Not a tow-truck in sight...

Question:  What's one thing S.Sudan has plenty of ?
Answer:    Miserable roads!

Here we see the road on which our Scholars' vehicle became mired in a muddy swamp en route to the December Scholars' Leadership Training week.  September is supposed to be the dry season, but global warming seems to be scrambling the weather patterns. A day of rain was enough to create this mess. Luckily for our Scholars, a passing UN vehicle winched them out of the quagmire.  Road travel anywhere in S.Sudan, however, remains pretty much a white-knuckle affair: if it isn't the mud, it's the bandits with their AK-47s, or the rising rivers (sans bridges) that make the way impassable.  Even on the best of days, the bone-jarring ruts, punishing heat, and overcrowded vehicles make trips long and, well, memorable!