This reaches you from Gulu, in northern Uganda, where it is pleasantly overcast and cool at present.  Not to skip over Kampala, but more about that city will surely come later.  Christine and I made it up here a couple of days ago via the post bus, which is a fairly safe and convenient alternative to the two other options we had been given:  either pay a “special hire taxi” US $150, or take a public bus that would be dirt cheap, but also would require us to wait around all morning for the bus to fill before leaving, and then endure what someone said might not be very safe drive up here.  So, the post bus turned out to be the perfect alternative.  Taken from the post office, it cost us a mere US $8 each.  We enjoyed a fairly smooth ride up here (I say “fairly” only because the bus driver still took occasion to drive a bit pell-mell when the opportunity offered itself, though the ride was a far cry from the crazy bus driving my husband and I experienced in Kathmandu in days of yore), and now, here we are.

On the way up, I enjoyed seeing Uganda’s pastoral side.  There were fields of papyrus; evergreens the likes of which I’ve never seen before; all sorts of flowering trees and plants; large cacti shaped like trees; myriad birds; traditional mud and thatch roof huts; ubiquitous pigs, goats, cows, and chickens; and even a few baboons.  I did not, however, enjoy seeing a freshly tipped truck on the side of the road.  Our driver stopped and almost everyone on the bus got out to see what was going on.  I couldn’t tell if the driver of the truck was still inside, and I didn’t feel it would be right for me to go and gawk.  Someone in a uniform showed up and we went on our way.

Gulu itself is a bit of a respite from Kampala (I’m including photos, but for some reason the captions aren’t showing up).  It’s only about 100,000 people, and is much easier to maneuver.  However, quieter though it may be from the hotel we were just staying in (right in downtown Kampala), there is still loud rock music, voices, cars, and motorbikes joining together outside to create a cacophony that lasts literally all night.  Thank goodness for earplugs.

Gulu women

Thanks to Christine’s networking skills and connections, the last week has been a flurry of meetings with some amazing, inspiring people.  But I will let you read her blog to learn about them, for I have some good news.  Freddy Wangabo, the Executive Director of WPIO, has been sending me information to read and edit, and so there is enough work for me to start working full time on WPIO.  I am excited to move forward with the organization my heart is with.

Keep tuned for my next blog, which will (finally) be an introduction to the pygmies!