Thursday February 3rd. Woke up at 7:30 this morning. Luxury – a little sleep in. Woke up with a slightly fuzzy head. After breakfast, I decided to go for another village tour, instead of white water rafting or bungee jumping. A group of us were led by a guide for a twenty minute walk to the nearby village of Kytabawala, which means "head of woman working hard". This was a great tour. It was totally legit, they weren't trying to sell us anything or get us to donate to anything. The houses are mostly made of mud and sticks and have dirt floors. There is a communal water tap in the middle of the village that all the people get their water from in plastic bottles. We wandered around the village, meeting the people, the children, a little pharmacy, a small sad hospital and a row of wooden shacks that are the stores and are their 'mall'. We also visited an elderly woman who runs a little orphanage and school for some of the neediest kids in the village. Her set up was very basic and small. Unfortunately the children weren't in school today. She even has a cow, that a Canadian donated, so she can give the kids milk. She raises chickens ducks too.
The guide told us lots of information about the country and the village. What stuck in my head were these two facts: At the time of independence there were 6 million Ugandans, now fifty years later there are 36 million! And 65% of them are women, with only 35% men!
Took lots of photos and I think I got some great ones. Hopefully I can upload some of them later.
When we came back we had lunch under an awning during a thunderstorm. Our tent got a little wet and we got quite wet. When it stopped I spent the afternoon reading and responding to e-mails, updating the blog and backing up photos for John and I. After dinner, the Johns and I headed to the bar and enjoyed a few drinks. It's hard to believe it's coming to an end.
Great pics Joe,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you went for the village tour, to me that is what it is mostly about, interaction with the people. very cool