You know you're in Africa when ... (Kotido, Kachiri, Kaabong)

We've been in Kachiri Monday - Friday, Kaabong this Saturday and Sunday and Kotido in-between.

I hope the following gives a taste of what we've seen and done....

You know you're in Africa when ...


10:30 am actually means 12pm, or maybe 1 or 2 pm.

It rains for less than an hour and everywhere is flooded. But the people are over-joyed.

The local church is just a tin roof.

You have four armed police men guarding you at night.

Almost one-hundred people meet under a tree, and will listen to three locals and three Muzungu's talk about God.

Only English men use umbrella's when it rains.

Children have swollen bellies because there is no food.

Young and old have eye problems that are a minor operation in the West. Yet when they look at you, you also see their love and gratitude for meeting you.

You borrow a local's bike, only to discover it has no brakes.

Your vehicle gets stuck in a dry river bed, and you and half a village dig, push and pull it out.

People who have nothing give you their fatest goat and chicken as a leaving gift. Some Muzunga passengers seem to worry about travelling with them though!

Planting a hedge is blister-making, back-breaking work (if you're a Muzungu, that is).


Going to the toilet (long-drop) at night may mean being shot (by a sleepy policeman, or whoever they're guarding us from).


A game of hop-scotch attracts half the village.


People play football barefoot, despite inch-long thorns.

A three-hour church service is short. It (plus free lunch) attracts 720 people and ends with 102 people becoming Christians.

Arriving in Kotido

We left Kampala on the 7.30 am MAF flight to Karamoja.Flying from Kampala in the South to Karamoja in the North-East was uneventful, but mind-blowing. As we crossed the Nile, and got closer and closer to Karmoja, the land went from being lush and green to dry and brown. River beds were very visible, with not water to be seen. I asked Laurie, the pilot, how long they stayed wet for. His reply was just one day. This is a region that only gets 5 cm of rain a year, and yet people have lived here for thousands of years.

Arriving in Kotido was very exciting. To finally be here after seven months of planning was a great feeling. It was mid-thirties, so we found the nearest bit of share to wait for our pickup.

After a fantastic welcome ("you are most welcome" was a phrase we would hear a lot from then on), we got to work. More on that next post. Our accomodation was basic, but suficient. We were just very glad for the mosquito nets!

(Taken from Lyndsay’s blog)