Traveling to Gulu

so yesterday, we were up early for a team meeting, packed up - leaving some things at the guest house until we return next week, and started calling contacts to set up meetings in the northern districts we planned to visit and then headed to the central bus station after lunch.

The way buses heading out of town work, is similar to my experience last year in Hebron - once the seats are all full, the bus leaves. So we got on a bus at about 2:15 or so and it was nearly full - not completely full. And then we sat, in the heat of the bus with vendors coming to the windows constantly with food and all sorts of items for sale - until finally more people came at about 4 pm. Once the seats were filled (5 seats across - 2 on one side of the aisle, 3 on the other) the aisle was then filled with cargo, boxes and bags of all sorts - large and small, that didn't fit underneath the bus. Getting out would prove difficult. Finally we were off - it was now 4:15 or so and rush hour in Kampala. Absolute chaos. The roads are shared by minibuses (14 passenger vans), boda-boda's (motorbike taxis), bicycles, trucks and private cars and pedestrians all in the mix. I was happy when we cleared traffic and wer on the main highway north - there is only one. We had good authority that the bus ride was 4 hours at about 100 km/hr but that the pot hole filled road would be bumpy. Well - we arrived in Gulu at 10:45 pm, after encountering road construction, huge potholes and speed bumps and a few stop offs along the way. There was an occasional smooth stretch of highway where it was possible to go 100 km/h and then they sure did! but after being jammed in the bus and bumping through endless and deep potholes, I was grateful to get out - climbing over all the boxes in the aisle to walk to the girls school where we will be accomodated until Monday, when we continue our travels.

I can no longer complain about Greyhound!!

That said, the trip itself, was spectacular - we passed through areas of dense sub-tropical forests, agricultural land, marshes and open fields. Villages along the way - at first the children on their way home from school in the uniforms and then as night fell, small fires as the women cooked their evening meal. With nearly a full moon it was so well lit and beautiful to see. When we finally crossed the Nile - which I'd been waiting to see - it was stunning, a wide, fast flowing, mass of white water radiant in the moonlight. I look forward to seeing it by day.

We arrived at the school for girls at 11:30 to find two of the nuns awake and with warmed up food for us and tea before we called it a day and slept very soundly.

Now we are in Gulu - and after a meeting today with the Refugee Law Project, tomorrow continue a series of meetings with NGOs.

Signing off as I head back to the girls school for a team meeting and supper with the Sisters.