Uganda: Gulu

To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.

Freya Stark

Gulu is the second-largest city in northern Uganda.

Greetings, Readers, from Gulu!

Nile crossing - the de facto border between north and south Uganda.

I arrived Tuesday, in style as it were, since my cousin scored me a cush ride in an Embassy car that was headed north. It was lovely to get out of Kampala (which took about an hour) and head up through the hinterlands, which offered stunning views and a new take on Uganda. The topography changed markedly as we headed north, from verdant hills to more savannah-like terrain. The road was great until we were about 2/3 of the way, at which point it deteriorated markedly.

The trip was uneventful until we crossed the Nile at a bridge the effectively divides north and south Uganda. There are UPDF (Ugandan Army) officers permanently stationed at the bridge. I unwittingly asked the driver if I could snap a few photos of the impressive view of some raging rapids. He was hesitant because, as I later found out, it's prohibited to take photos due to the presence of a military installation up the hill from the river. Two UPDF officers approached the car, one looking particularly perturbed. The less-perturbed fellow spoke with the driver, explaining the reason that photography is prohibited, while the other officer attempted to grab my rather expensive camera through the window. Happily, the driver and second officer diffused the situation and quickly compared my photos to the portion of the view that was sensitive. Luckily, I hadn't snapped any photos including the installation, so was allowed to keep them. We continued on our way as I uttered profuse apologies for the driver, who laughed at me for being both naive and over-apologetic. All's well that ends well, in any event.

After arriving, I headed to a hotel recommended by a grad school friend living in Gulu. I then met up with a Peace Corps-era friend who is currently in Gulu, as well. The world is indeed small. We met some Ugandans and other expats for dinner - my introduction to what has proven to be a large and interesting international community in Gulu.

On day two, I met my hotel neighbor, a Canadian who works at the same NGO as my grad school friend. We hit it off immediately and ventured into the center of town for lunch. She hadn't been feeling great and, when we encountered my friend from Burkina Faso, he urged her to get a malaria test immediately. Fast forward two hours to me holding her hand while she had blood drawn, almost getting thrown up on, and, finally, relief at the diagnosis of a virus, not malaria. Talk about a bonding experience.

Since then, I've met more and more of the mzungu (expat) community here - students and researchers, like me, folks working for NGOs, and those who've made a home here and run businesses around town. It's been incredible. This community has, so far, informed my research as much as the wonderfully helpful Ugandans that I've met with.

More on the last few days to come. 'Til then, thanks for reading!

Roadside monkey.

Mango season!

Sunset view of Gulu from my hotel balcony.

Gulu twilight.