You know you're a Washingtonian when...

...Uganda's rainy season is your favorite time of year!!! Seriously, I love, love, love the rain here. Yesterday we were riding in a taxi on our way into Kampala, and the clouds had a dark, ominous look to them. As soon as we got out of the taxi, the clouds decided to dump buckets upon buckets of water down to earth. I have never been caught in rain that heavy before. We made a mad dash to the Shoprite grocery store on the corner, but were still sufficiently soaked when we reached it. While we waited out the rain, we sat down and ate lunch on the floor, although this didn't really appear to be odd to anyone who passed us.

This past weekend we went on a short two-day trip to Ssese Islands, a collection of islands in Lake Victoria (which happens to be the second largest lake in the world). We arrived at the ferry dock, and everything had gone rather smoothly so far, so we knew something had to be up. Sure enough, we look at the ferry we are about to board and it looks pretty decent, a good size, it could definitely withstand some stormy rides across the lake. However, when we proceeded to purchase our tickets, we were informed that the ferry was out of service due to some maintenance issues. So...we would be riding in the hull of what was basically an over-sized dugout canoe for our three hour crossing. Typical Africa. It ended up being a smooth ride though and you could crawl out from under the tarp covered area and sit on the edge of the boat which provided a nice breeze and some pretty scenery.

The island where we stayed can best be described as a "deserted island." There were barely any people on it, which was nice for relaxation purposes, but not exactly what we had expected. We stayed at a campsite owned by an old, eccentric German man, with cabins that were splashed with bright murals painted by one of the local artists. The campsite was surrounded by trees, but it was only a few steps to the white, sandy beach. It was so beautiful. There were a lot of different birds on the island and a group of monkeys was entertaining us with their playful antics around the grounds of the campsite.

On Saturday we explored the fisherman's village, which consisted of about thirty huts made from mud with thatched roofs. Fishing is the main activity on the island and there were a bunch of dugout canoes roaming the water just off the shore. We also ventured into the jungle, but turned back rather quickly because there were just too many bugs to try and fight off which prevented it from being a very enjoyable adventure. The untouched beauty of the island was incredible though, especially at sunrise and sunset. It was nice to relax for a day, but I don't know that I could have spent much more time than that. The German guy who owned the campsite has been there for sixteen years...which probably explains why he is so crazy!

Anyhow, that was a bit of a change of pace and it was nice to get away from Ndejje for a few days. Back to work now though, more fun times with the kids!