Uganda Photos

Posted a sampling of the photos of the necklace project, the water projects and some shots from the safari and island excursions on Facebook here.

What’s in a Name?

You may have heard me mention a few times that I was given an African name the first time I was here. My name is Salongo, which means “father of twins”. Having twins is very celebrated in this culture – you are blessed. I am often introduced by the locals as Salongo Mark and the reaction is always a big smile and a firm handshake. Kelly is Nalongo Kelly – mother of twins.

By African culture too, we would have specific names for each of our kids. Aidan would have been named Wasswa and Sydney Nakato. Anyone who heard their names would instantly know they were twins and the order of their birth. By tradition we are supposed to have 4 more kids that follow after. Since we are not having any more kids then the cousins are to take their proper names. Karly, being the next born girl would be named Kizza, then Kara would have been named Nakamya and Jillian’s name would be Nakitio.

According to Joseph we need to have one more child in our family – there must be 5 following the birth of twins and this fifth child would be named Kitooke. Since we are not having more children this task falls on my brother so, Rob… Joseph says by tradition you need to have another child.

So, if ever in Uganda and you meet someone named any of the African names listed above you would know right away that they are the third or fourth to follow a twin.

Island time

We planned to spend the last two nights out on the main island but before we left we had planned to make a traditional Canadian breakfast for our hosts. Kelly and I woke early in the morning and the staff watched as we whipped up some pancakes with syrup from a farm around the corner from our house. It was missing some sausages or bacon but we couldn’t exactly bring any with us. Still, it made for a good hearty breakfast and everyone (especially the kids) enjoyed something different and sampling a little taste of Canada. We quickly gobbled down breakfast and packed our things in to the truck.

Uganda is land locked but shares a large shoreline of the world’s second largest freshwater lake – Lake Victoria. On this lake there are hundreds of Islands but only one is accessible by ferry. There are two ferry points – one close by and one a three-hour drive away… guess which one was closed for ferry repairs? Yup, you guessed it. We had to travel the long way around to get there and on the way passed countless villages each selling their local craftwork or harvest at the side of the roads.

We also stopped at the equator to take some photos and run a science experiment that demonstrates that water flows clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on which side of the equator you stand. Right on the equator itself the water flows straight down – not spiraling at all. So cool.

We finally arrived at the island ferry, a simple landing with a few big motors and a ramp at either end. We waited with the locals for about an hour for it to arrive and unload. Several locals introduced themselves and asked questions about where we were from or just wanted to say Hi. I think we were the only non-Ugandans on our trip across the river and stood out like sore thumbs, I easily towered 2 heads higher than most others and my big bald white head must have shone like a beacon in the hot sun. We were packed in like sardines – probably 150 of us standing between parked cars while vendors squeezed by selling sodas, ground nuts or grasshoppers. The ride was about an hour across but it felt good to stand after spending so much time driving again.
Once we crossed we tried to navigate our way across the island to our place of stay. There were minimal signs; just random forks in the roads and even the locals didn’t really seem to know how to get anywhere.

We eventually found our place – a beautiful lodge with an amazing view of the lake and other surrounding islands. Monkeys jumped in the trees above and the smell of… uh, nothing (no diesel fumes, dust or burning garbage) was perfect. Our rooms were clean and modern, large rooms with flat screen TV’s. Very different than the other places we had seen. We had separate rooms but a large shared dining and lounging space with several sets of screen doors overlooking the lake. We were all tired from the drive so ordered some beers and dinner and relaxed for the evening.

In the morning we called for a guide to show us the sights. The cell networks were down (most of Uganda doesn’t have land lines, they never built the infrastructure and went straight to cell towers) so we couldn’t reach the guide but the lodge had suggested using one of the employees who knew the way around. We negotiated a rate, jammed into our truck and headed off to explore the island. I would have preferred a long hike but everything was pretty spread out so we were told we had to drive to the trails and island features. The guide led us along to check out a few nice beaches with waterside grass roofed huts from another lodge. We chatted with some fishermen and strolled along the waters edge. It was hot out but we couldn’t swim in the lake – there are parasites that make non-locals sick so we just admired it from the edges. Unfortunately there were no pools on the island either so this was as close as we were going to get. We traveled along the lake to another beach lodge and ordered some drinks and groundnuts to snack on. It was a beautiful piece of paradise to just relax at.

We wanted to go see the caves before lunch so the guide lead us down lonely dirt roads, through tiny villages and around palm tree plantations. No sign of the caves. We stopped a few times to ask some local boda boda drivers how to find the caves. Our guide said he hadn’t been there before but knew the way… obviously not. After about an hour of searching we gave up and headed back for lunch. Our guide said he was embarrassed for not finding the caves and left without saying goodbye. We didn’t know if we would see him again.

After lunch the networks started working again so we managed to get a hold of the real guide. We picked him up a short time later and he gave an amazing tour of the land – sharing stories and traditions. He was well educated on the local scene and had a real respect for the environment. As we drove along we always saw what I just assumed was jungle but upon closer look he showed us all the plants growing – most planted intentionally and harvested for food or craft materials.

He then told us to pull over on the side of the road at what seemed to be the middle of nowhere – a road we had passed by several times with the first guide. There was no parking or real path but he assured us the caves were nearby. I must admit after the first guide I didn’t believe him. We walked through some open fields and palm plantations. He taught us of the farming and the different species of native and modern – imported modified species that were easier to harvest and had a much quicker yield of fruit. He quizzed us on the impacts and the proposed benefits and left it to us to decide which species was better.

We hiked along and came to a cliff face and stopped at the entrance to a bat cave. The entrance walls were black from a fire that was still left burning from a recent ceremony. This, we were told, was a sacred cave. We ventured inside and bats circled around even in the middle of the day. He told us stories of legends and folklore. Their healers would enter the cave, leave offerings of food and locally brewed alcohol made of bananas. They would fall into a deep trance and be able to predict fortunes. Local villagers would come and ask about their harvest, their relationships, their futures and… even if they might be blessed with twins. We all had a good chuckle.

Back at the lodge we ordered a whole chicken to barbecue for dinner and settled down for another night of relaxation. We planned to go to bed early since we had to awake at 5:30am again to catch the return ferry but instead, kept ordering rounds of local Bell beers and chatted with other outsiders from Ireland who just returned from the trip to the Impenetrable forest to view the Gorillas. It sounded like an amazing adventure, one we had decided not to take since the drive was over 12 hours each way and up to 4 hours of hiking slippery jungle trails with the possibility of maybe seeing a family or gorillas. They were fortunate and spent an hour with these incredible creatures just a few feet away. One of the gorillas was playing nearby and rolling down a hillside and he rolled right into one of the trekkers – a 60-year-old lady. She was not hurt and everyone agreed it would have been an honour to be touched by a gorilla.

We ordered for an early breakfast at 6am so we could get to the ferry on the other side of the island in time. My alarm kicked off at 5:30 am and it was still pitch black out and the generators had not been turned on. We washed, dressed and packed by the light of my iPhone again. We could hear the help setting up our breakfast dishes without any lights on in the building. I could not make out her silhouette it was so dark. We assumed breakfast would come shortly but it took almost an hour to prepare and she put us well behind our schedule. We were worried we would not make the ferry in time so we wolfed down our breakfast and hit the road.

Eating Jack fruit we picked up on the dive over to the island

We managed to arrive just in time but there was a long lineup for the ferry. Only 12 vehicles were allowed and I think we were the thirteenth. Joseph went up and negotiated with the ferry controllers to ensure we had a place on board and would not miss our flight. When it was time to load we were the first on and I counted as everyone else parked their trucks. I didn’t want us to be responsible for anyone else missing the ferry. 8 trucks, then 9. A few more. Then the 12th truck rolled on. There were still 2 more on the shore but instead of making them wait they shuffled a few trucks around and somehow managed to squeeze them on. Everything was so tight I could not believe they managed to fit. Trucks were almost driving over passenger’s toes and people were pressed up tightly between vehicles. We were separated from Joseph and Mirriam and stuck in the middle between a passenger bus and a meat truck that had cow hides rolled in the back and feces drying along the rails. The locals didn’t seem to blink. They stool all around us eating their commuter breakfast – raw corn. They just peeled the husks back and ate the kernels. I suppose it provided enough nutrition for the morning.

Everyone was squished in, even the vendors could not get around without climbing through the cow truck to sell their wares. One mother say on the wet muddy ground in her dress so her children could sit on her lap and try to sleep. On the journey some kids kept looking over and smiling at us. One pulled out some markers and, since she didn’t have any paper, started writing on her hands. Kelly had a notebook on her and ripped out a few pages and gave it to her. She gave back the greatest smile and said thanks. Moments later the first page came back with a note written in English saying hello and what her name was. It was quickly followed by several others as her and her sister filled page after page with stories and drawings. We wrote notes and drew sketches and passed them back and forth to pass the time.

After standing for an hour we were happy to be back on shore. We loaded up and had another 3 hour drive back to Kampala. We only had a few hours left in the afternoon so we stopped at a few craft shops along the roadside, grabbed some more treats for others back home and hit an awesome Indian restaurant in the middle of town. After an extremely filling meal we returned to Josephs to wash up and pack for home.

We loaded up and headed towards the airport. We had planned to stop for a late dinner before catching our 1:45am flight back to Amsterdam but Kelly and I were still full from our big lunch earlier so instead we found a nice patio near Entebbe airport and had a few farewell drinks with our friends.

This wasn’t a vacation or a holiday – it was an experience. And an amazing one at that. It was incredible to meet the necklace ladies and see the completed water projects, to give out toys and school supplies to the children, and to experience the flavor of Africa with our good friend Joseph from Kampala. We learned so much once again and have been inspired to travel more and get more involved in projects that can have such a huge impact.
Thanks for sharing our journey with us.

In the jungle, the mighty jungle

Today we left for a mini holiday to go to Murchison Falls with just the two of us. We had a quick breakfast before we left and the staff had prepared a local favorite – grasshoppers – as part of our meal. I’d tasted them last time and was surprised that they tasted quite good. To cook them they remove the legs and wings and then fry the rest in some butter. It’s a tasty treat, almost like popcorn but more crunchy. Kelly wasn’t up to braving it – she said the eyes kept looking at her but Joseph didn’t blink to put a handful on his bread – eyes and all, and crunch them down. Grasshoppers – the breakfast of champions.

Grasshoppers are plentiful this time of the year – you see them everywhere. I even had one fly into the open widow of the car and land on my shoulder when driving through town. They cover the walls of buildings and make for an easy meal for the scavenging storks in town. To catch them you simply wait till nightfall, turn on a very bright light and place a tall bin below the light. Grasshoppers would swarm towards the light – hundreds at a time and fall into the bins whose walls were too steep for them to jump out of. An easy catch and the streets would be lined with vendors selling heaps of them for eager buyers.

A different style of toilet

Our driver, Ishmael, picked us up bright and early and we made the long five and a half hour drive to the national park entrance. We went through crowded Kampala, drove through dozens of small towns on bumpy roads and stopped for a lunch of fresh fish – whole tilapia with head, scales and tale all breaded with rice and veggies. The fish was huge and filled my plate almost spilling over the edges. It was very meaty and tender – simply amazing.

We continued along dusty dirt roads to the park entrance. As soon as we crossed the boundary there were baboons on the road to greet us as if to say, “welcome to our home”. We were staying in luxury huts – round stone buildings with thatched roofs, deep in the jungle. The scenery was amazing and when we arrived more baboons were walking just a few meters past our hut. We were the only ones staying here tonight so the place was ours. We had a quick dip in the pool (which wasn’t quite working – must have been because it was the off season), a long hot shower (solar showers) and a great dinner in the lodge. There were a few bats flying around the lodge while we ate which may have bothered others but we were quite fine with it. We’ve had our share of experiences with bats in the past.

We setup the mosquito net over our bed. I had to laugh as one hole in the netting was repaired with a bandage from a previous guest I’m sure. The generators shut down at 10pm so it was pitch black out and all we could hear was the loud crickets, frogs and the occasional baboon or monkey grunt in the background. It was an amazing lullaby to call us to sleep. I wanted to stay up later but we were to get up at 5am for breakfast and to head out early for the sunrise and safari so we needed some sleep.

Jungle Fever

We had a great rest and woke easily for breakfast even though it was still pitch black out. The generators hadn’t kicked on yet so we used my iPhone as a flashlight to dress and pack for the day. After a quick breakfast we traveled along the dusty roads and watched as the sun rose behind us. We had to reach the ferry to cross the Nile, which only runs a few times a day. We made it there just in time and crossed the river so we could begin our safari adventure. We picked up our safari guide – the most experienced guide in the park. He carries a gun, partially for protection but mainly in case an elephant blocks the roadway. Elephants can be quite stubborn and stand in the middle of the road for over an hour and sometimes there is no way around, so the ranger would shoot his gun into the air to entice the elephant would move.

We moved through many different types of scenery, from savanna to grasslands to rich jungle areas. Along the way we easily spotted all types of gazelles and antelopes, water buffalo, warthogs, hippos and numerous birds. As we headed in deeper into the park we found the giraffes and some elephants. The elephants have a common migration path used for centuries and it’s obvious to spot – not because it’s a worn path but because it is literally lined with Palm trees. Palm trees were not native to the park but were introduced from the north by elephants that would eat parts of the tree and days later would deposit seeds in their droppings and by doing so introduced Palm trees to the Park.

Our goal was to spot a leopard or lion that are very difficult to find. We came across a dead water buffalo, which the guide said was from a lion pack a few days previous.

The day before we arrived there was a lot of rainfall so the apparently the roads yesterday were treacherous in the Park. Even the best 4×4’s were sliding all over the roads and we could see deep tracks and evidence of many incidences of trucks sliding into the ditches. We heard that one truck was stuck right at 7am and did not manage to get free till 1pm. Thankfully the roads were quite dry today with just a few puddles to serve as a reminder of the weather the days previous.

We took hundreds of photos but had no luck finding any cats yet but had to head back for a picnic lunch in the campsite area and be sure to be back in time to catch the boat ride. We ate our lunch under a stick shade umbrella and watched as warthogs sniffed around, some as close as 3 or 4 feet away hoping for a free lunch but they were unsuccessful so a family of them just slept in the shade of a tree a few feet away. Man they are ugly creatures up close but they seemed so docile and easy-going.

We caught our boat and spent the afternoon on the Nile heading up to the falls – a 2-hour journey up and another hour return. The riverbeds were lined with countless hippos and the occasional alligator. As we neared the falls we came across a large family of elephants from male elders to very young. It was amazing to see a family – generations of elephants together by the waterside. We continued on and cruised right up near the impressive falls to take some photos before heading back.

We made our way back to the lodge to eat and rest for the evening. We chatted with a few other guests and it seems every Muzungo (white person) you meet is there on some sort of charity mission. That’s why the name Muzungo is said with respect and admiration – mainly from children, since they know many Muzungos are there to help in some capacity.

In the morning we were going on a hike to the top of the falls to see the entire Nile River flow into a small opening and drop 100 meters to the river below. I wasn’t feeling well so I told Kelly to go on with the guide and see it – I’d seen it a few years ago and it was something that shouldn’t be missed.

It turns out that the cause of my not feeling well was our picnic lunch the day previous. I didn’t think about it at the time but we had pies for lunch – mine was a beef meat pie and Kelly’s a vegetarian. It turns out our lunch was made around 5am and sat in the hot sun in back of the jeep till we ate around 1pm. Not good for meat – nor for my gut. Thankfully by the time Kelly returned a few hours later I was well enough to make the 5-hour drive back to Kampala. Whew.

When we returned we had planned to hit the town and find a place to listen to live local music and dance but we were exhausted and just had a late dinner and mellow night at home so we could rest and prepare for our next adventure in the morning.

The Fellowship

We were off to meet with the Rotary club we worked with to build the water projects at the schools. Joseph’s club is over 100 members strong and the room was packed. This club has a real energy about them and they were so friendly and engaging. I reacquainted myself with a few familiar faces I had not seen in years.

We didn’t realize that we were the guests of honour this evening. Joseph made a great speech about our project and we were presented with a gift from the club by the Prime Minister to the King of Uganda himself. It was a total surprise.

In reality, it is Joseph and the club that should be thanked for introducing us to their projects, showing us the incredible effect and inspiring our project and making it work by matching our funds and implementing the projects on site. Thank you.

Kelly and the Necklace Ladies

Today was a special day as Kelly was able to meet for the first time the ladies who she has been helping with the paper necklace fundraiser we started a few years ago.

This group of ladies all met at the Mildmay AIDS hospital in Kampala. While they were there receiving their treatment they were taught skills that would allow them to earn a living for them and their children when they left the hospital. They were taught a few craft skills including how to make these beautiful necklaces out of recycled paper. For the past several years they have been making these necklaces and supporting their families. Most of the women are widows and all have children – most between 5- 8 children each. One woman had to have her arm amputated but she is still able to roll each individual bead using her own technique.

Kelly and I were ordering necklaces through them – usually several hundred at a time, at fair trade prices. They would package and ship them to us and we would sell them and provide all the proceeds of the sales to Rotary who would match each dollar we raised and use that money to build the water projects we saw earlier.

Usually their booth at the hospital is only open 2 days a week but our schedule for the week didn’t allow us to be there on either of those days so they all came together and opened their booth and brought out their best products just for us. They showed Kelly what they had been working on and even walked her through the process of how they make each individual bead. It was amazing to see the craftsmanship and the pride in which they put into their work. They were thrilled that we were there and each of them took the time to thank us for helping them sell so many of their products for them. Then we learned that things have changed recently at the Mildmay hospital and it was rare that they had guests come anymore so it was a challenge for them to sell their products so any help we could bring would have a huge impact on them.

We couldn’t take many home since importing rules did not allow large quantities so Kelly picked a few dozen samples of different styles they had introduced for necklaces, bracelets and more so we could decide what ones we might carry. They decided to give a name to each style so when we order they can know exactly which style we were referring to. One of the new styles had amazing, large beads easily 4 times the size of their traditional beads. The head of the group looked at me, standing tall at almost 6’5” and said they will call these beads Salongo – my African name. We all had a good laugh and it served as a reminder the impact we were having on them.

We had spent more time than we anticipated and realized we needed to move quickly to get to a Rotary meeting on the other side of town.