Carapacer

Friday, July 6, 2012

Week Four in Uganda- Our trip to BANDA ISLAND

Since I decided to revive my blog, I decided that I will post my Uganda travel updates on my blog instead of through email. Even though this post is four weeks into my travels and I won’t be posting my previous emails, I think it’s better late than never since I still have a good month to go.

Last weekend was quite the adventure and it has taken me a while to recover. After venturing into Jinja, Mityana, and Gulu the previous weekends, we decided that it was time for an island getaway to the Sesse Islands. Especially since Kampala is so close to Lake Victoria, we thought that it would be easier than the 10 hour bus ride we had to Gulu the weekend before. Unfortunately, things do not always go as planned.

Sesse Islands are a group of 84 islands on Lake Victoria named by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s best secret islands. We found a website offering cheap accommodations on one of the islands- Banda Island-and thought it would be a great way to relax for the weekend. We got onto a boda to get to the taxi park, only to find that it would start pouring down rain a minute into the ride. I could barely keep my eyes open during the entire trip and I was terrified- I was riding a motorcycle in the crazy streets of Kampala during a downpour. After getting fully drenched and in a mild shock, we arrived at the taxi park and got onto the matatu headed for Entebbe which would make a stop near the Kasenyi fish terminal. The canoes at this terminal would take us to the islands while picking up fish and people along the way. Our one-way fare was Ushs 5,000 which is around $2. While there are ferries and other large vessels that are much safer and will take you to the islands from different ports, these larger boats are much more expensive to take. We decided to be adventurous and take the backpacker route with these canoes.

Once we got to the terminal, we saw numerous canoes lined along the shore and being filled with various foodstuffs. Most of the canoes were being filled with boxes of milk, water, soda, crackers, bread, and other processed foods not available on the islands.

The canoes get heavier once they are full so they are not parked directly by the shore where the water is too shallow and the canoes will sink. Instead, they are parked several meters away and require designated men who make a living off of transferring items to and from the shore to fill the boats.

Caitlin and I were the only foreigners traveling by these canoes so we stood out. Everyone was staring and talking about us. We knew this because we constantly heard "Mazungu" come up in their conversations.

These men do not only carry food and other products to the boats, but they carry people into the boats as well. This was my first time being carried into a boat and it was quite an experience.

Men are carried on the shoulders and women are carried cradle-style like you would a baby.

Caitlin and I were both scared, but all of these men are skilled and the one who carried me promised not to drop me (well I made him promise me).

Once we got on the boat, we were excited and ready to go.

Many boats left the port around the same time we did.

Our boat was pretty empty with only about twenty other passengers. We had a seat to ourselves and got to enjoy the boat ride with an amazing view. I even took a short nap.

Four hours later, we finally reached one of the islands and got to see an amazing sunset.

We had to wait for a motorboat to pick us up and take us to Banda Island (Pictured here).

The fishermen and other villagers unloaded the boat to take all the food to the markets on this island

Our motorboat's motor died so we had to wait an hour before we could start our way to Banda Island.

The sun was slowly setting as we waited and waited.

We finally got the boat to work when the sun went down. Luckily the moon was out so we traveled to Banda Island by moonlight. When we reached Banda Island, our host, Andrew, was waiting for us by a campfire. We had beans and eggplant with rice and potatoes for dinner and relaxed by the campfire before bed.

Our host, Andrew, is a native Australian who has been traveling all over Africa for several years . It has been two months since he came to Banda Island in the hopes of trying to revive it since the original owner of the cottages passed away a few years ago. Banda used to be a much more popular tourist site before he passed away. Andrew lives here with his numerous dogs, all of which are incredibly sweet.

The cottage that we stayed in was comfortable but we barely slept due to the incessant amount of bugs and noises that woke us up all throughout the night.

Despite being a beautiful island, Banda island did not offer the activities that a beach would (I miss cali beaches!). The sand was actually very pebbly, dirt-like, and full of ants. The water is also very contaminated with well many things that you would not want to expose yourself to. Although many people go swimming here- we didn't want to risk it in the shallow waters especially because we had spotted hippos nearby during lunch.

This is the main dining/lodge area where we had our meals. Caitlin and I spent most of our afternoon reading, playing cards, playing jenga, and I learned how to play backgammon. I felt like I was at summer camp.

Hippo tracks! The hippos had come onto the island during the night to feast on grass.

Birds of prey are flying everywhere on Banda. I wasn't very interested in them because I am not a huge bird fan but I feel like Banda Island would be a birdwatcher's paradise.

We decided to take a forty minute hike to the other end of the island to visit the village. This village is populated by 200 villagers. They subsist on fish and have their own chickens, goats, and cows.

The hike to the village was terrifying because we had to trek through trails of safari ants. These safari ants are not your regular black ants. If they crawl onto you, they bite and don't let go. Andrew, Caitlin, and I each got bitten once but we had to spend the entire hike swatting these ants off our clothes and legs. I couldn't enjoy the hike and the scenery because I felt like I constantly had ants all over me.

We met these cute kids when we got to the village. They walked around with us and were sad to see us go.

The kids didn't want to let go of my hand and started crying when we left. They were the sweetest kids!


The island was definitely beautiful but very deserted and we were ready to leave come Sunday morning. It was only Caitlin, me, and Andrew on this side of the island and Caitlin and I were ready to go back home. Although the escape from the city was nice, we were ready to get back to reality and have communication with the rest of society.

Unfortunately, getting back home was not as easy as getting to the islands. The boat that arrived to take us back to Kampala was filled to the brim with bags of fish and people. These bags of small fish would be grounded up with corn to serve as chicken feed. The smell was horrible. I sat on top of these bags during the whole trip as did the other passengers who sat right next to me. I was rolled up in a ball and unable to stretch my legs.

I feared for my life on this four hour journey home as we rode through a thunderstorm and almost capsized. I was so terrified. There were no life jackets and the boat was so full that waves of water filled into our boat multiple times. Thankfully we were able to make it through the storm without being struck by lightning or falling overboard. I was drenched and freezing during the hour we had remaining on the boat after the storm. Luckily, Caitlin and I do not get seasick but my poor Caitlin had gotten terrible food poisoning from the food we had the night before. We had been served Nile Perch for dinner and she must have gotten a bad piece because she was having horrible symptoms up until she had to sit on top of the smelly fish in the boat.

We finally made it back home after landing, traveling in our wet clothes on a matatu to the taxi park and back on a boda. Caitlin was as pale as a ghost and we were both freezing. I made sure to nourish Caitlin back to health and she has fully recovered since her food poisoning. We have decided not to do anything adventurous this weekend and only have a short trip planned.

On another note.. happy belated fourth of July! We spent our fourth at an American cafe (endiro cafe!) where we splurged on overpriced American fare and sang our national anthem loud and proud. We drew this picture of the American flag during dinner.

Almost 9 MONTHS since my last POST!

I can't believe how long it has been since I have abandoned my blog! If my blog were a child, I think DCF would have taken it away from me by now. Grad school and the busyness of NYC has distracted me from blogging and after letting too much time pass by with too many pictures to post, I felt overwhelmed to start again. To make up for lost time, I am posting an extra long one!!

Right now, I am actually in Uganda for an internship and it has been four weeks since I have gotten here! I have posted pictures and sent emails to update most people on my amazing experience in Uganda thus far- but not on this blog. If you haven't received these updates and would like to, just let me know! I am really enjoying my time here, but ever since Fourth of July passed and I reminisced about NYC and home, I have been feeling a bit homesick. I decided to look through some old pictures on my camera and thought I would post something to help this homesick feeling pass! I know it has been well over nine months since my last post, but I hope my blog will forgive me for my absence.

Below are some food reviews for you to feast your eyes on during the past nine months in NYC (most from late 2011). I stopped taking pictures when 2nd semester started and started getting lazy. I have not been taking enough pictures but I will definitely start again when I return to NYC!!!

My Favorite Brunch Spot = My Sister's Apartment

Although Good Enough to Eat has great pancakes and biscuits and Isabella's has great egg's benedict, my sister's place produces the overall best brunch especially because I am involved! hehehe. Sometimes we cook brunch after church on Sundays. It always turns out great and tastes better because it's free for me and cheap for her. I always do the dishes to make up for using her food supply so everyone is happy. One week we decided to make..

Pancakes.. Pumpkin Pancakes!

Trader Joes Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle mix is so easy to prepare and packed with pumpkiny flavor! So cheap and makes a ton of pancakes. I love pumpkin and pumpkiny foods! Trader Joe's is amazing

Fresh pumpkin butter straight from a pumpkin patch made a perfect topping for our pancakes. Worked better than maple syrup! Yum Yum! Thank you Bauman!


A little toasty but still fluffy and delicious! We added some sliced bananas on top for extra potassium and flavor. We had some greek yogurt on the side as well!

and.. of course we need eggs with our pancakes


feta cheese with mushrooms, tomato and basil! (with ketchup!)

My Favorite Late Night Restaurant!= Veselka!!

I LOVE BEETS so when I discovered a traditional Ukrainian dish called Borscht on the food network, I knew I had to try it. Borscht is a soup made out of beets and it has been around for centuries.Veselka is known to have the best around. I knew I would love it when I heard about it, and when I tried it, I definitely did. Veselka is open 24 hours and they have other delicious Ukrianian/diner food. It is always packed but worth the wait. If you don't like beets, their other dishes deserve just as much hype. They have exactly what you need when your stomach is grumbling around 2AM.

BORSCHT!!!

Packed with beets and beety flavor! other ingredients include cabbage, onions, and other veggies. Yumm Yumm!! I love the deep red color which symbolizes "stop right here" in European culture. It came with a side of bread to dip. My favorite Ukrainian dish!!!

In addition to pancakes, waffles, and other American breakfast fare, Veselka has Blintzes!! Award Winning Ukrainian style crepes filled with lightly sweetened farmer's cheese!! I recommend that you add their fresh raspberry sauce on the side. The cheese is slightly sweet, creamy and stuffed inside these delicate crepes. It was so delicious and definitely a winner!

Dyakuyu Veselka! I went to the location in the East Village on 2nd Avenue.. but they opened another branch! Yay for more Veselkas in New York.

My Favorite Upper Westside Restaurant=Recipe!!!

Since I live so far up (151st street) in NY, most of the downtown, Chelsea restaurants take a long time to get to. I am therefore so grateful to have Recipe nearby. They serve one of the best brunches and also have amazing New American food for dinner. I went there for a friend's birthday a while ago and have been there multiple times ever since. The space is tiny with only about six tables and a bar. The decor is cozy and the food is so fresh and tasty it is a must try if you are in the area.

We got one of the special appetizers featured for the night- Uni with Poached egg!

The egg was cooked just right and the uni was the perfect flavor

Grilled Grass Fed NY Steak.. I didn't get it when I went this time, but I got it the next time I came here because it looked so good.. Cooked perfectly and tasted delicious!

Look at them grill marks!

Seared Hudson Valley Duck Breast - farro, tuscan kale, baby turnips, salsify, honey mustard jus.

Pan Seared American Red Snapper chorizo, white beans, chickpeas, tomato confit, melted leeks, broccoli rabe, eggplant

Butternut squash soup with cheese bread

Favorite California Beach Restaurant/Shack= Reel Inn

During my last trip home to Cali which was all the way back in December, my friends and I actually got to go hiking in Malibu (during winter!! I love CALI!!) and eat Reel Inn- our longtime favorite place to eat whenever we are in the area. They have the best and freshest seafood around. It is a beach side shack with an assortment of fish to choose from cooked your style- usually Cajun style

Ready for Seafood!

After a long day of hiking (intense hiking!!), we were ready to eat at Reel Inn.. We were looking forward to it all day.. We were hungry.

So many varieties to choose from, all so fresh and flavorful!!

I think this was the snapper (might be wrong)- cooked cajun style on a bed of cajun style rice...

Grilled scallops.. I love scallops- especially big fat juicy ones.

Cajun style sea bass, rice, and potatoes.. they have the best cajun style rice, potatoes, and salad to compliment your fish.

CATFISH!! most of us are allergic to cats but definitely not catfish.

Usually how our meals end together ..


I think someone finished the grains of rice and lettuce piece off this plate after this picture was taken.. ahah

ONE of My Favorite Dessert Spots- SPOT Dessert Bar!!

I unfortunately only took pictures of this place the first time I came here.. but I have been to The Spot several times now and am always blown away. If you want to have more than your usual ice cream or cookie for dessert.. You must try Spot Dessert Bar on Saint Marks in the East Village!! They have spectacular, imaginary desserts packed with an Asian twist. I love desserts with green tea, taro, yuzu, red bean, etc. so this place is made just for me. They have a seasonal dessert tapas menu and everything I have tried has been fantastic.

Yuzu Eskimo- blackberries, raspberry foam, chocolate pearls, oreo soil, chocolate ganache

Chocolate Green Tea Lava green tea-white chocolate ganach, green tea ice cream

So fun breaking this open.. but tasted even better. This is their most popular dessert on the menu.

Uganda may not have the assortment of restaurants that NYC (and Cali) has to offer.. but I am grateful for the options I have here. Ugandan food is simple, filling, and good. Pretty much the same staples everyday but nothing to complain about. I will make sure to post about Ugandan fare before I leave! I am glad to be back on this blog even though I am halfway around the world. Although I miss home, friends, and family.. I am definitely NOT ready to leave!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

nueva york randomos

Just some very random pictures that I thought I would share.. because I am procrasinating and can't study.. i have a biostats midterm on monday that I am not ready for!! eeeeekkkkkkkkkkkk.. wish me luckk

Pizza from Keste- we waited over an hour!! but it was amazing..!!

They gave us samples while we waited.. but it made the wait seem longer

they have one with butternut squash!!

Their classic

w/sausage

but if you don't want to go out for pizza in NY.. just make some!!

Homemade Pizza: 1/2 with feta and 1/2 with mozzerella..

Really easy to make.. complements of Trader Joe's ingredients..

I actually wish i had some pizza now.. instead of having to study Baye's theorem and Poisson distributions...

Bread pudding, vanilla ice cream.. and wine from Tonalli's.. an amazinggggg restaurant a few blocks away from my apartment.. it's a true treat to have such a delicious place so nearby!