Lorenzo (an Italian volunteer that Paul lives next to) had his birthday party the night I stayed in Jinja before leaving for Sipi.
Waiting for pasta and CAKE!
Innocent and Jordan enjoying chocolate cake and nutella.
Sipi Falls was amazing!! The ride there was something to write home about, took about 6-7hrs and it was only supposed to be 3 or so. The taxi (matatu) we took from Jinja to Mbale (99km or 1 ½ hours) decided to stop pretty frequently to let people off and on so that added a lot of time. Finally we made it to Mbale around 5:30pm and we had about another hour and a half (so we were told) until we arrived to Sipi. After much debate and discussion with the taxi drivers and conductors we agreed on 4,000ugx as the price for each of us.
A rainbow on the drive to Sipi!
We go in the taxi and thought we were on our way - - we were wrong… we then went to the taxi park and sat there for another 30min while the van filled up. So finally we were on our way and good because it was becoming dusk. We get to the bottom of this huge hill and see a sign for the place we booked for the night “Sipi River Lodge – 12km” We were so close… but out taxi decided to tell us that it wasn’t 4,000ugx its more than that and also, he wasn’t going to take us up the hill. So as we are parked on the bottom of this huge hill 12km away from our destination, our driver flags down a random private car that’s headed up the hill. A few words are exchanged and then the driver tells us to get out and that we are going with this car. So the five of us (Ethan, Sarah, Cory, Tom, and I) pile into this tiny beat up car with 4 locals, only 1 spoke English. We put our luggage in the back of the car where Ethan and Sarah had to sit. The latch didn’t shut all the way so we had to hold their hands so they didn’t fall out of the back and roll down the hill. About half way up the hill we drop off the only guy who spoke English and continued. For some reason the driver decided to stop again and talk to people on the street. It was now dark and locals surrounded the car. It was a bit uncomfortable but I just locked my door. When the driver tried to start the car it wouldn’t start – we sat there for another 15min trying to figure out the problem and soon enough they added some gasoline and we were putting up the hill again.
Sarah and Ethan hanging on for dear life.
Finally – Sipi River Lodge!!! We made it! Just in time for a hot dinner too. This lodge was backyard to the second of three waterfalls called Sipi Falls.
That was our cabin the first night!
Thursday morning (14) we decided to do the hike to all three waterfalls before lunch.
The hike was beautiful….
Sipi River Lodge has their own garden/farm where they get
the majority of the food they serve from!
Sarah, Ethan, Tom, Me and Cory ready for our hike!
Awesome cave behind the 2nd water fall!
Neat slug...made me miss banana slugs and Nor Cal.
View while hiking...
Sipi Falls # 2
epic
Little creek/stream that Cory and Tom jumped into for a swim!
There was TONS of cabbage on this hike. Everywhere!
Sipi Falls #3
Just part of the hike!
The largest of the 3 waterfalls - Sipi Falls #1
I'm touching the waterfall!
The hike took nearly 4 hours and was very challenging. I felt like I was training for Mt. Kilimanjaro. Which reminded me that I needed to start running soon because I start that climb August 19th.
In the afternoon I was going to go abseiling off the largest of the three falls. But unfortunetly it began to down pour (which apparently it does nearly every afternoon) so I had to cancel my abseiling. We changed logging that night and moved to the Crows Nest which was 1/10 of the price…but for good reason.
View from Crows Nest...not bad!
Our dorm for the second night
Friday morning (15) we scheduled a Coffee Tour/Coffee Safari and headed out early to learn all about the process of planting, growing, harvesting, roasting and drinking coffee! It was a blast!!
A baby goat!
First you have to plant the coffee seed. Then after 40 days it will start to sprout. Around that time you have to transport it into a little plastic bag type of pot so that it stays healthy and holds moisture.
Coffee seeds
After another 4-6 months they will become larger and ready to transplant into the plantation.
Ready for transplant!
We each got to plant out own coffee plant and name it after ourselves.
Antonia and Antonia the coffee plant.
Once they are planted into soil, it will take 3 years for them to grow and be able to be harvested. So they told me to come back in 3 years and I could harvest Antonia for coffee.
This is what a ripe coffee bean looks like on the plant! CRAZY!
Once the 3 year mark hits and they are able to be harvested, they continue to produce coffee beans for FORTY years!! After they become too old you cut them at an angle and another coffee plant will grow from it.
This one was just cut and another plant is
growing.
We took out red coffee beans and put them through this machine to strip off the outside (red part) so that we were left with the white beans. Those beans are surprisingly sticky.
The beans are then washed and dried in the sun.
This is what the beans look like once they are washed and dried.
But they still aren't ready to be coffee. We had to pound them and get all the loose particles/skin off of them before we roasted them.
Pounding away!
Our guide Tony getting all the unwanted particles
off the beans.
Time to roast them!
I thought roasting took at least and hour... but no! It only took about 5-7min!
I love coffee!!
Now we had to pound the roasted coffee so we could taste our coffee!!
A cup of coffee at starbucks - ~$4
A cup of Ugandan coffee that you made yourself - priceless :)
It was one of the best cups I've ever had!
The ride back from Sipi was much much shorter than the one there. I made it back to Jinja Friday (15) around 5pm. Paul was on the river so I waited in town for him. The rest of the weekend was nice and relaxing. I was able to go rafting again on Saturday and enjoyed every second of it!
I headed back to Ndejje Sunday (17) afternoon and slept very good. 4 weeks left! Time to get to work. This week I am going to try many new things with the students. My Dad sent me some pencils so I'm going to use that as an intensive to do well also. I have to work on lesson plans and homework for the week.
07/12/07
We didnt work today and spent most of the day in Arusha. We went to town with Makaay which is Untimama's best friend. Untimama is Munka's (the director figure) son.
We went to a local food market and then an internet cafe to touch base with the real world. After that we all went to a restaurant called Bamboo.
Arusha, Tanzania
After that we rushed to the Rwanda thing and watched International Criminal Tribunal For Rwanda. It was intense. The people that were responsible for the genocide in Rwanda were being tried and prosecuted. It was an amazing experience and I am very gracious for the opportunity. After that we went to the Maasai market again and I finished all of my shopping for friends, family, and myself :) We baptized Bruno (Bob's son) and his new American/Canadian name is “Andy”. Nakupenda = I Love you. 07/13/07 We worked on the school for half the day today...
George inside the school walls.
Admiring our work.
After working on the school we went back to the house to meet with Master Batikers. A Batik is a cloth with a pattern or picture on it made by using a manual wax resistant dying technique. It is rather diffictult - but we gave it our best shot...
Batiks made by the masters
Attempting to wax up my Batik.
2 Master Batikers.
07/15/07
Yesterday we went to Ngiresi (a small village about 25min drive from Moshono). We stayed at Loti’s Farm. He was a very nice man and had a lot of people who were at his house.
Loti''s Farm
We stayed in tents and it was VERY cold outside. I had 5 layers on my top (no joke). And I still needed a down vest.
The tests we camped in.
Kids we met on the walk to the waterfall.
Navaru Waterfall
After our waterfall hike we did more hiking and went back Loti's. I had the best dinner of my life - I don’t know how to explain it but it was rice and this carrot/veggie thing and I actually liked it. So we went to sleep at about 9pm and I woke up at 3am and then it started pouring outside and I didn’t know Hailey’s shoes were outside so I didn’t get them and they got soaked and I felt super bad. Then we waited for the rain to clear up which it didn’t so we basically sat around. Then right when I was about to fall asleep we went for a wet walk around the village and saw a traditional home. It was awesome.
Traditional style home
Pot boiling inside the house
Hanging out inside the house with Maakay.
The entire family stayed in these homes as well as the cattle (if the family had any). They had makeshift walls that gave the feeling of rooms but it was for the most part a one room house. They did their cooking int here as well and it tended to get very very smokey in there. They had a ventilation system set up so the smoke would go out through the middle of the roof but it didn't work that well.
Baobab Tree in the mists after the rain.
Then after that we went and saw the village Traditional Healer and her name was Mama Chalas. It was amazing!!! There were leaves that you chewed on to make a toothache go away. Then you mixed the bark of two trees and boiled it and then it got rid of STDs and there was stuff that helped with Malaria and just a bunch of other things.
Mama Chalas's house from a far
Mama Chalas with her healing herbs.
Beautiful flower on the hike
After that we went and looked at a coffee plantation:
Headed back to the farm and had lunch then waited for Munka to come with the car. The car couldn’t come in the morning because it was too wet and couldn’t make it up the really steep hill that lead to the farm.
We went back to Arusha for a bit and then back to Moshono. We went and played soccer today. Our favorite players are Dayos, Ben, Schevchanco, Toby, and Fester. They are only our favorites because we know their names. And they pass us mzungos! We call and say "Rafiki yangu!! Rafiki yangu!!" Which means "My friend! My friend!" or "Friend of mine! Friend of mine!"
The group we play with (I am taking the picture)
Me and Monica getting ready for the big game.
07/16/07 So today we worked on the school but not really because there was pretty much nothing for most of us to do. There are only 1 person jobs to do now. I saw Ronald again...Ronald is the little boy who I bought a new uniform and shoes for. Hailey left for Dar-es-Salaam today. She is going to see the child her and her family has sponsored through World Vision for like...5-8 years now.
Walls are all up
Izzy, Monica, Hailey, and Me!
Maasai beading people came over and it was so much fun. They brought all this stuff and I bought my last gifts for people back home. Then I got some Maasai tire sandals and decorated them! Then I made a necklace that is amazing and Isabel made a bracelet and gave it to me cause it didn’t fit her ankle! It was so fun!
Hard at work!
07/17/07 We woke up and went to work. Today we had to make A LOT of cement. It was hard. All they said was “MORE MAJI” Maji is Water in Swahili. Michelle, Ella, Kathy AND Monica were all sick today. So after lunch we didn’t go back to work and just relaxed at the house. We napped and read. It was very nice. It started to rain though so we went inside. When it stopped I went back out to just listen to music and sleep and we had our THIRD earthquake!!! It was absolutely CrAzY! It was the worst one yet. The one we 1st had on Mr. Meuro was part of one that was in Nairobi, Kenya and then the ones today were from Arusha. No on was injured in either. And they were a 5.4 so not bad at all. It just feels really weird! Haha the ground is like…moving! I love it. Haha. 07/18/07 Today we don’t have to work at all because all there is to do is cement mixing. So walked into to Arusha, which took about a 1-1 ½, walk, then in town we ate lunch after the internet. Munka gave us a ride home. Im tired...safari is tomorrow...very excited about that
