16th Week

4 more weeks to go :) wow i cant believe its already been 4 months since i have been here in Uganda Africa.  Last weekend i went to a place about 40 miles outside of Kampala called bujagali falls, its kind of like great falls but this is the place where the Mighty Nile River starts so for me its an incredible chance to actually see it in person. Im kind of sad that i have not had the chance to see all of Uganda and all the wonderful places there are to see. Specially the wild animals that are here, i just have not had the time, most of the animals are in the western part of Uganda which is extremely far, now when i say far, for us 300 miles is nothing right? i mean i can drive 300 miles in 5 hours tops in the US, but here omg 300 miles would take a day. The road conditions are very bad, there are no highways, just one lane roads we have in our neighborhoods. Imagine all the trucks on 495 on a one lane road, but these trucks are not as fast as our trucks are, they are so packed with goods making them extremely  heavy, they can not go up and down hills so traffic builds up and it takes 16 hours to drive 300 miles. What im trying to get at is a short trip for us back at home here would be very long. Then when you do get to the area its a jungle and you would have to walk for hours or even days before reaching your destination. For example, when i went to see mount Elgon, which used to be an active volcano that erupted along time ago but that eruption has creating a caldera, i wanted to go all the way to the top to see it but there are no roads, and the local people told me its 3 day hike for an experience hiker and 7 days for normal people. Can you imagine 7 days in the jungles of Uganda with wolves, sphinx, and bobcats and so many other animal around? I dont mind the hike or the camping part but i would need my supplies, like a water proof tent due to the fact that it rains everyday, cooking material, food, water, etc. ofcourse the most important item is a weapon, but in uganda everything is prohibited, cant own a gun of any kind, no knifes, i mean nothing, so you can imagine what i was thinking? I was like hell no im not going into the jungle with out supplies and a gun. Then there is the fact of paying the park authorities, it cost $250 just for the permit to enter the national parks EACH. That is crazy, if i wanted to see everything it would cost me something like $2000 just in permits, not including the trips and fees of guides, transport, fuel, and all sorts of of other costs. But the next time i come back im going to atleast go and see the silver back gorillas, i have heard it is a life changing experience.

So far this trip to Uganda has been mostly about business, i mean there are occasional weekends where i go somewhere but its mostly work, we start work at 8 am  and usually i get home around 530 or 6, then im doing US work, so my days are pretty much work, except when i work out, i try to work out everyday, helps me pass the time faster at home, but i dont have weights here so i am kind of limited to what i can do. Even though i dont have the equipment i still manage to do my P90X almost everyday. I still have not consumed any kind of meat or chicken for nearly 15 weeks, who would of thought i could manage this long with out meat or chicken? I have fish once in a while and can tuna twice a week but my diet is strickly beans, salad, and vegetables, i do eat alot of fruit, and let me tell you the fruit here is amazing, i dont know how im gonna eat our fruit when i get back, one thing i have to admit is my sister is right about eating only organic foods, i think it make a huge difference. We always made fun of her about organic this and organic that, now i am actually seeing the difference, so i owe her a huge apology for all the crap i gave her.  Recently i have found this nut the locals call G nut, when it is roasted is very tasty, i dont know if my standard have gone down or what, but this G nut thing is pretty good, tastes exactly like peanuts.

Even though its been a nice trip and my host edmund has taken care of me big time, i miss home and i miss my family and friends. I am counting the days until i reach home. I was telling someone that the first thing im gonna do when i get back, on the way home i want to stop by PHO 75 and have a large bowl of #12 with extra noodles and white onions and onions in oil :) then hopefully a nice home cooked meal from my mom for dinner. I have put some pictures of the falls on my facebook, so if anyone wants to see its amazing. till next time.