Flying over Uganda

It's been awhile since I had the chance to update my blog! The next few posts will finish up my time in Uganda - then Kenya!

S

ince, I spend most of my week days sitting in an office, typing fevershisly (to finish the projects I am working on) I truly look forward to my weekends!

My last two weekends in UG were a blast, so jam packed! One of my most exciting adventures, was getting to meet and make a new freinds with Sanae and Howard. I was e-introduced to Sanae via my friend Joel. Joel met Sanae on his trip through Uganda earlier this year. Sanae and Howard are both pilots for a charter airline service here in Kampala.

Sanae and groundcrew guy

Luckily, I was able to meet up with Sanae on Sunday. She was taking a flight out to Kidepo National Park - to drop pff supplies (Gin/Vodka) :) to the Apoka Resort Lodgeand to pic up passengers. She invited me to join her on the flight! It was so great to really get out of the city and see what another part of this beautiful country looks like.
http://www.safariuganda.com/apoka_lodge.htm

Kidepo National Park tag line is " You Can't Get More Remote Than This!". Seriously, there is not much around. Kidepo is in the middle of nowhere - it is tucked into the corner of Uganda's border with Sudan and Kenya, the park offers breathtaking Savannah landscapes, which end in rugged horizon (per tour guide book).
http://www.uwa.or.ug/kidepo.html


The following are some pics from the flight into Kidepo

Over Kampala

Over Lake Victoria

Following Rivers

Rivers Merging

Nile River and Farms


I have no idea how pilots actually find places in the bush. I know there is GPS, maps - following the Nile River .... I was amazed at Sanae's keen eyesight and how she even saw the resort and the landing strip out of nowhere!

Our arrival into Kidepo

Kidepo Landing strip

Me in the Middle of Nowhere!

Beautiful Apoka Moutians

Doesn't this look like and old painting!

The weather was perfect for flying (a bit hazy) but, beautiful non the less. However, on the decent back into Kampala a storm a had came up quickly off Lake Vic. Sanae had to land the plane in a total downpour! It was a bit intense .... since the landing strip had turned into a swap on red mud. She was so calm, and landed the plane like a true pro! Both, I and the other passenger cheered once we were on the ground!

All in all it was a great trip!

Jinga - Source of the Nile River

My frist weekend here, I was able to take a day trip outside of Kampala! Since, I don't have a lot of time off, some of the long distance safari trips are to hard to arrange. I decide to head to Jinga with my new friend Janeen.

Jinga is a small colonial town right along the Nile River (2 hours from Kampala). Jinga is also know for its outdoor activites; there are some seriously hardcore adventure trips to take. I wanted to raft down the Nile river, but decided aganist it. I know - I know ...I am a bit lame for not just doing it. However, since I am here for work, I thought staying alive would be a good thing. Basically, you are in a raft hurtling down level 5-6 rapids, with a small saftey boat behind you. I did try and book a less difficult raft trip, but no one was going out on the lower part of the rapids. Many of my colleugue who have tried it really dislike the experince and will never raft again. Also, the Ugandan's think that Muzunguz (white folks) are basically "insane" for attemping to raft the river.
http://www.adrift.ug/

I ended up spending the day seeing lots of Jinga!

It was a great day (even without rafting)

Janeen ended up on a horseback safari that went way into the bush. Unfortnuatley, they had no extra horses to spare - so I couldn't go on the trip. While she rode, I wandered around the property and I trekked through the bush and down to the river.

http://www.nilehorsebacksafaris.com/nhs_about_us.asp

After the horseback safari, our taxi cab driver/tour guide took us to the Source of the Nile Park. Janeen and I relaxed in the sun and took a boat ride to the "source" of the Nile. We reached a small fishing island and got to enjoy some time looking at the water and our beautiful surroundings.

Did you know the Nile has 5 names?

1) Victoria Nile, 2) Albert Nile, 3) White Nile, 4) Blue Nile and 5) Nile (Egypt)

The source of the whole Nile is Lake Victoria in Uganda - it them meets with the Albert Nile at Lake Albert UG then travels to Sudan where the it becomes the White Nile, the White Nile connects with the Blue Nile in Ehtiopia, once they flow together they become the Nile that empty's in Egypt. It takes 3 months for the water to cylce all the way to Egypt.

Note: Videos may be a bit "Blair Witch" I tend to move the carmera too fast!

Source of the Nile Landing

Nile Boat Ride

Source of the Nile - Swirling water

After the boat ride, we went to shop at the craft stalls. I bought this great picture made out of bannana leaves for 9SH (which is such a deal at $5.50 US) I was so excited! As we were pulling out of the parking lot the guy who sold me the picture chased us down. He saids his boss said I "theived" from them ( basically the price was too low). He up the price to 20SH - so I politiely told him to take his picture in return for my money. He kept trying to get me to buy it back. Finally he gave me my money back - It was all very strange ?!

For the last part of our day, we headed to Bujugali Falls. The falls run along the Nile and are quite beautiful (not typical cataract waterfalls - like in Hawaii). The falls are much lower, runs along the banks and the is a lot of much rushing water!

Bujugali Falls

Bujugali Falls

We ended our day by having lunch at the Nile Porch resort. I would have stayed the night there, but they were completely booked. It is a great tented camp style resort, it overlooks the jungle and the Nile. It's situated right next to Bujugail Falls park entrance. All sorts of people enjoy this resort from families to bohemians and hippies. http://www.nileporch.com/

If you ever visit Uganda I'd defintaley reccomend making Jinga one of your stops! It is a wonderful place!

UNC Healthcare Medical Mission-Uganda

While eating dinner one night, I was meet two great women Helen and Janeen. Helen and Janeen were in Kampala working with Mulago Hosptial's Heart Institute and Pediatric Heart Program, through University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill. Mulago Hospital is the national urban teaching hospital for Uganda; it has the best facilites for providing higher level medical care.

Note: If you have seen the movie "The Last King of Scotland" this is the hospital I am referring to. It is a bit surreal to walk around the hallways.

Helen invited me to come spend the day at the Mulago Intensive Care Unit. It was an amazing experience! I was able to meet some of the Open Heart Team, and spend a bit of time with the children in recovery.

UNC and DC Children's Hospital donate a whole team of medical professionals (Cardiologists, Surgeons', MDs, Respiratory therapists, scrub nurse, PAs, anesthesiologist, profusionist, and recovery nursing staff) who come and preform 10+ surgeries on children with heart defects. The team not only preforms the surgeries, but they are aslo teaching the nursing and MD staff at Mulago.

Prior to the team arriving, The Mulago Heart Institute screens patients, organizes the patients' arrivals. Once the team has set up shop - they work together to assess the patient and get them prepared for the critical 60 minutes of Bypass time and 30 minutes of cross clamp time necessary to correct the child's intracardiac defect.

The following are some pics of my day!

Kato 13- secundum ASD closure

Edwin 3 yrs- perimembranous VSD and sub aortic membrane repair

Patricia G -2.5 yrs/PDA ligation

The medical mission is now working towards implementing a tele-med program, and setting up a Cath Lab. If anyone happens to know of hospitals who are renovating/upgrading and would like to donate medical equipment, please let me know. This would be the only Cath Lab in the entire country!

Also, the team had previously set up a PICU (Pediatric ICU) for the hospital. The PICU and the Neonatal ICU are in desperate need of supplies, the infant mortality rate is extremely high due a variety of reasons -(2 nurses are caring for 80 babies at one time). However, mother's are encourage to stay and care for thier babies around the clock.

If you are interested in joining or starting your own Medical Mission via a Hospital or University, I'd be happy to connect you to this team - to get some information on how they started up.

Driving in Kampala

I thought when I left Atlanta, I would avoid traffic! Well, was I wrong. In order for the staff to get to work, almost everyone drives into Entebbe. There is one main road (2 lanes) that goes to and from both Kampala to Entebbe. For some reason I am enthralled with thr traffic here?! It amazes me that people actually can get from point A to point B.

Driving in the city is not for the faint at heart; it is a true skill. Have you ever seen coordinated chaos? There are no driving rules, no one sits and waits in traffic, or gets a photo taken when accidentally driving through a red light. In fact there are no lights! It's polite British style driving with a race track twist. Everyone is merging and driving every which way through city roads, all trying to get in or out of the city. It's like being in a pin-ball game, your a player with no control, you just sit in awe, and you have no choice but to accept that "it's a part of the culture".

Example: Yesterday, I saw three Mac-Trucks all going the same direction one on road, of course they got stuck together. They made a huge traffic jam/mess as each of them were jockying trying to get unstuck!

The drive to work is long and can take anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 hours each way from Kampala to Entebbe. I am up at 5 am to be ready for my ride at 7:30 (not so fun). However, I do get to see the sunrise which is a early morning silver lining. Basically, every morning I get a city tour of Old and New Kampala. I was surprised to find that the city is sprawling, it seems to never end. It's a densely packed city, full of vibrant colors, random architecture, and the ever present mix of rich,and poor.

Outside of the city, on the way to Entebbe - the road passed various small towns and villages. Entebbe is situated on around beautiful Lake Victoria. Entebbe is the complete opposite of Kampala, it is a large quiet country area. One of my favorite parts of the drive is when we pass an get a close view of the water.




PS: By the way I am not driving myself to work, staff here get offical travel via Embassy/CDC drivers.
PPS: For all you former RPCVs - yes, I am rolling up in the Land Cruiser (so weird to be on the other side)!

Ki kati wa Uganda!

Hello from Uganda!

I have made it safely to Kampla! I am settling in for my three weeks of work with the local CDC -UG Programme Unit office. I have to say, that this has been one of the easiest trips I have made in a long time. I arrived last Sunday night in Entebbe, and was greeted by Faustin and Jeffery two very freindly gentelmen who work for the US Embassy. I was whisked through customs like a VIP (which was a really good thing, b/c my country clearance for entering UG did not come through in time - per reading the fine print on my papers as I was landing at the airport) After collecting my luggage, I was handed off to a Embassy driver and taken to my hotel the Emin Pasha.

Now, I am not used to stay in "posh" hotels. I am quite happy in basic accommodations. I just about fell on the floor when I got into my room. Mind you, I was extremely tired, so falling on the floor was almost an option. Despite being overly tired, I walked in my small room and there was the room of my dreams. A huge wooden bed with a lovely gauze mosquito net flowing over it, a cozy oversized chair. It was a vision of loveliness!

In the morning, I was greeted by Suzanne a co-worker,who came to pick me up with her CDC driver Stephen. She took me to see her house and for some African chai tea. After tea, we drove to Entebbe to the Ministry of Health (MOH) compound where CDC is located. The drive into Entebbe is an adventure! The traffic is quite bad, with all the private cars, boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis), regular mini-bus taxis and people dodging in between all of the cars. The best anology I can give you is - it's like being in a combination speed racer/dodge ball game. I had to close my eyes, as people and cars almost crash into eachother (I will have another post dedicated to driving in Kampla).

The CDC shares buildings on a Ministry of Health (MOH), on a hill overlooking Entebbe and Lake Victoria. I was amazed by the beautiful view, and the fresh air. After taking in the view, I was introduced to the Programme Unit staff and given a tour and a my office/confrence room with a great garden/lake view! I also had a traditional Ugandan lunch under the mango tree with my new supervisor Charmaine and other CDC staffers.

After lunch, I got started straight away on my project, and almost feel asleep while typing. I have to say that jet leg really took its toll on me.

Overall, I had a great first day!

PS: Due to inernet dial-up connection, posting blogs is not always timely!