Day 18 - Flat Tires

Today we drove back to Kampala from Murchison Falls. On our way, we stopped at the top of the falls and hiked around. It was soo beautiful!! On the seven hour trip, our van got two flat tires. At one of our pit stops, I met four very cute kids. I got to give them candy and little toys and they were so greatful! It was nice to get back to Red Chili. We all thought it was strange that it felt home. We had a barbeque and had ice cream sundays for Lauren Asp's birthday. It was very good! We all just relaxed and hung out the rest of the night.

Tomorrow we are driving to Jinja to spend our last two nights at a resort with the MUBS students. Goodnight!

Day 17 - Safari!

Today we got up before the sun rose. We left the campsite in our vans at 6:30 to go on a safari. We crossed the Nile on a ferry and then hit the road. We saw lots of animals - elephants, giraffes, gazelles, a leopard, birds, antelope, some bugs, and I think a lot more. That afternoon, we took a 4 hour boat safari. We saw more elephants, hippos, buffalo, crocodiles, and lots of birds. We also saw Murchison Falls. They were beautiful! We got out on rocks in the middle of the Nile. Dr. Bishop was very nervous for us, but it was a lot of fun! We just relaxed in the evening and caught up on our journaling. Susan and I slept in our cozy tent!

Oh - and the baboons here are great! They are just like human beings! They got in two vans today. They steal things and mess with people, it is so funny! It was also fun to see the drivers get out and get really mad and then chase them away.

Oh - and the stars here are unreal! I had seen more stars than I had ever seen in Kampala, but tonight definitely surpassed Kampala. The sky just didn't look real. I could have stayed up watching the stars all night. God is sweet!

Day 16 - Zed

Today we ate breakfast at Red Chili and then headed North to Murchisin Falls National Park. The Nile River runs through the park. The park also touches the border of the Congo. We took 9 passenger vans up to the park. Our driver for the next three days name was Zed, he was great. The first three hours of the drive were very smooth. We stopped for lunch and spent literally 3 hours waiting for our food. Restaruant service is different here than in the U.S. The next 2.5 hours were extremely bumpy. On this road we saw lots of birds, gazelle, and baboons. I had to go to the bathroom, so we stopped the van. Zed told me not to go in the woods, so I squatted behind the van, using the bumper for balance. Luckily, no cars came up behind us. Again, this was probably too much information.

We eventually reached the other Red Chili branch. It was really nice! Susan and I slept in a tent, with no mosquito nets. There was no electricity in the bathrooms or cabins after midnight, but luckily, the tents all got lanterns. When it was dark, we had to peak our heads out of the tent before getting all the way out. We needed to look out for wart hogs and hippos.. unfortunatly, we never saw a hippo at our campsite.

Day 15 - Tilopia!

Today we went to New Vision Newspaper. I enjoyed learning how they printed the papers, but since the paper is owned 50% by the government, we heard the same, not very informed presentation... We went to the craft market again in the afternoon and went to a jersey store. Everyone on the trip learned I am a sucker for sad faces.. I couldn't say no to a little boy selling these bicycle men.. he needed money for school! We went to a really nice resort on Lake Victoria for dinner, and ate tilopia. I learned from the MUBS students how to eat a fish that still had the tail, eyes, head, and everything else on a fish that you don't want to eat. The UN was also there! They are having a two week convention in Uganda.


I will not have internet the next three days. Camping up North!!!

Day 14 - UGANDA!

Today was really fun! We started out by visiting the Foundation for Human Rights. It was really interesting and the speaker really didn't sensor what she said, which was nice for a change. Next we visited TASO - The AIDS Support Organization. It was cool to see everything they do to help the AIDS victims in Uganda. The AIDS situation here is very interesting. The highest percentage of AIDS right now is with in married couples - this means that one partner is cheating on the other. AIDS really would not be an issue if people waited til they were married and stayed faithful to their spouses. I do though feel bad for the children who are born with the virus. On a lighter note, last night we went to the club! MUBS rented a floor of the facility out for us. It was so funny, the whole MUBS faculty and staff was there. There was lots of food and professors were buying us drinks all night - soda and water :)! The dancing in Uganda is so much fun! I wish people danced like the Ugandans in America! The last group of us got back at two and immediately hit our beds!

Today I think we are visiting New Vision Newspaper and probably some other things. I don't really listen. But I know after today we will be sort of camping up north and will not have the internet for 3 days.

Oh, and I am feeling 100% better!

and I LOVE UGANDA!!

Good bye! and see you soon!

Day 13 - American Food!!

This morning we went to the Ugandan Securities Exchange Market. It was really interesting! The stock market only has 12 companies, and 5 are from Kenya. The stock market is all done by hand, but they are working on electronicizing it. From there we went to the Mulago Hospital. It is the large public hospital, and the private hospital I used earlier on the trip was SO much nicer!! The facilities were really sad. There are no nurses, so patients need to bring a relative to care for them and get them food some how. Often times, people get admitted, but die before they ever see a doctor. The health care system needs a lot of work here. We then went to a craft market, where we worked on bartering, and then to the Garden Mall. 13 of us went to a restaurant called Rancers. The 7 Americans were so excited to get a change in the meal. We were very rambunctious, but the workers got a very good tip :) We then decided to go get ice cream, though we were already late for the bus. It was dark out, and the 13 of us all ran through Kampala and all of it's traffic yelling and screaming. We made the bus, but I have no clue what all the Ugandans must have thought when they saw us! It was a lot of fun!!

Day 12 - Sick. Again...

This morning I woke up very ill again. This time, eight others others were sick as well. We took the morning off and after throwing up a bunch, most of us felt a bunch better... too much information I know. At two o'clock, everyone came back on the big bus. The afternoon event was cancelled and we skipped the book launch at MUBS tonight to meet the Prime Minister. Today was a very good, well needed rest! I tried eating some food, and after a small handful of cereal, I felt sick again. All the meals are exactly the same here, and I don't think I will eat anything else the next ten days. That is probably a lie because I might get hungry. Anyways, as much as I would love to be healthy again, I love Uganda and am not excited for this next week to come to an end!