World Vision Gulu

I am sitting in the boardroom of the World Vision Children of War Centre in Gulu. It is amazing...(I say that a lot). So confronting. So much - such an incredible amount of loss and wasted life. So many people broken. I came with only Zac and we met Paul and Grace, had devotions with the World Vision team, then looked at the way they undertake trauma counselling - using drawing, the oppotunity to talk, it is enough to make you just quietly step aside and cry. We met with about 12 of the former child soldiers. They were generally about 16-25 years old - and had been in the camps for an average of 10-12 years - with most abducted at 9-11 years old. Most of their life. Most carried bullets and shrapnel. What surprised me (but in hindsight is probably to be expected) is that they were so quiet and submissive.... They have been subjected to abuse torture, and being forced to submit submit submit..... They were all beautiful people (one was a Ugandan version of Brad Pitt - same facial expressions - but different color skin). Megan and Levi McGrath are celebrities here.... this is the area where Levi played soccer, this is where Megan's desk was.
Probably the most impacting few hours of the trip thus far....

This is only this morning - but it is on the back of a very busy week building and playing soccer at Watoto at the Village we are building. I have not blogged for awhile... The weeks has been great - hot - hard work - great to get to know the rest of the team and some of the locals. Lots of singing, sweating and laughing. The bulding we came to build is almost finished (our part anyway) which is satisfyling. We are a great group (lots of good tradespeople and all getting on very very well).

Building in Gulu

Have got terribly sunburnt (that is all I can think about!) as we have been building in Gulu. We have put up the brickwork of a house at the Watoto Village a house for teachers. The village is amazing - such a shining example of hope in a desperate part of the world. I will blog more about that - but am at an internet cafe in Gulu - and dont have enough time - Google Jospeh Kony - and it is so recent and so raw....

Elephants...!

Murchison Falls National Park

Bwagoggo – Kampala – Paraa

A late finish on the school at Bwagoggo (which we did not actually finish – but is 80% done) then a 4 hour drive back to Kampala – bed after midnight – and a 4am start to Drive to Parraa (sp?). We came in on the east side of the ‘Victoria Nile’ and saw Murchison Falls from the top – then crossed the Nile on the Ferry just above Lake Albert. We are staying at the Parraa Safari Lodge – and I wont include any photos because it would make everyone too jealous. It is within the Murchison Falls National Park – and it smells and looks incredible. The smells are something I cannot get over – it is so diverse and rich and captivating. After a fantastic lunch (the food here in Uganda is amazing) we went on a ‘Game Drive’ and saw lots of Giraffes a big bull elephant (who was grumpy, and we had to move the bus to get out of his way) as well as many species of primates and lots of different antelope (I think this would be a collective way to describe them all!) also Warthogs, water buffalo, waterbucks, Jacksons hartbeast (also known as stupid beast as they as have an incredible ability to foget!)
The national park is surrounded by lake Albert, the Albert Nile and the Victoria Nile. Truly paradise. The lodge we are staying at was built in 1953 – and feels like a classic colonial establishment – high ceilings, lots of dark wook – and pen & ink drawings – but no lion skins on the floor.
This morning we went out again – and saw heaps more elephants – herds of giraffe silhouetted against the skyline – families of warthog (they really are just like in the lion king) – the whole ecosystem is very visible.... it is fantastic – but as an amateur ecologist I would say that the migrations of animals (which have been curtailed and the animals all contained with the part) is important for the ecology – the trees all seem stressed and there is very little recruitment.....
Heading up the Nile to the falls this afternoon.

Progressing........

No photos today - but the building is progressing - today we have almost finished the roof - and laid the concrete floor in one room. We also took out one internal wall (which was quite dangerous) - put some windows in....

As a celebration of the end of our time - the family that was hosting us slaughtered a goat - and we were all invited to watch the slaughter - and then later in the evening we ate the goat.

We had another tropical storm at lunchtime - Mart and I were buying some coke for the team - and got caught in the rain - it was incredible!

All very tired after today - it was a long and physical day...!

Post some photos tomorrow.


P

Building in Paradise

Finally into the reason (or at least the motivation) for this trip. The town of Bwagoggo is in a beautiful valley - with Banana plantations all up and down the hills (mountains) around. The villagers are friendly - and the weather is HOT. We have finally started - though not withoutout a reasonable lost of issues (no wood, bus broken, tools possibly being stolen....). I am sunburnt and sore - but very very happy. Eating breakfast not and ready to get back into day 2.

Marty at the babies home

Zach entering the castle at Gondar

10th century chuech - under the waterfall.

Kampala to Mbale

Uganda - Kampala to Mbale.

An early morning - church - then into the bus and drive to Mbale. Mbale is a beautiful city - it was apparently at one time the 'pearl of Uganda' - and Uganda was the 'Pearl of Africa' It seems there are many substantial colonial buildings in the town - and Peter (our host) says he remembers when it was a beautifully kept city.

Tomorrow we will finally begin the real work!

Uganda day 1.

Watoto is amazing - they have done so much so well.... Went to their church today - and then to the babies home. I am both inspired and humbled. This is the fruit of almost 30 years of work and blessing. I will post longer later - and include some photos.

These are some old posts we wrote while in Ethiopia but could not upload

New Years Day

Every day seems a feast for the senses. Today was no exception. We woke early again – and met my friend Assefa Tofu at the Hotel. He took us to his home and we ate a huge Ethiopian meal of Enjera, a few types of wot (stew), plus Enset bread, and many other traditional ethiopian dishes. It was like Chirstmas for Ethiopia. I met Assefa’s new son Isaac, and Zach played chess with his other son David who is 14. Muki (Assefa daughter) and David are fantastic children, and we were given the most amazing hospitable Ethiopian welcome. They gave us some gifts of traditional Ethiopian clothes for the Dettmann family – they are the most beautiful and amazing gifts (Which Zach is wearing in this photo). We passed on the pram I had brought with Joseph Kamara – as well as the books and lights – and then went to the airport – and flow over the green fields to Bahir Dar – arriving at the Ghion Hotel and taking a long walk around Lake Tana. On the way back we got talking to a guy who was a lecturer from the Unversity of Bahir Dar – but who we discovered was from HUMBO (the small town I have been working at over 1000kms away). It was amazing..... I hope we can keep in touch – he seems like a great guy.

Sunday September 12. We started early with breakfast and & an 8am boat ride to the islands on lake Tana that were first visited by James Bruce in the 17^th century. We saw four monasteries on islands and around the edge of lake Tana. Having read Graeme Hancock’s book ‘the sign and the seal’ a few years ago - this for me was dream fulfilled that had waited a long time. It was amazing slowly moving across the second largest lake in Africa to these tropical jungle-like islands which were incredibly quiet, peaceful, steeped in seclusion and tradition. We were the only tourists we saw all day – so it was very authentic..... we were introduced to the monastery, and the museum on each of the islands. The museum priests showed us books which were almost 1000 years old (which we were encouraged to touch). The monastery museums also had crowns of the emperors who had visited the monasteries over the centuries (the oldest of the lake monasteries we saw was built in (I think) the 12^th century – but there are monasteries on other islands than date from the 5^th century BC.)

Today was probably one of the more amazing experiences of my life.

The monastery tour took until about 2 in the afternoon – whereupon we took a taxi to the Blue Nile falls (with our guide Thomas from the morning). A long and bumpy drive through typical African villages – we arrived at the blue Nile falls – and this was somewhere I could have sat and reflected for hours. The falls were incredibly beautiful, and in many ways nothing like what I expected - though they looked the same – they were in a totally different landscape context than I had imagined – and much more remote – and much more difficult to get to. Here drains the heart of Ethiopia on its long and winding journey through Sudan, Egypt and into the Mediterranean. This is the Blue Nile, and 85% of the Nile comes from the Blue Nile, with only 15 coming from the White Nile from Uganda.

Monday the 13^th - to Lalibela

An early morning trip to the Airport (6.45 departure) before flying to Lalibela via Gondar. Something went wrong with the plane and it was delayed for about 2 hours – leaving our guide Casa waiting for us a long time in the Airport. Then a drive from the airport (which is about 25km away – basically out in a very remote area where they could find enough flat land to build an airport.... Ethiopia is very mountainous) up to the town of Lalibela. We arrived at our hotel (the Tukul Village) and Cassa organised for us to do the tour of the churches. We saw the most incredible rock hewn churches.... they are mindblowingly beautiful and precisely made. These are all CARVED. No stones have been laid, no mortar mixed – they are just carved from the solid rock. They are much more than I would have ever expected. They are large, very large some of them – and carved out of the solid rock. I felt like I was in a dream walking through these ancient, yet still functioning places of Ethiopian Orthodox worship. We saw 7 of the rock hewn churches today – and there are still another 4 here in Lalibela. Tonight we dined at the Jerusalem Hotel – total bill was about $10US for all three of us – we told stories and really laughed – Mart has some pearlers......

A couple of ‘by the ways’ The Ethiopian Birr (the local currency) has dropped dramatically in the last few months – so travel in Ethiopia is the least expensive I have ever experienced and also....the place where we are staying was visited by Bill Clinton a few years ago (but his room was booked).

September 14^th Ahhh Lalibela

We started reasonably early with Casa (our guide) this morning – and drove 42 km to a Church which was built in the 10^th century. It is built from Ebony and marble and was totally amazing – built under the cliff of a waterfall. After such a long drive (42km) I was wondering if this could really be worth it.... but it was. Incredible. It must seem like we are on an Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrimage – but so much of the history of this country is tied to the former kings, and they were very much aligned with the Orthodox Church. Ethiopia converted to Christianity in the 4^th Century – and was the second country in the world to do so – so this is very much part of what it means to be Ethiopian.

In the back of the cave were the bones of some 5000 people – who were killed there about 500 years ago. There are a couple of stories about the bones – one that they were part of a genocide – the other that they were pilgrims from Alexandria and asked if they could come to Ethiopia to be buried... many of the bones are children’s though – which makes the first explanation more credible.

The grave of one of the four kings who ruled Ethiopian from Lalibela was also there. It was a very quiet, remote and sacred space (all these churches are). Again we were the only tourists we saw all day – so it was very personal also. In the afternoon we took a mule ride to another monastery/church at the top of the mountain above Lalibela. It was also beautiful. Much more simple than what we had seen – but also quietly special. The guides were great – the mules did a fantiastic job (it was Zach’s first time on a mule/horse and he did great), and the view from the top was to die for – these photos don’t do it any justice – but I think it was like the planet of Pandora in Avatar.... though Mart and Zach did not agree.

Once home we had dinner at the Jerusalem hotel again – which was great fun – more laughing and telling stories.... before our (now traditional) game of Greedy Pig – which Marty has now won for three nights in a row. Tomorrow to Gondar!

14^th September. Gondar.

We did the trip to the airport on a mini bus and got talking to this guy names Woodie. He has just come to Ethiopia to start an orphanage – and in the USA is a TV presenter of a kids cooking show called Woodie’s Kitchen. As the flight was delayed we got to talk to him for ages in the Bar... he was an interesting guy. I will take a look at Woodie’s kitchen on youtube when we get back.

Anway so we eventually made it to Gondar where we met with Alex our taxi driver, and he took us to meet Groom our guide. We were staying at a hotel called the Quera (Queen) which is only 400m from the Castle complex. Groom did a quick tour of the castles (in typical Ethiopian guide style). It was short, sharp and to the point..... we then went to the largest swimming pool in the world (apparently) built in the 15^th century. It was another truly surprising and amazing piece of architecture. It was a quick tour though – because his tour included the Church also – and it was sue to close at 5.30. We made it in time (just) and saw another amazing Ethiopian church. Built in the 15^th century – it took 3 years to paint inside – and has a roof which is very special, with Ethiopian Angels looking down. There were vultures in the high trees all around the church yard – and they told us the story of how the Islamic dervishes went though all of Gondar burning churches – but could not burn this church because they were stung by swarms of bees which were living in the trees around the church.

After the tour we wandered the streets for awhile – then went to the balcony of the hotel and played cards while eating pizza.... (life is tough in Africa).

15^th September

Up and packed at 8am – where Groom took us again to the castle (so we did not have to pay a second time) and then we had a better opportunity to relax and take it all in. It is a magnificent complex of buildings – used as the capital city for the empire in the 15^th century (king Fastildas ?sp) built the first and most impressive of the castles, and the next four kings followed him. It has very strong Portuguese influence, as well as Indian and Ethiopian. UNESCO put considerable money toward the restoration of the main original castle in the 1970s and it is very well done – it must have been a great royal court at it’s height. All up there are 4 castles within the compound – it is quite extensive and very peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle all around.

I am sitting in the airport as I type and I have just had a 6 year old Ethiopian kid on my lap who typed this....

Mynamismentesnot

AGOHELMA Orphanaga

We left the museum at around 12 noon - and it started to Rain - a solid tropical rain. It was only 25 minutes and the roads were small rivers, and the already hairy driving was made more challenging by the storm. The taxi driver Mele did a great job - and it was in itself another experience. We went (unannounced on a public holiday) the orhpanage. We were welcomed as guests and freinds and given a tour of the place. What this woman has done over the last 30 years is nothing short of miraculous. We were told she had looked after over 14,600 orphans over that time. Many of the babies she had taken in were abandoned somewhere in the city, and while we were there there we 23 babies in her (and her staff's) care. She has been given an honourary doctorate from the University of Jimma - and many many other international awards.

Having quite our fill of experiences for the day we had a very late lunch (4pm) and taked with Sanka (our guide who was absolutely fantastic) and his brother in law.

At 6am this morning (which is when the Ethiopian day starts) we were awoken to the sound of cannons heralding the new year.

HAPPY 2003~!!!

We then walked up the hill to the National Museum of Ethiopia - which is a collection of art, artifacts, the royal crowns of the emperors and the skeleton of Lucy the (apparently) 3 million year olf Hominid. It was amazing to see the skeleton of this person (in a small room in the basement of th emuseum) on whom much of the conjecture about human civilization is based.

From the end of ramadan celebreation we went to the Salassee Church. While we were there a guide told us that this was the beginning of the celebrations for the new year - and while in the church the Orthodox priests began singing for the new year celebration. It was magnificent and numinous. They were older men- about 8 of them all singing these haunting solw and deep harmonies. We saw the tomb of the emperor Haile Selassee - and were filled with a sense of the almost 2000 years of history and tradition that is the Ethiopian Orthodox church.

A quick update on yesteraday - the most incredible time. We started out walking to Meskil Square - it was the end of Ramadan - so there is a big celebration there - possibly as many as a million people. We were only part of the overflow from the stadium - a crowd of not more than 100,000 - it was truly incredible - and like nothing I have ever seen. In this photo the crowds go on for at least a km in each direction.

Our first full day in Africa began early (3am) due to Jetlag.... We then met with Sanka Sepe - a freind from World Vision who gave us the most AMAZING tour through the day. I am dead tired though ... and will blog it tomorrow.

Dubai Airport 1km long

Arrived in Ethiopia!

Well - we made it to Ethiopia - into our hotel on this the night before New Year's Eve. Tomorrow will be party all night.... and on Saturday it is ........................... 2003!......

I guess I will be turning 30 soon, and Zach will be 6.

Ethiopia works on a different calendar to us - 7.5 years earlier. It is great to be back here - and I am looking forward to catching up with friends over the next couple of days.


ABove is us on the plane....And here is Marty and Zach having Coffee in Dubai on the way through.

I'm in Singapore

Just arived in Singapore after a nauseous 7 hour plain trip.
Yes I did throw up. Just comes to show how clumsy the captain was and how much I hate plain food.

Anyway posting from a free Internet surfer in Singapore.
Havent had any sleep. Hope to get to Addis in 14 hours

Talk soon
ZAch

Well..... Today is the last day to have everything done before we leave. And unfortunately its not.

Still packing

Yes I am ... still packing (yawn)