It's Gettin' Hot In There

So when we were first coming from Kampala to Mbarara we noticed that the red tank of a Nissan SUV that I was provided had a slight overheating problem. So we had some work done on it. First the thermostat was removed as it was found to be frozen closed and there's not much need for a thermostat in Uganda anyway. Not too many times where you really need to be running the heater. After that didn't work the mechanic found a whole in the radiator and patched that. It seemed like everything was fine. That is, until we were on our way to Nabugabo.

For quite some time after leaving Mbarara the engine temperature needle was stuck around half. Then it started to climb. And it reached the red. And it didn't want to leave there. So we stopped at a trading center and popped open the hood. The overflow tank was popping around like it was about to explode, certainly not a good sign. We let it cool down some, bled out some pressure, found a jerry can and a water tap and then filled the radiator (using a water bottle with the bottom cut off as a funnel and some gauze as a filter).

We headed off for Nabugabo and for a while once again the gauge was stuck right in the middle. Yet once again it didn't stay that way and we had to stop at another trading center and fill the radiator once again. At this point Dr. Pepper called our Strategy Facilitator and we were able to arrange for another vehicle to be brought down from Kampala to Masaka. Fortunately we made it to Masaka with only the beginnings of another overheating problem.

Here's where things got real fun. The Peppers and myself had gone ahead of the rest of the group in order to take the setup team to, well, get things set up. As it was going to be awhile before Fred could make it to Masaka with the new car, the Peppers took one of the students (Patrick) who was riding with me and headed on to Nabugabo. Meanwhile myself and three other students (John Mark, Peter, and Simon) sat in the shade at the Highway Takeaway eating samosas and drinking Cokes. Larry dropped off the rest of the setup team at Nabugabo, unloaded his vehicle, and came back to Masaka. Eventually Fred showed up with a Toyota pickup which, though it may not look as nice, drives a whole lot better. We loaded up and followed Larry out to Nabugabo for a great retreat. And while car trouble is never fun, getting an improved vehicle and enjoying good food, drink and company in the shade instead of being out in the sun setting up tents were both great blessings.

The Replacement