Today was our last full day in Uganda and we spent most of our day in the car. This morning, we woke up and had breakfast before going on a boat ride to an island. On this particular island, there is a pigmy village and we went to go tour the village and learn more about how they survive on the island and learn about their culture. The boat ride took a little over an hour and when we arrive, I think all of our jaws dropped. The first thought that popped into my head was, “I didn’t know that Mt. Everest was in Uganda”. We knew that there would be “some hiking” in order to get to this village, but I don’t think we were ready to hike mount Everest. The mountain/hill/Mt. Everest, whatever you want to call is was about 500 feet above the lake water. When we got off the boat, children came rushing towards us, handing us a walking stick and grabbing our hands to guide us up the hill. The boy who helped me was 13 years old and his name was Thomas. If you’re anything like me, you probably are asking yourself why this little boy is not in school. Of course, I asked (in a sensitive way of course). I then learned that he was one of 7 children, his father passed away a few years ago, and that he could not attend school right now because he doesn’t have the books to attend. My heart broke in half, but I that is a common issue that I have noticed during my trip. After many, many breaks, we reached the top. We were greeted by the community members and listened to our guide tell a little history about the island and the community. The community members were displaced from Bwindi NP by the government. They used to be hunter-gathers but now the After, the community members sang songs and danced for us. They also had crafts for purchase. Our guide explained that because they cannot fish or hunt, that the money received from the crafts is how they make a living. I bought a couple items and then we were lead to the school where the children sang and danced with us. There, we learned that many children on the island do not have parents because there is a high rate of death from malaria. Once we reached the main land, we ate lunch at the hotel and then began our journey to Entebbe, which is the city we will be flying out of. The car ride should have been about a 5-and-a-half-hour drive but because of poor road conditions and frequent speed bumps, it took us 9 hours. Once we reached the hotel, we were greeted with watermelon juice (yummy!) and were shown to our rooms!
The photos above does not do enough justice, I was blown away by the beauty of these islands and the people who reside there. The boy in the blue hat is Thomas, the one who escorted me up and down the hill. I also included a photo of the children that were attending school and who sang and danced with us. You can also see a photo of the community members signing and performing a traditional dance for us, welcoming us to their community. My heart was so full watching the community members dance and expressing their love for their community’s history and culture.
Traveling with Mica 