Stuck in Yei (again)

Small note: I'm in an internet cafe so pictures aren't loading up at all so I'll post about the other 2 days of my Morobo trip tomorrow.

I came back to Yei yesterday afternoon and basically found out that I am stuck here until Wednesday. I’m staying at the New Tokyo hotel (only the good Lord knows how people come up with these names) where I stayed on Friday. Here are some of the highlights of my stay in Yei so far:

* My hotel is having an identity crisis where it can’t decided whether it is a hotel or night club. Music literally is on full blast from 7:30am to 12:30am. AND as if that isn’t bad, the receptionist put me in a room directly in front of the courtyard where the music is blasting AND I have a neighbor who actually thinks it’s appropriate to blast STATIC radio at 6am. So needless to say, my nerves are SHOT today!

* While working on my computer last night, I tried to drown out the African club beats with Vivaldi at the risk of my poor eardrum, which was on serious sensory overload, but I thought better of it. This random Sudanese boy comes and sits next to me and proceeds to lean over my shoulder mesmerized by the glow of the screen and me typing away. While I understand that any MacBook is mesmerizing, the fact that this person is about to fall out of his chair to watch me work is a bit disturbing. The fact that I have my headphones on and I’m typing away doesn’t stop him from actually trying to have a conversation. And while I’m usually a outgoing person [ok, burst on the floor laughing because I’m really shy around people I don’t know], the blasting music and my exhaustion mean I’m just down right cranky which is generally a state no one should have to meet me under.

* Mango bombs – the courtyard of the hotel is full of mango trees dangling above iron roof tops of the patio. Every few minutes, a mango will fall on the roof and the sound is nothing less than that of a bomb hitting a target. Everyone gets completely jumpy each time and while it is actually funny, I’m so tired because the few hours of sleep I did get when music wasn't blaring was interrupted by mangoes jumping on the roof.

* I’ve walked around the market area of Yei, which is very interesting mostly because of all the interesting fabrics and designs I see women wearing. However, while I’ve seen some material from Ivory Coast and Congo, nothing has struck me enough to burst out the wallet. I already bought a lovely piece in the market in Kaya, so my fabric obsession has been slightly quenched for the time being.

* My stomach is a little upset which is NEVER a situation you want to be in when your hotel has shared bathrooms! Luckily, I have moved into a self-contained bedroom.

Anyway….I’m really praying for a morning flight to Juba tomorrow!