Intoxicating drunkeness

Waragi (local gin), 40% alcohol proof

It is quite an experience to have occasional encounters with drunks.  I was told that alcoholism has been a problem in Gulu.  It is not that it is a new occurrence.  It is simply because some of those who lived in the camps had taken on the habit as a past time and continued with it after they left the camps. When I was first exposed to the peculiar smell one bright sunny morning in the office, I thought it was a masculine brand of cologne, until I noticed that those splashing that cologne had the same dreamy gaze, reluctant smile and bloodshot eyes. 

Even with pineapple, it still burns

A few come to work in disheveled appearance and their trick is to continuously chew gum to camouflage the stench.  One drunk sat beside me in church and he came too close for comfort.  Another one accosted me on the road and I ran as fast as an impala.  Sometimes there is no distinction between a drunk and an insane person, as the drunk can be temporarily insane.

Gin on sachet

The manufacturers and retailers ride on this addiction by selling the popular gin in sachets (or saket, as the locals pronounce it).  At 600 Ugx or USD 25 cents, the gin becomes very affordable and the addiction thrives.

My Mama-sans

Mama-san #5 in her kitchen

What to eat for lunch during workdays is unexciting.  At first, there were 5 eateries that I alternately patronized, but the 1st one I

Mama-san #4

Outdoor kitchen #4

 

Kitchen  #4

canceled out because the new girl they hired always bills me for soda that I don't order.  The 2nd one, was the cleanest because it was attached to a hospital but the food was awful.  When the two nice servers left the place, I also stopped going.  The 3rd one, serves good fresh fish but I go there only once a week because it is a bit pricey at USD2 for a meal without soda.

Jerry jugs welcome you to #5

Eatery No. 4 serves the best beef stew among them, and with rice.  Her dining tables though have a good view of a public toilet and her main menu is just beef.  Eatery No. 5 is called

Mama-san #5

California Hotel.  The main menu is smoked fish or beef.  No rice, so I learned to eat sweet potatoes instead.  No. 5 is frequented by blue-collared workers and despite my endorsements, my white-collared colleagues decline to try it.

I love the ambiance of this Stone Age setting of #5

These 2 eateries are holes-in-wall and I remember fondly how I and my colleagues from Citibank Juan Luna branch would trek to such places in Chinatown many decades ago.  

Again it's going back.... deja vu.