On our last day in Kampala

It's our last day in Kampala as we prepare to travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park. We'll be back only briefly for the night on Wednesday. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to write up what we'll miss about Kampala, and what we won't! Hope it gives you a flavour of life here.

What we'll miss:

• The Tigers & Tuda boys - so many of them are now dear to our hearts. They're no longer 'street boys' but simply 'boys' with names, faces and real characters.
• The Tigers staff - their faith and dedication and the warmth of their welcome
  
• Sunshine!
• The warmth and friendliness of the Ugandan people - we've been amazed at how friendly they all are to us Mzungu's. There's just a great atmosphere here somehow.
• The very real outpouring of faith by the people we've met - almost everywhere. They relate so strongly to their daily walk with God, it's part of everyday parlence. We saw a couple of Ugandan's being commissioned at the Kampala Baptist Church as they were being sent on mission to England!
  
• Some of the sights that make us laugh - an entire wooden bed frame on a bicycle, 9 crates of coke bottles on a bicycle, three live pigs and a couple of chickens on a boda-boda, road-side peddlars with oranges, apples, bananas, sugar cane, bedding or an arm full of bras!
• The fruit. Right now I'm a bit fed up with pineapple for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I'm sure I'll miss it after a break of a few days.

And what we remember in terms of our personal challenges:

• Dealing with the extent of the poverty. Even apart from the slums it is clear that many many people live below what we would consider to be the bread-line.
• The Iman wailing over loud-speaker from the mosque at 5am every morning!!!! As Paul remarked; "it doesn't do much for inter-faith relations".
  
• The constant city noise - it's such a busy city, despite being layed-back, they keep going and have a very strong work ethic, everyone works to earn some level of income and so there is a constant level of noise.
  
• Waking up and wondering whether or not there will be any water to wash in.
• Red dust, in our mouths, up our noses, in our ears (as Nathan at Tuda says - 'red bogeys')
  
• Battling with the mosquito net as you get in and out of bed
• Itchy mosquito bites
• Dodgy tummies

All in all, we've had a brilliant time here - truly unforgettable.

Debbie