whogivesamonkeys | an urban primate with a conscience | Page 30

Bridge over the River Sonso

April 25, 2012

I’ve only been away from camp for six days and already there have been dramatic changes. The grass has grown thick and long and the heavy rain has turned the forest into a swamp. As we trekked through N5 this morning to identify the last of my plots in lines 4 and 5 I could […]

Tagged: Africa, bridge, broadcast, GMTV, mossies, rain, Sonso River, swamp, tightrope, trapeze, Uganda, water

Posted in: My African Adventure

Catch up- Day 49/50

April 23, 2012

It’s been 7 weeks since I last my Uganda friends. This afternoon (Saturday) I arranged to meet Richard and his wife Teddy. As I loitered outside the shopping centre on Entebbe Road, I was approached by Boda guys; the God squad; letchy men and begging children. In typical African tradition he turned late: an hour […]

Tagged: Africa, Amne7ia, bribe, Brothers in Arms, Budongo, dancing, editor, forest, journalist, Kampala, Kate Holt, Mish Mash, Mogadishu, Nandos, nightclub, Peter Andre, photographic, photos, Red Chilli, Richard Kavuma, Rick Astley, Somalia, The Observer, Uganda, Uganda Museum, visa

Posted in: My African Adventure

New friends and no hangover – Day 48/49

April 21, 2012

This morning I got back to my hostel at 0340. Yes, Tanna had been on the town san alcohol. Rehydrated from four bottles of water, a ginger beer and two pineapple juices, I had met some people at the Red Chilli hostel who had cajoled me into coming out. After the day I had, I […]

Tagged: Africa, bar, Capital pub, chef, children, dancing, dealers, Haandi, hangover, HIV, hookers, hustlers, Indian restaurant, Kabalagala, Kampala, Malia, MBA, Mossie Repellent, Muzungus, Nandos, nightlife, pool, Red Chilli, Uganda, water, Westminster University, women

Posted in: My African Adventure

Bureaucracy – Day 48

April 20, 2012

While I was in London I applied for my visa early, carefully writing the start date as March 1st so that I wouldn’t have to wait in line with all the other plebs getting off the plane late at night at Entebbe’s border control. But when I was handed back my passport from the Ugandan […]

Tagged: border control, Budongo, bureaucracy, Butiaba, immigration, interviewing, Jinga Road, Kampala Road, Matatu, National Forestry Authority, NFA, Ntinde, passport, receipt, student, Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, Ugandan Commission, visa

Posted in: My African Adventure

Kampala – Day 46

April 18, 2012

In the last few days I’ve had a number of concerned emails from friends and relatives asking if I’m ok. The reason, I haven’t been blogging. Sadly being able to publish in my sweet spot has been hampered by bad weather (it is rainy season) which affects the internet signal and to make matters worse […]

Posted in: My African Adventure

Jasonga – Day 41

April 18, 2012

It’s taken a while but I’ve finally had my first encounter with a pit-sawyer. It wasn’t hostile so I wasn’t chased out of the forest by people brandishing spears (stop panicking Mum and Dad!!). It was in fact instigated by me and the man I questioned is retired and pushing 70. They call him Jasonga […]

Tagged: Africa, boats, Budongo, building, Butiaba, Congo, Cordia, Cordia millenii, deforestation, forest, illegal, immigrant, Jinga, Kampala, logged, Mahogany, Maram, Masindi, pit sawyer, pit-saw, planting, trees, Uganda, Ugandan Shillings

Posted in: My African Adventure

Rice – Day 39

April 12, 2012

Rice is a staple part of the Ugandan diet, it complements pretty much most meals and it’s filling enough to keep you going throughout the day. But the cost of rice is increasing, as well as other food items and every week I think Nancy will faint when she hears how much 2kg is going […]

Tagged: Africa, boil in the bag, cooking, food prices, glutinous, maize flour, pocho, porridge, pressure cooker, rice, rice cooker, Uganda

Posted in: My African Adventure

Northern Uganda – Day 38

April 11, 2012

Northern Uganda is an area I would very much like to visit one day. Nancy is from Gulu a town that has been left scarred in the last 20 years. Unlike my childhood, Nancy’s has been filled with happy as well as very traumatic memories. In 1994/1995 when fighting between the rebel militia – Lords […]

Tagged: bloodshed, boarding school, child soldiers, evacuate, Gulu, Kadogos, killed, Lord of Resistance Army, LRA, massacred, militia, Northern Uganda, rebels, soldiers, Ugandan People’s Defence Force, UPDF, Villagers

Posted in: My African Adventure

Interviews – Day 37

April 11, 2012

My interview with the National Forestry Authority (NFA) didn’t happen on the day I had scheduled it. Bad weather, the Easter break and lack of transportation meant it had to be postponed. But when I did finally catch up with the officer in question I was mildly surprised by how refreshingly honest he was. He […]

Tagged: boats, Congo, Cordia, corruption, export, fish, illegal, immigrants, jail, journalis, journalism, journalist, logging, money, National Forestry Authority, nature.com, NFA, patrols, pit saws, pit-sawyers, planting, police, revenue, science, sentence, timber

Posted in: My African Adventure

Sex and HIV – Day 36

April 9, 2012

Most Ugandans are aware of the dangers of contracting HIV yet getting men to use condoms is still difficult. I say men, because here in Uganda it is unheard of for a woman to ask a man to wear one. Forget about the idea of women carrying protection themselves and offering it to a man […]

Tagged: Africa, condoms, HIV, infection, infidelity, juggling, partners, promiscuity, ptrotection, sex, sexual, South Africa, Uganda, unfaithful

Posted in: My African Adventure

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