The White Nile

After three days at the Backpackers in Kampala, I decided to change things up a bit and head to the Red Chili on the other side of the city. The best decision I had made in days. Backpackers is a dump compared to Red Chili and man was it infested with mosquitoes. During the few days I was sleeping there I got more bites than my whole trip combined so far. Anyway, as soon as I arrived at the Chili I booked a white water rafting trip on the Nile with a company called Adrift. They picked me up the following morning at 8 and we drove east for about an hour to the source of the Nile near Jinja town. We spend some time learning basic safety then went at it for the entire day. We ended up hitting 10 major rapids including three or four class 5 rapids! It was an incredible trip and I am so happy I did it. A photographer on a river kayak accompanied us and took a bunch of high quality digital pictures that I now have on disc. I cant post any here…but I’ll definitely show them off when I get home.

I had such a good time with the group I was with that we decided to stay the night at the Adrift camp instead of returning to Kampala and do the 44 meter bungee jump in the morning! I know its not the highest bungee out there, but it was so sweet. I was the first of three to go and elected to ‘dip’ in the Nile below. That means the jump master adjusted the cord to allow me to dip in the water up to my waist at the bottom of the drop. What a rush…it was one of the most fun things I have ever done. I would totally do it again but I would like to do a longer drop! One of the girls was nice enough to shoot some video on my camera while she watched so I have the whole thing on video.

I’m back in Kampala now and just booked a 3 day safari to Murchison Falls starting Monday. I’ve pretty much given up finding another volunteer opportunity at this point. I just didn’t plan that portion of my trip well enough. Truth is I didn’t really plan anything at all! But I’m having a good time none the less. Right now my plan for the remainder of my trip looks a little something like this: Murchison Falls National Park, Queen E National Park, Return to Kigali Rwanda for a day or two, head to Tanzania and hit up the Serengeti safaris.

dorm at the Red Chili

Nile just below the source

orange fanta at lake kivu

couple of boys with logs on their heads

Kampala

I arrived in Kampala yesterday afternoon after an 8 to 10 hour bus ride. It really wasn't such a bad trip. Its been pretty rainy since I arrived though...it seems like it has more of a Northwest USA drizzle type of rain here compared to the tropical downpour in Kigali. I preferred the downpour because it usually ended within an hour. Now that I'm here I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I thought I would have my next volunteer stint lined up by now, but I don't. I hope to hear something by later today or tomorrow at the latest. In the mean time I'll try to get a safari in at Murchison Falls National Park.

My trip to Lake Kivu was a memorable one. The bus ride there was pretty crazy...maybe I'll write something about that later. The lake itself was amazing...I think it could be described as paradise as far as the natural beauty. I manly just hung out lake side drinking orange Fanta and ready a novel. The trip home was a bit of on adventure as well. I'm unable to post pictures this time around so I'll try to get another post with more details and some pictures.

My brothers have been encouraging me to grow a maystache for the month of May. I think that they will be happy to know that I have begun the process of growing the maystache and will be a proud representative of the East African Maystache in a few short weeks. Stay tuned for more maystache news and updates.

Akagera National Park

Sunday I went on safari and had a great time. Jeff’s sister in law and her friend were in the country visiting and they invited me to join them on a day trip to Akagera National Park which is located on the east side of Rwanda and borders Tanzania. The trip to the park gave me my first look at the countryside and it is incredibly green and lush with vegetation. There are small towns every so often and in between the towns are small farms which literally continue right up to the boundaries of the national park. There doesn’t seem to be a bit of land that is not used for some purpose.

From what I understand Rwanda is not known for its parks and wildlife, but I, none the less, enjoyed myself. We outfitted the Land Cruiser with a bench seat on top of the roof rack and from the moment we entered the park to the time we left I road up top. What a great way to safari…it was so much fun up there. I think being able to drive a Land Cruiser on safari might be reason enough to be in Africa…those trucks are so cool.

The wildlife wasn’t abundant, but there was enough to keep us happy. We saw some big mammals such as Zebra, Giraffe, Water Buffalo, and Hippo. There were huge troops of Baboons roaming the savanna and they looked like they were up to no good. I’m glad they didn’t seem too interested in us because those guys could cause some damage. We also saw Vervet Monkeys which are pretty cute compared to the baboon. Warthogs are fun to see…as soon as they spot us they put their skinny little tales straight up in the air and run the opposite way. And of course there were an abundance of Impala and other Antelope. Even though I was in the lookout position up top the entire day, I was the first to spot only one creature the whole time…and it was a Dung Beatle…actually two of them. They had found something of interest and had made it into a ball and were rolling it along the side of the road. The animals in their natural environment are so much more spectacular than in any zoo, and I really enjoyed the undisturbed savanna that rolled from one hill to the next…it was wonderful to be out there. Of course I took a lot of pictures, but my camera just isn’t good enough to capture the animals from a distance so I’ve included some landscape shots. Anyway I had a great time and am looking forward to the bigger game parks in Uganda.

I’m heading into town tomorrow to buy my bus ticket north to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. I’ll be leaving here on Sunday. I’m also going to buy a ticket for a local bus taxi that will take me to a small town called Kibuye which is located on Lake Kivu on the west side of Rwanda. I plan to leave on Friday and stay one night at a hotel out there. I’ll return on Saturday afternoon. The area is supposed to be very beautiful and peaceful and I hear the lake is good for a swim. I’ll probably do a bit of reading too.

This trip to Kibuye will kind of usher in the next phase of my trip where I will pretty much be on my own for the rest of my stay in Africa. Jeff and Jody have been such wonderful hosts and I have had more fun spending time with them and working along side them then I imagined I would. It will be sad to part ways but I’m too excited to get into Uganda to remain here.

on top of the Land Cruiser in the park

rolling savanna

country side speeding by

me, Freddy, and Benjamin

local lunch...so good

Genocide Museum

I took a half day on Friday and headed out to the genocide museum in Kigali. Ian was nice enough to give me a ride in the Land Cruiser, but I was on my own as far as finding my way back home. I didn’t go directly to the museum though, instead I had Ian drop me off at the local wood market. I had heard that the day to day goings on were quite a spectacle so I thought I’d check it out. I intended to take pictures, but once I was there it just didn’t seem appropriate. I’m a little bit embarrassed to say it, but for the first time since being here I felt uncomfortable. The wood market is where hardworking men go to work long hours to support themselves and their families…it wasn’t a tourist destination for foreigners to stroll through snapping pictures. From the moment I arrived it was obviouse that I was there for the wrong reasons and that’s what made me feel uncomfortable. That being said…it was nonetheless a spectacle. These guys where operating industrial table saws and planers with all of the safety equipment stripped off leaving massive blades exposed. They would grab large pieces of lumber and just slam the things through the saws. There was no sense of safety or any urgency towards precaution. I would hate to spend any amount of time there for fear of witnessing some gruesome accident. So I left.

The museum was just down the road so I hopped on a moto gari, motor bike taxi, and was there in 5 minutes. Entry into the museum is free but donations are accepted. I donated. Camera’s are not permitted so I have no photos, but there really wasn’t much to photograph anyway. Instead I made my way around a circuit of displays that told a very complete story of the events leading up to the genocide, the genocide itself, and the aftermath. I won’t even bother explaining the genocide here, but I will say that the two hours I spent there was well worth my time. The exhibition was very well done…very matter of fact. It did not attempt to excuse, blame, or downplay the event. I have visited some other significant memorial sites…holocaust concentration camps and the Hiroshima memorial…and I remember them being quite graphic. This memorial did not rely on graphic images but was none the less sobering and impacting. Watching videos of survivors give their testimonies and hearing stories of individuals who risked their lives to save others was powerful. I cried. There are mass graves within the grounds of the museum and I’ve included pictures below. The grave markers are simple…just concrete slabs on the ground.

I’ve also included a picture of what could be described as nearly downtown Kigali. Its nearly downtown because the actual city center is actually the next hill beyond, but it does give you a sense of the urban development. From the same spot that shot was taken, I turned 90 degrees to my left and took a picture of a less developed portion of the city. I’ve noticed around town that the higher on the hills you go the bigger and grander the homes. The poor live in the valleys. I finished my day riding the motor bike taxi back to the guesthouse. It took about 15 minutes and cost about $1.00. Yes mom, I wore a helmet.

mass graves outside the museum

example of a survivor's quote

urban developement in Kigali

crowded housing

completed shelf

week 2

Its hard to believe I've already been here for a week. Time is flying by. I'm already beginning to look forward to my trip north to Uganda...not because I dont enjoy being here, its just that going to Uganda will be a bit more adventurous. I dont know anyone up there.

Well, I've been working hard in the wood shop and am happy to report that I have successfully constructed 24 shelves where students will be able to store their shoes and hang their coats. I dont have any pictures at the moment but I'll take some tomorrow. With the help of two others I took an entire day to clean and organize the wood shop. It was so cluttered with scraps of wood and sawdust that it made safe and efficient work difficult. I've become familiar with the shop now and I'm able to work pretty quickly. I wish I had that shop back home...its great. Tomorrow I'll begin building cabinets with doors for the teachers.

The schools construction had a big week...they got their first primary school building slab poured. Its really something to see these local crews working. What they lack in technology they make up for with man power. On the pour day the normal crew was supplemented with 15 or 20 guys from the neighborhood. All the concrete was mixed by hand and a placed with a wheel barrow. These guys really work hard. Even though the pour was relatively small it was spread over 3 days to minimize any damage should a rain storm appear. Now that the slab is complete, I've got two helpers with me in the shop...two local guys from the regular crew. Their names are Freddy and Benjamin. They both speak a little bit of English and they're both very smart and eager. It should be a lot of fun working with these guys.

I tagged along with Ian, the project manager, on his way to the brick factory yesterday. 17,000 bricks had been delivered to the school during the course of the week and he had to go pay the bill. The factory was pretty neat...and simple. There was one machine that was given a constant supply of clay and it would then in turn extrude the bricks. Each day the factory produces about 16000 bricks and the kiln, about 50 yards long, is fired once a week. The factory produces nearly 100000 bricks a week. Its the only brick factory around and business is booming. It was neat to see.

Tomorrow I'm heading to the genocide museum in Kigali. I've been looking forward to visiting and I think it will be a neat experience. This coming Monday is the national genocide memorial day which means for many people a break from work.

One final note...I received a comment with a correction to something I had written earlier. I said there were no sidewalks in Kigali...that is, as my anonymous friend pointed out, untrue. There are in fact perfectly good sidewalks on the main roads of Kigali, however, many people opt not to use them.

a better picture of the primary school

mixing conrete by hand

the brick factory

sidewalks in Kigali