fun facts about uganda

as you know from beruria’s post, we’ve been doing lots of researching, reading and talking to various people in anticipation of our trip.  i especially love my new best friend, the lonely planet for east africa. it’s my favorite purchase for this trip aside from our cool water purifier bottles

here are some fun/random facts that i’ve learned from my reading:

• winston churchill called uganda the “pearl of africa.”  i’m so excited for the stunning scenery.
• uganda is the source of the Nile.  so it has some of the best white-water rafting in the world.  hopefully we’ll have time to hit that up.
• it is also home to the highest mountain range in africa, the Rwenzoris, or Mountains of the Moon.
• don’t be fooled by uganda’s dark past.  it is currently a very stable country with a friendly population–“truly some of the finest folk in Africa,” according to my trusty bible (i.e. the lonely planet)
• putti village is 15 km from mbale, which is in the extreme east of uganda, near the kenyan border.  mbale is located at the base of Mt. Elgon, which is 4321 m high
• we’ll be flying into entebbe international airport, which is famous for the 1976 israeli air raid to free israeli hostages.  however, the current airport is located in a new building, so we won’t be in the same  building made famous in the classic film Operation Thunderbolt
• muggers in Kampala (not so common) are stripped naked as punishment
• the equator passes thru Uganda.  and so the climate while we’re there will be dry and pleasantly warm