Things about Uganda. Part 2.

Environment

Banana tree's are everywhere. Banana's aren't native to Uganda. Or Africa for that matter! Also Eucalyptus trees thrive here. We have never seen in Australia the health of Ugandan Eucalypts!

There is no better way to see a town or the countryside than from the back of a boda boda (motorbike/scooter). Sunglasses are a must though because of the dust kicked up along the roads.

The soil is deep red! And stains! 

Hippos and warthogs are cute in an ugly kind of way.

I would guess that there is under 200kms of tarmac road in the entire country. Even Kampala is riddled with death trap pot holes. The foot paths (when they exist) are even more dangerous, with meter's deep man holes in the middle, sharp bits of metal and wire protruding from them and the entire city's household waste fermenting on them.

The land is extremely fertile and lush and most people subsist off it. The frustrating thing is, people only work and grow enough to survive day by day - not to better themselves or their futures. Whilst it is impossible for some (single parents and orphans especially) to do any better - plenty just need to learn to save and not to be wasteful and lazy towards their land and animals. For example we were looking at some peoples piggery. They where complaining that they thought the pigs were sick. I asked where the pigs water was and they seemed surprised that pigs needed water. Incredible.

There is no waste disposal system and the country is filling up with plasic. Rubbish is dropped where it is made. People drop their litter on shop floors, on the street, in peoples houses, in waterways and in the national parks. It is a disgusting public norm and an environmental disaster. A towns rubbish is swept into piles and set alight, putting putried fumes of burning plastic, paint and metal into the air. And as well as burning hard rubbish people burn food scraps and garden waste as well, instead of putting it back into the land to keep the soil fertile.

Tree's are cut down, burnt, then sold as coal for people to cook on.

No one seems to tune their vehicles. Tons of expensive petrol is being wasted out of exhaust pipes in vile black blue fumes everyday.

At first we thought the bicycles that are used everywhere here were really cool. They look like just the thing that is fashion in Sydney at the moment. Old school thin tall bikes, in black with leather seats and shiny metal breaks. However after having a go on one we decided they are in no way desirable modes of transport. They weigh an absolute ton, have handles that are in the way of your knees when you need to peddle and steer at the same time, bad breaks and people ride these on rutted dirt rodes laddened with the most improbable things. Crates of glass bottles of cola, 6 stems of green banana, huge tea chests and bags of coal.