The Flat Head 3001 World Tour

[yakrian]

That looks rad. I'd love to get in on some rapids when I do my Africa trip. Thanks for sharing. (Also, glad my fellow Canadians were good representatives.)

[ThinFinn]

Awesome post and o.c.this was an awesome Day there Daniel.

Glad that everything went well...

shouldn't there be some gators in the water?

[dkatz]

oh yes i do. its obviously everyone else who has their oars somewhere in the water or at least somewhere near to the water. the slacker is the guy with the oar above his head. hehh..

on a serious note, i never knew you could do shit like this over in uganda. i always had the impression it was done somewhere in australia/new zealand/wherever you could find a touristy brochure with a bunch of rich white people, rafting. cool shit that happens in uganda. oh and damn, i always thought that the raft took six people to carry. so now i know superheores do exist. thanks for sharing!

Hah! I had a good laugh reading that first paragraph. Psh clearly I was the one whipping them in to shape with the threatening grimace and paddle ready to reap justice on any whose paddles strayed too far from the water.

And yeah there's a bit of this sort of stuff here. Jinja likes to call itself the adventure capital of Uganda - there's rafting, bungee jumping over the Nile (considered doing that too while I was there), ATVs, horse-back riding, other random crap.

That looks rad. I'd love to get in on some rapids when I do my Africa trip. Thanks for sharing. (Also, glad my fellow Canadians were good representatives.)

When are you coming to the Dark Continent?? Planning on Uganda as a stop?

[dkatz]

Post-rafting, a beer overlooking the Nile was extra-necessary.

Not a bad spot

Next morning, we decided to have a little wander.

Learned some useful information:

See I would think morning sex would be safer than night-sex, since night-sex is more likely to be judgment-impaired sex. My buddy, however, contested that maybe you only have one condom and you use it with the night-sex (the first-sex) and thus wind up having unprotected morning-sex. Oh the puzzles of this life.

Child labor anybody?

We stumbled across this damn-impressive NGO-school. Nicest (non-private-rich-school) campus I've seen here.

Glad the mosquitoes aren't actually that big...

Suck on this, Farmer!

Carrots!

[dkatz]

Peppers!

Onions! In a hanging paint can...?

And a viewing tower?

Picked up a rolex (bastardization of "rolled eggs" - basically a chapatti wrapped around an omlette)

I love the sign. Good thing I had cash...

Found a lady selling colonial-era coins. Pretty cool, but I ain't gonna pay you 5,000 Shillings for a 1 Shilling coin!

Oooo... what about using some of these as buttons on an overshirt or coat?

Some local folks doing laundry in the Nile

Popped down to the "beach" for a few

Not a bad weekend. I could certainly use more of these!

That's all for now...

[ThinFinn]

^i really do love your updates daniel. always looking forward to some new post in this wt-thread!...

it's really nice to see where in the world these jeans already went and that's one of the things i really love about wt's that you get a feeling for other cultures and an insight of another ones life and how they do their things!...

this tour fucking rocks!

must spread!

[beatle]

it's so cool to follow the jeans around the globe

[dkatz]

How about some more random updates from the past week or so?

Behind a local restaurant

One of the few meals in Ugandan cuisine that actually has flavor: ground-nut and fish "luwumbo"

"Luwumbo" just means that the meal is cooked all together in banana leaves.

With pumpkin, rice, "Irish" (non-sweet potatoes) and greens

Last Tuesday night, dinner with a friend. One of the few meals I've found in Kampala that's legitimately good (there's plenty of food here that's "good for Kampala", but I would actually even think this was good at home!): smoked fish salad. Cuts of smoked perch, tilapia and... probably some other fish.

Charming scenery, too

Signs like this are all over Kampala.

I wonder what the "terms and conditions" are?

The back road to my office. Potholes like WHOA. Tried driving up along the curb, had to back down and go back - had success following the tire tracks that other cars had clearly left.

Visiting my man Ricky to get barbed up

Obama everywhere! (in a copy-shop)

kitenge

American Optical

Tissot

3000000001

Freeman

in town

Little glimmers of corruption underlying all parts of life. "Parking reserved for Emirates staff only", but the guard was more than eager to pocket 2000 Shillings (~$1) for me to park.

[dkatz]

Drove up a mad-muddy hill to meet with a partner org in Mukono.

I was with a colleague who explained to me that, with the elections coming in February, all of the politicians are frantically looking for ways to show their constituents that they actually do anything. Easiest and most visible way: fix roads. Apparently that's what's going on here... plus rain.

The result:

I pretty much just skated down the hill.

And just a little glimmer of the sort of thing that makes me such a short-tempered asshole in this country. It's hard to see, but cars are driving on the right side of the road. Or, rather, should I say the wrong side. People drive like fucking morons here - it's all about what you can do to get one meter further ahead than everyone else, with no regard for what the consequences will be. I've been stuck in HOURS of traffic cause by people trying to sneak past each other. It's maddening.

Apparently someone realized they could sneak around to the right side of some cars on this road, and resulted in this. A few meters down the road was the clusterfuck caused by cars trying to switch sides of the road back to the correct (left) side.

Homegirl and I decided this was probably the first time three helmets had ever been worn on one boda. (three riders is no rarity)

No idlers...?

"Downtown" Kampala.

Obama denims! Wonder if they've got red white and blue selvage?

Seriously. All Obama all the time.

More quick fabric shopping...

(retail therapy, Uganda-style)

3001's and army bootsneakers

I love this slogan. I always just want to put a "?" on the end of it, though... as in "Hmmm? I wonder what I'm eating?"

[aho]

YES! Obama denim! lol

[dkatz]

Campaign "parade"

Museveni posters, wall-papering EVERYTHING

On Sunday was the wedding of one of our field team managers. The 3001's unfortunately had to stay home, but it was my first chance in the 14 months I've been here to pull my suit out of the closet!

Ankole (Western) traditions in the house

Dude dancing out a bride-shopping story

Homegirl cuts it up with some local ladies

Some scotch before the wedding and a wait-staff whose philosophy was "if the beer's half empty, he needs a fresh one!" meant post-wedding was stumble-to-the-bar time.

Dutch-owned put = fucking BOMB meatballs-on-a-stick for 3000 Shillings!

The advantage of starting drinking at 4pm is that by 2am you feel like you've partied it up to the max, and you can still get a decent night's sleep!

Sunday... Walk of Shame

(fortunately I'd at least left another shirt at Homegirl's place

that's enough for now.

Also, 3001's are getting a bit... rough. Can't put my wallet in the back-right pocket anymore 'cause it's hanging on by a thread. Yoke is coming undone. Fly's falling apart.

These things are gonna need some mad TLC... SELA keep your doors open!

[dkatz]

YES! Obama denim! lol

can proxy. Hah!

[ThinFinn]

great update again...

you and your homegirl looking fly in the suit-/dress pic...nice!

[ranonranonarat]

your homegirl looks like the all-american girl and you look like the all-american boy. perfect match! heh. do warn her hanging her bag like that on a boda might be easy prey for snatch theft, i've seen it happen before and some poor girl fell right off the motorcycle. scary...

your post seriously cracked me up though with the hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? hahahaha LOL-ed for a bit my mom thought i was mad. meatballs were fucking the bomb, so huge!!! drunk pics are always good and last but not least, OBAMA DENIM! MADNESS. FIT PICS OF YOU IN A PAIR PLEASE. heh. have a good day/night? dkatzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZzZzZz!

[aho]

can proxy. Hah!

Who wouldn't want a pair of O'bama-Jawns????

[-Z-]

Next collab SExUgandaxObama with special government subsidized pricing!

[morse9443]

^lol

Seriously some of the most interesting updates ever dkatz, thanks for sharing.

[dkatz]

Obamajawnz world tour?

[dkatz]

3001s are on their way back to Kampala after a couple fascinating days out in the field in the highlands of Kapchorwa, eastern Uganda.

Frightening to-do list for the next 24 hours before I head home, but I'll try to throw up some pictures in there.

[dkatz]

Hi friends. Finally back in America, home safe and sound - beasting all the food-with-flavor I can lay my mouth on and being amazed by 5-lane roads and anyone working anywhere who does their work with a shred of efficiency.

Still having computer troubles (work computer's screen is dead), but going to try to get caught up by the by.

A personal favorite campaign poster around town. The consensus is dude looks like a dinosaur. I also like that every campaign poster has a "symbol" of some sort that illiterate voters can use to identify the candidate. Each candidate's symbol will be put on the ballot next to his name. So, for our dinosaur here, you can either look for "Babu Edward Francis" on the ballot... or a chair.

Two Fridays ago now, Homegirl and I stopped by the Friday Craft Market on Mukwano Roundabout to do some last minute holiday shopping

Baskets anyone?

Unfortunately, I decided I didn't need a thick wool hat for Uganda.

The 3001s whizzing through their last few days in East Africa.

Outside a partner's office. With a new kitenge shirt.

Wandegaya traffic light. One of the few in the city.

Hah! Dude has a PA (including siren) on his boda! Rad.

Appreciating a mad steezy boda-boda man.

Check out that jacket.

[dkatz]

and those fly herringbone slip-ons

Homegirl making cookies for a holiday party. I left our (one) baking sheet at her place, so she improvised... with an upside-down pot lid. Impressive. And delicious.

[imghttp://lh4.ggpht.com/_QhQXm98LlM0/TQ_A_b83uQI/AAAAAAAADiw/sWem1Ek94xc/s800/IMG_3456.jpg][/img]

I made pumpking burgers from a recipe of my creation.

In the recipe:

"For maximum efficiency, pan-fry using as many pans as you can."

at Homegirl's urgings, I decided to show my true pizazz by leaving the 3001's at home for the evening and rocking my newest kitenge creations, from (by far) my favorite kitenge fabric I've found thus far.

Too ridiculous? Just ridiculous enough.

Don't worry, i never ever plan to wear the two concurrently ever again. Pretty stoked on 'em both, independently though!

Holiday party Corn Hole

(our Country Director is Texan)

I made a friend.

Saturday was a bit rough... nothing like visiting a distillery for a meeting whilst hungover.

Homegirl and I said goodbye-for-now over a romantic dinner of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (to celebrate our looming returns to America) last Sunday

And off I went to Kapchorwa district - highlands in the East - and she to Masaka. Absolutely fascinating couple of days in Kapchorwa, coming soon...

[dkatz]

It's been a couple hours. Shall we continue along?

On Monday morning (a week ago), I took a bus out to Mbale, four hour east from Kampala, for a mid-day meeting.

The boda guys were clearly happy to see me. Notice the yellow shirts with Museveni's mug on the front.

I had some time to grab lunch before the meeting. If you ever find yourself in Mbale, definitely try out Taufiq. Oldest restaurant in Mbale, open 24 hours and - courtesy of a founder of Middle Eastern descent - one of the only restaurants I've ever found that serves Ugandan food made with some amount of flavor-innovation. It actually tastes like... something!

Even the beans and rice are good!

Love the street corner evangelists.

Kapchorwa (about one hour East of Mbale) is a pretty big coffee-growing region. Woman on the street in Mbale hulling coffee beans.

After my meeting, hopped in a tiny ass minivan with 15 of my closest friends for the ride up to Kapchorwa. At least I got shotgun and had the internet to entertain me.

How do you get 16 people in a tiny damn minivan? Well, having a guy straddle the shifter certainly helps.

No, he's not giving the dude a hand-job.

The plateau up ahead is where we're headed. Most of Uganda is at about 3000 feet of elevation, Kapchorwa is at about 6500 feet.

[dkatz]

Obviously we needed to stop to get tomatoes from some street-side hawkers. Sometimes I'm not such a fan of having my personal space violated.

In Kapchorwa is one of the few tribes (of about 40) in Uganda that practices circumcision. It's a majorly important event for the people there, and something that's only done in the month of December, every second year. Through the couple days I spent in Kapchorwa, we saw scores of these little parades of singing, drumming and dancing groups of 16-18 year old boys and their relatives, getting ready for their upcoming ceremony.

still on the road...

Finally to Kapchorwa, a meeting and to a hotel.

Another damn sideways-made bed. Well, made in more of a square, actually.

Had a nice walk

Learned some things.

Kapchorwa town

More later...

[ranonranonarat]

wow great update, those bad boys look like they need a wash real bad. fun times in kampala but more fantastic to be back home for christmas. now i would love to shove some vegetables in your face!

[dkatz]

and moving right along.

enjoying a rare opportunity to wear a sweatshirt. Kapchorwa is at about 6500 feet so it actually gets a bit chilly

Gah!

I'm tired! All I want to do is crawl into bed - I don't want to have to UN-make it and RE-make it first! Fucking... dammit.

My room did have a TV at least... caught a bit of Monday Night Football. Wait, what?

(joke for my American superfriends out there)

Next morning, walked down to meet with some folks about barley

Guy I was supposed to meet was an hour and change late. Gave me lots of time to make (16!) phone calls... and play with barley.

Phone calls and a thresher From The American People

Uh oh. Well... that patch was short-lived.

Dude aerating the barley to help it dry

Took a photo of this poster in dude's office. Uganda: the shining yellow beacon of "Moderately Low" hunger in Eastern and Central Africa

[dkatz]

Mad workerman style

(yes I was bored while on the phone)

Bagging up the barley once it was dry enough

Finally headed out to the field with a couple of people from the potential partner to visit some barley farmers and learn about the attempts at commercial barley farming by small-holder farmers in the region.

Crop diversification - banana trees (for matoke) and cabbage

This image is so... African to me.

One of the guys I was with loved this image as indicating the effects of commercial barley farming on the region. In the foreground is a more typical, traditional home. In the background (just above-right from the foreground house, with a light blue roof) is the home of a clearly much wealthier farmer. The difference between the two? A marginal difference in elevation and an entrepreneurial spirit - the latter farmer has been commercially growing barley for a few years now. Pretty impressive.

More later (Mom's making steak... mmmmm)

[Medine]

get some evo pics up!!

and who are these going to next?? i forgot and am too lazy to look it up

[dkatz]

evo pics are coming as I'm getting caught up. SELA has them right now (much needed repairs...), then to BAerts in Tennessee (right?).

[mikecch]

Wow, 5-9% of people in Taiwan are hungry?

Are they just lumping us with China again?

[caseywisenbaker]

quick update:

we (SELA) just finished the repairs..the jeans are all packed up and wating for our mail man to take them away

BAerts...comin at ya'

dkatz... pleasure meeting you the other day, great leg of the tour.

P.S. they look AMAZING.