Jebel Kujur: Where hikers get body healing

It is lofty, rocky, serene, breathtaking, and decorated with patches of grass. For those who have never been there, Jebel Kujur serves up a cocktail of auras that appeals to typical lovers of nature.

Many South Sudanese and foreign nationals hike here for health benefits and to find a break from the chaotic atmosphere of the city.

Chaplain Wuye, 45, has been climbing this hill since last year. Wuye says mountain hiking is one of the recommendations often given by medical experts to keep fit. Therefore, he has stuck with this guidebook.

 “If you ascend this mountain, all of your body parts will be flexible and diseases will flee,” he says.

He says when he first started climbing the hill last year, it was not an easy task for him to reach the top of Jebel Kujur. He climbed, giving out a pants at every step. But he now finds it easier to get to the pick and go about his light aerobics, including running on one of the largest stones on the mountain with a sloppy and flat shape, dubbed “Facebook”. This is one of the places where people rest and exercise.

“All this time, I have been coming here to a hill like this one (pointing at a big stone on the hill). I will do it three times. In all this running up and slopping down, you find all the joints are flexible, and you will feel like a youth, ” he adds.

Wuye recalls how he used to enjoy sporting activities at a tender age, but this has changed since he came to Juba due to his busy schedules.

“Sometimes there is no time due to family responsibilities, returning from work at 5 p.m., and sometimes one is tired. So, I  thought it would be beneficial for me to climb the mountain every weekend before going for prayers.”

Love for the hill

Alemin Eric Isaac, a member of parliament in the Reconstituted Transitional National Transitional Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA), says he began trekking on the hill a year ago on a medical recommendation.

“I was feeling body pains all over, so when I went for a medical checkup, they did general checking but found that there was nothing in my body that was causing the pain. Then the advice given by the doctor was for me to do regular exercise, ” Eric says.

“One week after [the hike], I began to feel better. As a result, whenever I have free time I come here and it has become a part of my life. Even if I have free time in the evening, I try to get some exercise to make myself feel better,” said Eric.

Eric says many people go to Jebel Kujur every morning and evening to enjoy the fruits of physical exercise to human health, particularly those with obesity and those who do not sleep well at night due to stress.

He said morning exercise is good for blood circulation in the human brain.

However, Eric says they are aware of the risks involved in doing exercise in such narrow hills as Jebel Kujur.

“Anytime you are slopping down, [you have to] be careful [because] there are those who [slipped] down and injured themselves,” he said.

Most people who go climbing the hill do not have first aid kits but Eric emphasises that it is important to carry along a first aid kit in case one gets injured.

“What we are doing here is taking risks on our own. You take your chances, and if you succeed, you reap the benefits. But if something goes wrong, you are on your own,’’ Eric says The City Review in an interview.

Amoko Richard, who hiked the hill for the first time on Sunday after 10 years away from Juba, says he wanted to improve his physical fitness.

Amoko was driven to join the mountain hike by peer pressure and self-motivation after witnessing his friends travel there for exercise.

He admits to having pains when he first climbed the hill, adding that the pains are natural, but that if one continues to exercise, the pains go away.

“The muscles are not relaxed. Sometimes they are contracted and when you start stretching for the first time, of course, they will experience pain, ” he said.

Amoko says he was inspired when he reached the top of the hill and saw so many people, which gave him the courage to keep coming back for more exercise.

Several people of all ages, including the elderly, young people, and those over 50 years old, often go to Jebel Kujur for exercise, according to Amoko.

He says climbing the hill is less expensive compared to doing exercise at sporting facilities in the town, such as the gym, where people are charged a lot of money.

 “If you are not interested, no one will force you, no one will charge you. If you are interested, you go and no one charges you that you have climbed and paid money. It is cheap, easy, and free, not restricted,” Amoko says.

Be wary of potential hazards

However, Amoko warns that stone slides are some of the dangers of climbing Jebel Kujur.

“It’s a place where one can slide and fall. Then you must take the risks, ” he cautions.

To minimise stone slides and tumbling off the hill, Amoko advises the members to remain keen and take proper steps, as well as wear good footwear with a ruffled top.

“If you don’t, you can also observe from other colleagues how they are climbing and moving,” he emphasises.