A visit to Kapiri

I met my fellow student Rob in Soroti on Friday. We had a drink and then a look round the market and arranged to meet on Sunday at his place. 

The road surface between Soroti and Kapiri is probably the worst I have ever been on. I decided to drive myself in the minibus, the alternative being a motorcycle or a public bus. The buses look particularly hazardous – one I saw has a bent chassis so it travels at an angle. I arrived safely, dodging the worst potholes, and met Rob and the two charming young ladies who are looking after him; one is an excellent cook I can confirm. Apart from this amenity, his other facilities are also pleasant, though lacking electricity and tap water. It may surprise you to know that there are extensive wetlands in this area.

We met a local friend (Rob has a facility for making friends and is picking up lots of phrases in Ateso) and walked to the swamp. Moses invited us to go boating, even trying to bail out a dugout canoe with his foot, but we chickened out, as wetness seemed inevitable.

We drove to the shore of Lake Kasisi, arguably also a swamp. Moses had a swim while we looked on enviously, thinking about schistosomiasis and crocodiles (I was anyway). A bigger boat arrived but by the time we decided it would be nice to go for a paddle, the guys with the paddles had gone.

After a rest at Rob’s place, a meal and a couple of games of cards with Moses and his friend Isaac (we understood theirs a bit better than they understood ours, although understanding did not predict victory), we set off by moonlight for the video hall to watch the Euro 2012 final. The ramshackle little room was packed; we had thought 45 minutes in advance was plenty. Fortunately, though embarrassingly, plastic chairs were reserved for us at the front beneath the TV screens, along with another important guest. Other patrons were crammed onto benches and the floor. We picked our way through the crowd, greeted our neighbours and waited for the game, while my new worst film ever was finishing on one screen. It was a raucous night. It was also much later than we had been used to staying up. Some customers were the worse for drink. Opinions were exchanged loudly and repetitively, some directly into my right ear. Goals were celebrated energetically. Still, we thoroughly enjoyed Spain’s comprehensive demolition of Italy. One or two people lapsed into unconsciousness, slightly reducing the noise level. Even an entomologist would have enjoyed what was happening on the screen as various interesting insects were displayed.

After the award of trophies we returned to the guest house for the night, ready to resume research activities on Monday.