Jambo Uganda

UK Pit-Stop: Xmas & New Year

2010-02-10T03:01:00.000-08:00

Dec 09/Jan 2010: A wintry break in the UK - 3 weeks of flat roads, fast internet, anonyminity & proper bread. Oh, & it was fantastic to see you fine folk as well!

Happy New Year!

Dutchie + trip to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

2010-02-10T02:43:00.000-08:00

The latest jolly with the Dutch bunch saw us wading through swamps and ripping limbs in the tall grass, all in pursuit of the elusive rhino. The sanctuary - which occupies 70km of land - also plays host to vervet monkeys, orphaned bushbucks, hippos and crocodiles. We managed to spot an amorous couple, but sadly, not the latest addition to the rhino herd: baby Obama (his father was donated by Disneyland & his mother from Kenya...)

The main aims of the sanctuary are to promote the re-introduction of rhinos into Uganda, run breeding programmes, educate communities on poaching and rhino conservation.

Spooky

2010-02-10T02:36:00.000-08:00

Another year in Uganda, another chance to celebrate my favourite festival...

Little Face

2010-02-10T00:47:00.001-08:00

This photo - of one of the kids on my street - was my entry into a recent VSO photography competition. The children follow me home every day, shouting 'Muzungu, bye'! as I pass. Often, they'll peer through the compound gate, eagerly waiting for a biscuit or a piece of pineapple.

Rhino Raft Race, Jinja

2010-02-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

November 2009: With high spirits & a mighty effort, the VSO rafting team paddled into 6th place (/20) in the annual Rhino Fund Raft Race, in aid of Rhino Fund Uganda (http://www.rhinofund.org/). The route took us along 4km of the Nile River, finishing up at the spectacular Bujagali Falls. The winning team were the 'Rhino Rangers' - none of whom could swim!

Cheerio VSO - Lonely Planet here I come

2010-02-09T23:39:00.000-08:00

October 2009: I bid farewell to my do-gooding & started a new job with The Far Horizon (http://www.thefarhorizons.com/), where I will be working in the not-too-shabby role as a Tour Manager. The job involves visiting and photographing hotels & lodges around the country & 'researching' the various activities & safaris available for some new websites. White water rafting & quad-biking here I come - whoop! The office is in a pretty compound which has a resident cat called Simba; it's across town, so in order to minimise my time spent in the 'jam', I am now also the proud new owner of a little Suzuki jeep, Suki.

Chopper Chimps

2009-09-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

It’s the ‘Year of the Gorilla’ in Uganda & Rwanda. There have been a host of events (a most notable one being 50 people in gorilla suits distributing conservation leaflets in the centre of town; this resulted in an outcry from some Kampala residents, who were convinced that the chimp population had escaped from the national parks). This weekend, saw the launch of the ‘Friend-a-Gorilla’ campaign (http://www.friendagorilla.org/) & a ‘Gorilla Gala’.

On Thursday night, my friend Dave (a pilot) & I hatched an idea for a little publicity stunt - to fly over the gala venue dressed as gorillas, waving from the chopper. All we needed were the gorilla suits… I really didn’t think we’d pull it off… but we did!

If seeing the mountain gorillas of Uganda wasn’t enough, actually being one in a helicopter was chopper'tastic!

Zanzibar

2009-09-17T00:02:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Zanzibar - the land of coconuts & cloves, mazes & mosques, beaches & sunshine divine. My friend Al joined me for a fortnight of sun dhow'ners & a veritable marine safari, which included some scuba diving, dolphin spotting & a get together with a band of giant tortoises. Stone Town is a maze of alleyways & mosques, with rich Swahili & Arabic architecture; hawkers selling dates on street corners & children scampering though the streets on their way to school. The beaches are beautiful & often populated with locals, swishing their kangas, harvesting sea-weed, or preparing their dhows for the afternoon's fishing. I recommend!

Hairy Lemon

2009-09-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

A weekend at the Hairy Lemon with the Dutch bunch - a little back-to-basics island on the Nile (in eastern Uganda). A perfect spot for relaxing & risking Biharzias... The place is named after a pub in Ireland, I believe.

This just says it all...

2009-08-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Mwana Mugimu - painting weekend

2009-08-04T05:06:00.001-07:00

The VSO Kampala cluster spent an industrious & artistic weekend at the Mwana Mugimu (‘healthy child’) unit of Mulago Hospital, painting one of the wards. We hired a local artist to produce the designs & spent two days sanding walls, cleaning windows & brandishing paint-brushes. The result was, erm, bright & colourful… (!) & a much cheerier environment for some very young, sick & vulnerable children.

The next phase of the project is to design a new playground, but we are also still collecting toys & clothes for the unit – so if you would like any info on how to send some over, please do let me know.

Moonlighting

2009-08-04T04:46:00.000-07:00

Having recently joined to Iguana 'team' (I will be working there once a week from October), I spent the day with them at the cosy offshore, Lagoon Resort, on Lake Victoria. Beautiful place for a relaxing Sunday, with kayaking, bbq, volleyball & a campfire. Yes please!

USDC field trip

2009-08-04T04:26:00.000-07:00

A small series of pit stops 'up-country' for a work field trip. First a dash from Kampala to Soroti in the east, & then north to Lira & Arua, on the Congo border. The purpose of the trip was to visit some of the construction projects we are funding - mainly resource rooms and dormitories for blind & deaf children.

The trip was also a chance to see rural Uganda up close. We drove through several bustling towns – little hubs of traffic & trade; clusters of thatched mud-hut homesteads & farmland. Amongst all of this, life really seems to take place on the roadside. We passed groups of women with their jerry cans at the water pump, men on bicycles, laden with pineapples, sticks & chickens, about to topple over; children being bathed in plastic tubs or running naked through the bush, chasing old tyres & goats; people carrying all manner of things on their heads; women selling heavy bags of charcoal; palm, acacia, & papaya trees on a savannah landscape.

& I even saw an elephant!

Semliki

2009-06-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

A recent public holiday allowed the crew to pack up the camping kits & spend a long weekend at the remote Semliki reserve, in the Western Rift Valley. Situated on the shores of Lake Albert (opposite the Congo) & at the base of the Rwenzori mountains, it's a beautiful mosaic of habitats - grassland, savanna, forest & wetlands, a haven for the ornithologist & a revealing snapshot into the daily rural lives of Ugandans.

We whiled away the time wandering through the local villages, haggling with fishermen for fresh tilapia, spotting Ugandan Cob & the occasional elephant, cooking over the campfire & waking up to honey coloured dawns.

Kampala Street Festival

2009-06-04T02:21:00.001-07:00

Music /Art Festival, with drumming from the Kika Troupe, up & coming Ugandan artists & lots of beer.

Pedicure Prerogative

2009-05-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

Amidst the buzzing of boda-bodas & the heavily laden hawkers, weaving between dawdling cows, goats & pot holes, there are small havens for the vain on the streets of Kampala. Hair-braiding, shoe-shining, manicures and pedicures are all on offer – just about everywhere in fact. On Saturday morning, Marlies, Elena & I decided to splash out with 1,000 shillings (about 30p) & give our toes some treatment. Everything started out well – our feet were cleaned with an old toothbrush & the polish of our choice was applied… that is, until the chap decided to get creative. Step forward, 30 sparkly & luminous toes; add some wind swept dust & you have quite the speckled effect. Just as well we had late night dancing on the agenda!

Nightlife

2009-05-22T05:19:00.000-07:00

Kampala reportedly hosts some of East Africa's best nightlife & my local is no exception: the Dutch-owned, breezy Iguana bar, with its plump couches, cool & daring-do DJ & soul-beat atmosphere, it's chock-a-block on both Friday & Saturday nights. By peering over the balcony, you can spy boda boda drivers waiting for passengers, late-night snack sellers & the whole of Kisementi. Fortunately, K'la's current hot-spot is also a convenient 10min walk from my house!

Mt Elgon

2009-05-19T00:09:00.000-07:00

Nine VSOs donned their crampons for a 4-day trek to the summit of Mt Elgon, in eastern Uganda. Everyone was on ‘peak’ form (get it?!) & made it to the top of the mountain’s Wagagai peak (4,321 metres), from which you can look out across to Kenya. From bamboo groves, rugged slopes, spectacular waterfalls & caves at the base, through to almost sci-fi landscapes of giant lobelia & heather, followed by crater lakes towards the top, the trek was stunning. Though my feet have yet to forgive me, it was definitely worth it! Next stop, Kilimanjaro…

USDC

2009-04-06T03:49:00.000-07:00

In light of several comments referring to my VSO ‘holiday’, I thought it was about time to say a little about my work here. My placement is at the Uganda Society for Disabled Children (USDC), where I am working to build the fundraising capacity. The office is based in Kampala (& is shared with several resident goats).

USDC provides support & rehabilitation services to families and children with disabilities. Typical examples of our work are: constructing special needs resource rooms in schools; providing equipment for deaf and blind children; organising surgical camps and orthopaedic workshops; running sensitisation workshops in local communities & raising awareness of the issues surrounding disability in Uganda.

Fundraising here is quite a challenge & the Ugandan work culture has certainly opened my eyes up to a very, erm… ‘different’ approach! That said, I can’t write any more as it’s sunny outside, so I think I’ll go for a dip.

Mwana Mugimu

2009-04-06T01:31:00.001-07:00

The VSOs in Kampala have gathered together, to work on a small project called ‘Mwana Mugimu’ (healthy child). Over the next few months, we’ll be working with some very small & sick children at a unit in Mulago Hospital. All of the children on this ward are severely malnourished; many have been abandoned or are orphans.

The activities we will be working on inlclude:
· putting our artistic skills to the test to brighten up the units
· improving the playground facilities
· introducing play therapy
· collecting toys & clothes

On Saturday, we delivered our first consignment of toys and clothes, which had been generously donated by friends & family in the UK & the Netherlands. It was a really fun morning & we hope to do it again - but we need more toys & clothes! Please let me know if you would like to help & I'll send further info...

2009-03-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

Uptown Kampala - for the office of Mr Museveni, swanky hotels & boutiques, verdant surroundings & a rather large shopping centre.

2009-03-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Downtown Kampala - home of the taxi parks, compact bustle, hawkers & dust. The name Kampala derives from the Luganda expression Kosozi Kampala - Hill of Antelope - a reference to the domestic impala.

Pebble

2009-03-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

It seems it is impossible for me to go anywhere, without acquiring a cat. Meet Pebble, otherwise known as 'Compound Cat'. I am now campaigning for a resident goat...

2009-03-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

Matoke Tours

2009-03-11T02:02:00.000-07:00

The mushy, yellow mash which makes Matoke, is a staple of the Ugandan diet. Made from plantain, the 'green bananas' are peeled, wrapped in large leaves & then steamed outdoors over charcoal. It is a common sight to see discarded plantain peels all over the streets of Kampala.

Matoke is usually served with ground-nut sauce, rice, potatoes & all manner of other yellow, carb-laden foodstuffs. Never invite a Ugandan over for dinner unless you intend to make it...

Ssese Islands, Jan 09

2009-03-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

Girls' trip to the Ssese Islands - situated on the northwest of Lake Victoria. The Ssese archipelago consists of 84 islands; each one rustic and lushly forested ('cos it rains all the time!), with little clusters of beach huts and prolific birdlife. We spent a weekend on Buggala, one of the largest of these islands & had a merry time exploring, cooking bread over the campfire with some Danes, swatting insects out of the buffet & trying to avoid bilharizia. We also discovered a shipwreck!

007

2009-03-06T02:30:00.001-08:00

James Bond party. Even Ursula Andress came.

Safari'tastic

2009-03-05T03:52:00.000-08:00

Following the monkey business in Bwindi, the intrepid explorers continued in search of more Ugandan National Parks - & they were not disappointed... Lake Mburo provided warthogs, baby crocodiles, Ugandan Cob & some humungous hippos; Queen Elizabeth National Park was home to the tree-dwelling lions (though the ones we saw were quite determinedly staying on the ground). A terrific time was had with the chimps in Kyambura Gorge - quite a different experience from the gorillas in that they all went a bit bonkers, brandishing sticks at us & then hot-footing it up into the trees. Exciting stuff! Finally, we were hippo chicks once again, cruising down the Nile to the foot of Murchison Falls & floating with the crocodiles. Good times. (That was for you, Al).

Gorilla Groupie

2009-03-05T02:25:00.000-08:00

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (sounds like something from 'Harry Potter', doesn't it?) is on the edge of the western rift valley, in the south west of Uganda & is home to the rare mountain gorilla. (Currently, they can only be found in s. w. Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo). We had an exhilarating trek through the forested slopes of the mountain, scrabbling up vines & cutting through the bush, until we reached the Mubare Gorilla group's habitat in the shady, bamboo forest.

The silverback was grabbing a bite to eat in one of the trees; whilst the rest of the group (including two babies) larked about on the ground - one of the young males even approached us & took a curious delight in my camera bag, but not before stopping to examine Jan's hair. The gorillas completely accepted our presence, although one little chap did beat his chest King-Kong style at us, which was quite amusing!

In 2004, I was charged by a hippo in Kenya's Masai Mara National Park. I would say that meeting the gorillas was as memorable a wildlife experience as that was, though a far more poignant one.

Ugandan/Italian nuptials

2009-01-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of being invited to a swish wedding reception in Mukono district a few weeks ago - quite a grand affair with lots of pomp & performance. Among the guests was the actress Emma Thompson who sang a lovely little song to the happy couple, about fruit (the orange wanted to get to know the apple 'right to the very core...'). The groom was Italian, the bride from Uganda, which made for an interesting juxtaposition of traditons! In Italy, for example, it is customary for the groom's tie to be cut up into little pieces & then distributed to guests as a reminder of the day! Feasting & fireworks & dancing under the moon-light chased the dawn...

New Year, Rwanda

2009-01-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

Hopped over the border to see in 2009, starting in the capital, Kigali & then heading to another lake (Kivu) to see how the VSO Rwanda gang do it... I thought Rwanda was absolutely stunning. Kigali is sophisticated, safe & clean; boda-boda drivers (they call them 'moto') actually own & wear their helmets, food is good & people are cool. The scenery & the countryside live up to the description 'Le Pays des Mille Collines' - land of a thousand hills & I can see why it's known as the Switzerland of Africa. There's still lots of talk about what went on, but I guess that's not too surprising - & there are memorials everywhere. I had a drink in the original 'Hotel Rwanda' which was actually a bit spooky... Great place to practice your French as well - though they're trying to phase that out of course!

Christmas 2008; Lake Bunyonyi

2009-01-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

Fellow VSOs & I packed up our jingle bells for a few days at Lake Bunyonyi - 'place of little birds'. The area is dotted with approx 20 islands & is surrounded by steep, terraced hills; the absence of crocs, hippos & bilharzia (nasty water snail bug) make it one of the few places in Uganda where you can take a dip... Christmas day was spent on a small island called Bushara, where we indulged in a turkey & goat buffet, washed down with Nile beer. This was followed by lots of tinsel-tastic singing & dancing with a group of little Ugandans who delighted in our home-made holly hats & then a boozy Secret Santa game. Oh, & it was really HOT & sunny!!

Colleagues

2008-12-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

Eva, my fundraising counterpart; Paul, the Lobbying & Advocacy Officer; Stephen, works in the field. Bonding & boozing after a week long staff retreat...

My house

2008-12-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is my cosy home on Mawanda Road, which I share with salamanders, cockroaches, mosquitoes & the occasional frog.

The flicks

2008-12-10T00:48:00.000-08:00

My local bar, 'Bubbles', runs a movie night every Tuesday. It's like being at the open air theatre, only the seats are comfier, it's warmer & free popcorn is handed out - a welcome luxury when surviving on the VSO allowance! Last night was a showing of 'Clockwork Orange', & it felt like my own private cinema as you can see!

Nicola & Gus lose their sea-legs...

2008-12-10T00:43:00.001-08:00

A fun day's sailing on Lake Victoria & then the whole world turns upside down...

The Feast of 'Sinterklaas'

2008-12-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

The last few months have been as much an education in all things Dutch as they have been Ugandan… this weekend played host to ‘St Nicholas' Day’. On 6th December, our Dutch counterparts celebrate the arrival of St Nick from Spain to Holland. Traditionally he arrives on a boat, accompanied by his helper ‘Black Pete’ (Holland’s answer to the little elves) & dishes out presents to the well-behaved. Here in Uganda, we had to make do with Lake Victoria (which is shared by Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania!) & a speedboat. It must have been fairly amusing for the local Ugandans to see 2 Muzungus decked out in black face-paint!

In the evening, we ate ‘pepernoots’ (cinnamon biscuits) & exchanged presents & poems (the poem usually derives some fun out of your foibles & quirks & the one I received was quite long?! )

Not wishing to be outdone, this week is truly British. It's 'Panto’ season. Yes, even in Kampala! We’re off to see ‘Robin Hood & his Merry Men of Mbarara Forest’ & we’re dragging the Dutch with us...

(Oh, & can anyone post me a haggis for Burns’ night?)

Fort Portal weekend – 28th – 30th November

2008-12-09T22:32:00.000-08:00

A happy weekend was spent with the Dutch bunch (Renzo, Marlies, Guustaaf, Alien & Andre) in Fort Portal. Situated in the northern foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, 320km west of Kampala - near the Congo border - it’s a pleasant place surrounded by tea plantations, rolling hills & national parks. Trekking in Kibale National Park with baboons for company & breathing in the fresh air around the tranquil crater lakes (a novelty when you live in Kampala!) were the highlights.

Equatorial...

2008-11-22T05:34:00.000-08:00

A different photo taken for each time I cross hemispheres...

Grasshoppers & Goats

2008-11-22T05:11:00.000-08:00

This old VSO relic doesn't contain '100 different ways of cooking bananas' which is a surprising shame as most dishes here are accompanied by some sort of banana form. Other staples seem to be beans, spinach, rice & goat.

Fresh produce is deliciously divine! Amazing avacadoes, tasty tomatoes & perfect pineapples & papayas.

It's also the grasshopper season. Scooped into little paper cones for Ush 500 (around 15p), they're pretty crunchy, but not bad!

Still missing hula-hoops though...

2008-11-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

No, not VSO's answer to 'furniture on a budget', but the result of a few Waragis (Uganda Gin). Surprisingly comfortable!

Halloween

2008-11-03T01:04:00.000-08:00

A witch’s hat & an apple hung from the ceiling (in homage to bobbing). I also adopted a scary persona for the day, but other than that, the spirit of Halloween was very much lacking here! At least I didn’t arrive home to find that a pesky trick-or-treater had adorned my palm trees with silly-string.

Botanical Gardens

2008-10-30T06:56:00.001-07:00

Never having followed botany with much interest, I had no idea - before my visit to Entebbe's Botanical Gardens that is - that nutmeg, rubber & cinnamon grow on/in trees. What surprised me even more, however, is that apparently cannon balls, sausages, crocodiles and umbrellas do too! Such are some of the names given to Uganda's flora & fauna...

The Office

2008-10-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

Gospel music, interspersed with the bleating of goats bounces around my office walls as I try to concentrate. The printer doesn’t work. Bugs scavenge for pineapple, which is concealed in a Tupperware box in my desk drawer (oh, for a fridge!) The photocopier doesn’t work. Colleagues abandon meetings when we’re only half-way through the agenda - to answer the phone, go for a walk, who knows…? The phones have been switched off & the power’s gone.

Whoever thought I’d miss managers, momentum & order!?!

Every day, the sun shines through my window; my desk isn't cluttered; the resident chicken has a new brood; lunch only costs 2,000 Ush (less than £1); I'm learning different ways of doing things all the time.

Maybe it’s not so bad.

Downtown Kampala, at the taxi park

2008-10-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Pure, organised chaos - welcome to Kampala taxi park; an essential foray into Uganda's public transport system (if you want to avoid death by boda-boda when travelling across town!) Masses of taxis & people haggle, jostle & push their way through this minibus maze... though somehow it seems to work. The fare out of Kampala is often not the same when you're coming back; the buses are equipped to take 14 at a time, though are often packed to bursting & it's not unusual to share your seat with the odd rooster...

VSOs

2008-10-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

My house!

2008-10-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

2008-10-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

I can no longer remember...

2008-10-14T06:53:00.001-07:00

...what it's like to feel cold
(except when taking a shower)
- smooth pavements beneath my feet
- the taste of hula-hoops
- not being bugged by bugs
- washing machines
- fast access to the internet

& other things, even though it's only been a few weeks!

2008-10-14T04:18:00.000-07:00

Nile trip

2008-10-14T03:45:00.000-07:00

9th October is Independence Day. I avoided the speeches & instead, took a jolly to Jinja (south east Uganda) & a trip along the Nile from its source at Lake Victoria. (6,500 miles & 3 countries later, it arrives at the Mediterranean, but we only paid for a 30 minute boat ride). The 'source' of the river is characterised by an underground bubbling spring; the area is populated with beautiful birds & monkeys & the view across Lake Victoria is beautifully serene.

Kampala Hash House Harriers

2008-10-14T03:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, I joined the Kampala 'hash' running club in an effort to get fit & to meet some locals. The club meets at a different location each week, so it should also be an opportunity to get to know the city as I jog around. Not that I'll see too much though, as I have to keep my head down most of the time, in order to avoid those ever-present - you've guessed it - pot-holes!

Some Ugandan English

2008-10-06T03:33:00.002-07:00

Muzungu = white person
The ‘jam’ = traffic
Airtime = pay-as-you-go mobile credit
Stage = bus stop
Mangu mangu! = faster!
Boda Boda = motorcycle taxi

My favourite luganda phrase at the moment is ‘mpola mpola’ (slowly, slowly) which I say to all the boda boda drivers before getting on… my motorcycle helmet is also coming in handy as a rather fetching handbag!

House-warming

2008-10-06T03:33:00.001-07:00

I moved into my little house this weekend & spent the afternoon haggling for household goods in the local market. I’m hoping that my landlady – who shares the compound – will teach me a bit more luganda & show me how to cook a local dish or two… outside of the compound, I’m on a little cul-de-sac which has a primary school at one end & a few dukas at the other selling eggs, vegetables, washing powder & charcoal. The rest of the street is dotted with rather run down palm trees, roosters & of course, pot holes!

On Saturday, old met new, as my VSO group met the existing Kampala VSOs in a bar downtown. There are quite a few of us – mainly from the UK & The Netherlands, working for NGOs & in the public hospitals.

2008-10-06T03:31:00.000-07:00

There was a minor earth tremor last week. The look on my face as my desk wobbled was a source of great amusement to my colleagues!

Today, I walked home from work. I passed mango, avocado & papaya trees, chickens cooped in cages, mobile manicurists & women carrying matoke in baskets on their heads; dogs curled up on porches & a higgledy jumble of roadside wares & little wooden shacks (‘dukas’) selling all manner of things. I heard taxi horns, sizzling barbeques & children, peeping from behind banana trees, shrieking ‘muzungu!’ as I passed by. I avoided muddy pot holes, though my once black flip-flops are still nicely encrusted in a dusty orange hue. I’m really, really missing pavements…

I’m writing this wearing a head-torch which Eva says makes me look like a ‘nerd’, but what else can you do when you’ve run out of candles & there’s just been a power cut?

African perfomance at cultural centre in Ntinda

2008-09-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

'Muzungu' in Kampala

2008-09-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Week 1
Spent with other newly arrived VSOs at a training centre near Kampala. We were introduced to the delights of the local lingo (Luganda), taught how to pluck a chicken & how to avoid malaria, as well as other bits 'n' bobs. We were also taken to see an African dance (photos attached).

Have met lots of friendly Ugandans – particularly those who run the local bar which we descend on every night. The strangest thing is getting used to complete darkness falling at around 7pm & with no street lights anywhere, we are quite a sight with the bobbing beams of our head torches as we come down the hill!

Week 2
Kampala is hot, dusty & orange & roaming with goats & chickens; the 'roads' are full of pot-holes & cover-less, 5ft deep manholes - a scary prospect when riding the boda-bodas (motorcycle taxi) in the dark! At night, I can hear the chattering of the monkeys, occasionally the traffic & boom of the night clubs, & - as it's the rainy season at the moment - the frogs... I can now see what people mean by a 'frog chorus' - they go on croaking for hours!!

I have met my 6 colleagues & found out that we share our office with a local radio station next to the Mulago Hospital. Much of the week has been spent house-hunting though & we finally found a little bungalow in a compound close to work today. I'm hoping to put my hammock up in the garden.