Play and work

As always when the halfway mark is crossed, time goes fast. Last week I had some company here, and it was quite lovely! First we went to Queen Elizabeth NP, which so far I had only passed by. Compared to Murchison Falls, I’d say QENP is more beautiful landscape wise, especially as it is framed nicely by mountains. It is also more varied, with savannah, the big lakes and “channel” in between, and forest. We also took a short hike in the Rwenzori foothills and visited a community development organization which was a rather awkward experience but, if I may say so, was somewhat saved by my skills handling needy development practitioners. Thanks to an unscheduled evening drive into the park, we got to see some lions up close – they were rather sleepy, but very cute! That day we had also done a boat ride, which served up thirsty elephants, buffaloes and hippos en masse. The morning game drive was less packed with notable sightings, but very enjoyable still, just enjoying the scenery, the beautiful animals, and the wind in your face. Then, there was a forest walk including a bat cave which was very interesting and very creepy. All in all, a very cool and varied safari trip. 

Safari favorites

Back in Fort Portal we explored the town and went for a similar crater lakes/waterfall day trip as I did before but this time with my friend T rather than with a tour. Some car trouble aside, it was a lovely day with another waterfall shower, monkeys, and sweaty hiking. The last day of ‘vacation’ we visited the palace of the Tooro kingdom in FP – unfortunately the king was not in, but we got a tour outside the palace with an energetic UPDF guard.

Crater lake hike

Revisited the monkeys by lake Nkruba

Monday morning we got on different Link buses, them for Kampala, me for Bwera, and it felt a bit lonely! Bwera is near the DRC border and I went there to meet one last farmer group for a few days. It was hot as hell, I was the only muzungu in town (I did see an albino woman, so I guess it was me and her), and the place I was staying was a bit perplexing, with a lovely squat toilet, no bathroom door, no sink, and no furniture other than a bed and a plastic chair. It made me rather miss FP, where it’s not only a lot cooler but also a lot nicer atmosphere. On market day at the border I went to take a look and get some more kitenge (printed fabric usually from Congo). We tried to cross the border, but the immigration stuff was didn’t seem worth the hassle, so I just looked at Congo at a safe distance, and did some shopping at the Ugandan side. I intuitively (and for good reason I guess) feel a bit iffy about the DRC borderlands and was glad to be staying in Bwera and not the border town Mpondwe (even if Bwera is only 5 minutes away). That said, I wasn't a fan of the place. I’m used to being stared at and muzungu:ed in the villages, but there was a strange, more hostile feel, and when I weighed the pros and cons of staying the last day to do a few more interviews vs going to Kasese to join an ongoing workshop, I decided the latter as I felt the interviews were reaching saturation point anyway. Kasese was much more enjoyable, although even hotter. Now I am back “home” for one last week. When I’m not occupied with trying to wade through data and gather my thoughts about these past two months, it will probably be spent clicking phone calls from the many very persistent men who have made me give them my number..

Market in Mpondwe

In the village outside of Bwera (hostility was not an issue here, clearly)