When I first arrived, I made a French friend named Etienne. Etienne promised that he'd take me to climb Jebel, which is a 'big hill' just outside of town. Juba is growing so quickly that Jebel will soon be within the town limits - Etienne told me that the town grows about 1 kilometer each year.
So we drove out to Jebel, which means mountain in Arabic. It's a bit of a scramble to get up the hill. On the way up, we passed several guys breaking rocks. They burn underneath the rocks to release them from the ground and make them easier to crack. Then they roll them down the mountain, and truck them into town for various construction projects. As the locals rip rocks off the mountain, they also are cutting down trees for firewood. It's really sad to see the complete destruction of somewhere that could be a longterm economic money-maker AND a green tourist attraction. There's also a slaughter house right at the foot of the hill, which brings vultures and flies swarming. yum.
The climb takes about 25 minutes, and there are lots of lovely views on the way up - but when you get to the top - you have a 360 degree view of Juba and the surrounding burroughs. So beautiful! There's a great view of the Nile snaking past Juba and heading on up to Egypt. We had a cloudy day, which was actually perfect, because the sun would be scorching at the top of the hill. Sadly, in addition to local destruction of ecosystems - somebody wrote Russian graffiti on the top of the rocks :( what is wrong with people?!?
Lots of people were already at the top when we got there, but they mostly left. There were even campers (although that's illegal). You know what else was up there? Ravens, vultures, and crows. And they dive bomb people. For someone who hates birds (have I told the pigeon story yet?), this is not ok. I wanted to throw things at them, but all the rocks had been rolled down the hill! urgh.
All in all, a great hike - good to breathe the air outside of Juba (not quite so dusty), see the sites, and scramble over rocks. Etienne also stopped by the Juba Cultural Center on our way back, and I got to take a look at the casino... who knew Juba had a casino? So fun. I wonder if I can find my way up the big hill by myself next time?
So we drove out to Jebel, which means mountain in Arabic. It's a bit of a scramble to get up the hill. On the way up, we passed several guys breaking rocks. They burn underneath the rocks to release them from the ground and make them easier to crack. Then they roll them down the mountain, and truck them into town for various construction projects. As the locals rip rocks off the mountain, they also are cutting down trees for firewood. It's really sad to see the complete destruction of somewhere that could be a longterm economic money-maker AND a green tourist attraction. There's also a slaughter house right at the foot of the hill, which brings vultures and flies swarming. yum.
The climb takes about 25 minutes, and there are lots of lovely views on the way up - but when you get to the top - you have a 360 degree view of Juba and the surrounding burroughs. So beautiful! There's a great view of the Nile snaking past Juba and heading on up to Egypt. We had a cloudy day, which was actually perfect, because the sun would be scorching at the top of the hill. Sadly, in addition to local destruction of ecosystems - somebody wrote Russian graffiti on the top of the rocks :( what is wrong with people?!?
Lots of people were already at the top when we got there, but they mostly left. There were even campers (although that's illegal). You know what else was up there? Ravens, vultures, and crows. And they dive bomb people. For someone who hates birds (have I told the pigeon story yet?), this is not ok. I wanted to throw things at them, but all the rocks had been rolled down the hill! urgh.
All in all, a great hike - good to breathe the air outside of Juba (not quite so dusty), see the sites, and scramble over rocks. Etienne also stopped by the Juba Cultural Center on our way back, and I got to take a look at the casino... who knew Juba had a casino? So fun. I wonder if I can find my way up the big hill by myself next time?
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