EASTER MONDAY 21st APRIL 2014
I am feeling a bit better this morning after a good night's sleep, so, as promised here is the story o f the last few days!
On Friday I took Ruth who is staying at Courtview Hotel, with me to visit little disabled Harriet at her home in Rupungu village. Wamani drove us ( and I paid him an inordinate amount to do so - although his Mum did break her hip last year and he alone it seems paid for her to go to hospital in Kampala. Furthermore he takes responsibility for his late brother's wife Annette who works as a chambermaid here at the hotel and has AIDS so needs a balanced diet). The road was a bit rough but Harriet's family were almost ready for us - I spotted Harriet sitting behind their hut and rushed to greet her only to find her Mum Alice just finishing bathing! Chairs were found for Ruth and me and the family came to sit on a reed mat. Harriet was delighted with the dresses I had brought for her in England and her Mum said that the second pair of jeans that I had also brought would be fine to protect her knees as she crawls around the compound . I was worried about going to the toilet but her family - through Teacher George Byarugaba who had joined us to interpret -said that she would be able to manage.I noticed a new mud and thatch hut had been built and they told me that this is for their eldest boy, Linus who is 17 and has never been to school. It seems that Charles and Alice only have 2 boys in their family of 10 but the second boy is at school along with one daughter. The littlest girls are not quite old enough to go to school yet as free universal education starts at 6 years.
I was startled when Teacher George then introduced me to a nicely dressed lady in a "Gomesi" or national dress and said that the one year old she was carrying was his son! I shall confirm as to what he actually means but he had said previously that he was friendly with a lady in the village where he is renting extra fields................ and his dad a vicar!
Charles shared out some of the biscuits we had brought and Alice was delighted with the soap and sugar. The we were taken on a tour of the fields. It is The Planting Season so the fields looked wonderful - maize and sweet potatoes, French beans and cowpeas plus wild spinach and "greens". Charles also has a nice little grove of banana trees the savoury matooke kind.And a pig.
I asked to see the nearest well which had been broken when I had visited in December 1012, so we walked for about 15 minutes and found that it had been repaired - apparently all the locals had got together to pay an engineer. Quite right too for we carried on and found the stagnant and deep yellow pool upon which they had relied whilst the got the well repaired. I will show a picture of it when Rodgers returns from Kampala and can help me. Count your blessings for Thames Water and the stuff that flows out of our taps!!!!!!!!!
At this point we heard thunder in the air and saw rain clouds gathering so Driver Wamani hurried us up and we walked back to Harriet's compound passing 2 little compounds of huts belonging to her Dad's relatives. It seems that Charles inherited his fields from his aunt but has not yet got the land deeds . We said our goodbyes and jumped into the taxi and beat the rainstorm by fifteen minutes!
Ruth had said that she had never eaten sweet potatoes so Wamani took us to Kolpings (hostel founded by an Austrian monk so patronised mainly by Roman Catholics) . At first we sat on the verandah and treated ourselves each to a bottle of cold beer but suddenly the rain came down so we went into the Dining Room to find 3 mums towelling down their 4 & 5 year olds who had been allowed to run around and get soaking wet in the thunderstorm!!
We actually were imprisoned there for nearly 2 hours, the downpour was so heavy. And cold!
Monday, 21 April 2014
Sunday, 20 April 2014
SUNDAY 20th April 2014
Today I am not feeling very well - think I overdid it on Friday and Saturday so I retired to bed at lunchtime to drink lots of water and to read my Kindle only to fall asleep until 6 ish. Had some soup out in the hotel garden with Sallie just as it was beginning to get dark and by 8 pm felt strong enough to have some tilapia goujons and mashed potatoes.
The roads were very bad going to Harriet's village on Friday and even worse going out with Janine as she prepared for her American volunteering Doctors clinics ready for early May. The weather too has been extreme veering from extremely hot to extremely cold during a very heavy tropical thunderstorm on Friday, luckily as we had got back from Rumoungu village.
Getting up on Saturday to go with Janine on her Missionary work in the villages of Mirya Kalwala and Bweyale I sat on the hotel's verandah waiting for my breakfast and watching the birds.Uganda really is a birders paradise : I saw superb starlings, all glossy and petrol blue, little starling like birds and bigger ones all robin redbreasty but larger and with black and white badger like heads, there were sleek yellow birds and pigeons not to mention the huge marabou storks nesting in the tops of the tall trees across the road Wonderful with my pineapple, watermelon and banana start to my breakfast!
Even Ruth, who is over here , volunteering with various children's charities before - hopefully - setting up an orphanage, is tired, so Sallie has persuaded her to stay here in Masindi tomorrow and relax before she goes to Kampala to spend her last week in Uganda to work in Sanyu Babies Home.
More details tomorrow
Today I am not feeling very well - think I overdid it on Friday and Saturday so I retired to bed at lunchtime to drink lots of water and to read my Kindle only to fall asleep until 6 ish. Had some soup out in the hotel garden with Sallie just as it was beginning to get dark and by 8 pm felt strong enough to have some tilapia goujons and mashed potatoes.
The roads were very bad going to Harriet's village on Friday and even worse going out with Janine as she prepared for her American volunteering Doctors clinics ready for early May. The weather too has been extreme veering from extremely hot to extremely cold during a very heavy tropical thunderstorm on Friday, luckily as we had got back from Rumoungu village.
Getting up on Saturday to go with Janine on her Missionary work in the villages of Mirya Kalwala and Bweyale I sat on the hotel's verandah waiting for my breakfast and watching the birds.Uganda really is a birders paradise : I saw superb starlings, all glossy and petrol blue, little starling like birds and bigger ones all robin redbreasty but larger and with black and white badger like heads, there were sleek yellow birds and pigeons not to mention the huge marabou storks nesting in the tops of the tall trees across the road Wonderful with my pineapple, watermelon and banana start to my breakfast!
Even Ruth, who is over here , volunteering with various children's charities before - hopefully - setting up an orphanage, is tired, so Sallie has persuaded her to stay here in Masindi tomorrow and relax before she goes to Kampala to spend her last week in Uganda to work in Sanyu Babies Home.
More details tomorrow
Friday, 18 April 2014
FRIDAY 18th APRIL
I set a few things in motion yesterday, what with cataloguing the books that Joseph finally brought to me on Wednesday morning ( I am so disappointed in Joseph - after telling me lots of different stories , I finally cut him short and said that he had used the money I had sent to buy the sets of text books, to pay his university fees and he had said yes that was the truth and he was sorry .He had spent Tuesday travelling to Kampala to buy the books he should have bought earlier in the year. He had brought them to me early on Wednesday morning but there were only 30 Maths for P7 and only 30 English for P6 . He says he will buy the missing 40 when his salary comes in but that will not be enough............. meanwhile I am letting him stew.............)
So let us move on to happier things.Today Ruth who has been volunteering at The Centre for the Handicapped, came with me to visit Harriet who has returned to her home in Rumpungu now that The Centre has closed for Easter. It is a good opportunity for Ruth to see what real rural life is all about. I especially wanted to see the well that Harriet's family rely, on for her village is a collection of mud and thatched huts seemingly owned by her aunts and uncles. No piped water or electricity. Her parents and eldest brother and sister can't read or write. Her whole family were pleased to see us and delighted with the soap and sugar and biscuits we took. Harriet herself was thrilled with the 2 little dresses I'd brought from London and her parents liked the jeans I'd bought in Masindi to protect her knees when she crawls about. She has no wheelchair and I'm not sure how practical one would be in her home........
Charles, Harriet's father then took us on a tour of his fields and he is growing maize and green beans to sell as well as potatoes and cowpeas and cassava to eat. He has quite a few banana trees and a boar. I shall get him one of the female piglets from Janine's sow once she has farrowed. We reached the well and I was pleased to see that it is now working . The local families clubbed together to pay an engineer to fix it.
By then thunder was in the air and a tropical storm was approaching so Wamani, our driver rushed us away in his car. Ruth had never eaten sweet potatoes so Wamani took us to Kolpings on the outskirts of Masindi for lunch. As we were eating the storm caught up with us and it was a whopper! We were trapped inside for nearly 2 hours as the heavens just opened and water cascaded everywhere. We were on tarmac by now so when it ceased a bit we dashed into the car and Wamani drove us safely back to Courtview and the warmth of an afternoon nap!
I set a few things in motion yesterday, what with cataloguing the books that Joseph finally brought to me on Wednesday morning ( I am so disappointed in Joseph - after telling me lots of different stories , I finally cut him short and said that he had used the money I had sent to buy the sets of text books, to pay his university fees and he had said yes that was the truth and he was sorry .He had spent Tuesday travelling to Kampala to buy the books he should have bought earlier in the year. He had brought them to me early on Wednesday morning but there were only 30 Maths for P7 and only 30 English for P6 . He says he will buy the missing 40 when his salary comes in but that will not be enough............. meanwhile I am letting him stew.............)
So let us move on to happier things.Today Ruth who has been volunteering at The Centre for the Handicapped, came with me to visit Harriet who has returned to her home in Rumpungu now that The Centre has closed for Easter. It is a good opportunity for Ruth to see what real rural life is all about. I especially wanted to see the well that Harriet's family rely, on for her village is a collection of mud and thatched huts seemingly owned by her aunts and uncles. No piped water or electricity. Her parents and eldest brother and sister can't read or write. Her whole family were pleased to see us and delighted with the soap and sugar and biscuits we took. Harriet herself was thrilled with the 2 little dresses I'd brought from London and her parents liked the jeans I'd bought in Masindi to protect her knees when she crawls about. She has no wheelchair and I'm not sure how practical one would be in her home........
Charles, Harriet's father then took us on a tour of his fields and he is growing maize and green beans to sell as well as potatoes and cowpeas and cassava to eat. He has quite a few banana trees and a boar. I shall get him one of the female piglets from Janine's sow once she has farrowed. We reached the well and I was pleased to see that it is now working . The local families clubbed together to pay an engineer to fix it.
By then thunder was in the air and a tropical storm was approaching so Wamani, our driver rushed us away in his car. Ruth had never eaten sweet potatoes so Wamani took us to Kolpings on the outskirts of Masindi for lunch. As we were eating the storm caught up with us and it was a whopper! We were trapped inside for nearly 2 hours as the heavens just opened and water cascaded everywhere. We were on tarmac by now so when it ceased a bit we dashed into the car and Wamani drove us safely back to Courtview and the warmth of an afternoon nap!
Thursday, 17 April 2014
THURSDAY 17th APRIL 2014
What a day it was yesterday!
First of all Joseph turned up with the books at 7:40am just as I was about to shower, but more of that later!
Then after breakfast Wamani drove me , 5 trays of eggs, the special oily crayons I had bought in Kampala and Janine's powder dyes ...oooh and the vinegar Sallie gave me permission to steal from the hotel (too lazy to go to Lucky Seven Supermarket) about 8 miles to Bujenje village where The School for the Handicapped is situated. We found a large group of children weeding and slashing the grass at the entrance to make the place look smart and they all followed the car up the hill to a shady spot under a tree. The Headteacher had been called to a meeting, but her deputy, a lovely lady who herself had polio as a child, welcomed me. Ruth, an English volunteer who is also staying at Courtview Hotel , joined us and we perfected our plan. The Centre is built on a steep hillside, with the Office on the top terrace plus a few classrooms and the boys dormitory and other classrooms as well as the workshops for Carpentering and Leatherwork, Cosmetology and Tailoring on lower terraces. Thus the terrain is definitely not suitable for children who are either mentally or physically disabled to run around on an Easter Egg Hunt. We therefore decided to decorate and paint the hardboiled eggs in small groups - altogether 14!!!!! We were exhausted by 3pm when we had given 121 children an egg to colour!!!!!! I wish I could tell you of all the children there- one with terrible burns on her face whose ears and everything has had to be reconstructed and whose face is still a mass of scars, the "autistic" ones who dribble and do not respond , the few in wheelchairs including "my " Harriet, the one with hydrocephalis and the many who are deaf and dumb! There are no facilities for the blind here - those are elsewhere.As we handed out eggs and explained how to first decorate them with the crayons and then to put them in the pint mugs containing red, blue green yellow and orange dye for at least half an hour plus 15 minutes drying time the children's personalities began to merge! "My" Harriet is SUCH a smiler - so, so different from the crooked bag of bones Teacher George first carried out of the mud hut over 15 months ago - other children had cottoned on to the fact that I am her sponsor and kept wheeling her around after me as I went into each classroom. One Deaf and dumb girl wanted to eat her egg there and then and got quite amusingly stroppy. I joined teachers and pupils alike for lunch - the same old same old Beans and Posho which is the standard fare in schools in Uganda but could only eat a third of it. I gave the remains away to two big lads who I think are in the carpentry section and they gobbled it! Meanwhile one poor child - a girl- had an epileptic fit and one of the teachers immediately held her safe until the fit passed and she was able to go to the bathroom to change for she had wet herself.
After lunch, Ruth and I sat to rest in a small room whilst Ruth handed out two footballs she had bought for the children to play with. Two of the older deaf and dumb girls wheeled Harriet to visit me and they were able to communicate by writing. Ruth - who was a tremendous help to me- and I could not have got the eggs colored etc if we hadn't had the help of the teachers who signed for us . I had attempted to explain the symbolism of eggs at Easter in a whole school Assembly at the beginning of the whole exercise.And I must clearly explain to you all reading this that those children VERY RARELY get an egg to eat - they live on 2 meals a day of beans and posho.
We must remember that this Centre is a relatively safe and relatively stimulating environment for these disabled children ( have I mentioned my friend Ira who came back to visit a disabled child she was helping only to find that the child was near death - the grandmother had been STARVING him).
Tomorrow I will take Ruth to Harriet's village so she w ill see that Harriet sleeps on a mattress at school but not at home................Meanwhile to Lucky Seven to buy a nailbrush in an attempt to get the dye from yesterday, off my hands!
What a day it was yesterday!
First of all Joseph turned up with the books at 7:40am just as I was about to shower, but more of that later!
Then after breakfast Wamani drove me , 5 trays of eggs, the special oily crayons I had bought in Kampala and Janine's powder dyes ...oooh and the vinegar Sallie gave me permission to steal from the hotel (too lazy to go to Lucky Seven Supermarket) about 8 miles to Bujenje village where The School for the Handicapped is situated. We found a large group of children weeding and slashing the grass at the entrance to make the place look smart and they all followed the car up the hill to a shady spot under a tree. The Headteacher had been called to a meeting, but her deputy, a lovely lady who herself had polio as a child, welcomed me. Ruth, an English volunteer who is also staying at Courtview Hotel , joined us and we perfected our plan. The Centre is built on a steep hillside, with the Office on the top terrace plus a few classrooms and the boys dormitory and other classrooms as well as the workshops for Carpentering and Leatherwork, Cosmetology and Tailoring on lower terraces. Thus the terrain is definitely not suitable for children who are either mentally or physically disabled to run around on an Easter Egg Hunt. We therefore decided to decorate and paint the hardboiled eggs in small groups - altogether 14!!!!! We were exhausted by 3pm when we had given 121 children an egg to colour!!!!!! I wish I could tell you of all the children there- one with terrible burns on her face whose ears and everything has had to be reconstructed and whose face is still a mass of scars, the "autistic" ones who dribble and do not respond , the few in wheelchairs including "my " Harriet, the one with hydrocephalis and the many who are deaf and dumb! There are no facilities for the blind here - those are elsewhere.As we handed out eggs and explained how to first decorate them with the crayons and then to put them in the pint mugs containing red, blue green yellow and orange dye for at least half an hour plus 15 minutes drying time the children's personalities began to merge! "My" Harriet is SUCH a smiler - so, so different from the crooked bag of bones Teacher George first carried out of the mud hut over 15 months ago - other children had cottoned on to the fact that I am her sponsor and kept wheeling her around after me as I went into each classroom. One Deaf and dumb girl wanted to eat her egg there and then and got quite amusingly stroppy. I joined teachers and pupils alike for lunch - the same old same old Beans and Posho which is the standard fare in schools in Uganda but could only eat a third of it. I gave the remains away to two big lads who I think are in the carpentry section and they gobbled it! Meanwhile one poor child - a girl- had an epileptic fit and one of the teachers immediately held her safe until the fit passed and she was able to go to the bathroom to change for she had wet herself.
After lunch, Ruth and I sat to rest in a small room whilst Ruth handed out two footballs she had bought for the children to play with. Two of the older deaf and dumb girls wheeled Harriet to visit me and they were able to communicate by writing. Ruth - who was a tremendous help to me- and I could not have got the eggs colored etc if we hadn't had the help of the teachers who signed for us . I had attempted to explain the symbolism of eggs at Easter in a whole school Assembly at the beginning of the whole exercise.And I must clearly explain to you all reading this that those children VERY RARELY get an egg to eat - they live on 2 meals a day of beans and posho.
We must remember that this Centre is a relatively safe and relatively stimulating environment for these disabled children ( have I mentioned my friend Ira who came back to visit a disabled child she was helping only to find that the child was near death - the grandmother had been STARVING him).
Tomorrow I will take Ruth to Harriet's village so she w ill see that Harriet sleeps on a mattress at school but not at home................Meanwhile to Lucky Seven to buy a nailbrush in an attempt to get the dye from yesterday, off my hands!
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
TUESDAY 15th APRIL 2014
Yesterday I spent the morning at Kabalega school, inspecting the new shutters on the office windows and hoping that Joseph Isingoma would return the text books and that the carpenter would deliver the new table for the computer. The ex Deputy Head was there searching for missing files and data which the new Head needs in order to fill in for The Ministry. Apparently all the schools are going crazy trying to fill in these detailed forms before the End of Term. I think that Headmaster who replaced Mary Mukonyezi did not keep his data up to date. Hopefully the computer will help them in that respect in future. I hope that Headteacher Millie will go on a computer course .
Welder Francis stopped by in the evening and I paid him for the shutters but the carpenter did not deliver the table until today so I will pay him when I see him
Joseph did not deliver the text books he had borrowed so this morning I went to Kyema school to demand them back.Headteacher Jennifer said he was with some children in town training for an athletics competition but when I phoned him he said he was at Kabalega school. So Manager Robert kindly continued to drive me. At Kabalega no-one had seen Joseph but both Rosaleen and Moses talked about the books so I think he may have bought them but I don't know what he has done with them. A different side to Joseph is being revealed as I speak to more people..........
Before breakfast I had phoned D.E.O. Deo and he invited me over to his office to discuss where to put the second computer ( I had already thought about this with Lynne and Ronnie and with Sallie and her friend Thelma. Happily Deo came up with Army Boarding school whose head, Julius was Baz's friend. Julius will collect the computer when he comes to Courtview tonight for a meeting.
After Lunch I shall go to Janine's to hard boil the 5 trays of eggs Mustapha is getting for me ready for the Egg Hunt at Masindi Centre for the Handicapped tomorrow
Drinking cold pineapple juice when I got back from Kabalega I greeted David my old friend the fishmonger from the market and he said he has Nile Perch so I bought 2 kilos for the hotel so I can eat some tonight!.
Yesterday I spent the morning at Kabalega school, inspecting the new shutters on the office windows and hoping that Joseph Isingoma would return the text books and that the carpenter would deliver the new table for the computer. The ex Deputy Head was there searching for missing files and data which the new Head needs in order to fill in for The Ministry. Apparently all the schools are going crazy trying to fill in these detailed forms before the End of Term. I think that Headmaster who replaced Mary Mukonyezi did not keep his data up to date. Hopefully the computer will help them in that respect in future. I hope that Headteacher Millie will go on a computer course .
Welder Francis stopped by in the evening and I paid him for the shutters but the carpenter did not deliver the table until today so I will pay him when I see him
Joseph did not deliver the text books he had borrowed so this morning I went to Kyema school to demand them back.Headteacher Jennifer said he was with some children in town training for an athletics competition but when I phoned him he said he was at Kabalega school. So Manager Robert kindly continued to drive me. At Kabalega no-one had seen Joseph but both Rosaleen and Moses talked about the books so I think he may have bought them but I don't know what he has done with them. A different side to Joseph is being revealed as I speak to more people..........
Before breakfast I had phoned D.E.O. Deo and he invited me over to his office to discuss where to put the second computer ( I had already thought about this with Lynne and Ronnie and with Sallie and her friend Thelma. Happily Deo came up with Army Boarding school whose head, Julius was Baz's friend. Julius will collect the computer when he comes to Courtview tonight for a meeting.
After Lunch I shall go to Janine's to hard boil the 5 trays of eggs Mustapha is getting for me ready for the Egg Hunt at Masindi Centre for the Handicapped tomorrow
Drinking cold pineapple juice when I got back from Kabalega I greeted David my old friend the fishmonger from the market and he said he has Nile Perch so I bought 2 kilos for the hotel so I can eat some tonight!.
Monday, 14 April 2014
MONDAY14thAPRIL.
Despite getting back so late from Kampala on Saturday, I really wanted to go to church on Palm Sunday and I was not disappointed.
As usual the Runyoro service overran and when I reached the cathedral there were loads of people waiting patiently to get inside, nearly all carrying long palm fronds. I had seen the hawkers on the pavements in Kampala selling these palm fronds which of course are local - its a wonder the trees aren't stripped bare! Some people had stuck them on the front of their motorcycles!
About 8:30am - half an hour late - people began pouring out of the cathedral and I was able to photograph some with their palms. I quickly squeezed in to the back of the church in order to get a seat - it was quite a melee with people still pouring out and the rest of us struggling to get in!
I must say that Bishop George with the help of "The Nine Friends" (now 8 since Michael Kaheru's death) has quite cleaned up the cathedral and the English Service. They have whitewashed the nave and put fresh tiles all down the central aisle . The back porch has been opened out ,too in attempt to accommodate all the worshippers.
As the service began the choir processed down the aisle, all waving their palm fronds and singing their hearts out. As Reverend Lydia welcomed us she waved her palm and all the congregation waved theirs back! At certain points we stood and waved our palm fronds and shouted "Halleluhia".
There is new innovation which is a drop down screen with the prayers, responses and hymns projected on to it. This is great as only a minute percentage of the congregation have either hymn or service books. Rev. Evas has been moved from her position as Head of Mothers' Union and is now based in the cathedral. Her English is good , as is Rev. Lydia's and Evas preaches a decent sermon - so much better than Rev. Francis Kajura's when he was Vicar. Rev. Evas took Matthew as her text and put a bit of a leap in asking us to liken the cleansing of the temple to the cleansing of our hearts! I think she missed a bit out and could have explained more about the moneychangers and the doves for sale....... Nevertheless something to think about especially as she referred to Proverbs and how we should walk purposefully. We sang more hymns and waved our palm fronds and the service finished about 10:20am. I stood around and greeted the new Headteacher of Kabalega Primary who sings in the choir and several teachers until Mustapha arrived on his motorbike to whisk back to Courtview Hotel!
Despite getting back so late from Kampala on Saturday, I really wanted to go to church on Palm Sunday and I was not disappointed.
As usual the Runyoro service overran and when I reached the cathedral there were loads of people waiting patiently to get inside, nearly all carrying long palm fronds. I had seen the hawkers on the pavements in Kampala selling these palm fronds which of course are local - its a wonder the trees aren't stripped bare! Some people had stuck them on the front of their motorcycles!
About 8:30am - half an hour late - people began pouring out of the cathedral and I was able to photograph some with their palms. I quickly squeezed in to the back of the church in order to get a seat - it was quite a melee with people still pouring out and the rest of us struggling to get in!
I must say that Bishop George with the help of "The Nine Friends" (now 8 since Michael Kaheru's death) has quite cleaned up the cathedral and the English Service. They have whitewashed the nave and put fresh tiles all down the central aisle . The back porch has been opened out ,too in attempt to accommodate all the worshippers.
As the service began the choir processed down the aisle, all waving their palm fronds and singing their hearts out. As Reverend Lydia welcomed us she waved her palm and all the congregation waved theirs back! At certain points we stood and waved our palm fronds and shouted "Halleluhia".
There is new innovation which is a drop down screen with the prayers, responses and hymns projected on to it. This is great as only a minute percentage of the congregation have either hymn or service books. Rev. Evas has been moved from her position as Head of Mothers' Union and is now based in the cathedral. Her English is good , as is Rev. Lydia's and Evas preaches a decent sermon - so much better than Rev. Francis Kajura's when he was Vicar. Rev. Evas took Matthew as her text and put a bit of a leap in asking us to liken the cleansing of the temple to the cleansing of our hearts! I think she missed a bit out and could have explained more about the moneychangers and the doves for sale....... Nevertheless something to think about especially as she referred to Proverbs and how we should walk purposefully. We sang more hymns and waved our palm fronds and the service finished about 10:20am. I stood around and greeted the new Headteacher of Kabalega Primary who sings in the choir and several teachers until Mustapha arrived on his motorbike to whisk back to Courtview Hotel!
Sunday, 13 April 2014
SUNDAY 13th APRIL 2014
Yesterday I went to Kampala!
Originally I planned to go to check out cameras, so I phoned Dorothy Mugenyi and asked her to meet me at the Bus Park and then I went and bought my single ticket for sh.13.000 (less than £4) and came home and found my camera hiding in a trainer!Then that evening Janine decided to come with me, not knowing that I'd contacted Dorothy. I said that I'd meet her at 7:30 am at the bus.
Imagine how Impressed I was when Janine arrived at the hotel at 7:10am as I was finishing my breakfast of fruit(mango,pineapple and banana) and boiled egg! She suggested we walk to the bus so I gulped my tea and off we went without me going back to my room.
Just as it became the time for the bus to depart (we'd secured 2 very comfortable seats and paid extra for the middle one so that no-one would join and squash us!!!!) I realised that I didn't have my mobile - how was I to link up with Dorothy? I had left the mobile on my table so J. tried phoning Sallie to ask one of the staff to retrieve my phone and send D's number. But we couldn't get through and then When I did so I inadvertantly shut off J's phone so Courtview couldn't phone us back . At this point we were in Kampala and waiting outside the gates of the Bus Park.
You have to imagine the Kampala Bus Park: it is a teeming mass of humanity with huge coaches trying to enter and depart in a seeming noisy chaos compounded by pickpockets and porters and vendors dodging and running between buses and up inside buses, behind buses and in front of buses. The skill of the drivers has to be seen to be believed and all the time klaxons blowing and people shouting , laughing, crying............
We did eventually get Dorothy's number and eventually after standing in the boiling sun met up.She had brought her "special" driver (saloon car taxi) and we walked through the heat, dust and noise to find the Taxi - the "jams" around the bus park are famous so he had parked some distance away - and I hadn't put on any suncream since I'D NOT GONE BACK TO MY ROOM and the anti malaria drug I take makes one susceptible to sunstroke........
Once in the taxi, we went to a shop dealing in computers and printers. I found one that fulfilled the criteria but he wanted cash so I said we'd go the Garden City Shopping Mall, have some lunch, talk buy J's vine leaves (she would keep on about GRAPE leaves for her dolmades (the diet out here is restricted and we're always looking for variety)and find an ATM. Also a decent loo!
We managed all that : J. ate Lebanese food, D. the African favourite Chicken and Chips and I chose a Chinese noodle thing1 Told you we crave variety!!! I also popped in to Uchumi supermarket and bought wax crayons for the Easter Egg Hunt I am planning for the Handicapped children.
A bit of a kerfuffle choosing a "special" taxi to take us back to get the printer only to find the Moslem shopkeeper had gone for Friday Prayers............. All is not lost as term is about to end and so I shall go and spend a few days with Doctor Margaret and meeting up with Princess Bagaya before I fly home.
We persuaded the special to push through the jams and get us to the Bus Park, not daring to do any more shopping as the bus was due to leave at 4pm back to Masindi. Janine is a missionary and has a mini farm around her home and daren;t leave her animals for long especially as her pig is about to farrow!Well, we got to sit inside the bus by 3:20pm and found 2 seats in a two seater if you see what I mean (everyone gets hot and sweaty out here) .....and to cut a long story short we left the bus park at 5:45pm. It was hot and noisy (they had turned the radio on and in the middle of all the ranting and raving we heard the Sunderland v Everton match in Runyoro! We had plenty of time to see the coming and going the hustle and bustle. the playfighting and the thief being publicly humiliated! And all the time people were squeezing on to the bus and more and more parcels and packages and bundles were being loaded underneath.
We travelled most of the way home in the dark and to his credit the driver did not exceed the speed limit.We got in at 9:45pm. I made Janine walk back to the hotel where she had parked her motorcycle ( the bodaboda men couldn't understand but we had our torches and not only were our backs aching but our bums were numb......again!We were really too tired to eat but chose a little fish - and then A SHOWER and BED!
Yesterday I went to Kampala!
Originally I planned to go to check out cameras, so I phoned Dorothy Mugenyi and asked her to meet me at the Bus Park and then I went and bought my single ticket for sh.13.000 (less than £4) and came home and found my camera hiding in a trainer!Then that evening Janine decided to come with me, not knowing that I'd contacted Dorothy. I said that I'd meet her at 7:30 am at the bus.
Imagine how Impressed I was when Janine arrived at the hotel at 7:10am as I was finishing my breakfast of fruit(mango,pineapple and banana) and boiled egg! She suggested we walk to the bus so I gulped my tea and off we went without me going back to my room.
Just as it became the time for the bus to depart (we'd secured 2 very comfortable seats and paid extra for the middle one so that no-one would join and squash us!!!!) I realised that I didn't have my mobile - how was I to link up with Dorothy? I had left the mobile on my table so J. tried phoning Sallie to ask one of the staff to retrieve my phone and send D's number. But we couldn't get through and then When I did so I inadvertantly shut off J's phone so Courtview couldn't phone us back . At this point we were in Kampala and waiting outside the gates of the Bus Park.
You have to imagine the Kampala Bus Park: it is a teeming mass of humanity with huge coaches trying to enter and depart in a seeming noisy chaos compounded by pickpockets and porters and vendors dodging and running between buses and up inside buses, behind buses and in front of buses. The skill of the drivers has to be seen to be believed and all the time klaxons blowing and people shouting , laughing, crying............
We did eventually get Dorothy's number and eventually after standing in the boiling sun met up.She had brought her "special" driver (saloon car taxi) and we walked through the heat, dust and noise to find the Taxi - the "jams" around the bus park are famous so he had parked some distance away - and I hadn't put on any suncream since I'D NOT GONE BACK TO MY ROOM and the anti malaria drug I take makes one susceptible to sunstroke........
Once in the taxi, we went to a shop dealing in computers and printers. I found one that fulfilled the criteria but he wanted cash so I said we'd go the Garden City Shopping Mall, have some lunch, talk buy J's vine leaves (she would keep on about GRAPE leaves for her dolmades (the diet out here is restricted and we're always looking for variety)and find an ATM. Also a decent loo!
We managed all that : J. ate Lebanese food, D. the African favourite Chicken and Chips and I chose a Chinese noodle thing1 Told you we crave variety!!! I also popped in to Uchumi supermarket and bought wax crayons for the Easter Egg Hunt I am planning for the Handicapped children.
A bit of a kerfuffle choosing a "special" taxi to take us back to get the printer only to find the Moslem shopkeeper had gone for Friday Prayers............. All is not lost as term is about to end and so I shall go and spend a few days with Doctor Margaret and meeting up with Princess Bagaya before I fly home.
We persuaded the special to push through the jams and get us to the Bus Park, not daring to do any more shopping as the bus was due to leave at 4pm back to Masindi. Janine is a missionary and has a mini farm around her home and daren;t leave her animals for long especially as her pig is about to farrow!Well, we got to sit inside the bus by 3:20pm and found 2 seats in a two seater if you see what I mean (everyone gets hot and sweaty out here) .....and to cut a long story short we left the bus park at 5:45pm. It was hot and noisy (they had turned the radio on and in the middle of all the ranting and raving we heard the Sunderland v Everton match in Runyoro! We had plenty of time to see the coming and going the hustle and bustle. the playfighting and the thief being publicly humiliated! And all the time people were squeezing on to the bus and more and more parcels and packages and bundles were being loaded underneath.
We travelled most of the way home in the dark and to his credit the driver did not exceed the speed limit.We got in at 9:45pm. I made Janine walk back to the hotel where she had parked her motorcycle ( the bodaboda men couldn't understand but we had our torches and not only were our backs aching but our bums were numb......again!We were really too tired to eat but chose a little fish - and then A SHOWER and BED!
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