An interesting first few days
So after a crazy long plane ride (21 hours in the air, 26 in transit) I arrived in Entebbe at 6 am not know what the local time was, nor even the day. It was easy to find Adam who was meeting me there, the only white face. We had a "special hire" (taxi) take us from Entebbe to Kampala which is basically the "downtown" in Uganda. The driving there is insane. I thought that we were going to hit people walking on the side of the street like 10 different times, which in fact would be their fault for getting in our way I was told.
After getting to our house in Kampala we ran a few errands in the city. Time is very different here. For example, things that would take 30 seconds to take care of at a bank took us an hour. Adam bought some motorcycles quite awhile ago and we went to pick them up but they still weren't ready for us. These bikes were suppose to be his like a month ago, but they keep telling him that he can have them "next week". That is just how things roll here.
Things are very shady here too, I can't trust what I'm eating is what is as advertised. Also my cell phone was jacked from me when I got up for, no joke, 30 seconds to grab a bite to eat then turned around...poof, gone.
The next day was our trip up to Gulu. The ride up was insane. Driving like I said is an adventure...we were playing slalom with pot holes the size of the Grand Cayon with oncoming traffic and people waling on the side of the road. We passed "towns" (a few huts, lots of people trying to sell food to people driving by) every 5 to 10 mins. When passing one of these town on the way up, our guide was explaining to us that there was a guy that was burned alive yesterday and that she saw it. She said that mob justice was carried out, and there was basically nothing that the guy could do. That was pretty intense because we saw the charred spot were the guy lived his last moments. I guess that is the way things are handled here, don't pissed people off. I could go on about the visuals of the trip and seeing the Nile, but I don't want to bore.
So I arrive in Gulu, which to those that don't know isn't considered "secure". Nothing is north of the Nile, and Gulu is way north. Yes, that was a bit of a tangent, but if you don't the history of northern Uganda, do read up on it. Anyway, I arrive and the sounds of a massive thunderstorm is rolling in...this thunderstorm is crazy loud, nothing that you ever really see in the states, but from what Adam tells me, it was a baby storm. The house that I'm staying at has about 9 people staying at it right now. It is about dinner time when it starts to rain and everyone wants to go out to eat. We again hire taxis to take us where we need to go and then afterwards this Gulu bar to watch the worldcup game, it is really big here.
Onto the living conditions here in Gulu, needless to say it is quite different than the states. Poor in the US is only having one TV, 2 cars, and rent being 1000+ a month. Poor here is living in a grass hut, not knowing where your next meal is, if there is to be a next meal at all, and people being REALLY stoked if you give them 200 shillings (roughly 15 US cents).
Yes, i know this blog was really really scatter brained, and not thought out too well, but I haven't thought this out too well because I'm short on time here to write this, sorry for not really paying too much attention to the grammar rules that were broken, spelling errors that were not fixed, but I think that you'll get the picture. I have some pictures coming up very shortly, maybe some video to help you "experience" Gulu with me. Well that is all for now.
Cheers!
Scott
After getting to our house in Kampala we ran a few errands in the city. Time is very different here. For example, things that would take 30 seconds to take care of at a bank took us an hour. Adam bought some motorcycles quite awhile ago and we went to pick them up but they still weren't ready for us. These bikes were suppose to be his like a month ago, but they keep telling him that he can have them "next week". That is just how things roll here.
Things are very shady here too, I can't trust what I'm eating is what is as advertised. Also my cell phone was jacked from me when I got up for, no joke, 30 seconds to grab a bite to eat then turned around...poof, gone.
The next day was our trip up to Gulu. The ride up was insane. Driving like I said is an adventure...we were playing slalom with pot holes the size of the Grand Cayon with oncoming traffic and people waling on the side of the road. We passed "towns" (a few huts, lots of people trying to sell food to people driving by) every 5 to 10 mins. When passing one of these town on the way up, our guide was explaining to us that there was a guy that was burned alive yesterday and that she saw it. She said that mob justice was carried out, and there was basically nothing that the guy could do. That was pretty intense because we saw the charred spot were the guy lived his last moments. I guess that is the way things are handled here, don't pissed people off. I could go on about the visuals of the trip and seeing the Nile, but I don't want to bore.
So I arrive in Gulu, which to those that don't know isn't considered "secure". Nothing is north of the Nile, and Gulu is way north. Yes, that was a bit of a tangent, but if you don't the history of northern Uganda, do read up on it. Anyway, I arrive and the sounds of a massive thunderstorm is rolling in...this thunderstorm is crazy loud, nothing that you ever really see in the states, but from what Adam tells me, it was a baby storm. The house that I'm staying at has about 9 people staying at it right now. It is about dinner time when it starts to rain and everyone wants to go out to eat. We again hire taxis to take us where we need to go and then afterwards this Gulu bar to watch the worldcup game, it is really big here.
Onto the living conditions here in Gulu, needless to say it is quite different than the states. Poor in the US is only having one TV, 2 cars, and rent being 1000+ a month. Poor here is living in a grass hut, not knowing where your next meal is, if there is to be a next meal at all, and people being REALLY stoked if you give them 200 shillings (roughly 15 US cents).
Yes, i know this blog was really really scatter brained, and not thought out too well, but I haven't thought this out too well because I'm short on time here to write this, sorry for not really paying too much attention to the grammar rules that were broken, spelling errors that were not fixed, but I think that you'll get the picture. I have some pictures coming up very shortly, maybe some video to help you "experience" Gulu with me. Well that is all for now.
Cheers!
Scott
posted by Scott at 12:09 AM
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