This is it...a bit dusty after the nearly 5 hour drive from Kampala.
It is a 1995 Toyota Surf. (A Surf is comparable to a Toyota 4-Runner). As you can see, it has some added suspension and lifts. These are great for the multitude of pot holes and rough roads we have to go across. For the past week we have been driving a car that belongs to some friends who are home on furlough. It was definitely a blessing to drive their little Carib (station wagon), but we just cringed as we drove along these roads. It's so nice to not worry about scraping bottom.
It will hold 5 people in seats and several in the back if needed. Tomorrow we'll take 5 more people to church with us...it's great! It was amazing to find one in such good shape with such low mileage. A friend called a man in Kampala about 2 weeks ago, and he called back with this car in a matter of a coupla days. Thanks again for everyone who prayed and gave. God is so good to us!
I wish I could describe for you the ride back today in our "new" car. The roads here are crazy...that is really the best word for it. Close your eyes and imagine, if you can, you are sitting on the right hand side of the car driving along the left side of the road. You are driving through the capital city and there are less than 10 street lights in the whole town. There are no stop signs or street signs. The rule of the road is "the most aggressive driver wins". The rule of staying 3 seconds behind the car in front of you will have you not moving at all. There are people on motor bikes and mopeds going every direction and within inches of your car (many times less than an inch). These motor bike drivers follow no rules and will even go the wrong way down a one way street. In addition, there are men on motorcycles driving down between the rows of cars. Your body is tense the entire time as you can't relax or take your eyes off of the road, windows, and mirrors. Once you leave town, you try to relax a bit until you see a large tourist bus plowing down the road towards you! They are on your side of the road because the potholes are so bad on theirs. They swerve back onto their side just in time for you to avoid hitting a woman and her child who are walking along the road with firewood piled high on her head. This continues in some variation for the next 4 hours. Once you finally arrive home, you realize you can breath again and relax your muscles. You thank God for protecting all of you on the road today.
Here's a picture of each kid (just because they're just so precious)...their smiles are a little different because they were both eating banana bread (we have that alot because you can't buy small bundles of bananas and we don't want them to go bad...)
This bird is the Golden Crested Crane and is the national bird of Uganda. It's quite pretty and we often have them in our fields. This is just the first time, I've been able to get their picture.
4 comments:
which side is the steering wheel on?
The right side - steering wheel on the right and drive on the left. Although you can find ones with wheels on the left if you look hard enough.
And I thought riding with Joel on 360 was hair raising. After that ride from Kampala, I might not have been able to pry my clenched teeth or hands apart for days!
But thank You to all who made transportation possible for you. And at least you are in a safe vehicle while traversing through that nightmare you call traffic there. I was praying for your trip. Guess I am glad I did not know the full extent of what the trip might entail. But glad you and car are safe at home again. The bats and mice were probably glad to have you back. Love to all, Gigi
Thanks for the call today it was awesome to hear your voice. Thanks for all the prayers to. Glad to see the car is in such nice shape. I will pray for extra safety as you guys drive it around. Love you all,
Robin
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