Day 5 - Jinja
The day started with much anticipation – today was the day we would reward ourselves with some fun and games in the adventure capital of Uganda – Jinja.
The first item on the agenda was a quad bike adventure through the villages surrounding Jinja.
Once the team was suited up and given basic instruction on how to operate a quad bike we were off. We felt like Princess Mary waving to hundreds of kids who came running from their houses screaming 'Jambo' (Swahili for hello) when they heard the bikes coming.
After lunch and couple of coldies at what would have to be one of the greatest bars in the world (ask one of us when we get back) two very brave team members (Richo and Neeps) ended the day with a dunk in the Nile attached to the end of a bungee cord!!!
Day 6 – The final build day
According to the schedule, today was a build free day. However after much discussion on the bus on the way home from Jinja the team agreed that we would put in few more hours on the worksite to make up for the time lost due the rain on Saturday.
The morning song on the build site was dedicated to Rob 'the Dog' Shand – Happy 30th Birthday. The team also contributed to the morning singalong with a rousing rendition of Advance Australia Fair that would have brought a tear to any Aussie with in a 100 km radius of the house!!
Following the singalong, substantial 'technical building works' were undertaken by all team members under the close supervision of Oakes and Kruschel.
After morning tea the 'House Dedication' ceremony was conducted. This involved a number of prayers, a 'handshake corridor' as often seen on soccer pitches and a roaring rendition of Waltzing Matilda from the Australian crew.
The final event of the day was to visit the house built by the 2009 team and meet its current occupants over a lunch of traditional Ugandan food. We can report that, contrary to speculation, the house is still standing.
After lunch it was time to play a few games and after looking for a ball or toys we quickly remembered that these things don’t always exist in Uganda. When all seemed lost one of the children came back with a roundish piece of plastic and we spent half hour playing ‘catch’ - a quick reminder to us all that kids don’t need the latest toys to have a good time.
Tonight will be dedicated to Rob’s 30th. Happy birthday Shandy!
Neil 'Oaktree' Oakes
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