Mosquitoes and Climate

It's the middle of a dry season right now in Kampala which I understand means that it rains about once a week.   This week's rain came a few mornings ago early in the morning - it poured with thunder and everything.  Strangely enough, it didn't seem to wash away much of the red dust.  It's been very pleasant as far as temperature and humidity go.  It's warm during the day but only in the 80's.  At night the temperature cools off nicely.  We pretty much have all the windows in the house open all the time - and there are lots of windows.  Even if we closed them, every window has about a foot-tall opening above it with a screen and  louvers in open position that can't be closed.  So there is always air movement and the sound of whatever may be outside at the moment - your neighbors talking, the morning call to prayer from the mosque down the street, singing, or the housekeepers washing the cars in the morning.  This morning we have had a very thick fog - so thick that our screens are covered with condensing water.   The glass windows don't have any water on them because it's the same temperature inside and out but apparently the screen provides just enough surface area for the fog to condense.  We haven't seen (or rather, heard) too many mosquitoes yet either.  I hear about one each night so I think we will pick up some mosquito netting next time we're in town.  I don't know if that's because of the season or if that's how it will be in Kampala year-round.  So far we've been here six days and I have to agree with Winston Churchill that Uganda may just be the Pearl of Africa.  -Shauen