Bloody revolutions, sweat, Organic Cotton T-Shirts and cheap perfume

What a fascinating and mentally exhausting day!

At 7.30 my alarm clock rudely woke me from a deep and troubled sleep where I was trying to figure out how to save money on my daily commute and for some reason was in the back of a truck laden down with sacks of something very smelly...

I had a quick brekky of some mushy mushrooms and some weird fried bananas and baked beans, plus a carafe of good strong coffee. Coffee powered I headed to the conference and listened as a lively debate followed between government and business leaders.

The morning session done I headed for the lunch venue and dispersed the last of my handouts and met a South African with many opinions on the world. Minutes later I sat next to a chap from Zimbabwe and listened in horror to some of the things he was saying.

After lunch we jumped on some buses to a factory run by a now elderly Japanese man. I liked him very much and he had some wonderful stories to tell. He's been making garments in Uganda for over 40 years. He managed to stay through the Idi Amin rule and avoid being classed as Asian and kicked out. He became a legend in his own life-time by saving many Ugandans from death. And now he makes and sells Organic T-Shirts! His company died several times and was raised to the ground. Revived again as Phenix he showed us around what he calls his "Bonsai" factory which takes in organic cotton bales and produces lovely Organic Cotton garments.

I videoed his story and its in a number of sections which I need to upload to You Tube. He wants everyone to know what he's doing to help Uganda! Lovely man.



We were presented with one of their T-Shirts at the end of the tour and I will wear it with pride. On the way around the factory one of the senior managers approached me. A fella from India. A few years back he ran the factory that belongs to the folks I was with in the hills of Tamil Nadu in India a few months ago. Small world. He recognised a logo on the T-Shirt I was wearing and knew many of the people I do.

After getting back to the hotel I freshened up and popped downstairs to the bar, not having made any arrangements for the evening. I had no idea who'd be there and what to expect. So I ordered a bottle of Nile Special (brewed with water that really does come from the very source of the Nile). I sat and "people watched" and what a strange world unravelled... I don't think I will write down some of my observations as I'm unsure what was going on...

Anyway - I went off to eat on my own in the end. I had another Nile beer and some Prawns in a coconut sauce, followed by cheese (Stilton - all the way from England!).

I'm now back in my room and ready to crash for the day. Lots of photos and videos to post but the intertubes are so slow here, I'll have to add them later.

Sadly tomorrow is my last day here. I feel like I've scratched the surface of a fascinating place. I wish I had more time to explore and see some more and meet more people. Unfortunately my plane leaves too early for me to take the planned trip to Lake Victoria and the source of the Nile tomorrow afternoon. Another time maybe.

Everyone I've spoken to really like Uganda. It feels like a friendly and very positive place to be.