Picture me Bussin'

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(It's a celebration Bitches!)

I need to start writing my travel plans down, and I figure this is as good a place as any. So here goes: if anybody out there sees something they want to blow the bank and be a part of, come join me- I'd love the company.

I'm leaving for Kampala in the morning to do New Years in the city with my roommates. I've heard New Years isn't as much of a huge thing in Uganda as in the US, but any random night in Kampala is usually a blast if you know where to go. I was in Jinja a couple weeks ago and met these cool Indians and an Italian who all work for the multinational building the new dam. We had a great night out in Jinja and they said they have a suite at the Serena or the Sheraton. When I told them about my roommate who just loves Indian guys (in other news my roommate is probably going to be pretty pissed at me for spreading blatantly false rumors about her predilections), they insisted that we join them. I think the plan is to start things out a little classyish, then probably head to the club and dance the night away. Then maybe after-party in a hotel suite.



New Years day is of course the Rose Bowl. For those of you that don't know about what's hot these days, that's an American Football game- arguably the biggest of the year. My Alma Mater and lifelong favorite team, the Oregon Ducks, just so happen to be playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since I was a kid, and it just so happens that it will be showing live on satellite tv in Uganda. The plan for New Years day is to nurse the hangover and go shopping for some provisions in Kampala (Lonely Planet Southern Africa, new camera?, fresh threads) since we're 11 hours ahead of PST. Then we don the ol' green and yellow, hit an expat sportsbar (assuming one exists) and Duck out all night. GO DUCKS!



Then the morning of the 2nd, we're hopping on a bus for Kabale town in southwest Uganda to spend a few nights on Lake Bunyoni. I stopped there several months ago and it was in the running for the most beautiful places I've been in my life. I was told its the deepest lake in Africa, and that it's one of the few lakes in Uganda that you can swim in without risking bilharzia. After a few days of relaxation lakeside, we head north for Fort Portal and Kibale national forest, home of the greatest concentration of primate species diversity in Africa. My roommate studied primatology in school, so I'm going to get the opportunity for the inside info on all the monkey business. After a night or two there, it's back to Mbale to say a few last goodbyes and one final serving of that tasty Ugandan matooke and then I ditch my current life and forge ahead solo for Tanzania and the unknown.



Wish me luck, the rest of my life starts tomorrow.

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