After Kruja we went to Tirana. It was just days before President Bush was going to visit. An American President hadn’t been there in years so it was quite a big deal. We grabbed a bite to eat at the Albanian answer to McDonalds and then arrived at the radio station offices. I went to go find an ATM and saw some of the colorful concrete buildings. For dinner we took cable cars to the top of the mountain overlooking the city and enjoyed one of the nicest restaurants in the city.

As we walked through the city streets, we saw two boys fighting. My coworker tried to break up the fight even though she didn’t speak any Albanian. It’s kind of funny how age and actions speak more than words. As we continued walking, we stopped by a restaurant with a great rooftop view of the city.

to see everything the route we took on this ride, go here: Bike Ride Map

to see everything on the table, go here: The Vlog History Table

The next day (Sunday), on our way to the airport, we stopped by a Bari-speaking congregation in Kampala. This is one of the key languages WOH broadcasts in in Uganda and Sudan. We joined in for part of the church service and even got in on some of the jump-dancing. Overall the trip was quite amazing. The people were SO friendly, the places were eye-opening and the wildlife was superb. I would definitely go back in an instant.

While the seminar went on, my Ugandan coworker Joshua led us around Mityana-town, which was where he grew up. We walked through the market and down city streets. Butchers hung their meat out on hooks in the open air. Theaters (which were just small dark rooms off the main road blared into the marketplace. It was obviously quite different from most of my shopping experiences.

After that Joshua brought us to his families home where his parents run an orphanage. In the tree behind their house were hundreds of weaver birds nests. After the seminar was over, we traveled back to the university and got ready for our trip to Murchison National Park in the North.

The students had songs for everything. A song announcing the choir was coming and another song that said they were leaving but coming back later. After the event finished, I walked with my fellow-traveller Rick down the village road. We passed mud huts and children running with excitement shouting “MUZUNGU MUZUNGU!” Which means “White Person! White Person!” After about an hour of walking, we returned to the truck and went back to Mukono for the night.

When we arrived, the first order of business was the dedication ceremony of the new Words of Hope Uganda recording studio. We stayed on the campus of Uganda Christian University. Outside the guesthouse, there were a number of new and interesting animals such as lizards, horn-bills, and monkeys!