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                                    TourismISSUE 36 APRIL 2025 51mold, and tamps the clay in the mold gently with his palm like he is massaging a baby. This allows him to get even compression. After the tampering, he carries the mold with the tampered clay to where the bricks are kept to dry on the floor of his verandah. He told me the clay bricks will be allowed to dry for three months in a secluded place, then they will be burned in a large clay oven for further hardness. One clay brick sells for 300 Ugandan shillings, which is like 10 Kenyan Shillings or 0.082 USD. I thanked him for allowing me to engage him and then left.I have two issues with the houses made with clay bricks that I saw in Uganda. They used cement for mortar and cement for plastering. To keep the beauty of using natural materials all through the project, I thought they should have used lime for mortar and either lime or clay for plastering the walls. Or better still, they should not plaster the walls at all. I just thought the symmetry of the clay bricks in themselves, with the deep brown earth color, if well done, is a beauty to behold. Visiting The Nile RiverI finished my engagements a day later and took a bus to somewhere close to Jinja. I had planned to go visit the Source of the Nile River in Jinja, so I got an Airbnb in Wanyange, close to Jinja.The entry fee for the Source of the Nile River was 30,000 Ugandan shillings or 10 dollars. Well, that also depends on your nationality. I am sure Ugandans and East African citizens have a different entry fee. I didn%u2019t have dollars or even Ugandan shillings with me, so I paid 1000 Kenyan Shillings, which is considered 10 USD.I went in and sat at this restaurant by the source of the Nile River, watching tour boats and fishermen come and go. And since I told myself I wasn%u2019t going for a boat ride, I took some photos and then decided to order some food. I ordered fried fish, potato chips, some salad, and then a glass of passion fruit juice. The fish that I was served was so big that I could only eat half of it. So, I asked the waiter to pack the rest for me to take away. The price for everything I had was 49,000 Ugandan shillings, but I was charged in Kenyan Shillings, so I paid 1750 Kshs or roughly 13.50 USD.I believe in One Africa and One HumanityAs I sat there eating and watching this busy wild duck diving into the river and Fried fish and chips at the Nile River restaurant. Image: Samuel Phillips
                                
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