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pbandjesse · 19 hours

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It is very hot right now! It is mid morning and we are in a waiting pattern because we were in our way to a boat tour and got in a car accident. Our van and a motorcycle collided. The biker is scraped up but admits it was his fault. The police are here and we are waiting to see if we need a new vehicle . So I thought I would start writing this while we figured out what comes next.

After I finished my paper last night there was more dancing. It was decided we would leave at midnight. And while there was a couple extra songs we did all gather and get out of there. Traffic is very bad and we almost got stuck in a very bad puddle. But our driver Sandy is great and while it took forever, we did get back to the hotel in one piece.

We rolled up to our room at 1am. We would gr to see a gecko outside our door and I was super excited about that. I had caught a frog at the party last night and that was exciting. But the gecko was to fast for a picture.

I would wash my hair and felt a lot better after that. Falling asleep didn't come as quick as I would like. I texted with Jess for a little. And eventually went to sleep.

We had to get up at 530 but I was up at 430 again. Annoying. I wasn't in as a good of a head space as yesterday but I would feel better soon.

I got dressed and as we were figuring out what was up we got a message that the plan for the morning has changed. And we would be going on a boat tour to the origin point of the Nile. Incredible. So we were leaving a little later and would get to eat breakfast.

Me and James would chill on the couch for a bit. And then at 630 we headed to breakfast.

We were the first ones there. But once one of the girls, Stephanie, came down we all went in to eat. And slowly the rest of the crew for the day would trickle in.

Breakfast was nice. I would wrap up a donut to take with me for a snack later. Which was a very good idea. Paul joined us at our table and I enjoyed talking to him about the trip. I hope he knows how appreciative I am to be included.

At 730 we would all load up on the bus. There are 18 of us today. A good mix of people. And we were off.

We are driving for about two hours. And I don't know if I have the words to describe what I have seen today. The variety of houses and fruits and animals. Cows and goats. Dogs. Chickens. But the people was what really got me.

There are so many motorcycles, called boda boda, more then I've ever seen in my life. And the density of the markets. My neck started to hurt from looking out the window but I couldn't stop. I needed to see them. I needed to see everything.

I feel very emotional about everything honestly. I have been smiling at as many people as possible. And they are smiling back. Some waving. They often seem surprised to see me. I know white people are a novelty here. On our whole journey today I have seen two older white men and that's it. So I am waving and smiling. I got a couple flirty blown kisses and winks. But I am just so focused on making connections, even if they are brief. I told James that I hope they get to where they are going and tell their friend they saw a white lady. They call us "mungzo" (unsure about that spelling). It for sure it interesting to be the other.

The ride was fascinating. Hard to capture in pictures but I was enjoying the whole thing. I was about to go text Jess and update about how much I was enjoying it when all of a sudden Sandy our driver slammed on the breaks and I hit my knees on the seat in front of me. We have collided with a motorcycle. I saw his fly off his bike and stumble away so no one else ran him over. It was frightening. And there were so many people around. Some yelling and telling eachother what they saw. The traffic police would come quickly and they went to check on the biker.

We were in the side of the very busy street for a while. When all of a sudden the tour guide we were there for got on our bus. He has seen the accident! What a weird coincidence.

Everyone would be okay but the bike was broken and our bus broke it's exhaust (which is in the front). So we were in a holding pattern.

We drove over to the police station. And someone would come to fix the exhaust.

We would get out of the bus to cool off. It got very hot in there. But I was enjoying looking around. Even saw some goats.

We were about an hour and a half off schedule but the bus was fixed and we could get on our way.

We still had about 2 hours to where we were going. And I loved seeing more nature and people. But eventually some of the girls were desperate to used the bathroom. So our driver and tour guide would figure out a shell gas station that had bathrooms we could use.

This was the most squaty of squaty potties. This was mostly just a hole in the ground. But we were in this together.

And honestly for me it was just like. Camping. Nature peeing. My only issue was I am wearing a jumpsuit but it was fine and I survived.

While we were standing outside waiting for all the girls to be done, some children were milling around giggling and smiling at us. They were fascinated by me. I would engage with them and they did speak English. I asked all about them. They were 2, 4, 5, 6, and 9. I could not even attempt to spell their names. But they sounded beautiful. I got down on their level to talk to them. And eventually the 2 year old reached for me and we held hands and the older girls wanted to stroke my arm to see if it felt like the skin. They had never spoken to a white person, I'm not even sure they have send one in real life. The oldest girl liked my hair. They told me they liked to play ball and they liked to draw. They had beautiful smiles. I am so glad we got to meet. They also wanted to know the names of my children and were surprised to learn I didn't have any yet. Apparently 10 children is the most common number for a family to have. I explained that where I'm from people don't have them very early or as often. They didn't seem to believe me.

We said goodbye and there was lots of smiles and waves. We continued our journey. Back on the bus. And it wasn't to much longer until we stopped in Jinja to pick up our second tour guide. Our first one, Charles, would bring on Bob. And they are both so nice. And so knowledgeable.

Bob would give us more information about Jinja. Which is the food basket and powerhouse of Uganda. And soon we would arrive at the Nile!

I wish I had better words to describe it but everything is just outrageously beautiful. And pictures just don't do it justice. It's gorgeous here. And being at the Nile was so powerful.

We got a little talk to start from Bob and Nathan, another guide. About how there used to be falls but now because of the dam that creates so much of the power to the country, the falls are no more. And the government is redeveloping this area. So much of the country seems to be in redevelopment and that's just really neat.

Something I have noticed and I really respect is the obvious care and pride everyone here has for their work. From the people sweeping the dirt roads to the people cleaning the steps and lawn furniture to all the food sellers that run up to your window. Everyone seems so confident and sure of themselves and what matters. It feels like a community mindset rather then an individualist one. And while the poverty is there, the people are rich in so many other ways.

After Nathan gave us his history talk he walked us to the water front. We had to go down a very very steep hill. And then when we got to the bottom we had to walk across planks. Because the restaurant at the dock was flooded. Like it was in a foot of water. It was fascinating. Also a little a scary. But the staff helped us across and everything was good.

The boat is a double decker. And me and James got seats up to the front. And I have been having the very very best time.

We saw monitor lizards and so many birds and tilapia jumping from the water and we even saw monkeys! I was so close to crying I was so happy. They were 3 babies and their mom and they were jumping around and helping groom and the one little baby beared it's teeth at us trying to be scary. It was amazing.

We continued to ride sodund. Watching the fishermen and the water. The wind is very strong and I am really glad I brought a hair tie.

After an hour we went back to the dock and they brought food on board. We had ordered ahead of time and it was all chicken and burgers but they had a cheese sandwich so I was expecting just slices on white bread but it was actually a really beautiful grilled cheese with some local tomatoes and red onions and some kind of soft cheese spread. It was great.

The food made me so tired though. And I was kind of just hoping we would be done soon but we would have more to see.

James was helping everyone open their glass bottles of soda and beer. Being so helpful and so handsome. I love them so much and I'm so glad we get to experience this together.

The boat would slowly start moving again and we headed to the sign and small building that marked where the river and the lake meet. There was a small building that was half flooded in the water. We would stop and me, James, Stephanie, Gabe, Sydney, and her boyfriend Devin would be the only brave ones to get off the boat to go inside. Where we were treated by actual water under our feet and so many souvenirs.

Me and my James would get a few. For friends and family. It was fun. And the people who worked there were so nice. The one man sold us a sculpture he carved from a Jacaranda tree. I handed them my phone to type that because there was no way I was going to get that right. They let us pay in us currency which works out for them because they can upcharge us but we didn't mind. It was still very cheap and if it helps them it's a good thing.

They wanted to take pictures with me and James too. I think the novelty of us being white again. But they were super nice and we would climb back on board to join everyone else.

The last leg of the tour was nice but I think we were all ready to go. The DJ had music going it we were all so tired. Half of us would doze off. But seeing the two open air prisons off the lake was interesting. And some of the fishermen started dancing to our music which was pretty funny.

It was getting later and later though. When we agreed to come in this trip we sort of thought we were going to be back in the mid afternoon. But after it took 5 hours to get to it we were all like. Oh. Yeah this is going to be a lot. And then our tour guide guaranteed that we would have a two hour tour max. But we were almost 4 hours in. We had started the day at 730 and it was now almost 4pm. And I checked and even if traffic was perfect we were 3 hours form the hotel. Goodness.

I had a nice conversation with Stephanie. And she told me that if I didn't feel up for the party tonight that no one would be upset with me. The fomo is real but I am just. So tired. And we have another early morning tomorrow. I might just need to decompress.

We would get back to the dock and got off. A bunch of our party would wait to sue the bathroom but me and James headed up the steep steps. Which winded me pretty badly. There were also a lot of women and children trying to sell us more souvenirs and if I wasn't so tired I would have considered some of them more. But having to think about conversation rates stressed me out. So we declined. I did feel terrible when one of the girls fell down and hurt her knee but her for dds would help her.

When we got to the top of the hill I would catch my breath and then would wander s little and found some amazing little mushrooms. And that just really made me happy.

Once everyone was up the hill we wandered to the bus. I gave Bob the tour guide a hug and said thank you. The kids were trying to sell us bananas through the windows but we declined. And we were off on our journey.

I just woke up from a pretty long nap laying my head against my window. James says for a bit they were the only ones awake. We are in a new place. About an hour and a half to go.

I was wrong when I said an hour and a half. We just pulled up around 845. So closer to 2 hours from my last paragraph. I am really excited to be back. We just ordered room service. I took an excellent shower. James is getting some fresh air on the balcony. The rides were tough today, being confined, but I can honestly day today was one of the best days I have ever had. Like this was such an incredible experience. If I ruminate on it for to long my eyes start to tear up.

After I woke up from my little car nap I rewound my podcast and was able to listen to the entirety of the first season of Limetown. My favorite piece of media I have ever experienced. And the last episode made me cry like it always does. And then we were pulling up to the hotel. It was a journey for sure. But we got to see more incredible sites and people. I was hurting and so so so tired of being in the bus. But I wouldn't trade any of today. Today was incredible. It makes me feel lucky to be alive and for every moment that lead me here.

I am not sure how tomorrow will shake out. I hope we go see animals. I also really really hope that the commute doesn't take the entire day. I really feel like I have experienced Africa. And I could absolutely go for more. But I am also good just chilling and going with whatever flow happens.

I am going to rest now and eat and try to get more then 3 hours of sleep. I love you all. Thank you for following me on this adventure and sort of disjointed way of documenting this journey!!

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pbandjesse · 2 days

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We have had sort of a strange day so far as I am starting time write this in the middle of the afternoon.

I struggled to sleep last night. When we finally got back to the room and showered and relaxed it was around 130. I fell asleep pretty easy but at 4am I got woken up by a noise and just never was able to fall back asleep. Which was fine for most of the morning. I would eventually take a nap and I am really tired now. But at the time I just could not fall asleep.

I would text with Celia and watch TikToks until James woke up at 6.

They did not feel well at all. And would throw up a few times. I felt so bad. But we would get cleaned up and dressed and I felt so cute. I messed up my lip from being dehydrated but I was just feeling so good about myself. And I tried to ride that as long as I could.

We would head to breakfast. Where James would have to run to the bathroom to throw up again. Their face was all flush like it gets when they get sick.

I was in a good mood though and tried to share that with them. It was raining just a little. And everything was beautiful. I had so much watermelon. And tried some bread pudding with pineapple and a berry called ginja berries. I also tried the line orange juice but I did not like it at all. Tasted like a grapefruit rind. James just ate fruit and drank water. They desperately wanted to go back to the room and lay down. But they also didn't want to rush me and I was like. Stop that let's go. And headed back to the room.

James would lay down and I would go hang out on the balcony. I watched videos and worked on bracelets. But I was restless. I wanted to go for a walk. And after I checked on James for a little I would go and do just that.

I walked as far as I could around the paths. I was listening to a podcast and just having a nice time looking at bugs and plants. But to many critters but so many good snails. I went past the basketball courts to the wedding amphitheater they have and when I started going up the hill I got stopped by security. Full ak47s slung on his chest. I called over to him when he saw me and let him know I was just taking pictures of flowers and would head back. He said j could take pictures from the hill but I didn't want to push my luck.

I would wander the other direction but eventually I wanted to go back to check on my husband.

They were still not amazing. And would sleep most of the morning away. I would hang out on the balcony and made bracelets and chilled. I had a snack and enjoyed the view. It's nice to just be relaxed. I still feel just a little guilty but I am supposed to be relaxing. I just also don't want to miss anything. The fomo is real even if there isn't anything to miss.

I would eventually get in bed with James. Who claimed to be feeling better but wanted to horizontal still. So I would join them and they would hold me and eventually I fell asleep.

When I woke up I actually didn't feel great anymore. My busted lip is sensitive. And I'm worried it's going to get worse and make me feel ugly. I am making sure to moisturize it and trying to not poke at it, as is my habit. I'll end up pulling at the skin and making it a million times worse. So I am trying very hard to not do that.

Eventually we started getting messages in the group chat. One of the guys who came in early this morning is trapped at immigration and they might deny his visa and everyone is pretty upset about this. Obviously! Like this poor guy traveled for two days! I really hope they can work it out. Apparently the embassy has been zero help.

We joined the bridal party at the bar. And got some food. The fries were very good but I was still feeling not my self. It got very warm out and while I love these pants they apparently don't breath super well. So I got a little overheated. I as not participating in the conversations much but I was enjoying listening.

Eventually the girls started to head to the rooms to get ready for Sam's bridal shower. So I came back to our room but the nice staff is cleaning it so I am sitting on the balcony until he is done.

It's been a lot of hours since then. I have to be chill about schedules changing all the time. But we still have not gone to the bridal shower and it was supposed to start 5 hours ago. So that's tough for me, when I love a schedule so much. But today was still fun.

Cleaning the room took longer then I expected and I was worried (unnecessary) about being late so I grabbed my clothes and went down to one of the I'm other girls rooms where the bridesmaids were getting their makeup done. And I would change in the bathroom.

I felt kind of off. Weird. But they gave me a piece of pizza and that would help. It was a very sweet tomato sauce but it was nice. I would hang out with them for a bit. But when I realized it was still going to be a while I would head back to find the boys.

They were outside trying on their traditional garb. And making sure things fit. After me and James would head to our room which was finished being cleaned and James would get dressed nice for pictures. I would change my hair and put on earrings and that helped. My lip was still bugging me but I have been babying it and trying very hard to not hurt it and make it worse.

Me and James would go to one of the boys rooms and we hung out there for a long time. There was some drama. One of the guys has been detained all day by immigration. They think because he has a Nigerian name and the agent thought he was arrogant for having an American passport and denied him. So we are not sure if he's going to get through. His visa is approved though and we have high hopes he will be released tomorrow when the embassy opens again. Hopefully they can help.

I had fun hanging out with the guys. Talking about conspiracies and listening to music. And eventually we were able to get their traditional outfits back from the tailor who was ironing them and I would help pin the bottoms and make sure things sweet laying right. It was nice to be helpful.

We headed to the wedding coliseum to do the pictures. And everyone looked so nice. The girls would come a few minutes after us. But they all looked so ridiculously beautiful. I got to learn all the names. The boys are wearing kunzu. The bride is wearing gomezi, and the girls are in mushanana. I spoke to the seamstress to get those. She was very kind.

Pictures took a while. And it was fun hanging out and seeing everyone look so good. And then Sam came down in her beautiful dress and I was just blown away. She looked like an angel.

(Omg we are in the van to the bridal shower and we got word that the friend who was detained has been released and is free after over 14 hours!! This is such a huge weight off of everyone.)

While we were doing pictures the sun started to set and it was just beautiful. And once the sun was down the moon started to create over the mountains. I got everyone's attention to watch it and it was just so magical. We are all just so happy and having so much fun.

Once photos were done we would all take an hour to reset. The wedding party changed into more comfortable clothes. And we would meet back at 830. 6 and a half hours later then planned but it's fine.

Me and James got back to the room and the staff came back in to make our beds again for sleep. So there is a way they set the room for the day and a way they do it for the night so that's interesting. The man was nice. And me and James chilled on the couch

A little after 8 we went to the lobby and waited. And soon everyone else was gathered and we got on the bus. And that's where I am not. I'm looking forward to the evening even though I am pretty tired. It's fun seeing everyone on their motorcycles.

It's been a few hours now and the party is in full swing. I am thoroughly enjoying talking to Sam's cousins from London. And the food tonight is really good. I am really tired but I'm having a lot of fun.

I am going to go and continue to have some fun. To be a part of the festivities I have taken shots of fruit juice for fun.

I hope tomorrow we can swim. I am looking forward to another day!

Goodnight everyone!!

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