Friday, June 20, 2014

Hello from Uganda!
We hope everything is well back home and are happy to report that we have made it to Jim's House, our residence now for the rest of the week. We left Kampala this morning around 8:30, and we drove for a little over an hour till we reached the Equator. Driving out of Kampala was fascinating, if a little harrowing. The landscape transformed dramatically as we left the city center, and the roads were packed full of cars, trucks, and motorbikes. Eventually, we made it into the countryside and arrived at the Equator. There, we briefly suspended our journey to take photos and to buy souvenirs. Many of us purchased Uganda Cranes soccer jerseys, and others picked up "local" crafts (our tour guide Lesley tells us that it is, in fact, extremely unlikely that the vendors had made their own wares). Before we left, we took a group photo under a sign reading "Uganda Equator."
After a little while, we got back on the road, en route for a Ugandan National Park. We were hoping to skirt the park, not truly entering the grounds, but still glimpsing some wildlife. Indeed, we were not disappointed: after a few moments we saw a large group of zebras, just off the side of the road. Additionally, we saw some impalas, dozens of birds, droves of cattle, and even a monkey. Unfortunately, our time was limited, so we could not venture too far into the park, so we turned around and headed on towards lunch.
Famished when we arrived, we all eagerly tucked into a delicious African buffet before once more hitting the road, in the direction of Rukungiri. As we moved still further from the cities of the north, the road became more treacherous, dotted with half-foot deep pot holes, which forced our bus driver to weave back and forth. Additionally, the road had been narrowed to the width of about one lane, making overtaking and passing along side other cars, even in the opposite lane, frankly terrifying. However, we all made it in one piece to Jim's House, after more than 9 hours in transit. We settled into our rooms and ate another delicious meal, before briefly writing in our journals and calling it a night.
Tomorrow, we are looking forward to playing games on Jim's House's lawns, shopping for food in the local market, and even milking cows! More to follow tomorrow evening... - Angus Warren




1 comment:

  1. Dear Team Uganda,

    It looks like you're having a whale (not available in Uganda I believe) of a time in Uganda. The photos look terrific and I can't wait to join you. That photograph of the equator looks familiar.....
    Looking forward to pictures of Rukungiri ...
    Mr. Das

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