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| Mine was the second door from the left. |
The seven hour ride to Paidha was uneventful. The roads were good, the driving speed was fast, the bus clean, comfortable, and half full…nothing like the ride to Karamoja. The conductor’s departing prayers and general kindness made the trip enjoyable, although I could have done without the very bad kung fu movie with Luganda voice-overs.
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| My tidy and comfortable room. |
Augustine and I talked the whole time. We hadn’t seen one another for some time and we had much to catch up on. We arrived just before dark and Augustine dragged that heavy suitcase through the rocky paths toward the home where I would stay for the next three nights. There we were warmly welcomed by a Christian family who spoke neither English or Luganda. The ladies took my bags and ushered us to a living room where we chatted with Simon, an English-speaking ministry partner native to Paidha.
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| The open blue door was my pit and the far right door was my bucket washroom. |
Hot water was prepared for my bucket wash. When I opened the door to the stall after my bucket wash I found about 20 children waiting for me. I’m not exactly sure how much of a show they got given the cracks in the door between the boards. Hopefully they weren’t blinded. Rice and beef stew were waiting upon my return to the living room…yum (seriously, it was delicious). Augustine, Simon, and I talked some more; I didn’t realize how much I miss chatting with friends all night long.
The guys retired to their home leaving me with this family all by myself. I could have been tempted to feel scared, but I resisted that thought immediately upon sliding the giant bolt to the heavy metal door into place. The two room apartment was pitch black. No mosquitoes in Paidha (can you say “happy Leslie”), the temperatures were very cool for sleeping, and the internet works. Good night.