09 June 2009

Sudanese Samaritans

The Sudanese are awesome. At least the Sudanese in my neighbourhood.

Yesterday I got the car stuck in some deep mud on the way home.

Abhijeet: Stuck stuck?

Lee: yeah, stuck stuck. We need a tow rope.

Thick sticky mud right up to the bottom of the door. I rev and I rev but the wheels aren't moving. The 4-wheel drive isn't helping. So the other car arrives with a dodgy tow rope. Its times like this when I curse my lack of practical skills. I sneakily try and take photo with my phone but then feel a bit guilty about it. So the cars are tied together and we try pulling it out. Neither cars move until the rope snaps.

Fortunately along comes a good samaritan who drives round the corner to his house and brings back a proper tow-rope. We try this and it still doesn't work. So we try this with his car and still doesn't work.

Then along come some guys with shovels. So we start shoveling the thick mud from around the wheels. There is quite a crowd gathering, and there are about 3 Sudanese guys knee deep in mud shoveling.

And we try again. This time there is a little movement, but we're still definitely stuck.

So we all wade back into the mud to start pushing from the front of the car as it is pulled on the borrowed tow-rope by a third car owned by another passer-by into the grooves in the mud left by the guy who helpfully dug for us. And after much heaving we get some movement, and the car is free. Its a great feeling, trust me.

And I think we owe our new neighbours/friends a few beers.

2 comments:

Kelsey said...

Don't tell me YOU shoveled!?! Surely not. I can more imagine you standing by looking very concerned...mostly about your shoes. :)

Lee said...

Bare feet, up to my knees in it actually. Yes, I am hardcore.

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