The most beautiful day in Uganda

... and that despite a 5-hour drive in a cramped, dirty stinking bus on terrible roads and bumps!

Well, to be honest, it wasn't that bad. I spent half of the time reading and the other half daydreaming. I think I sensed that everything is better for me than staying in Kampala!

Arriving in Fort Portal (Western Uganda, see map), I couldn't stop marveling. The town was so cute, so clean, with small adorable houses, lots of greenery, and it all seemed to glow. During the boda ride to the hostel, we drove over green hills, past beautiful valleys. The guest house is a community project, and all the money they earn here goes into social projects. A bed costs $6 per night, dinner starts from $2.10, and a huge breakfast with everything is $3. That means I pay less for everything here than just for the room (in Kampala).

Well, I arrived here yesterday around 3:30 PM and first settled into my room. One of the staff members (Julius) then accompanied me to the botanical garden. It was beautiful, with lots of exotic plants, extraordinary trees, and at the end, you could buy teas/spices/honey, etc. from their own plants there for a small amount of money. That's when Lisa treated herself! Hahaha

From there, I grabbed a boda and went to see some waterfalls. I did a tour, which was nothing special but still nice. My boda driver was so kind to wait for me and accompany me. By this time, I was pretty tired from the whole day and just wanted to go home, but the boda driver convinced me to see the crater lakes quickly. Oh my God! Dear people, I took about 3 million photos, but not a single photo could capture the beauty that I perceived there with my senses.

First, we drove through the villages, which were much cleaner than any village I have ever seen before! The landscape was beautiful - I think that was the very first moment when I REALLY understood why Uganda is called the Pearl of Africa. And doing it all on a motorcycle was even more awesome!

Then we arrived on top of a hill.

To my left, a mountain wall, incredibly impressive and surreal because the sun was setting and all you could see was a black and gray mass. In front of it, the beautiful green valleys.

To my right, a beautiful crater lake with a small mountain right behind it.

Totally untouched nature, no tourists, no cars, just the occasional hut.

So, I think such an experience is truly unique, and nature has so much to offer if you just open your eyes to its beauty! If someone had told me two years ago that I would one day become such a nature fan, I would have laughed at them, but in the past few months, I have really enjoyed it.

It probably has something to do with my spiritual development too :p

Yesterday evening, I fell asleep easily for the first time in probably 3 weeks!

As you can read, I'm pretty happy with my spontaneous decision to come here without a plan!

In conclusion: I don't like Kampala, I love nature, and I think I'll go hiking soon!

Today, I'm taking it easy. Had a nice breakfast, now sitting in the garden of my hostel with a great view and will do some reading soon! I have some stomach issues, so I'm feeling a bit weak at the moment, but it doesn't dampen my good mood!

I'll be in touch very soon and send lots of love to Germany/Holland/Japan/South America, and wherever you all are