We decided that the best way to get around Uganda without being seriously delayed and more importantly a more safer option would be to rent out a car and make our way round the places we wanted to see in Uganda. We started off in Kampala, trying to describe what driving is like in Kampala would be hard! Its crazy, hectic is an understatement for it! Steph who was the driver out of the group hadnt driven in 4 months and got plunged straight into the deep end! Getting out of Kampala was a releif and we were soon making our way to Sipi falls through Jinja. It took us around about a day to get there. It was such a beautiful drive though as we got higher up and at points could see right to the border of Uganda to Kenya! We finally arrived at crows nest where we would be staying at sipi falls which had cute wooden shacks perched on a hill facing the falls. The next morning george who worked at crows nest took us on a day walk to the 4 falls. It was so cool getting able to go under and behind the waterfalls and in the caves. It was boiling hot that day so the water from the falls was bliss! George was a very good guide and told us all about the history of the village and all about the falls.
After Sipi falls we set off early again to make our way to murchison falls via Gulu. As it took the whole day we had to stop that night in packwach (dont know how to spell it i arrived their in the dark and left early in the dark so didnt see any signs!) Anyway this turned out to be a night of hell as two girls got taken down by the sipi water we drank yes i know very stupid of us but dehydration took its toll on the walk and the water looked so clean! very deceiving though and i thank achiltibuie for my cast iron stomach as i didnt get any side effects...yet. Anyway the next morning we set off earlyish to get to the national park in Murchison. Just driving to Red Chili where we were going to be staying we saw so many animals including elephants! It was surreal as we got so close to them! I kept on forgetting that they were infact in the wild! After nearly hitting a waterbuck (a big hairy deer like thing) we made it to red chili. I made the very very very stupid mistake of only taking 8,000 in to a national park with me which is 2 pounds... so 2 of the girls went on the boat safari trip while Lauren and I stayed at the red chili chatting with the staff who were super friendly and gave us free bananas and shared their biscuits with us (may have been out of pity since we couldnt afford anything) They then took Lauren and I on a drive to the village in the national park. They told us about how many people had been eaten by lions by going to the toilet at night etc. It was an eventful drive!
The next day we did a game drive. We first had to cross a river with the car as more animals were on the other side of the river. We then charles who was our guide for the day. He first took us down many tracks, i think it would have been impossible to do it without a guide! We saw so many animals so close up like warthogs, kobs, herds of buffalo, waterbucks, elephants, we actually saw a huge elephant with ginormous tusks, it was so close to us and just stared straight at us! We also saw girraffes which were incredible! I knew they were always big but you dont realize just how big they are when they are right beside you! When they run they look like they are running in slow motion it was the best thing i had ever seen. We also saw wildabeasts bathing in the mud, it all felt like david attenborough should have been speaking over it all!
After the game drive we headed back to the campsite and had dinner. When it got dark we then went out on a night game drive with one of the staff members Ivan and a guy from zimbabwe. we didnt see much and im quite suprised we didnt get lost! I got quite a few scratches on me though from haning out the window while we drove past thorn bushes. When we got back Backa one of the staff memebers came up to us and said wanna see a hippo? bare in mind this is the most dangerous animal in Uganda we decided why not? He then took us to the humungous hippo that was actually taller than me! It was happily munching away and didnt seem to dangerous! although backa said do not shine your torch in its eyes and dont stand between it and the river as you will get flattened.. also turns out the hippo was right outside mine and Laurens tent! We also werent aloud any toothpaste, shampoo, facewipes anything that had a scent in our tents otherwise the warthogs would rip open our tent! So that night we went to sleep to the sound of the hippo munching grass right beside me! best night sleep yet.
The next day we left red chili reluctantly and made our way down to Fort Portal where we would first stop of at Kihura where some of the girls lived then go jungle treking in a park in Fort Portal. After the worst roads known in history we stepped out of the car in Kihura looking like we had a bad fake tan from the orange dust we got washed up at the girls house and went back out to the car to find that it wouldnt start! We got robert who studied mechanics to look at it and it turned out to be some techincal plug thing that had come away. Although it was very annoying that we had to cut our trip short it was still soo lucky that it broke down then as if it had broken down when we took a wrong turn and came over the horizon to find lake albert and broke down there we would have been screwed!
So that was our road trip! It was so much fun and definitely an experience to remember!
After our roadtrip we then spent a few more days in Kihura which were also eventful as when we were at Home again the Roberts casually mentioned to us that they had 2 puppies! They took us to a ditch where they had put a metal sheet over them and under were the 2 cutest little puppies ive ever seen! they were petrified of us at first and you could see that they were crawling with fleas. We decided the best thing for them would be for us to take them back to villa maria and get them cleaned up and healthy again.
Walking through Kihura village with two puppies seemed to attract alot of attention! But soon we were at villla maria where we gave them some eggs and bread and tried to shave/cut off as much fur as possible. After this whole ordeal they were not scared of us at all and were so happy to see us each morning! i dont think Home again will be getting them back anytime soon....
After Kihura Jess and I decided it was time to go to home sweet home! It was soo nice to go back to our little old village. We got alot of "kuli kyo's" to which we reply "nvoodayo!" not how you spell it at all but basically meanning welcome back then im back! We also got greeted by lots of hugs from our crew of kids that play outside our house.
We also came back home to the biggest suprise ever, the foundations of a brick school!! I got such a suprise when i went around the corner to find this! It is such an amazing step for the school as it actually looks like one now and looks so smart and propper compared to the broken papyrus school building. Everyone in the village is so happy about it as well and as they are passing by they come to take a look at it. So it is very big news not only for us but the whole village! Me and the head nursery teacher Annette would just stand and stare at it in disbeleif that it was actually happening! So all is very exciting here with builders coming in from Kampala to finnish it all up. Jess and I have also been very busy with painting the outside of the new tin school. Its looking really good so far although were still in the process of finishing it. People walking past stop and watch us so we usually have a good sized audience while we do it!
We have also been helping with the building of the school by measuring, cutting and holding the tin for another part of the school and loading bricks into wheelbarrows for the brick building.
It is also dry season at the moment so it is hotter than usual and it also means that the water tanks are empty! This means that we have to once again go and fetch our water from the bore hole in the blistering heat! Except it is alot easier when we manage to get hold of a bike to tie the jerry cans to. Also because of the building even more water is needed to be fetched to help make the cement. So i spent a few of my days helping sara and tallemwa go and fetch water from the bore hole. Sara and I mastered the technique of me cycling with the jerry cans tied on the back then she would run along beside me then jump onto the back! You would hardly feel her jump on so it worked very well! I only fell off once! (appologies to sara)
However now unfortunately the closest bore hole has broken so we now have to travel to the further away one which is also harder to pump so there has to be 2 of us pumping it at the same time! very tireing. There is also usually a huge que of jerry cans waiting to be filled as everyone now has to go to this one to get water! You usually get some interesting conversations while waiting though.
Sara also asked me to "escort her to the garden" so after collecting water we headed down to their garden which is even further away than the 2nd bore hole. There they have coffee trees, pumpkin, casava, sugar cane and more. We then filled huge bags of pumpkins and loaded them onto the bike to take them back home. I did get a pumpkin out of it though!
This month we also met a mzunug in the posta in Mityana. It was such a suprise as Jess and I literally thought we were the only ones! I think they must hide in the daytime... Anyway they very kindly invited us over for lunch at their house. Of course Jess and I did not refuse a lunch date where American food would be made! She picked us up in her air conditioned car ( i have not felt cold air for a while!) and we headed to her beautiful house (even nicer than my house in scotland!) It was so strange being there they had 2 sausage dogs.They cooked us chicken fajitas which were amazing!! I have not had chicken in 5 months and it was so good having meat that didnt have bones sticking out of it! They were so nice and it was lovely to be invited to their house.
Before school started we also decided to show rose herbert and edith and everyone else how to make mzunugu pancakes! In return they showed us how to make banana pancakes which were suprisingly easy! We made pancakes for everyone including all the builders who all enjoyed them very much as well! I think the end vote was that mzunug pancakes won! Before we started cooking Herbert had said that i couldnt cook but by the end his mind was changed, he said "I'm never eating banana pancakes again!"
So the first month of 2014 has been pretty hectic but so much fun! I cant wait to start teaching in the new buildings and everything else that will come in the next month! Including another wedding we have been invited to with Deo. We are getting gomez's made for us as well for the wedding which is going to be fun! (they are the traditional dress for the women here with huge pointy shoulders lots of material hanging everywhere, it will be interesting to say the least!)
Murchison falls national park
Crater lake in Fort Portal
Crater lake
The puppies!
sorry tried to upload more photos but internet is extremely slow!
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