Khartoum Sand Storm

Just to make sure everyone knows I really am in Sudan and not the Alps. I am in Khartoum now, getting ready to return to Canada in about a week.


All day yesterday was a small sand storm that covered the city. It was a lot like a snow storm, reducing visibility to about 50 meters.

By the end of the day, there was sand absolutely everywhere, inside our house, inside the vehicles, our clothes, and bodies.


This was the view from the roof of Canada House at 0900 am - and yes, that is the sun.

Okay, so this is not Sudan!

The ski hills were dotted with little Refuges, places to stop, get warmed up

And of course, enjoy an Austrian Beverage or two and some Après Ski!

10 Days Leave! - Skiing in Innsbruck, Austria

March 5th, I met up with Dave Coupland for a quick visit to Austria and skiing in the Alps. We stayed in the town of Innsbruck, and skied at a resort called Axamer Lizum, where some of the '76 Winter Olympics were held. Incredible!

The resort was great, small infrastructure, and breathtaking views. Tons of snow, unlike it seems, in Canada this year! Yes, after 40 degrees plus each day, both Dave and I agreed we missed the white stuff.












The town was pretty cool too.

Before boarding my flight to Khartoum, I dropped off the last of my kit with Cargo Movement to be shipped separately. This is Stephen, who works in Cargo and takes good care of us Canadians.

Always ready with a few Canada pins to hand out as a thank you, Stephen immediately took his and found an appropriate place to wear it!

(look closely and you will note the ritual tribal scars on Stephen's forehead - a mark of a Dinka adult man)
and yes, ALL my cargo arrived in Khartoum 2 days later!

Leaving the Team Site

On March 4 I departed Team Site MELUT.








This is the end of my assignment here in the south. One last patrol to MALAKAL our Sector HQ, to catch a flight back to Khartoum.

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Toys and Clothes

The children liked the toys especially I think, real luxuries for them.












Everyone seemed to want something, although it was hard, because there was so many more children than clothes to give away......










A smile, even with front teath missing, to melt anyone's heart.
This little girl was very friendly, but her little sister really wasn't sure what to make of me!

Everything we do here, we hope, shows the people a little, that they do not have to alway fear soldiers......

Visiting the Local Church in Melut

There are a few churches in the town, usually recognizable by the fact that they are actually buildings and not just grass huts!

I took some clothes to give away, donated by David Coupland and Stephanie Pinnacle - of course, all little girls clothes from their two daughters, Amelia and Michaela!

It took a bit of organanizing though, with about a hundred kids and I only had one bag! Everyone seemed pretty happy though, and were obviously excited!

Handing Out Izzie Dolls

Hi Mom, when you said you were taking some pictures from the blog, I thought you would like this one - of your Izzie Dolls in action!

Some of the Children In Our Town

Many of the places we visit, we see lots and lots of children. After years of conflict, it seems there is a missing generation, with people in their late twenties or early thirties being rare indeed. South Sudan has a high birth rate too, although it also has one of the highest infant mortality rates as well. An up hill battle.

These kids were all dressed up to attend a rally in town, during the visit of the State Governor. The elections are coming, so like in any country, the politicians are on the move.

This little girl walked by crying and crying (seemed to be fighting with her brothers) but as soon as she saw me with my camera, wanted her picture taken. Cute, cute, cute!

Most of these children have not seen themselves in a picture so always want us to take their photo and show them on our cameras.

A Few More Izzie Dolls

On a foot patrol in MELUT town, a chance to hand out a few more of the "Izzie" dolls from my Mom Anne and Teri's Mom Irma. A few more happy kids, who a few minutes early, really had nothing.

The local bus!

OK, nobody complain again about OC Transpo or any other mass transit system back home!

The Road Along the Way

Its always amazing to realize how far "out there" we really are on these trips.


Always an opportunity to pass out a soccer ball or two. No game boys or toys of any sort really. Handing out a soccer ball to these kids is like "handing out fun".

My friend Pelle had to demonstrate how it was used, at least in Sweden!

Long Range Patrol to MALAKAL

This past week I was part of a patrol to escort Indian Armoured Fighting Vehs (BMP1s), part of our force protection, to our Sector Headquarters in MALAKAL. They were moving on large flat bed trucks, so quite a big train to move.




You can see the road conditions, and the dust these things raised, caused some difficulties.....







The best part was getting an invitation to lunch with the Indian force protection troops. Fried flat bread, curry, and cold scrambled eggs!

January Patrolling

Jan has been very slow. Lots of short day-long patrols, so lots of driving. However, we have not been able to do as many long range patrols as we would have liked, because of problems getting security clearances and other BS paperwork signed off, leading to quite a lot of frustration. Sometimes, it seems that the UN is all about paper, not really about the job.






On the road, I am constantly amazed to see the women in the towns near us carrying on their heads the huge loads they do, walking for miles! Almost all the work we see is women, at least most of the agriculture or anything related to keeping the home in
order (which includes rebuilding the straw).










Recently, we stopped by one of the military camps and were able to give a few children some of the "Izzie" dolls that my Mom and Teri's Mom have been sending me. They seemed to like them, once they stopped running away from us! That's Khamis, one of our language assistants, with the kids.