Hotel Ruch Kampala

Unfortunately we didn't have a great night&#8217;s sleep in our tent with dogs constantly barking and someone playing music somewhere but our bedrolls which we used for the first time tonight seemed okay.<br><br>The drive from Kisumu to the Uganda border was over one of the roughest sealed roads we&#8217;ve ever experienced. It was full of massive pot holes so big that in most places we actually drove off the road to get around them. Not much fun when you&#8217;re trying to ...

... out by the stunning Lake Bunyoni. It is a volcanic lake and at quite a high altitude. It is also the deepest lake in Uganda at 6500ft (Nearly 2km!). So pretty much all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday we sunbathed, swam, read books and even jumped off the 10 metre high diving board (Rachel didn't attempt it though). Sunday was Rachel's birthday so our cook John organised a cake which gave Rachel a bit of surprise as she wasn't expecting anything. I also managed to find some candles ...

... The cook group of the day even helps out with shopping duties at times. So far, the food has been awesome! Usually we have fresh veggies, some kind of meat product, and rice, noodle, or potatoes. It's all very fresh and fills you up each time. I just found out that I will have the same cook for the entire 2 months which is good because so far the food has been excellent, but I kind of wish we had a different cook for a little bit because the recipes ...

... the place noticeably greener than many of the other water-starved countries we've passed through. Tea bushes stretched as far as the eye could see at times.<br><br>Again we didn't get to see much of Kampala - one of the criticism of this kind of tour is there's often no time to go into the towns we've stayed near - but from what we did see it appeared a bustling, well developed city. The Idi Amin Stadium is now the Mandela stadium, and it seems the ...

Three of our group members head out early to do a full-day extreme river rafting adventure on the Nile River at Jinja. You can see a photo essay on this exciting adventure if you do a search of the New York Times Travel Section articles in the last six months.<br><br> Our first stop today is at Ssezibwa Falls for a fun hike at the base and over the top of the falls. Then we do a hike through the rainforest at another break in our journey. Our ...

... mzungu speaks better Luganda than Teacher David.' David is a Langi from the North. I take that as a good sign. So, David came to me to challenge me: after my 7 months we will meet for a Lugganda competition. I swear, I will win that one!!!<br><br>Today, Josephine, Birgitte, Sam (BiA volunteer) and I are in BiA's office. They had a meeting about Eden School. It was very interesting to be able to participate. However, the highlight was ...

... up the tree. I asked Fred to save some fruit for Pasa until the other chimps left, which he did. When he tossed them out to her, he spoke and told her she was only getting them because I asked, and reminded her that this isn't the way it works, not for chimpanzees anyways. Watching her in that final bit of time, 20 minutes before our boat was to leave; I felt that emotion inside me return. I am certain that it didn't help that I basically just watched animal nature at its cruellest. Drops ...

The first week on the project has been very hard work! Our first task has been to collect rock on the mountainside that can be used to fill the foundations of the school. The land is prone to seasonal flooding so the foundations have been made to raise two feet or so out of the water and now they need filling with rock before a cement floor can be laid. I totally underestimated the amount of water I'd need on the first day and was struggling after just a ...

Uganda 21 February - 2nd MarchI hit Uganda on the 21st February and you know Uganda is my spiritual home - waragi - the gin they make nectar for the Gods.   I was also nursing a flu remember so hot toddies absolutely recommended. I indulged in Matoke (cooked banana) and celebrated womanhood as I got to meet some amazing women - all building up to International Women's day you know - 8th March for those who don't know.