A good life in Kampala
on Hoggs in Uganda (Uganda), 30/Jan/2010 11:47, 34 days ago
Wednesday 27th January.Well, after the excitement of Christmas things have settled down and we are both hard at work for Reachout. We are feeling very settled in Uganda and a lot of our earlier fears have diminished. We find the Ugandans to be a gentle and friendly people although some of the behaviour on the roads seems out of character. We are more comfortable with the routine but there are constant reminders that life in Uganda is harsher than back home–a member of the Reachout staff died over the weekend after a boda boda accident last Friday.Last Thursday I enjoyed a trip out into the country. Reach Out Mbuya has four bases where they run clinics. Three are relatively close on the east side of Kampala (Mbuya, Kinawataka, Banda). The  fourth, Kasaala, is about an hour and a half north of Kampala just beyond Luwero. I hadn’t been before but a visit was required to understand what data recording was in place. Kasaala appeared quite idyllic compared with the busle of the city. Kasaala village, I think, has a population of about 1000.There is a bore hole water pump in front of the clinic. This was in constant use filling up the stack of yellow jerry cans. The land is lush and green and I became aware of the abundance of fruit and vegetables as the pickup was loaded for the journey home.Last Friday evening we enjoyed the monthly gathering of Kampala volunteers. This time we met for a drink and a meal at the Centenary Park next to Garden City.Our Sunday routine, when there are no other commitments, is to spend the morning at the gym and swimming pool at Kabira Country Club. Last Sunday we were a little more adventurous and we visited the Speke Resort on the shores of Lake Victoria for the first time. The centre was built for the CHOGM conference a few years back. Apart from extensive hotel and conference facilities, there is an Olympic size swimming pool and a modern gym. The setting is very attractive with the view out to the lake.On Monday night we were at the Caledonian Society's Burns Supper which was very enjoyable. It started at 7.30 and was attended by around 80 people. We left at 12.30 although the dancing was not near finished. It was a first for me to pipe (or bow) in the haggis on my fiddle. Conveniently, for Kapalian  Burns Supper goers the 26th is a national holiday - NRM Liberation Day.The last few days have been very hot with temparatures in the low thirties. On Friday we are looking forward to welcoming our next visitors and showing them how we live when they are not watching the gorillas.