Greetings from Arua in the West Nile district of Uganda. Previously closed to volunteers because of the Lords Resistance Army and the fighting against the Ugandan Government. President Museveni has successfully kicked them into Sudan and they have not reappeared so the area is heavily guarded and very safe. (or so I am told) The mud of Waikiso is a distant memory as the red dirt here has more sand in it and the run off is quicker then the clay of Waikiso. Arua also has a garbage service so the trash is much less. We also have a golf course and landing strip so when any and all, come to visit they can skip the 9 hour bus trip and just fly to here. With 6 flights a day you can come anytime and it is all for the low cost of 135US one way. Is it worth it? Well, just sit next to a woman with a child on her lap in your smaller then coach class airplane size seat that is covered in plastic (so you can really sweat) with only the leaky windows for fresh air and the baby throws up, and you have 7 hours more to go on the bus and the bathroom stops are every 3 hours a a gas station where the men go in he field and you go in a concrete trough that everyone else uses. Hint, wear shoes and not sandals if you choose the bus route. Then decide if the flight is worth it. Just keep the thought. Although you will miss the wildlife view from the bus window if you fly. And the landing strip is grass and a little rough I heard.
For wildlife I have found a great guide who will use any budget you have and drives. You do not want to drive yourself here, they drive on the L and have 3 lanes of traffic when there should be 2 and the boda bodas are whizzing past with 3 people hanging on. Ah Africa! No worries about police here unless there are more then 14 people in the taxi and the children and chickens are not counted as people in the taxi. Are you ready for the experience? I think it is quaint and funny and am so grateful that I grew up in the US to know that it can be done differently. Not as cost efficient as far as gas is concerned but less squished... Back to Arua. The town has 45,000 the district is large and the surrounding area is flat with the Nile close by and Lake Albert to the south. It is more grassland and agriculture done with a hoe so the fields are not “round up ready” but rather cared for by the locals in a sustainable way. The houses outside the city are the round concrete huts with thatched roofs in a cone. They are clumped together and I believe the water comes from a borehole near the huts. They never notice if the power is out and they still cook with wood. There are more trees here but it is mainly grassland now as it is rainy season. The town has 2 markets and when we tried to speak Lugbara (the language am learning for the area) people would say “I am not from here” in English. Because of the war lots of refugees settled here and a lot of trading takes place across the Sudan and Congo border which are about 50 miles away. The city is know for the 100% cotton dyed fabrics from Congo called “Katanga”. They are absolutely gorgeous. Cotton is grown and woven in Sudan and the thread count is high so the cotton is good grade and the colors are stunning. The market has all the veggies we have as there is a large Indian population here so the food has variety. I am anxious to get my own kitchen. The hot season here is December, January, February, March. So make plans now for your visit as gardens die and people lay low because of the heat. I will let you know what “heat” means after I get here for good. They have 2 churches Catholic(better choir) and Protestant (British Anglican) both well attended and English speaking services as one of the 3 service options. The art on the walls of the Catholic has depictions of villages being massacred, body parts laying around and Jesus in a cloud above accepting the saints into Glory. Then the homily is about forgiveness and reconciliation. So I am seriously pondering my faults of the week like how much I detest all the people I am traveling with and seeking forgiveness for my wicked thoughts and I look up and see the art and think how much others may actually have to forgive to have peace in their hearts. I have so much to learn about faith and forgiveness. I think this will be a good place to learn it and the people here are more friendly then Waikiso so this will be a good place to live and I love it here. Tom is of the same mind. We will see how he does when the heat comes.
