In Masindi town, Uganda

We've arrived in Masindi town in north-western Uganda! It's a great little town I think...has everything we need while we're here.

Gosh there's so much to write about I don't even know where to start. VSN is awesome; Sarah has looked after us really well and gave us a morning of training on Ugandan life/culture/things we need to know while volunteering. We've been having chapati, tea and omelets for breakfast every morning. Chapati is kind of like a pancake. You have it with egg and vegetables etc.

Our accomodation in Kampala was basic but great. Pit latrines and a bucket for a wash. Takes a bit of skill to get used to but you learn fast :P

The dust is very red but the vegetation is so green, it's beautiful. The city is extremely overcrowded and poor and busy. We went in the afternoon to change money, go to an internet cafe and buy a sim card. The traffic is CRAZY! I don't know how they don't crash or run over people every 5 minutes. There are soo many beggers in the city and a lot of lame people because of polio. I saw a little boy who was only about 4 or 5. He was sitting on the street with his hands cupped in the air; looking emotionless. There are a lot of street kids and many of them come from an area near the border of Congo where there's a lot of fighting and abuse.

The night life is very vibrant...it's a pretty cool vibe. Kampala is way way safer than Nairobi. There's hardly any crime and it's safe to walk around at night. The food seems safe too. We've been having local food at local roadside restaurants down the street.

This morning we got all packed and took a bus with Sarah up to Masindi. It was a 3 hour ride with a psycho bus driver! I seriously thought we were going to fall into a ditch a few times, and I was sitting right next to the open window :P it was quite fun actually and really interesting to see the landscape change. We drove past a few slums and then more into the country. There are banana plants and palm trees everywhere, it's so so GREEN and tropical. I love it! People out here live in mud huts and mud shacks (apart from in town).

It's still the rainy season but it's been very sunny and hot. There was a thunder shower just before but it's stopped now.

We're staying in a really nice guesthouse in Masindi. It has a proper shower, toilet and power! Tomorrow we're going to Masindi Family Orphanage for the first time and we'll be riding on moterbikes to get there and back (they're called boda bodas). Can't wait to meet the kids!