I've just finished lunch at the Ndere Center, where Betty and I went to surprise Sam Okello Kelo. That place is beautiful. For lunch I tried Maatoke for the first time, which is much like a plantain, but prepared differently. It is pressed between banana leaves and in the village people serve it with ground nut (peanut) sauce. Yum. I can't wait to eat it at Betty's or Damascus's house, because their moms make it the really traditional way. Otherwise I'm eating quite a lot of chicken and rice, with the occasional pita thrown in there (there is a critical mass of middle eastern and Indian people in Kampala--maybe 12-15% of the populous).

The landscape is gorgeous. Hilly in Kampala and Mountainous as you move west. Many banana trees (again, I'll send you a picture). The soil is sort of reddish brown, and when it doesn't rain (it hasn't yet rained) it's very dusty. Forget about recycling pants before washing.

Everyone here is very nice. Sometimes it's because they want something from you, but often it's just genuine friendliness. For instance, last night in the hotel bar, I met a guy named Oscar. He and his girlfriend were there and we ended up exchanging numbers so that we could have a pint again sometime. He's a Ugandan dude. He bought me a pint very shortly after introducing himself. Just nice for no reason, eh? I was overwhelmed, but people are just like that here. Today when I moved my suitcase from the hotel to the flat in Bukoto (a suburb of kampala), Betty had purchased cleaning supplies, an iron and board, some dishes, a small stovetop (two burners--electric), and a mop with a bucket.

Anyway, Sam Okello was really glad to see me. You should have seen the look on his face when we wandered into his office. He knew I was coming this summer, he just didn't know when. He furnished the lunch for us on the house, and it was very tasty. The Ndrere Center (where Sam works ) is sooooooo beautiful, and the arts going on there are doubtless amazing. I'm going to see a show nexty Sunday (they have weekly shows, but this Sunday is Betty's voice recital).