Red Chilli's Critters

Okay you know how I was talking about what a wonderfully bizarre place the Red Chilli hostel was.

First off check this out.



Those are chickens roosting in a tree at night. Now maybe the chicken farmers out there will tell me that's pretty standard but if that's true they've been keeping that a secret because I've never seen or heard of it.

This is one of the goats I mentioned, and if this were video you would see me quickly moving away from the fellow as he tries to head butt me.



These little guys where just basically everywhere.



Freaked out some of the people really bad at first, but at least they weren't as freaky as the 7 ft snake the KingFisher Resort in Jinja. I didn't get a picture of that unfortunately. The killed it that morning they found it while I was sleeping.

There were also this family of monkeys that jumped around in the trees and climbed up on all the villas



Aww I wish I had gotten a picture of this cat. There was this 3 legged cat that hubbled around the place.

Travel Workouts II

Okay this one is a little more advanced one. I got it from Wrestling coach back in highschool and I got to admit it's pretty hardcore even for me. It's called the 250 pushup workout and I've only ever been able to complete 225. It's the first 100 that kills me.

250 Pushup Workout
100 Hindu Pushup
10 Fingertip Pushup
10 Reverse Pushup
30 Hindu Pushup
20 Fingertip Pushup
30 Hindu Pushup
20 One Leg in the Air Pushup
10 Fingertip Pushup
20 Hindu Pushup

When you're doing the hindu pushups you're going to reach a point where you feel like you just can't do anymore I always do a few couple times. Post up and hold in the starting position to take a short breather. Keep at it though. It will build up your physical and mental stamina.

Now I understand most of you like I had haven't heard of some of these. So I hope the videos are a good demonstration

Hindu Pushup

Reverse Pushup

Rugby Match

On the 23rd we went to a 7s Rugby Tournament (the matches were seven minutes long). It was really great. I never played it before but my Uncle did at KU. He broke something like his collar bone, his nose twice, and his leg. Absolutely loved it.

During what looks like a throw in one guy from each team is lifted in the air to catch the ball. It's all pretty wild stuff.

Weird Eats

One part of new cultures are the new dishes you come across. A big part of the Ugandan diet is matoki which is a type of banana about half the size of the ones we're familiar with and are picked while green. It is pounded into a starch like a yellow version of mashed potatoes.

Crickets are actually eaten there as a kind of snack and served by vendors at sporting events like cracker jacks. Here is me about to eat one.

Here is "enjoying" it.

It's not awful. It just leaves a bunch of crispy bug flanks in your mouth the takes a while for your tongue to get out.

The primary fish there is the tilapia. I'm sure some of you have had it before in the US but probably paid around I'm told $30, where as in Uganda it's like $7. Anyway when they serve the serve the whole thing. Here's before.

And after.


Then there was this stuff call Jack Fruit. Big old thing as you can see. You cut it open with a machete and then you eat the strips the wrap around the seeds. Not bad really.

And then Frank got really excited to find America cheese puffs and just couldn't help endulging a little

Back in the US

I am so glad to be back. Africa was really beautiful and there will be things I miss but you just can't beat being able to turn on a faucet and feeling safe to drink the water.

I got to tell traveling for that long will really take it out of you. We were in transit for about 27 hours. And the thing is when your traveling through air your in this kind of fluid limbo. You know while in the terminal or plane your literally separated from the rest of the world by a intense security divide. Say like with us you have a layover in Amsterdam, you in Amsterdam but you've never really been to Amsterdam. Then with all the changes of time zones time becomes complete relative and almost nonexistent, so sleep becomes a difficult issue.

I am really happy to be back though. Came back and Nanny (my grandma) had all the family come to her house for a real Kansas meal. Briscut, fried chicken, fresh fruits. Aww so good.

I love gangster films and I really, really want to see this. Its all about the hay day of American gangsters when all the criminals had the upper hand and just ransacked banks. It's got all the greats - John Dillenger (who's got a freakin' gun named after him), Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd. Johnny Depp (Dillenger) and Christian Bale (the top FBI guy), two the best living character actors, get to battle it out. It's going to be epic.

The Village

Today was the best day of the whole trip. We went on what they called the "the rural visit". We took the bus out to the village that Prof. Senteza, who's is actually from Uganda, grew up in. The area is predominately agricultural and we had the privilege to tour one of the more prominent farms there. I mean he only had 7 acres but there must had been 9 different crops - pineapples, peppers, cocco, coffee, banannas, things I can't spell.

I got to tell you though this is the first place I felt I understood what they were doing and where their future was going. Some of the places in the city just seem so screwed up due to a lack of resource both material and intellectual and on top of a government that is so backed up in corrupt political bullshit.

This made sense to me though. The way they planted the crops, the fertilization and irrigation they used, the use of crop variation to maintain soil quality it all had a understandable purpose.

The farmer, Abraham, was 70 years old and nicest, old-school grandfathery type guy you ever met. After having us touring his farm he took us back to a residence in town were his grandchildren performed a whole routine of songs accompanied by dance. It was so incredibly hospitable.

Even the smells were better. Natural smells. The air out in the rural areas is clean and everything is so beautiful. I mean the village is still devasted by poverty like everything else here but there isn't any smog or piles of burning trash that you find in the city. You can pick fruits right off the tree and eat it. In fact at one point in the afternoon they cut down a jack fruit which looks like a giant torso-sized hedge apple that looks like pineapple inside with alot of seeds and everyone got a chuck.

It's just really beautiful out here in the country.