First follow up hospital visits

Stood in front of our map of Uganda we have to admit that the first of our outward bound follow up trips looked pretty awesome. Right into the corner of south-west Uganda next to Mgahinga and just below Bwindi National Parks our end destination would be Kisoro. Our round trip would allow us to visit four of the course delegates working in a mixture of government, charity hospitals and smaller Health Stations. 

We were quite nervous as this would set the mood, for us at least, for what was to be the main stay of our work here. We were not disappointed. Some difficult phone conversations with broken English and cut off in connections hindered our progress at times, but we managed to arrange all the meetings. At one point both parties were convinced we were stood by the same tree in the hospital courtyard only to finally discover we were at different hospitals! Right town, wrong place – slick! We were met with joyful smiles and anaesthetic officers delighted to show us their working environment, discuss cases and the impact the course had had on their practice to date. Everyone emphasised the difference it made being followed up. To them it felt that it meant we cared about their work and provided them with “courage and encouragement” to put into practice some of the new found knowledge and skills. Don’t get us wrong, they work under some stringent, under-resourced conditions and are highly experienced and knowledgeable in their practice. However with little formal training or teaching some basic skills and pointers goes a long way in changing the outcomes of patients. Not sure what we would do faced with only intra-muscular drugs or at the most ether to go to work with! They were all very motivated and urgently wanted to improve upon their practice. 

The anaesthetist's kit

Almost all of them wanted to show us their working environment and it meant fairly lengthy follow up times whilst we were shown around the place. Most of the health centres do not have visitors from abroad so it was a real celebrity moment. It gave us such insight into the conditions and working practice of all the anaesthetic practitioners, an amazing opportunity. Looking forward to the next follow up trip. 

Operating theatre at Musevene Hospital

Having set off at 6am and having completed three hospital visits by 1900 we were pretty bushed. The road to Kisoro is not for the faint hearted and although streets ahead of its previous condition still in bad shape in parts. Magnificent views from every twisting road and after what seemed like a life time of climbing altitude we saw the massive Virunga mountain range in the distance and started heading down into the valley in which Kisoro sits.

We hadn’t booked ahead and we fell on our feet when we luckily found a room at the Golden Monkey in Kisoro. Having a day spare we decided to go trekking after these elusive creatures the following day. This wasn’t before stumbling across the best coffee house in Uganda to date. Cloud and rain the next day ruled out trekking and found us deposited in the ‘Coffee Pot’ for most of it. Several hot chocolates, a good rummage through their second hand book shelves and some pork stew later found us feeling a lot more rested.

Settling in

Power in Mbarara is present most nights, however frequently cuts out during the afternoon and early evening filling the air with the noise and smell of portable generators for those who can afford to buy and run them. Saying that we are sat here writing this during a particular prolonged blackout period, as we are equipped with electric cookers it makes meal times rather challenging on the inspiration front!

We have settled in well and are proud at how homely we have made our flat, with a few borrowed pieces from the empty flat downstairs and plenty of fabric from the market. The human brain is amazing, and although the volume of traffic along the road outside remains the same, it no longer seems quite as loud as when we first arrived. In fact we barely notice it anymore.

Our block of flats, ours is the first floor on the right.

Within a couple of days and armed with our neighbour’s directions we have discovered our main source of fruit and veg, a local dairy and small bakery – one of the few sources of non-sweet bread. Pearl, the main supermarket (envisage corner store) in town provides for other requirements. We have embraced our ingredient list of tomatoes, avocado, pumpkin, banana and passion fruit, with pasta, rice and ‘Irish’ to accompany them. We have become quite skilled at roast pumpkin, guacamole and salsa but welcome any culinary pearls of wisdom...I should explain ‘Irish’ is the term used to differentiate normal from sweet potatoes – and before anyone says anything Irish are the normal ones!

We met with our supervisor for the second time on Monday. He has become quite keen that we gain medical board registration before we commence any clinical duties. In the meantime we agreed to a tour of the hospital and planning the first of our SAFE follow up visits while he helps process the paperwork in Kampala, which has had a few hiccups but now seems to be sorted. All fingers crossed.

Journey to Mbarara

So maybe we should have incited stronger incantations than hope with regards to a smooth journey to Mbarara. We woke in the early hours of the night to a down pour and our poor tent once again being battered by the elements. However the bright white and orange big fat frog stood strong once again. Thankfully a reprieve in the rain gave us the opportunity to pack and take down the tent with an ever watchful eye on the rainstorm sweeping across the lake towards our campsite. Each thunder clap spurred us on! Never mind we’d be on the boat soon.

1130 came and went but no sign of our ride to the ferry...rain or the all night village disco had left our driver unrousable. After a few phone calls the local preacher who sidelines as a taxi ride said he’d sort us out. The battered Toyota corolla, looking seriously like it had just been brought back to life, wasn’t quite what we had imagined but was our only choice. An hour, some pristine driving and a pair of white knuckles later we arrived at the jetty. Having missed the intended departure we stood on the small wooden pier with the locals and their loads of produce staring out over the straight, vainly looking for the shape of a boat on the horizon. An hour later it was clear that the next ferry was a no show. Thoughts started to turn to what we would do if we couldn’t make it to the main land. A look around revealed not a lot with little means of returning to our camp except to try to contact the preacher again – maybe a prayer would be the quickest way to reach him. Our further concern was the thought of driving in the dark – a notoriously treacherous time on the Ugandan roads – but at that moment the ferry rounded the corner and deposited its passengers and vehicles onto the wet red soil.

As the throng surged onto the ferry we quickly found ourselves a place to sit. We soon had a group of children staring at us, nothing new we thought until we realised we had parked ourselves on the children’s bench. Besides providing the on-board entertainment for the kids we had an uneventful journey watching swifts diving along the wash of our boat picking off insects.

Soon, back on the mainland, we were delighted to see Oded waiting for us, so much so he received a huge impromptu hug from Katie much to his surprise. Finally we felt we were on route to our base for the next 3 months. The landscape changed along the way, from reeded marsh land to flat rural farming land. We had our first site of livestock with the slightly intimidating but largely docile Long Horned Anchole cow – they live up to their name! As the light faded we could see the flat lands give way to lush green rolling hills and the eventually the lights of Mbarara glimmered in the distance. 

Just as night fall arrived and after a few dead-ends we pulled into the University compound and up to our accommodation block. The 4 floor concrete block left us with a little misplaced jealousy of the cuter bungalows we had passed en-route. We were quickly directed to our flat which we have now converted to our own, but was an initial shock. The flat was dark with very few of the lights working including those on the stairwell leading to the door.  The windows were well covered with mesh and metal bars but the lack of glass panes didn’t do much to keep out the noise of trucks thundering down the road bringing supplies to and from the DRC and Rwanda. The bare concrete floor and layer of red dust made it feel hollow and barren and we couldn’t help but feel it had taken on a somewhat cell-like feeling with the bars reflecting on the bedroom wall from the glow of the security light.

We were met by our kindly host Dr Ttendo who cheerfully greeted us, informed us he was leaving for Kampala early the next morning and turning around to a noise behind us exclaimed “ahh Dr these are your country men please come and meet them and look after them!” At that precise moment we had no idea how lucky we were to meet our new neighbours. Not only would they feed us, re-house us in the brighter downstairs flat and provide us bed sheets and pillows but they completely took us under their wing for the next few days. 

No matter we were here safely and met some lovely people who had put pasta and beer in our bellies. We are both anxious and excited about starting our work and were ready for bed. Everything is always different in the daylight and tomorrow will bring what it brings.

 A very happy birthday to my nephew, Finley today! Happy 7th Birthday. Hope you are feeling better and had a great holiday. 

As promised before we left I went on a trek through the forest in search of the perfect monkey for you! Here is the proof -  a cheeky little Vervet monkey who was very interested in my camera!

They were searching for food and generally causing mischief!Lazying around in branches and jumping in the tops of the enormous trees. Nevertheless they were very, very cute.

Have a wonderful day, and speak to you soon. Lots and lots of love. 

Auntie Katie xx (and Hugo :) )

Ssese Island chill out.

Moving away from Entebbe and onto Lake Victoria

So we'd made it safely to Uganda and time for our first adventure before heading on to Mbarara to work. The Ssese Islands lie in the northern part of Lake Victoria and have been a popular destination to escape the hectic lifestyle of the mainland.

The MV Kalangala ferried us across the equator to Buggala Island. We celebrated the event with a 'Stoney' - a ginger ale drink that is suspiciously drinkable and one we must find a way to bring back home! Quite fiery and guaranteed to give you the Stoney sneeze...

First glimpse of Ssese Islands...

Having spent the last few days in a rainy Entebbe we arrived to glorious sunshine. We walked from the ferry to our campsite along pristine white beaches - straight out of holiday brochure. The only downside was the 'attack of the aphids'. As we walked through the bush swarms of tiny aphids formed thick clouds around us which made for tough going. Our slight uncertainty of our first night at Hornbill camp site was compounded when all we could here for a while from our tent was a combination of hard German rock music (from the owners) and the steady beat of Ugandan pop (from the village disco)! However it didn't take long to settle down and the sounds of the jungle came to life.

Hornbill Camp Art by Nimo

Hornbill (motto: we who are different from others) is run by a German couple whom have ben there for 20 years and developed it from a one-tent-camp into a pretty funky place to stay. I can't forget to mention Shaka Zulu their dog - think Hound of the Baskervilles and you might be close! We pitched our tent under the jungle canopy with the beach and lake no more than 20m away, and as a huge campfire was lit watched a beautiful sunset across mercury waters. Aphids - all is forgiven...

Hugo brushing Jimi Hendrix's teeth by the outdoor showers

The famous Hornbill, think "Apocalypse Now"

Our alarm call was akin to the opening seen of Apocolypse Now. As we crawled out of tent there was a destinct lack of helicopters but instead 2 large birds swooping through the tree-tops. These were the Hornbills that the camp is named after. They have a slightly onemous demanour as they sit in the trees sharpening their beaks whilst eyeing you up, not helped by the local's belief that they ferry the souls of the recently departed to the afterlife - slightly unfortunate as they are not the best at flying!

Our beach.

After lazing around for a solid 48 hours enjoying the outstanding wildlife around us we became more active again. Katie decided a spot of monkey stalking was in order to get the perfect photo for Finley - both monkey and Katie ended up a little closer than planned - not sure who was more shocked but ShakaZulu came bounding to the rescue!

We had a good walk around the neighbouring village and into the jungle. As you entered the vilage you could smell the main source of income. Carpets of small fish lined the paths drying in the afternoon sun. Fising is the villagers main, and pretty much only income. Unfortunately fish stocks in the lake are rapidly dwindiling making any form of income increasingly difficult. Despite this we were soon followed by groups of smiley happy children excited, or amused to see a 'mzungu' in the village and keen to practice their English.

The beautiful and ever smiling Janet and Lillian

Although fish was not on the menu we were lucky to have 2 fantastic cooks at the campsite. Lillian and Janet kept the place going and served up some fantastic dishes. Particular favourites had to be the banana pancakes and fruit salad (mango, passion fruit, pinapple...) and we never thought we'd be eating pizza in the middle of the jungle cooked in an old stone oven. It took some time in coming but boy did it taste good!

It was the perfect few days to relax before reaching Mbarara. Quite a journey ahead of us to reach there but hopefully all will go smoothly. For now, another night under the African night sky looking at the milkyway and enjoying a Nile Special.

Good night.

We have arrived safe and well!

It seemed a little surreal on descent to Entebbe earlier this morning. Tropical storm conditions with green, lush landscape and lake victoria spreading out in the distance. Horrendous landing conditions but the nice BA pilot got us on the ground safety...the second time around. Bit of a jolt touching down as I think we'd been so busy arranging, organising and packing we'd forgotton we were actually going. Some how we had arrived in Uganda!

Coming through arrivals we were expecting the typical african crazy touts and packed arrival hall so we were pleasantly suprised to find it actually ok. Changed some dollars to shilling and headed out to get a typical overpriced taxi to our camping place.

Arrived at Entebbe Backpackers and scoffed our usual travelling fare of banana pancakes whilst waiting for the rain to ease so we could pitch. Delicious.

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Think we looked liked we knew what we were doing, the tent went up quickly and had a little snooze in our corner of paradise. Then we woke up....to be surrounded by a pack of overland tents with names like horny rhino, cackling hyena and lippy lizard. All of which proved to be in their late teens and touting bits of paper with headings "things you can do now you are a big girl" No joke. Don't get me wrong I think its a great thing to do in your gap year but not really our scene anymore, too old!


 Having a pretty quiet day just adjusting, chilling out and reading. Next stop Ssesse Islands... H&K xx

We're off...

Hey everyone,


Well we're leaving so I guess we'll see you when we get to Entebbe. Been a hurried last few days and couldn't have got everything ready in time without our family and friends so thanks! 


Had a quick quick visit from Dr Grady this afternoon to sort out details of data collection and general details about what to expect in Mbarara. Expect it to be daunting, a little apprehensive but exciting none the less. 


Had last Sajans curry with Kit to send us on our way last night so ready to go!


See you all soon,


H&K xx