365 Days of Wonder - Day 5

Day 5: Modern-Day Wagon Train

I've never seen this before in my life: tiny covered wagons for children* - powered by adults. Let's hope their destination isn't the Wild West!

*seat-belts included

365 Days of Wonder - Day 4

Day 4: Red-Light Hello

And now, a recreation of cutest thing I've witnessed while crossing the street.

For those of you uncertain of what's happening, let me break it down -
1) Red Light.
2) CTA Bus stopped at the front of the line.
3) Pack of kids round the corner and begin crossing the road.
4) Bus starts honking.
5) EVERYONE (including me) looks to see what's going on.
6) Bus driver waves like crazy.
7) Teacher and kids all wave back as they finish crossing the street.
8) [not pictured] YOU go about the next few minutes of your day with a melted heart and smile on your face (because this illustration CLEARLY captures the full emotion of the moment 😉).

365 Days of Wonder - Day 3

Day 3: Confidence Is . . .

Brows That Scare, Don't Care.

Attractive look, huh? Inspiration complements of a real-life woman who works at Costco. Boy do I wish I had an original photo to show you, but I suppose this will have to do. And as a special treat, look how scary it is to have no eyebrows at all!

 

365 Days of Wonder - Day 2

DAY 2: Nothing Says "Happy Memorial Day" Like . . .

The biggest box of chocolates* you've ever seen in your life . . . riding on the CTA.

*Rest assured, proportions are definitely to scale

The smell of "old lady" floating on the breeze.

*You wouldn't expect that scent based off the backs of these ladies, though, would you?!

365 Days of Wonder - Day 1

It seems that just about every day I observe something or have a thought that I find funny or noteworthy in some way. More often than not, I'll just repeat the event over and over in my head, willing myself to remember it later, rather than just making a note when it happens. In an effort to stop being so lazy - and share these enjoyable insights - I'm challenging myself to post about these notable occurrences every day. Who knows? Maybe they'll be helpful in the future. Here's hoping!

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DAY 1 : I swear I'm not a creep

The other night I was trying to reflect on things I really enjoyed doing when I was little. This turned out to be way harder than I anticipated, so it was a happy distraction to pick up on the sounds of an argument outside my window.

"I NEVER SAID THAT!"
...muffled...
"I NEVER SAID THAT!!"

Peeping through the blinds, I surveyed the scene. WAIT, NO!!! Turn the lights off first!

I turned the lights off, then went back to my post to watch a lover's quarrel taking place on the sidewalk and nose into other people's problems.

Apparently he was upset that they had to go ALL the way to her friend's house before going to meet HIS friends somewhere else, which was the original plan.

And she was upset that he didn't say anything about not wanting to go to her friend's house first until after they already got there. But he just wasn't having it, "I don't even know why we came over here, they're not even ready to go! I'm just watching you guys eat." [huh?]

A couple of minutes go by, but it's hard to hear what they're actually saying. And then comes a climactic:
"I'm done!"
mumble, mumble
"I'm done!"
Uh-oh, break-up city. Here we go. And, cue crying...

Unfortunately, I don't have proof of their makeup - hugs, hugs, hugs - but it was short lived with some more bickering, which was quickly stopped once they realized their friends* may or may not have been watching them from the window the whole time and they decide to go back inside. 
*and by friends, I do not mean me. I have no idea who these people are.

With the wrap-up of an unanticipated, conveniently-located stakeout, I was reminded of what I REALLY enjoyed when I was little: Spying.

Walls of Death – Sipi Falls pt. 2

The third waterfall of the day and our final hike was to the 'biggest waterfall' on Mt. Elgon. Saving the best for last, or so we thought.

We couldn’t have been more wrong. . .

Our trek started out with our guide joking about how hard this final hike is and did we all think we were tough enough to do it. All of which was said with a big grin and a lot of chuckling. ‘Of course he’s messing with us,’ we all thought, though not completely convinced.

He wasn’t.

What started out as a nice easy journey quickly turned into a hike from hell as the trail took a downward turn, literally. We were no longer hiking a mountain, we were scaling a cliff! And that is NOT an exaggeration. I went down twice. The first because we were attempting to walk down an especially steep area and the dirt started rolling under my shoes and I couldn't get any traction - a few seconds later 'I can't stop!' Luckily, Danielle was in front of me and threw out an arm for me so I could stop. If I thought that was bad, I was in for a rude awakening.

Enter the ‘Walls of Death.’ A rickety wooden staircase/ladder mutation that becomes completely vertical about halfway down. Descending the contraption was not so much difficult as it was frightening, due to the fact that if you slipped you’d fall to a ton of broken bones, at the very least.

So far throughout our hike we’d had a few rain showers, using banana leaves as umbrellas. Now however, there were no more showers, just a downpour. Through this we made it to the bottom of the falls.  While enjoying the view, which was incredible, we couldn’t help but dread the answer to ‘how are we getting back up to the top?’ To our monumental disappointment our fears were confirmed. The only way back up the mountain was the exact way we came down.

Going back up the sheer mountainside was pretty much the worst thing ever. Imagine the worst, most exhausting workout of your life and then double it – at least.

 My second fall of the hike I think Karma played a hand in. Earlier in the day (during lunch after our morning hike) I made a comment how I was glad I didn't 'pull an April.' Which means going for a walk before dinner and coming back all muddy . . . because you fell down . . . in the mud, or in our case, falling on the trail and getting all muddy. Needless to say, this comment was followed by peals of laughter from me. Fast forward to going back up the mountain, in the pouring rain. There was a particularly slippery spot where even our guide had trouble. I started up it and even with his help I still ended up dirtying my pantaloons! (ok, in reality they were jeans – for any of you who look up the real meaning of pantaloons)

It was a really hard struggle to the top, complete with frequent breaks, dread of the climb remaining, and many attempts at self-motivating internal cheerleading. I was so tired afterwards! My clothes were drenched and muddy and we were all soaked to the bone.

I think it’s safe to say that this is an experience I will never forget, and truth be told never want to repeat. But hey, it makes for a good story!

Say Cheese

Last Saturday Katie and I went to eat lunch at Moti Mahal, a really good Indian restaurant. They have an awesome meal deal where you can get unlimited rice and naan! Anywho, we go there quite often, but this last visit we had an experience unlike any of the others. 

 

We sat down, ordered our food and drinks, and shortly after an Indian family comes in and sits at the table diagonal from us. Our food comes and we start eating, occasionally taking note of the nearby family when they are yelling to the waiter. Then I notice that they have moved on to taking pictures of each other around the back of the restaurant. A beat later I see the mother make a motion as if pointing to us, and I let out a laugh thinking she was making a joke of taking pictures with me and Katie. 

It wasn't a joke. 

 

Before we knew what was happening two GROWN women come over to us, sit down, and start taking pictures with us in them. No hello, no asking if we'd mind being in a picture with them, they just did it as if it was completely normal. Then they switch sides so they can both get a picture with me and with Katie. Once the pictures are done they walk back over to their table as if nothing had just happened, still not saying a word to either of us. 

 

Still in shock and a mild disbelief at what just happened we finished our food. As we were waiting for the bill the family left with only the mother saying 'bye' to us. One single word from one lone member of the group, and she didn't even take the pictures! It was bizarre. I mean, it occasionally happens when some random person comes up to you and asks to take a picture with you. Or you catch a random person trying to take a stealth picture of you. But to blatantly go up to a person, SIT DOWN, and not say anything to them before taking pictures without permission was mind blowing! Especially because Indians in Jinja generally don't give Mzungus much attention at all, at least not like Ugandans do. Needless to say it was a strange experience.