11

So this week we did some medicine then headed down south on a hot, bumpy, crazy break-neck speed, yet still remarkably slow, bus to Kabale near the Rwanda border. Emma and Caiomhe were leaving Kitovu and travelling down to Rwanda so we thought we’d join them. Ugandan people must have super-bladders or something because they thought we were really strange to need a loo break half way. Getting used to the pit latrines now. Great to see the scenery change from dry flat shrubland and marshes to hills getting bigger and steeper the further south you go.

Kabale looks a bit like a town from a Western or something, big wide road with shops lining it either side. As the bus stopped a billion taxi men jumped on because they saw white people and tried to get us to go with them crazy crazy. So we got in one and drove up a windy red dust road up to the top of a big hill and then we saw the lake. Absolutely beautiful. It’s a huge blue sparkling lake full of little islands. Breathtaking. We stayed in safari tents overlooking the lake and left all the window flaps down at night so we woke up to 360 degree views. It gets very cold at night (no woolly jumper on a trip to Africa= error) but still hot in the day. They had a nice camp fire to sit around and warm yourself after dinner. Lake Bunyonyi means lots of birds, in the morning they were so loud it was really nice to wake up to.

We went on a hike on the first day up to the top of one of the hills and ended up picking up a load of kids who became our guides to finding this cave which was small and typically cave-like (maybe they think we don’t have caves in England). Our guide also pointed out a cat and a cow with great excitement (yes we have those too). But was so much fun to walk around and at one point we passed this primary school and the kids went absolutely crazy, all ran out of their lessons, ran over yelling ‘mzungus!!’ and all wanted to grab our hands and touch our skin. The teachers had a moment of attempt at control before they joined in. On the way back though they had some pretty big sticks/meter rulers so there was less chaos! Crazy how big a deal we are to them, it’s like being a celebrity for some weird reason that you’re white. We tried this gross porridge thing which is some warped cross between beer and oat soup.

The next day we got a boat out on the lake and we drove round the edge of Punishment Island. It’s a tiny island with one tree on it that women who got pregnant out of wedlock were sent to die. If you could swim you were tied to the tree, otherwise you were just left there to starve to death. Nice. We got off at another island which used to be a leper colony and hospital but is now a school. From there you could see the hills of Rwanda and the head boy told us about what Rwanda’s like now which was really interesting. Apparently the government is super strict, all kids have to go to school and everyone has to wear shoes otherwise you get beaten with a stick, even if you’re elderly. You have to take all your crops to the village church – sounds a bit like a regime. Although not sure how much is true because the guy’s not been outside of Kabale, people just don’t travel unless they need to. Interesting to hear about Rwanda from some Brits who came to Uganda from Kigali as well. Crazy what country borders are, just an invisible line separating a massive horrific genocide and relative peace. The hills look exactly the same. Shame we didn’t have time to visit Rwanda ourselves. In Uganda the general feeling is that Musevini (current Ugandan president) will get in again next year although there might be some trouble. Apparently he’s said that the only way he’ll step down as president is if he’s shot. Some people worry that he’ll become a dictator like Amin but others say he’s the best of a bad lot. The Ugandan people have known enough violence, really praying there’s peace during the elections next year.

I’m so loving meeting loads of people travelling from around the world. Some really interesting people all here for different reasons. And people on journeys around East Africa, down the whole of Africa and just in Uganda. And crazy how you meet people from just down the road, like a Sheffield doctor who lives round the corner and Caiomhe’s meet a couple of people from a few minutes away from her village in Ireland.

This morning we woke up and got in a dug-out (tree trunk canoe) with some spear-like oars. It was the most wobbly vessel I have ever embarked on. We feared for our cameras. I don’t know how they make it look so easy. Apparently there’s a phrase called the ‘mzungu circle’ which is basically going round in circles. We were well acquainted with the term by the end. Couldn’t get it to go in a straight line at all. Gone were the plans of canoeing to an island. Well at least we saw the 360 degree lake view- several times. Then there was this horrible floating spider that tried to crawl onto the boat. Panic isn’t good for the wobble. Somehow we made it back to shore. Shame most of the camp were watching.

We left Lake Bunyonyi yesterday and got onto a bus to Kampala. Lesson 1: (which you’d think we’d have learnt from previous experience with the Masaka bus) Don’t get on a bus that is very empty because although the lure of a seat is tempting they wait until the whole bus is filled. 2 hours later we left. 6 hours later we got to Masaka. Home sweet home to warmer climates and Maria’s cooking. Back at the Danish cafe for church this morning. Awesome African dancing song thing, we didn’t have a clue what it meant but the actions were fab!

Can’t believe we’ve reached week 6 already! Going to make the most of the next few weeks before we fly back. Already feeling like I don’t want to leave!

Lots of love,

Christine