Trek to Dhormanyang

Recently I was able to travel with our community health team to one of the local health facilities that we support.  We have to travel by foot because the roads are impassible during the rainy season due to all of the rain.  Our goal was to transport drugs from our office to the health center.

Total distance: 32 km/ 19.88 miles
Terrain: pastoral lands, marsh (where the mud came to my shins), swamp (where the water hit mid-thigh), maize and sorghum fields
Weather: sunny, hot, humid, cool, rain, heavy rain
Total time: 7 hours

I was more exhausted than I have ever been.  My body was covered in bites from head to toe, my feet were swollen with blisters.  The interesting part... I was just along for the ride.  The "porter" who carried the 23 kgs/ 50 lbs of drugs on her head... she did it in a dress and... barefoot.  Unbelievable.

And that is what life is like here... unbelievable most days and incredible along the way.  Below are some pics from the trek.

Local home we passed

 

 

Sarah, our porter

A water break in the shade

 

Part of the team that day: James and Stephen

The open fields (with cranes and cattle)

 

At the 2-hr mark, we stopped for another water break.  Some of the friendly faces we encountered.

 

 

Had to seek shelter in a cattle tukul during this rain storm 

Some of the friendly faces that kept us company in the tukul during the rain.

 

 

From the marsh to the swamp

Thru the maize and sorghum fields

3-hr mark... almost there

Goods delivered, we took some food and shared some power bars and now it's time to get started home

Near the 6 hr mark--- how are they still moving??

Only about 2km outside of Ganyliel... we've made it.

Grazing in the marsh near Ganyliel.

And this guy literally stood in the middle of the road on the final road home.  He didn't move, so we just walked around him.