We left Yei and flew into Juba, which is the headquarters for the SPLA. There were SPLA soldiers everywhere and we were told not to leave the plane (we were dropping off a few people there). Matt asked to use the restroom and was actually escorted to the bathroom and walked back to the plane by a guard. A Toyota truck full of SPLA soldiers with a large 50 caliber machine gun mounted in the bed, pulled up to a plane near us. It was like I was watching a movie. Vernon told us that 3 of his friends had been arrested for taking pictures on separate occasions in Juba, so you won't see any on this blog!

We left Juba, Sudan and flew into Entebbe, Uganda, where we stayed for a few hours. This airport was very nice. For a small fee, we were able to hang out upstairs, which offered free food and drink, a massage chair, internet, a shower(with hot water), plush couches and a TV. We loved every minute of it.

From Entebbe, we flew to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:
FYI-I've been keeping track of each flight to track the 16 flights we will be taking over the course of our trip. I'll post each one in succession at the end of our trip

The sunset on this flight to Ethiopia was beautiful. Here are some pic's I took:




Our time in the Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia was interesting. We decided to eat the local food at a restaurant there as we sipped on incredible Ethiopian coffee. Did you know that coffee is thought to have been originated in Ethiopia? Check it out: http://www.nestle.co.uk/OurBrands/AboutOurBrands/Beverages/History+of+Coffee.htm
Matt, Jamie and I decided to order Quwanta, which is a dried beef dish that is completely soaked in what tastes like Tabasco sauce, wrapped in Injera, which is Ethiopian bread. http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/recipe-injera.html
(I'm a nerd with the websites tonight. sorry.)
This was an incredibly spicy meal, so we washed it down with fresh orange juice and water, but this didn't help.
Matt was feelin it:

Jamie was enjoying it but also feelin it:

But Beau ordered the lamb tips and was just fine:


We left Ethiopia around 10:30pm and headed to Khartoum. We were tired of flying with this being our 3rd flight that day and 9th flight total in 8 days:


We were able to stay with John and Jason, missionaries who have lived here for a year and a half. Both of these guys, including Matt Elkins and I, are Ouachita graduates, so it was fun to catch up. We crashed in their living room:


What we saw riding in a taxi (Those weird looking cars you see are the taxis):

There are no traffic lights. You just edge your way into the intersection:

A Khartoum market:


There are mosques on just about every corner. You can see the minarets above all the buildings as you drive:


Squatters will take over an unfinished building,and live with their families until they need to move elsewhere. They make up a huge portion of the population:


A Muslim man praying on what will be a golf course:



The is the van we drove around in today:


Sunset on Ramadan:

From Wikipedia: Ramadan or Ramazan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramaḍān) is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to Angel Gabriel, to deliver it to Prophet Muhammad. It is the Islamic month of fasting (sawm), in which participating Muslims do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the person patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance into the future, ask for help in refraining from everyday evils and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.

We feasted at a friends house as they broke their fast tonight:


The Blue Nile is right down that road:

We ate just outside their home on rugs and the women ate inside. It felt like Biblical times. It's a little easier to imagine the Pharisees anger when the prostitute walked into their home where they were having dinner with Jesus.

Here's a close up of dinner:


About 10 minutes into dinner, everyone (except the 6 of us) stood up, lined up toward the East, and prayed. 10 minutes later, they sat back down with us and continued eating. It was great to see and be a part of tonight:


Then we walked inside and had dessert:


The boys stuck inside the van: