Uganda

A little work trip to Uganda for 2 weeks. My first time in Uganda and I loved it.

At the hotel on the first day…

Gutted I didn’t think to pack a swimming costume!

On the road to Arua, in the north of Uganda.

Baboons on the side of the road

The Nile I think

The menstrual hygiene display outside our WASH workshop – fascinating stuff on reusable sanitary products and pros and cons of disposables vs reusables etc.

Arua airstrip

The check-in desk and security check

Walking up the runway to the plane

Our Cessna

The most sensible mosquito-net-around-the-bed arrangement I’ve ever seen

Seeing the city out and about on the way from the hotel to the office

Arsenal match apparently shown here…

This railway line intrigues me. I especially like how they have tarmac’d a road across it….

Very relaxing brunch at Prunes, thanks to a recommendation from a family friend.

Saturday farmer’s market

Next stop, the markets to slake my eternal thirst for shopping. Markets like this, specially designed for tourists, are my Mecca. I really think I may have been born to shop….

A sample of my purchases – lovely goat-skin drum and a hilariously fat giraffe carved out of soapstone.

I bought so much stuff I had to buy a large basket bag to carry it all in

Another lovely basket for my collection

Sneak peek of my haul – new wooden pestle and mortar, a Ugandan mask to add to my collection, and some toys and puzzles for various friend’s children

Stayed the night with some old friends of my mum’s. They have a lovely house and garden.

And hosted a fun expat volleyball game

I fell in love with their verandah. This is now on my “if I win the lottery dream house” list. I lust after a great big verandah like this one.

On Sunday they took me to the sailing club on Lake Victoria – it was lovely!

Lining up ready for the race to start!

Apparently Fanta is on Fleek here. I have no idea what that means.

Getting all my handouts ready for the training

The hotel we went to for the training was very odd – all the walls and floors were on funny angles, and not quite level.

This upstairs floor sloped downwards at an alarming angle. The windows in this picture are level.

The walls also slanted at a very odd angle indeed.

And this inexplicable staircase goes nowhere, and leads to a wall…

During the training

Discussing market mapping

On the evening of the 2nd day, there was an epic thunderstorm in the night. We woke up to a flood of about 3 inches of water in our conference room and dining room.

My absolute favourite spelling of Cash for Work. I know that this is just a really strange W but from now on I really want to call it “cash for klork”