was the nicest thing I had seen all day and made me miss my mother dearly. 






Later on during the day when we had gotten to the outskirts of Rotterdam at a time when the mind is distant and far, we were jolted by this jingling sound that tends to signal the closure of a route to allow a train, tram or metro to pass. It didnt sound like the usual so we just stood there in confusion seeing as no rail tracks were in sight. The barrier came down (almost on our heads), with us in the wrong side I must add and then this bus just drove paste with nobody manning it. I had never seen anything like it before!

 I have seen these buses parked at the Kralingse Zoom station but never thought them to be driver-less, how efficient. Of all the cities and towns I have been in here in the Netherlands, Rotterdam is by far the coolest, most futuristic and diverse of them all, next thing you know we will be seeing drones whizzing past in the skies delivering peoples packages!

A driver-less bus!

Training-40km

Enjoying the view.

 This time was a big one although I must say the walk was in fact 38.5 kilometres. It was the farthest I have been and as we approached the end, my feet could not carry me anymore. The route we took can be seen here and the sights and scenes were delightful as always taking us through the Vlietlanden 

I delayed in posting this new endeavor, events in South Sudan had taken a turn from bad to worse and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Death is a common occurrence and massacres are taking place within United Nations compounds where civilians sought refuge. See: BBC News on South Sudan and Al Jazeera. 

The excitement, hope and patriotism that I felt when I dipped my finger in the inkpot and placed it on the ''seperation'' option when voting for our independence seems so far away. This new Nation that was starting to grow with endless possibilities is now reduced to rubble, homes abandoned and livelihoods destroyed. So painful and yet more reason to push on and keep blogging my journey and sharing it all with you.


One thing I find very fascinating are Dutch cattle of which the Frisian cows seen here as well as a rather unusual breed called the Highland Cattle were seen. The latter of which resemble a regular cow but with thick furry hides. Mostly brown in color. I asked my partner at the time if these Highland Cattle were part of the Dutch diet, they were not.


Dutch Wildlife

There was a sign that warned visitors to stay at least 25 meters away, this little fellow practically strode past our bench. He seemed quite relaxed on his way to rendezvous with a fellow Highland cow, even the mooing sounded different to what I am accustomed to.

Cows at home

Cattle in South Sudan are very different to their European cousins. This one to the right was taken in Aweil in Northern Bahr El Ghazal. Cattle are very important to some ethnic groups in South Sudan. A source of pride, it also is a source of pain suffering and death when cattle raiding is underway. Personally I say commercialize cattle, it certainly would be a substantive source of income as well as an economic booster to the region.


Frisian cows 

Pulling the ferry back from the other bank.

 Further into the day we had to crossed a canal using a manned ferry. I have to say I had never done this before and my excitement to turn the wheel was dampened by an older man who would not let go of the wheel. It is hard work though. Every time I encounter such technology I cannot help but think of how my country could do with something like this. It brought to mind the incident in Malakal where civilains in their panic to get away from the conflict crowded into the boat ferry and upending it resulting in handreds of deaths, some of which were my extended family, you can read the story here.

Towards the end of the walk, at that time when your mind is zoned out and your feet are on autopilot, we witnessed an accident less that 30 meters in front of us. Some pedestrian walkways also allow bicycles as well as scooters. A lady was jogging and was approached by a scooter from behind, it was one of those moments when a last minute swerve results in both parties heading the same direction. The scooter honked, they swerved and crashed. It was a bit surreal and unexpected so we rushed over and called the ambulance.  I was amazed at how quickly the response was, around 15 minutes or so. The police arrived first, followed by a photographer and then the ambulance. I found the arrival of the photographer to be quite rude. I guess its normal for one to be at the scene here in the Netherlands but I just felt it wasn't right. The lady was lying on the ground covered in her own blood and it was a lot of blood and here' s this guy that walks over and starts snapping away. Perhaps it would have been better if he walked over and asked the lady if she doesn't mind him being there taking photos of her.

Unfortunately our Police response service in South Sudan is very different. We lack the technology and infrastructure. We also lack the expertise, that is understandable in a country as young as South Sudan. There is a lot to learn and change.

An interesting twisted bridge.

Fears

It's 21:00 and we are all gathered in the living room. Rosalinda is about to commence. A Mexican drama series dubbed in Arabic which the whole family used to watch each evening sometimes for months at end. Usually after dinner.

Although a rarity, the scene involves a shootout. The clitter clatter of gunshots, machine guns and flying bullets are overwhelming, a scene and sound that slowly fades to that of a different clatter. A clatter whose sound brings upon me a sense of utter refreshment, cleansing and newness. A sound so familiar and longed for as that of mother natures release, of rain resonating off the zinc roof above my bed, slight whispers of earth smelling cool breeze through the mosquito net. 

I smile only to be jolted back by the stark beep of my alarm summoning a new day, a bright morning and with it the unknown of a new training route.

Sometimes I worry about all this walking. I worry that my feet will not be able to carry me all the way to the finish line on the fourth day. I worry about the post I will make saying I had an injury or so.

Ive never walked these distances before and I fantasize and daydream of running for my life, how it would have panned out. How long would I last under dire straights? But I will never know. These walking shoes shelter from the heat. The snacks in my bag nourish and quench. A blister kit always at hand, and many more but most importantly, the knowledge that there's always a tram, bus, tube or train near.

All the more to think and remember those who didn't and are still on the road. As shared here in http://www.visualnews.com/2014/02/05/long-walk-photographer-documents-sudanese-refugee-crisis-hundreds-shoes/

Emerging Consequences

This time we chose a walk that took us through a scenic route along the Oude Maas, click here for a look. Instead of starting at end point and walking towards home where we ensure a quick meal and immediate collapse in front of the TV for a good film, we walked from home to destination and the tram back.

The aches were intense and I was starting to suspect the appearance of blisters (luckily upon arrival at home my feet were blister free). I also underestimated the shining sun and warm appearance as a result, my partners shoes broke and I was uncomfortably cold towards the end of the walk. If you ever do find yourself on a long walk, it helps have a blister kit, muesli bars, water etc. Check the weather before you head out.

In South Sudan, conflict tends to occur during the dry season. Sometime around end of November and up until end of February-beginning of March. Click here for an idea of South Sudanese climate. When the rains come, most roads become impassable and therefore difficult to transport goods as well as the movement of people. This is however a two edged sword for although conflict declines, the current rains are causing much more difficulty.

Although one of the least pleasant walks we did, getting home brought back pleasant news for I received my confirmation of a place on the Four Day March event!! Very exciting, coupled with the lack of accidents, all appears to be in order and I impatiently await the next walk, this time its 40 km.