Nobbled

Final negotiations over the well construction finished over morning coffee in a damp campsite. Then we tramped through the green lush forest back to the vehicle for the usual adventure along South Sudan's tracks. This well-armed tree was spotted en route, although its defences hadn't stopped it being felled.

In the county town of Nzara we ate mandazi (fried dough similar to oliebollen in the Netherlands, but without the lashings of icing sugar) and drank sweet strong Sudanese style coffee. Back in Yambio we had a productive afternoon of rapid washing and de-mudding to meet important people in local government and then our partner on the recently awarded funding, to make progress on the planning.

At the lakeside spot in Yambio, which is perfect for sundowners, amazing lightning storms flashed far off over the Congo. It was an awesome time to relax after a completely packed out day. We plumped for dinner at the UN Mission compound as it's so heavily subsidised a plate of tasty fare can cost $1.50. While eating a report was heard of gunshots in the town, which always makes people in Yambio nervous. We asked around the restaurant including a couple of familiar faces we know, but it was likely a domestic incident. As we drove home fairly late there were still people on the streets, the absence of whom is the best measure of any insecurity spooking the town. When I first came here in late 2016 there was a de facto curfew early in the evening and one night we had dinner too late, which meant we ran into a drunk armed policeman as we neared our compound. He wasn't really in the mood for ensuring citizens reached home safely.