Kilembe Copper Mines (9/9)

This morning we woke up very early to go to the Catholic Church in town.  It was a good half hour walk, but it was nice walking through town so early as it was much calmer and peaceful at this time.  The Mass was a little difficult to follow as it switched back and forth between Lukunzo and English (even though it was an English service), but it was still nice to be in a somewhat familiar place.  And I once again was able to feel comfort and a connection to home when the priest said “God is good all the time” and “All the time God is good.” 

Katie, Doreen, and I on top of the hill overlooking Kasese

After the service Doreen found some of the neighbor boys and asked them to take us on a shortcut home.  And sure enough, we were home in half the time!  One of the boys that walked us was Mark.  Mark is a 13-year-old boy in P7 at the school right up the road from our house.  He has befriended the past three Wisconsin groups that have been here and has taken them to the mines in Kilembe, so he extended the same offer to us for the next Sunday.  We jumped at the opportunity.

Enoch then came over after church to meet with us, as he is our supervisor for teaching.  A better way to describe him though would be as a Grandfather, because that is how he treats us, as his own daughters.  Whenever we talk with Enoch he not only listens to our concerns, but he really hears them.  And even though missing the safari yesterday had nothing to do with Enoch, he felt terrible and wanted to make it up to us.  So he asked us if we could find Mark and go to the mines today. 

So we loaded up the car, Morris, Enoch, Doreen, Mark, Katie, and I, and headed to Kilembe, the town where the copper mines are located.  It was only about a 20-minute drive as it is still in the Kasese district.  But of course, before we actually arrived in Kilembe, Enoch stopped along the way at the top of a hill that overlooked all of Kasese.  It was an incredible view, and probably one of my favorite stops atop a hill so far, as we were looking down at the place where we live.  It was really breathtaking as the town was to our left and then the beautiful mountains were to our right.  In fact, the hilltop that we were standing on is where the King’s home will be built in some years to come, as it is the best view in Kasese. 

Kasese

Rwenzori Mountains

The plaque declaring this as land for the King's palace to be built on, and our tour guides Enoch and Mark

Our next unexpected stop was to some hot springs.  I had been to some hot springs this summer in Colorado and really enjoyed them, so when the men (completely submerged in the water) invited us in, I took off my shoes and rolled up my pants ready to get in.  The water was piping hot. There was actually a spot in the hot spring where the water was boiling.  Katie and I stood in for just enough time to snap a picture and get out.  Our feet were burning, while the men were just relaxing and laughing at us.  They explained to us that the hot springs are actually used medicinally as the locals believe they have healing powers.

Katie and I dipping our feet in the hot springs

Locals

When we arrived in Kilembe, we first just drove around the town.  The town is much different now than it used to be, because mining no longer takes place in the town.  Mining stopped around 1970.  But we were still able to see the homes that the miners lived in, which people still live in today.  Enoch explained that the town was booming while the mining was still taking place, but now everything is much more run down and so many places have closed.  You could almost picture the mining town the way Enoch described it, even as we drove through the now ghost-town.

Old houses that the miners lived in

As we started heading towards the mines we found a man in a blue jumpsuit heading back from the mines, so of course Enoch struck up a conversation with him and in a matter of minutes we had our own personal tour guide.  The man was very informational, as were Enoch, and Mark.  They walked us through the step-by-step process of the mining for copper that took place within the mines and we were able to see the old equipment.  We even were able to enter the caves as we came prepared with our headlamps and saw some of the copper.  We only walked in about .5 km, but the mine goes back about 5.5 km. 

Kilembe Copper Mines

Where some of the mining was done

Farming is how the people of the town make a living today

On our walk to the mines a hug herd of cows were walking by

The mine we went in

Katie, our tour guide Mark, and I inside the mine

Copper in the mine

Old equipment

Secondary School

We then visited a secondary school in Kilembe.  Enoch is on the board at this school, and it is also the school that Doreen attended.  After our brief visit to the school, as we were heading back to our car, I spotted a man wearing a Wharton shirt (this is the business school at Upenn where Nick went to school).  I was so excited, but the man was sitting down and I was unable to get a picture of the shirt, so I went to ask him if I could take his picture.  Well when I asked him he didn’t even look up at me, and Enoch explained that the man was on drugs (as he was eating them out of a little plastic bag), and that he wasn’t thinking right.  So unfortunately I was unable to get a picture! 

Guy in a Wharton shirt!

Stream running through Kilembe

Our next stop was to the Margherita Hotel.  It is a beautiful hotel in Kasese that has a nice garden area that you can sit in and enjoy a drink.  So that is just what we did.  We wanted to thank all of our tour guides, so we bought everyone a soda, which was much needed after yet another jam-packed day. 

Of course we still had one more stop in us, and that was to see the District of Kasese’s Prime Minister, Loyce Bwambale.  She has not only served as the Prime Minister, but she as also held several other important government roles within the country and even the continent.  It was nice to sit and talk with her as she gave us some insight into the Ugandan culture, which she seemed to be quite the expert on.  And before departing, we made arrangements through her to meet with the King of Kasese.  Enoch sure has his connections.