Road To Gulu

We left at 10:30 - a late start.  Breakfast was fresh crepes, fruit, jam, toast and frosted flakes.  Gulu is about 3 - 6 hours depending on the checkpoints.  After a couple of wrong turns, gas stops  - we were on our way.  The bus was jam packed - we condensed the totes down to 35, then our personal stuff - all we had was toe room.  We had 6 police check points, of which we had to stop at 3 of them.  The checkpoints don't really serve a purpose other then to show authority.  We were very lucky to get thru with a bus load of Mazungas!  The road to Gulu is much better then Kampala, as far as paved and hardly any potholes.  The roads are just wide enough for 2 cars to pass but now throw in bodas and walkers - all side by side.  I think I held my breathe more then I breathed and I think I had the only seat belt in the bus.  Not that it really mattered - cause if we hit something - I would have all the suitcases and my fellow mazungas hitting me in the back of my head.  We saw baboons on the side of the road and they, like the villagers - would run to the bus for stuff.  We crossed over the Nile - (we will see it next week, Thursday).  We had cooked (I'll call them bananas for now).  When we stopped for the bananas - we had offers of goat on a stick, fresh chicken (alive), water and other kinds of fruit.  We got to Gulu in about 5 hours - we couldn't wait to stretch our legs.  Gulu is a nice town - I feel more comfortable here. Checked into our room and headed over to House of Hope.  Kinda the same as Suubi, but this is under the Watoto Church.  We visited and worshipped with them and then went back to the hotel for dinner.  The hotel is actually very nice.  Patrick is my Internet friend.  I haven't seen the pool yet.  These have been long days.  Tomorrow to Living Hope for pampering and the construction crew to House of Hope to build swing sets - of which they never heard of.