Hi again! It’s the fourth evening of our journey and it has already been sooo fantastic! Today we visited a small town outside Entebbe and I have already forgotten its name, shit! We took a “matatu” again and together with some other tourist we left the city. But soon all the other passengers had left the “matatu” and Emma and I were the only ones remaining as the “matatu” continued out on the countryside to the small town. At first we thought that the driver had left us in the middle of nowhere, but then we saw a lot of small, primitive houses down a hill.
It was so amazing to see how the people live there, how the women cooked food on easy pots above a open fire, how children went to a open space between the houses were a man teached them how to write and how the men worked on the fields around the town. Hens ran around everywhere in the village, they were very similar to their swedish relatives, but there were some differences. They were a bit smaller and more colorful. It all was very different from our cold Sweden!
It was so amazing to see how the people live there, how the women cooked food on easy pots above a open fire, how children went to a open space between the houses were a man teached them how to write and how the men worked on the fields around the town. Hens ran around everywhere in the village, they were very similar to their swedish relatives, but there were some differences. They were a bit smaller and more colorful. It all was very different from our cold Sweden!
Even if Emma and I couldn’t speak with most of the people, there were some who understood our english. And they were all so friendly! They gave us bread done on maize, some beans in a tomato sauce and other vegetables we didn´t recognise.
The women showed us their handcrafts, they had made baskets and bowls, handbags and carpets. All from natural materials and in beautiful colors. A man who could say some words in english told us that the women made all this things to sell them to tourists and the over class people in the cities. So of course I had to buy such a wonderful bag and Emma even bought a carpet for her apartment at home.
A few of the older children, who weren’t as shy as the others, came to us and showed us their school, rows of small woodblocks which they used as desks when writing on their tablets. Then two of them showed us the fields around the village. There were mostly plantages with maize, sweet potatoes and matoke, even called cooking bananas. As we followed the two boys further away from the village we saw small herds of goats and cattles. Herdemen were guarding the herds from wild predators and prevent them from running into the fields. Around the village the landscape was nearly flat, but at the horizon we could see the big rainforests. The whole scenery was so beautiful, the animals, people and nature- you just have to love it! In any case Emma and I love it and I don't want to think about that we are going to leave this amazing country in just a few days. It all seemed to shimmer in the hot air under the burning sun, it’s so hot here and after just these few days both Emma and I have got a dark sunburn. But maby Emma is a bit more red then brown, but still....
A few of the older children, who weren’t as shy as the others, came to us and showed us their school, rows of small woodblocks which they used as desks when writing on their tablets. Then two of them showed us the fields around the village. There were mostly plantages with maize, sweet potatoes and matoke, even called cooking bananas. As we followed the two boys further away from the village we saw small herds of goats and cattles. Herdemen were guarding the herds from wild predators and prevent them from running into the fields. Around the village the landscape was nearly flat, but at the horizon we could see the big rainforests. The whole scenery was so beautiful, the animals, people and nature- you just have to love it! In any case Emma and I love it and I don't want to think about that we are going to leave this amazing country in just a few days. It all seemed to shimmer in the hot air under the burning sun, it’s so hot here and after just these few days both Emma and I have got a dark sunburn. But maby Emma is a bit more red then brown, but still....
Later, when we were back in the village and it was nearly evening, all the people began to move toward an open space in the middle of the houses. Some of the men had lit a fire, which crackled and sparkled and hold all the horrible insects away. That’s something I think we haven’t mentioned yet, all those mosquitoes! They are sooo big and buzzing very loud! Horrible bloodsuckers! Before we got here we had to vaccinate us against a long row of diseases, but still it doesn’t feels safe to be bitten by those gigantic monsters. Anyway the fire held them away and we had an indescribable nice evening.
First the women came with food, it was a simple meal with maize bread, different types of beans and a lot of, for us unknown, vegetables. And of course we even got matoke again, as much as I understood this bananas are something like the national dish of Uganda. The meal was soo delicious and it was fantastic to sit there by the fire and watch all those people, whose lives are so different from ours, talking and laughing in a strange language.
After the meal one of the older men started to talk and everyone else fell silent. It seemed that he told them stories, because at some points everyone around the fire draw in their breath at the same time at other points everyone laughed or looked sad. Even if we didn’t understood the story it was cosily to listen to the old man’s deep voice and the strange words and melody of the language. Now and again we heard some wild animals roar in the distance, remaining us that we were midst among them.
First the women came with food, it was a simple meal with maize bread, different types of beans and a lot of, for us unknown, vegetables. And of course we even got matoke again, as much as I understood this bananas are something like the national dish of Uganda. The meal was soo delicious and it was fantastic to sit there by the fire and watch all those people, whose lives are so different from ours, talking and laughing in a strange language.
After the meal one of the older men started to talk and everyone else fell silent. It seemed that he told them stories, because at some points everyone around the fire draw in their breath at the same time at other points everyone laughed or looked sad. Even if we didn’t understood the story it was cosily to listen to the old man’s deep voice and the strange words and melody of the language. Now and again we heard some wild animals roar in the distance, remaining us that we were midst among them.
It was very late as we finally left the village. One of the younger men, who owned a jeep, drove us back to Entebbe. We thanked him gratefully, there was no matatu in sight and it would have been so terrible to walk all the way back. What a amazing day it has been, and it got the best possible end…
It was a wonderful evening, the darkness around us felt very comfortable and it was thrilling to sit in the open jeep and drive through the outskirts of the rainforest knowing that there were lions, leopards and hyenas everywhere near around us. We even heard the animals roar. At one point our driver had to slam the brakes when a hyena ran across the road right in front of the jeep.
We already saw Entebbe on the horizon as our driver slowed down and stopped the jeep. He pointed toward a small group of trees some distance away. At first we didn’t saw anything at all through the darkness, but then Emma pointed and whispered that there were some animals on the left side of the threes. As I looked I saw them too. A group of zebras were standing there, tight together and with hanging heads, as if they were asleep. Their white stripes were standing out against the darkness around. Our driver pointed and gesticulated that there were more zebras behind the trees, but they were impossible for us to see. The first wildiving animals we have seen! Yay! But I hope we’ll see many, many more of them on our safari through the Serengeti.
And now I’m soo tired that all I’ll be doing the rest of this night is sleeping… By the way Emma is already in her bed, haha :) Good night and more tomorrow! //AK