Pickle

I spent the day travelling the Juba road vitising IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camps. Along the rough dirt road, which conects Gulu to Sudan, you can find nearly a dozen IDP's. Just recently, due to the ongoing peace talks between the LRA (Lords Revolution Army) and UPDF (Ugandan People's Defense Force), things have settled. I was told by another passenger in the truck, that travelling this road just a year ago would have required a military convoy. For the last twenty years people have gathered in the camps seeking protection from the LRA. Throughout the day I heard story after story of ruthless attack.
All there is for transportation along the road is pick up trucks which carry supplies to the camps and back and forth from Juba, Sudan and Gulu. I met two boys about my age. They had lived in the camps since they were born. A vendor was selling sun glasses and I bought the three of us a pair. After visiting the camps I figured since I was this close I might as well go to the border. I almost made it too, stopped just fifteen km away from Sudan. We ran into a mess where four rusty trucks were stuck up to their axils in mud. Drivers kept charging in to try and get around but only added to the mess.
As everyone stood around, one man started screaming at me because I had a camera around my neck, although it had never even came out of its case. He went back to his friends who all seemed to be drunk and they continued to talk and look at me. I thought it would be best to get out of there quickly. I was told it was six km back to the nearest camp, so I slipped out of site and started walking. By my guess, I only made it a mile and a half before waving down a small truck. I paid them and they took me back to Gulu.

"There's a pile of Wart Hogs outside your tent"

Sorry guys, I have been away from a computer for a few days. I'll try to catch up on the highlights of last week.

Friday I went rafting on the Nile. Starting at the "Source of the Nile," above Lake Victoria, and rafting some 28 kilometers. Throughout the day we hit several large class 4's and 5's, as well as one eight-foot water fall. In between rapids was smooth riding, and everyone was quick to jump in for a swim. The scenery was amazing and we saw tons of wildlife. We counted ten Red-tailed monkeys and later in the afternoon, watched as hundreds of bats flew overhead. In one area we jumped in for a swim without getting permission. Our guide Palo quickly let us know it wasn't a good place to get in. "Why not?" we asked, "Are there rocks?" "No, there's crocodiles."

Over the course of the day, our raft flipped twice and I got flung out another two times. Once I took the guide with me. I caught him with my feet and knocked him out of the boat. Just after hitting Bujagali falls, we stopped to watch a local African guy go through the rapids with nothing but a Jerry-can. "It's how he makes his money." Palo explained.

Back in Kampala on Sunday, I was still feeling very much awake so I went out on the town. I met some guys around my age who took me to the local hangout spots. We played pool and watched Karaoke. I went into a casino and turned my 10,000 into 25,000 in less than thirty minutes. Too bad it was only Ugandan Shillings and it takes 1500 of them to make a dollar. Later that night I got a Boda and took a night tour of the city. There was hardly anyone out after midnight and the streets were surprisingly peaceful. My driver even switched me spots for a while and I got to drive.

When I made it back to Backpackers, it was closed and someone had taken my bunk. I tried to get some sleep on the concrete, but it never ended up working. Between the mosquito's, and lack of comfort, I may have got an hour of sleep. I ended up putting my head inside my mesh laundry bag to keep the bugs from biting my face anymore.

The next morning I had a three hour drive to catch up on sleep. I was on my way to Murchison falls for a Safari! Boo-ya! We took a boat up the Nile where we saw tons of hippos and crocs. One of the Hippos even charged the boat.

On the game drive, I pretty much got to see everything I ever wanted to; elephants, baboons, buffalo, all sorts of antelope and deer, giraffes, and even lions. Earlier that morning our guide told us how just the day before they nearly had a lion attack. If people move around too much, they see it as aggression and they'll jump on the vehicle. I was up on the roof rack when we came upon them. I felt a bit vulnerable just sitting out in the open with wild lions twenty feet away.

Back at the camp I stayed in a little one man tent. In the middle of the first night I was woke up from snorts coming from just outside my tent. The guy from my group who woke me up in the morning told me he found a pile of wart hogs outside my tent. The morning after that, we all woke up to find two hippos in our camp.

Today was our final day of safari and we went on a Chimp hike. It ended up being a bust and we never found them. Nonetheless, I still got to walk through a rain forest. Afterwards, the rest or the group headed back south to Kampala and I stayed behind to catch a bus heading North to Gulu.

I met William, who shares a small hut with his big brother, and the three of us are hanging out tonight. I've been so blessed along this trip. I seem to always meet the right people to help me find the way. Tomorrow I'll be reaching Atiak, just 20km from Sudan. I hear it's got the largest IDP camp in Uganda.

I had a really pleasant time at the primary school. It's nice to see the difference that Kim and the other volunteers are making. Two of the young boys Kim brought to the school have made huge improvements over the last few months. One of the boys was tied to a tree lit on fire by his father for stealing coffee beans, and the other, hung by his penis for wetting the bed. Kim found them both completely traumatized at a hospital and took them to the school. She finds enough money to pay their school fees and pay for their living expenses. In a good environment and with some much needed love and attention the boys have come a long way. Kim's says it's just such a beautiful thing to see them get better.

After two nights I left the school and headed to Mukono. On the mini-bus ride up, an African guy fell asleep on my shoulder. I really had to pee and wanted to have the driver pull over, but just held it so the guy could sleep.

I'm now in Mukono, just east of the capital city, checking out Help International and the projects they're working on. This afternoon I went with a few of the volunteers to help paint the roof of a school. I don't think their building was up to code. When I was up painting the rafters it felt like I was climbing on big match sticks that were glued together. I'm suprised that thing even stands.

I got in a small bus accident on the way back from Gesenyi, but nobody got hurt. In Kigali I spent my last night with Vinod. He's turned into a very good friend and we stayed up until 2am talking and laughing. He's got some great stories and I don't think anybody makes me laugh so hard. I packed up and left at 7am. He gave me a hug and said be careful Darling and call me if you get into trouble. He always calls me darling.

I jumped on a bus back to Uganda. Got off in Masaka and hitched a ride to Kyotera. All I had was the name of Kim's school but I found it okay. I showed up and recieved a very warm welcome from all the kids. "Mzungu! Mzungu! You are welcome. Good Evening sir. Where do you come from?"

It's very peaceful to hear all the kids playing together and being so happy. Last night they turned the generator on so the kids could watch the soccer game. They are serious fans and jump and scream. It was quite a sight. It doesn't take much for them to be happy.

Madame Carre

I'm here in Gisenyi. Right on Lake Kivu, just miles away from the border of Congo. At night, you can see red in the hills where lava is flowing out of a volcano in Congo.

This afternoon I had the boda boda take me around for a tour. I visited a hot springs and had lunch in a garden on the lake shore.

After lunch I went to see an orphanage about 36 kilometers away. I thought I'd just ride the boda boda to take in the scenery, but I should have got a taxi. The whole way there was up and up. I couldn't help but think about dumb and dumber as they were passed by trucks on their mini bike up to Aspen. We had it pegged up some stretches of hill and couldn't have been doing more than ten.

On the way up I saw a small village with a soccer field and children. My butt needed a break from the seat and so I had the driver take me there. As we drove down the dirt road through the village, I just smiled and waved. They either speak Kinyarwanda or French. All I know is, "Bonjour!" "Bonjour!" and when I got to the soccer field, "Football?!" The kids all came running. I was easily the star player. Kids from both sides passed me the ball whenever they got it.

The orphanage was wonderful when I finally made it. They've taught all the kids English which was nice. I found myself paired up with Mussa, a fifteen year old boy, who took me on a tour of the place. He took me through the "big boys," and the "little boys dorm." Then I got to see the small health clinic, dining hall, and then the gardens.

The orphanage was founded by Rosemond Carr after the genocide. Mussa spoke very highly of Madame Carre, and asked if I'd like to see where they buried her. On the way, we strolled through the gardens where he said, "When she died, many kids cried and they bring her flowers and pray for her." There at her grave, we found three youngsters visiting.

Over the rest of the tour I was so impressed with Mussa, such a bright fifteen year old. As we continued walking he explained, "they are working very hard here for the kids. They give us clothes and shoes, and many things."

I saw some young boys cutting the grass with a machete and he said, "We do many jobs. Girls clean floors. Boys bring firewood. Many things. Older girls take care of little childs."

I was curious about Mussa, and asked what he wanted to do when he grew up. "I want to be a doctor a do what is called giving back. I can come back here to the orphanage and help the kids."

"Cause Madame Carre helped me, I also have to help."

His entire family is dead and all he wants to do is help others. He is a beautiful person and to think that if it wasn't for one elderly women he might not be alive.

The other night I hung out with a young African student. His English wasn't the best, but we communicated just fine. For a second I forgot who I was speaking with and asked him what his parents did. My German friend who was there quickly reminded me that you don't ask what the parents do here. Many kids don't have any.

The mayor had his driver pick me up first thing yesterday morning. On my way to see him, we took a detour to see a small church. Now a memorial for those massacred there, nearly 5,000, most of whom were women and children, who sought protection when they had nowhere to run.

Today when you visit the church, you will find the remains of hundreds of bones stacked on shelves. The clothes they were wearing all hung along the side wall. A trunk of their possessions, including homework and identity cards showing they were Tutsi. Fragment holes in the roof from grenades. Blood stains on the wall. In the corner, machetes and blunt weapons used to finish off those who survived the explosions. Out back in the churches storage unit, burn marks, where a man was bound inside a mattress and set on fire. An empty Sunday school room. Again, more blood stains on the wall.

They took me to the mayor. He set me up with an English speaking director, and they showed me many things throughout the day. That afternoon I visited the Rafiki foundation where they are in the process of building a Children's Village which, when finished, will house 240 children and twice a year provide medical treatment to the community.

I asked the mayor if it would be a problem to fill this many houses with orphans. He chuckled. "This isn't the problem. The problem is picking out which ones get to move in." In the Bugasara district alone, there are at least 1,500 orphans caused by the genocide. All of them need help.