My friend Mikkel asked me to participate in a radio story contest from RE: Sound. The idea is that you need to make a 3-minute story incorporating the voice of a stranger, and taking inspiration from at least 2 of the 5 books chosen by the organizers. You can download our final story here

Getting ready to record

The time is flying by. Kody’s been here almost 3 months already, and that means its time to take a trip out of Uganda to get his visa renewed. Our friend Mikkel has the same issue, so the three of us decided to take a roadtrip over the border to Kenya.

My only other experience crossing a border by land was into Canada, a world away from Uganda. As we approached the Ugandan border, the touts came out to “assist” us with clearing our vehicle through customs. These smooth talkers try to confuse you into thinking that you need to pay something or get special help in order to move across, which of course is not true. We told them we’d manage fine on our own, but to no avail. As we drove towards the Kenyan border entrance, one even followed us by bicycle to try for a tip one more time!

Waiting at the border crossing in Malaba.

So, so many forms! Have your passport stamped for exit, fill out customs forms for the vehicle at the customs office, take them to the police station for authorization to leave, and then repeat again on the other side. In between, dodge the hustlers trying to sell you currency for the other side, and “help” you with your vehicle. What a relief to be through!

Just on the other side of the border, I was surprised at how different Kenya looked from Uganda. It looked far more developed – much better roads, better looking houses (at least at the roadside), and you could even use credit or ATM cards at the gas station!

Our first destination was the Kakamega Forest. This forest used to stretch across Africa, but only a small part of the primary (old) forest is left. We hiked through, checking out the birds, monkeys, and ancient trees.

At the riverside with our guide

Mikkel and Kody.

We moved on to Kisumu, with the plan to cross back into Uganda further south at Busia. The landscape was far more rocky than I’d see of Uganda I’ve traveled through.

Omo washing powder ads painted on the hillside rocks.

Barack Obama’s father is from this region of the country, and everyone wanted to know if we supported him. In the Hillary/Barack debate, our guide in Kakamega Forest told us he was disappointed that it wouldn’t be Hillary. After all, a black president isn’t that exciting to an African (they’ve got plenty), but a female president is truly rare…

In front of the B. Obama hotel in Kisumu.

My Aunt Lewana’s nickname in the family is Biddy, which apparently is a brand of margarine sold in Kenya.

Street ad for Biddy Margarine in Kisumu Town.

Not knowing much about Kisumu, as we walked through the downtown area we wondered how long it had looked like this. A burned out huge grocery store, stores full of rubbish with broken windows, and a lot of non-functioning store fronts. Apparently I haven’t been following the news as well as I thought. Kisumu was one of the hotspots during the post-election crisis, and this destruction was the end result.

I’ve been at the Ministry of Health a lot lately for meetings. This MOH bus parked out front always catches my eye.

I finally went in for a haircut, and feel so much better!

Ron, I miss you!

I've had an irrational fear of finding a hair dresser in Kampala. As a result, I haven't cut my hair in a full year. As you can see, it's gotten a little out of control. Off to the hairdresser!

The high cost of gas plus the bad exchange rate for the American dollar means that fuel (for my vehicle, diesel) costs about $6.45 a gallon in Kampala. Just thought that might make those of you in the US feel a little bit better about what you're paying at the pump!

I've uploaded a few recent videos to my flickr account that I thought you might be interested in. (The connection's too slow to try to upload to my blog, too!)

Click here for chimpanzees in Kibale Forest.

Click here for traditional Ugandan dances.

Check out Kody's photos since moving to Kampala here on flickr :)

There less than 2 months left until we head back to the US, so we’re trying to squeeze in a lot of weekend trips these days. This weekend, we headed to Lake Mburo (my third time). On our way into the park, we saw Uganda’s national bird, the crested crane, up close.

Tons of warthogs everywhere. I love their mullets, and the way their tails stick straight up when they run.

Caught in the rain, again

My favorite type of tree in Lake Mburo – kind of a tree/cactus cross

The view of one of several lakes in the park

Building a campfire near our tent

Early morning walk to catch a glimpse of hyenas

You can barely tell with my sad camera, but that’s a hyena. We saw a mother and three cubs sneak into their burrows (stolen from aardvarks).

After the hyena walk, we had to rush back to Kampala. I’m due in Ibanda (a few hours past Lake Mburo) this afternoon, but have to meet the team I’m traveling with in Kampal. I had about 45 minutes at home before I was back out the door…

Lately, Kody and I have really been getting into Scrabble. Like most games we play, we’re not entirely sure that we’re playing by the rules. Is 'leggy' an acceptable word? No scrabble dictionary to check, so I guess so. What’s baffling me is how Kody has been kicking my butt. Witness this final board, where Kody scored 52 points for the word ‘quiver’. Spelling's not really his thing, but he’s killing me.