A few weeks ago, we made a trip out to Bwindi rainforest, the southwest corner of Uganda, for a few days of net sales. This area of Uganda (near the border of DR Congo) has no access to mosquito nets and is one of the poorest regions of Uganda. Just outside of Bwindi are the Pygmies; the Pygmies were kicked out of the area when the land became a national park for gorillas some years ago. The Pygmies are now the poorest population in Uganda and cannot afford nets. In years past, we have traded nets for jars of honey, but this year’s trading goods had quite the range: wooden carvings, bundles of matoke, sugar, and best of all, 2 eggs. It was interesting to say the least. It was great to see some new countryside of Uganda; I think I felt cold for the first time in the last few months. I actually pulled out a warm hat at nighttime (yes, I know this is very lame). It felt like a whole new place though, and since Lusoga and Luganda are not spoken in this area, it was fun to watch Francis and Joseph (our drivers) get completely confused with the dialects in the southwest region.
It was an interesting trip, and definitely a fun experience to exchange nets for all the goods the Pygmies brought with them. It was good to get out and see some new parts of Uganda; the 14 hour drive out to Bwindi provided us with plenty of downtime to enjoy each other’s company.
Best wishes for the end of the year.
