Lamogi Guru Guru (Northern Uganda)

Greetings from Gulu Uganda!
My name is Leissan Sadykova, I am in the diplomacy and military studies program and I am studying abroad in Uganda as part of the SIT Uganda: Post-Conflict Transformation program.

My adventure in Uganda is winding down.  There are only three weeks left before I board the plane back to the US, so I only have about two and a half weeks left in Gulu, Uganda.  Last weekend, my host family and I went, as well as my friend Lindsy, went to the village to climb Lamogi Guru Guru Mountain in Amuru District.  This is a historical site of the Lamogi Rebellion between the British colonizers and the Lamogi people.

The hike was very intense and not something I’ve ever done before.  We were literally climbing on rocks, swinging on vines, and crawling through caves.  There were bats everywhere.  We had an “older man” (ladit in Lwo) lead us up the mountain.  This man, I would say, is around 65/70 years old, and he was showing us up in his climbing skills.  The view was absolutely beautiful, definitely worth the effort.  

(Pictures are out of order).

My host family in my host dad's forest

In the family hut:

Kids' interaction with a mzungu (munu): 

Sugar cane - a road-trip snack:

Starting out the hike, all smiles:

Half-way up:

Ladit (a respectful way to address an elder in Lwo - the local language) leading the way!

Caves:

Ladit showing us up, crawling through caves:

Literally climbing up the rock:

Made it to the top!

The family hut:

Dad inside the hut:

View of Lamogi, from the top: