African Animals!

We haven't had too many opportunities to get out of Kampala and explore but, fortunately there are so many animals in Uganda that you can still see some without even trying too hard. 

Giraffes

 ???? (We need to learn more about African animals)

 Buffalo, who, in a effort to intimidate us, started urinating

 Hippo

The Nile River

The Nile River is the longest river in the world and the source is generally considered to be in Uganda. Below are some scenes of the river from near the source in Jinja and near Karuma Falls in north central Uganda. 

Something Completely Different

Yes, we are in still in Kampala, but on the way to Uganda we stopped in Amsterdam for a few days. These photos never made it on the blog...until now. So, imagine it is early September and you are strolling the canals in and maybe stopping in a cafe to enjoy some good...Amstel.

Kakira Sugar Factory

 Uganda is a major sugar producer and consumer. Uganda's consume more than 10kg of sugar each year but that didn't stop one Ugandan from commenting that Ugandans are "undernourished" and need to eat more sugar. We had no idea how sugar was made but a tour of the Kakira Sugar Works, which was first established in 1930, gave us a good idea (though a few important steps might be missing from the pictures below).

 Safety First

 Bringing the sugar cane to the factory

 Grinding the sugar cane

 Bagging the sugar

 Quality Control

 Coming to a store near you

 The factory also had lots of great signs encouraging good behavior and practices. This one applies whether at work or at home. 

When It Rains in Kampala...

We are in the middle of one of Uganda's two annual rainy season. No big deal--the rain keeps temperatures cool, gives the air a new fresh feeling, and helps plants grow. However, when it rains in Kampala it also floods. Luckily we are not usually on the road when it floods but, if you are, it looks like this:

Scenes of Kampala

Kampala is a hectic city with a population of over 1.5 million. Originally composed of seven hills, Kampala has expanded rapidly and suffers from terrible traffic jams. At the same time, Kampala can also be a very walkable city. When you do explore the city, this is what you see:

Marabou Storks

Imagine a teradactyl-hyena-pigeon combination and you have a marabou stork. A massive, scavenger bird that can be found almost everywhere. Uganda is host to 11% of the worldwide bird population. While there are some incredibly beautiful and unique birds in Uganda, this is the one you see most often and it is decidedly neither beautiful or unique. 

 The main taxi park in Kampala 

Independence Day and Soccer

Forty-nine years ago, Uganda gained independence from Great Britain. Celebrations in Kampala were fairly subdued, especially because the official independence day celebration was held hundreds of kilometers away in the northern town of Lira. 

Independence Day was overshadowed by the Uganda-Kenya African Cup of Nations qualifier match which was played in Kampala on October 8. Uganda was attempted to qualify for Africa's continental tournament for the first time in 34 years. Sitting at the top of their group, all they had to do was win and they were in. Despite numerous chances, the game ended in a 0-0 draw and Angola leapt ahead of Uganda and took the spot. Needless to say, there was a lot of disappointment as this article sums up.