continued...

6/11 With the help of Val's driver and a local handyman we found a mechanic AND  the necessary parts in Moroto on Monday and he restored the truck to driving condition. It was really too late in the day to consider heading back to Soroti so I was quite content to sleep again in Kangole. Val (as if you wouldn't know who she is- info here)  was in Kangole also and talking of getting out to Nakayot. This is the peace village I spend most of my time but the road has been impassable since early March. I've wanted to go out but knew I wouldn't make it. So seeing how she was confident I decided to stay a little longer to join her. On wednesday morning we packed bags, food, seeds, medical supplies and as many people as our trucks would carry and headed out. The road was terrible.

Members scoping out the "road" ahead before determining that we couldn't pass the last 20 km without getting stuck. 

Murrm piles have been put down months ago with the intention of spreading but haven't actually been spread. So the center of the road is blocked. Then the rainy season came leaving deep sticky mud on both sides keeping us from using the "shoulders".

Digging and spreading the murrm to give us a place to turn around after we determined there was no way through.  

So as Val was determined, there is another road that she thought could be passable but it goes back out and around the mountain and back down to the village.  I'm happy to write that after 3+ more hours of driving we did finally get there. And we passed through some of the most beautiful landscape in Uganda ( though I may be a bit partial).  At one point the truck stopped suddenly and we picked up a 15 pound turtle from the grass who became lunch the following day.  

A food that comes in its own pan. Already on the cooking rocks to keep him from "running" away.

The end result. Yummy!

So we were extremely happily received in Nakayot and spent a full two days there. There were planting projects and agricultural teaching, seed loans, community meetings and lots of medical care. We stayed two nights in Val's hut with the local critters. We guessed with the termites in the poles of the roof that we could hear eating all night long, the cockroaches in the floor, the spiders in the thach, the weevels in the rice and beans, the rats looking for anything they could gnaw on in addition to all the other uncountable critters and creepy crawlies there we hundreds of thousands of us all living under one roof. Heart warming isn't it? 

Anyway, friday mid day we packed up and set off between the mountians again. We passed Nabwal (the other peace village) and stopped to greet everyone there and also distribute more seeds there then finally headed back to Soroti. The drive was mostly uneventful and my bed felt REALLY nice last night. And speaking of bed I hear it calling me again! So until next time...