#MayviaInUG ~ Part 3

~ Make sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 of Mayvia's adventure ~

The next morning was a day to sleep in and relax.  It was so nice to take it easy and just be.  But, after a nice relaxed morning Mayvia and the girl called Kelly decided it was time to go experience some of this distant land (called Africa) and see some of the things that you can only see in a land such as this.

I feel as though I must pause and explain something right now.  Both parties that make up the girls we call Mayvia, had both been to Africa before, but for various different reasons (we call these mission trips and adoption).  So although this was somewhat familiar territory, there was a freedom that came with this trip that allowed Mayvia to enjoy every bit of the experience.

The next few days were full of the girl called Kelly's favorite eating establishments, shop vendors and kid-free activities that she frequents when given the chance.  And because we had a lot of Christmas shopping to do, the 3 friends took to the streets of Jinja to find the perfect gifts made by friends of the girl called Kelly.

The girl called Tasha got to help support this woman by buying some gifts from her shop.
She is a friend of the girl called Kelly and I loved being able to meet her face-to-face.

Pius is a painter.  It was so intriguing to watch him create beautiful art.

He painted these pictures, which just so happen to be the middle names of
the girl named Tasha's little girls at home.

The girl called Heidi may kill the girl called Tasha for posting this one,
but it gives you such a good idea of what the inside of the majority of these shops look like.
Plus, the size of these "consequence spoons" is spectacular!

After so much shopping, the 3 girlfriends decided it was time to eat.  One of the lunch stops we made was an all-time favorite called The Source Cafe.

The girl named Tasha had been WAITING for this meal.
It was a favorite during her stay a few years back.
The guacamole wrap at The Source.

Another favorite is a place simply called, The Deli (we like to call this restaurant, "Heaven In Jinja".) The food was delicious.  The atmosphere was welcoming, and they had many things that Americans would die to get their hands on that are hard to find: wrapping paper for Christmas presents, a small tin of chocolate chips, milk and cheese from the local creamery, cuts of meat, some frozen meals to prepare at home and some other fun things that are typically hard to find.  I'm pretty sure the girl called Tasha would have lived at this establishment if it would have been around just 4 years earlier!

Tasha and Kelly eating outside at The Deli

Freezers full of different cuts of meats and poultry

In the midst of all the shopping and eating that the 3 girlfriends did, the girl called Kelly actually did have an important mission to complete.  She was in need of a new hammock (because Africa happened to her other one).  Mayvia was all about helping to complete this mission and they were not disappointed in the adventure.

They loaded up in the carriage (we still call it a car, but it is the girl called Kelly's car...and it has AWESOME speakers and lights that shine out of the windshield wiper sprayer.  That's all you need to know about the ride our ride, ha!) and drove about 15 minutes out of town to a place called Kilombera.  It is a hand weaving store that makes things like blankets, hammocks, pillow cases, aprons, place mats and the like.  We also saw some stockings and pocket books as well.

They outsource cloth diapers and reusable baby items like wipes and bibs.

Another place the 3 girlfriends ate was called the Sailor's club.  The outside view overlooks Lake Victoria and the food was delicious, of course.

The sunset on Lake Victoria that a photo can't even begin to give justice to.

There is one other adventure that occurred while bumping around in their awesome swagger carriage.  The 3 girlfriends were headed home one evening and passed a puppy rummaging around in a trash pile.  Now for those of you who have never been to this distant country (called Africa) to witness these overflowing dumpsters, think...overflowing, public dumpster which is well over 3 months behind from being emptied by the trash people, and then think a little worse than that and you may be pretty close.  The 3 girlfriends waited and waited to see if there was a mommy or daddy around to help this little puppy out.  Nothing.  The girls discussed the options for this little puppy and the only clear option was for the girl named Tasha (who only sees big pointy teeth when viewing a dog, no matter the size) to get out of the carriage (with its glowing windshield sprayers) and go rescue the dog out of the trash heap (disregarding the wise words of the husband she calls Josh, to be "smart and wise").

To make a long story short, the girl named Kelly, along with the husband who calls himself Smooth, their 5 girls, their litter of kitties, 2 cats, 2 dogs, and multitude of chickens and a rooster, now have a cute little puppy named, wait for it...Mayvia (although, the 5 little girls in the house insist on calling him by another name.  Whatever, we all know his rightful name, given to him by the 3 girlfriends who risked their lives for his, or something like that).

I'm pretty sure that Mayvia and the girl called Kelly all imagined what life would be like if they could live life like this every day...but then again, it wouldn't be so special.

And we wouldn't be able to connect, or not connect...

...to faces like this, of children back home who just needed to see mommy after a bad dream.

I know this seems like it could be the end, but the adventures were still not over.

Mayvia had a lot of little girls to love on while they were in town and more of this distant country (called Africa) to experience before heading home!

{TO BE CONTINUED...}