Uganda

Hello everyone....

Well the last time I posted we were just about to begin our journey up to Uganda, totally clueless about what we were getting ourselves into. Our bus ride to lake victoria was unreal- 26 hours long, and for 24 hours of the ride we were driving on unpaved road with pot holes everywhere. It was really the worse experience I have ever had. It was so bouncy that our chair actually ripped out of the bottom and kar bounced so high that she smashed her head on the ceiling. That was it for kar, she lost her cool.

Anyways, we did eventually make it to Uganda and it was an instant relief. This country is unbelievable in every way and it is by far my favorite place in the world. I thought Tanzania was nice, but no, it doesn't even compare to Uganda. The people here are great and I have enjoyed talking to the locals very much. They frequently invite us into their homes to meet their families and usually the kids will perform a dance or song. It is quite the experience.

When we first arrived in Uganda, we met up with four other travellers (two guys from england, and two from Canada) and made our journey to the much talked about island. This island was something else. The british man feed us with the best food I have ever had and supplied us with an unlimited amount of rum. Our days on the island were spent mostly playing frisbee, running away from meat eating ants and caterpillars that sting, and taking out the row boat to find lizards- I got stuck paddling around the men as they sat on the boat drinking and talking about these massive lizards that I had yet to see.

After a few days on the island, I was done and needed to get back to land. We then headed back on a boat and of course, as luck is not on our side these days, we got caught in a storm and thought the boat was going to flip. I have a hard time understanding Africans, as they have no knowledge about the importance of prevention. Instead of turning around the boat when we saw the storm coming, they decided to carry on through and risk the lives of 20 people, including tiny babies. Kar who has spent the last two years on water had a face of horror as we headed on through and her nervousness definitely heightened my anxiety- but hey were still here, thankfully.

Right now were in a town situated on the Nile river volunteering with some schools. The town were staying in is awesome and for an obvious reason (because of the mountain biking and river kayaking) is a popular destination for those living in BC and Alaska. We are with three other girls from BC right now. I plan to go river rafting next weekend and if I come back here at the end of April for two months (which I am thinking about as I have the opportunity to teach phys-ed and sports in the surrounding schools) I have set myself with a person who will teach me to river kayak in exchange for a place to stay if he comes to kayak the rivers in BC.

Anyways, hope all is well with everyone,