Photos from Weekend in Fort Portal
Dewan and Ali finished up their rotations at Mulago this past weekend, and as a farewell hoorah, we ventured to the city of Fort Portal, which lies at the foot of the Rwenzori mountains that form the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has a reputation for being the most beautiful place in the country because of its vast green hill side tea plantations (pictured above), rain forest national park, and crater lakes. Getting there consisted of a 5 hour bus ride through some very turbulent roads while a traveling salesman pontificated for the first 2 and 1/2 hours about the cancer risks of using steel wool to clean dishes at home. He followed up his speech by trying to sell some Chinese herbal tea which could cure both cancer and stomach ulcers. After the salesman got off halfway through the ride, the bus began to play Angelina Jolie's new film, "SALT," on the 12" TV at the front. Interestingly, the film would play for about 30 seconds, and then pause, while a male voice would narrate in the local language what was being said by the characters.
Where we stayed. Though the guesthouse hadn't had electricity for the 4 days prior to our arrival, it kicked in by day 2. Water for the cottages was kept in tanks outside that would be heated with charcoal whenever a hot shower was planned in advance. 
Trekking through the hillsides with the Rwenzoris in the backdrop and the occasional boda boda ferrying passengers from the villages to the trading centers along the main roads.
The crater lakes, so beautiful. Being the good medical students that Yale trained us to be, however, we looked into the most recent studies regarding the prevalence of Schistosomiasis in the lakes before deciding to take a swim. Despite previous theories they couldn't survive in lakes at higher altitude, it appears that the little critters have no problem adjusting. 
These red flowers pop up all over Uganda, like little bursts of rouge that freckle a background. Again, a crater lake can be seen in the distance on the left hand side and the Rwenzoris on the right. The forest here is well known for its large variety of monkeys, including chimpanzees. Though we didn't go chimp trekking, we did see our fair share of monkeys both hiking and while on the bus.
Dewan and Ali finished up their rotations at Mulago this past weekend, and as a farewell hoorah, we ventured to the city of Fort Portal, which lies at the foot of the Rwenzori mountains that form the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has a reputation for being the most beautiful place in the country because of its vast green hill side tea plantations (pictured above), rain forest national park, and crater lakes. Getting there consisted of a 5 hour bus ride through some very turbulent roads while a traveling salesman pontificated for the first 2 and 1/2 hours about the cancer risks of using steel wool to clean dishes at home. He followed up his speech by trying to sell some Chinese herbal tea which could cure both cancer and stomach ulcers. After the salesman got off halfway through the ride, the bus began to play Angelina Jolie's new film, "SALT," on the 12" TV at the front. Interestingly, the film would play for about 30 seconds, and then pause, while a male voice would narrate in the local language what was being said by the characters.
Where we stayed. Though the guesthouse hadn't had electricity for the 4 days prior to our arrival, it kicked in by day 2. Water for the cottages was kept in tanks outside that would be heated with charcoal whenever a hot shower was planned in advance. 
Trekking through the hillsides with the Rwenzoris in the backdrop and the occasional boda boda ferrying passengers from the villages to the trading centers along the main roads.
The crater lakes, so beautiful. Being the good medical students that Yale trained us to be, however, we looked into the most recent studies regarding the prevalence of Schistosomiasis in the lakes before deciding to take a swim. Despite previous theories they couldn't survive in lakes at higher altitude, it appears that the little critters have no problem adjusting. 
These red flowers pop up all over Uganda, like little bursts of rouge that freckle a background. Again, a crater lake can be seen in the distance on the left hand side and the Rwenzoris on the right. The forest here is well known for its large variety of monkeys, including chimpanzees. Though we didn't go chimp trekking, we did see our fair share of monkeys both hiking and while on the bus.
How come you never took me there?
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