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Sunday 12 September 2010

A spot of indulgence in Jinja

There's a theory that the longer you stay in Uganda, the better the food tastes. A slice of mature cheddar wouldn't raise much excitement at home but it becomes a real treat here. A trip to Jinja is always about the food. It's hardly surprising really when the town sounds as though it was named after one of my favourite types of biscuits. There's cafes with chilled out gardens and a deli packed with treats like veggie lasagne and home-made ice-cream. After a night in cheap backpacker land our little group decided we had earned the right to upgrade ourselves to a bit of lazy camping overlooking the Nile. It's a tranquil spot and as we filled our bellies with delicious pumpkin soup and freshly baked bread our eyes also got a feast of spectacular views. It's funny, but when I first arrived in Uganda I thought it was pretty but I wasn't bowled over. I missed the breathtakingly dramatic landscapes I had grown accustomed to in Colombia. Now I wonder what I was thinking. Simply the drive out of Kampala makes my shoulders drop by a couple of inches. This weekend, cycling through the villages raised a smile to my face. The amazing contrasts of colours, from the myriad shades of green in the fields to the dusty orange roads and the ever changing skies. as always, the children ran along with us in their broken flip-flops and their smiles beamed brightly. I am sure that my weekend of indulgence will help push me through the week ahead!

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