Mbarara

We just got back from a weekend trip to Mbarara, and had so much fun! 

Mbarara is about a 5 hour bus ride southwest of Kampala and really beautiful. Our good friend Rhona, along with her son,  took us to show us where she grew up, and we had the privilege of staying with her welcoming family. 

It was nice to get out of the city for a few days and a joy to get to know where Rhona is from. We stayed at her dad's house and walked around their property that is filled banana and matooke (a fruit in the banana family) trees as well as a eucalyptus grove. Her three half sisters were at her dad's house and we had a lot of fun together.

We took many pictures, as always, click on the picture to view them larger.

Our guest room was one of the buildings behind the main house. 

The door to our room is near the center of the photo and the water tank is the mound on the ground in the front. 

The tank collects rain water then it is pumped out whenever needed on this blue pump. 

 Banana and matooke trees

As we walked around the family property there was an old hotel that is no longer in use near their land. Inside, this stuffed lion gave me a good scare as I was not expecting it. Even though it was stuffed, it seemed to still be rotting. 

We got to meet so many members of Rhona's family, here we are with her grandma (or jaja) and her cousin Bridget. 

On our way home we got some fresh milk, Kyle carried it home. 

On Saturday we visited Rhona's mom's house and got to meet some more family.

Rhona with her mom and sister, Annette.

We drank so much tea (or chi) this weekend as it is customary to serve guests this hot drink.

Kyle with one of Rhona's half sisters. 

There are a lot of things that are similar between Mbarara and Kampala but there are also differences. One of the differences is the taxi system. On Sunday when we were headed to catch the bus we had to get on a taxi that is a bit smaller than the ones we are used to in Kampala. Here is a video of our experience:

On the bus ride home

This weekend was really a wonderful time and we had so much fun. I so enjoyed getting to see where Rhona is from and seeing a new place. There is much to say about all that you can learn about a person when you visit their home. Kyle and I are so grateful for our friends Rhona and Hamlet and thank the Lord for how they have helped us acclimate to Uganda.