Mount Wanale

Yesterday we hiked up Mt. Wanale. It takes three hours to walk/climb to the top and we spent about an hour playing in the waterfall, eating lunch, and astonishing and amusing the kids who found us before heading back down. We started our trek at 7:30 on the morning, so we would miss most of the miday sun and got back to home around 2:30ish. My legs are not appreciative of all the exertion I inflicted upon them. The astonishing thing to me was all the people who kept passing us as if it were nothing to climb up and down this huge, steep mountain. Of course they have had the advantage of doing it nearly everyday, because you have to go dow to Mbale if you want to sell your goods or buy clothing or shoes or anything. Some of them passed us with only flipflops and some with no shoes at all!!! One family passed going down as we were going up and inadvertantly showed us a huge culural difference. The young boy came down carrying a toddler, the mother was next with a baby on her back and a suitcase on her head, and the father came last with NOTHING AT ALL!!! Not all men hold to that custom, but it is very prevelant here, especially among those who have multiple wives. Amanda made sure the woman knew how incredible she was as they passed each other. I hope she understood.

We took Priscilla, Phoebe, and Lydia (3 of the girls that live here) with us and we all had a good time playing in the waterfall at the top of the mountain (the portion that pools before it plummets about 1000 feet down the side of the mountain). Amanda has been to it during the rainy season and says it is much more impressive than it was yesterday, since the water level is massively higher. When we reached the pool there was a man doing laundry in the river. Apparently he was washing soccer jerseys. I hope the team is at the top of the hill and not the bottom! We enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the company of some of the local kids that found us. They did not like the smell of the warm cheese we had to go with our crackers. One of the older boys picked it up and sniffed it and then promptly threw it away from himself, said something to his buddy and left. A little later one of the younger boys' curiosity got the better of him and he sniffed it and threw it off the cliff! After lunch, Amanda filtered some of the river water so we could refill our water bottles,much to th amazement of the pack that followed us, and we set off back down the mountain. Since it is the dry season here, some of the drit was very loose making the way down just as difficult (if not more so) than the way up. I think Priscilla and Phoebe giggled most of the slip-sliding way down. It was quite funny, and Connie ended up on her bum more than once. I think we all lost our footing at one time or another, which can be quite un-nerving if it's in a place where the trail is about 8 inches wide and the fall is a couple hundred feet down. Thankfully we all made it down safely.

When we finally reached the road that led back home we all decided to take a bota bota home rather than walk the rest of the way. Connie and I were sunburned by this time (doxcyclene will do that to you) and everyone was quite exhausted. A bota bota is a steel framed bicycle with a padded seat on the back for traveler's to sit n while the man peddles you to your destination. Connie wiped out the first one who offered his seat because he wasn't quite strong enough. I had to walk up the hill with my driver because he wasn't quiet strong enough either. That was quite and experience. After we got home everyone told me I should have "rode like a man" since i had pants on, rather than side saddle. Oh well, maybenext time.

Tomorrow we take Priscilla and Stella to school in Tororo, and then Tuesday we will head to Kampala to catch our bus to Rwanda early Wednesday morning. I think there is something else we are doing Monday, but I can't remember.

Today, Priscilla's family is preparing an "off to school"/goodbye feast for everyone. The turkey met his demise yesterday evening, and I think a chicken was "sacrificed" today. I dont know for sure, but it sounded like it. They eat very late around here, around 8pm, so I guess I will find out then.

Hope you all have a happy week.
See you soon.