Day 34: When rain makes the world stop

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We were programmed to meet Norah to visit the Amabeere Caves this morning but rain made the world stop as boda drivers refused to come drive to town and very few people move in the rain. Florence used to call me a stupid girl when I tried because I was asking to get sick. Eventually the sky cleared and we were off to the caves. The caves are not very large, they are the only ones in Uganda with stalagmites, stalactites and aspheres. The other great feature is a waterfall you can walk behind. Today it was roaring due to the recent rainfall. Our guide Robert was very educated on the area: the cave history, the people who lived in them and the crater lakes. These lakes were formed by volcanic eruptions. The build up of ash around the vents lead to rich farmland as well as entrapped water (crater lakes). While the volcanoes are dormant, there is still risk in walking down in these craters and swimming in them because the vents are incredibly deep and people have fallen in. After the tour, we headed to Norah’s aunts for a meal we were unaware of and to say goodbye to Lena, Jethro, and Joseb. Norah was also heading back to Kampala today and wanted to spend time with her auntie before departing. Again we waited inside, while her auntie and friends prepared. Norah taking after her mother put way too much food on our plates despite our pleas and firm that’s enough. One of the rudest things here is not eating the food you have been given because often others eat less so the guest can have more. The food they put out is more than they typically prepare so it is an additional expense to the family. This visit was shorter because Norah had to go catch her bus and we were meeting Chan for dinner (yes another meal). After long goodbyes away we went. Chan is a woman from the UK who had volunteered with me back in 2013. About a year afterwards, she came back to Uganda to start a non-profit called Breakthrough AIDS and had been here ever since. She is now married and has an energetic daughter on top of the organization that keeps her busy. We are planning on spending a day in the field with her tomorrow to learn about her organization

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