Uganda #1- Getting around

During the three week break to commemorate the genocide, I took advantage of an invitation to Uganda by Robert, a former Maranyundo teacher.  Before going to Uganda I’d heard it is cold (untrue), flat (untrue), big (semi-true) and ‘free’ (VERY true). Considering it borders Rwanda, I assumed it would be comparable to going from the US to Canada.  That could not be further from the truth.  

After a ten hour bus ride over bumpy, dirt roads and breathtaking views and after our bus driver seamlessly switched from the right side of the road in Rwanda to the left in Uganda, we stopped in Rakai, close to where Robert’s family lives. 

We chose to get the higher quality hotel room with running water for $5 more, for a grand total of $25/night

this is from Rwanda, but it is the same concept of overfilling the taxis

The next morning we hired a car to go to visit Robert’s family, who tends cows.  After turning off the recently constructed dirt road, we started driving over what can only be described as a grassy field.  The crazy thing is the driver didn’t even seem fazed by the request to go that way.  It is clearly very common to navigate these conditions.

The next morning we headed to Entebbe to stay at Kisubi Brothers University College. A man suggested we take his taxi (a minibus) and so we hopped into a pretty full bus.  However, then the driver spent about 30 minutes driving around the same block to fill the bus just a little bit more.  I honestly have never seen people work so hard and long for such a small amount of money.  Finally there were four or five people in rows that should have sat three, so we took off toward Kampala.  Every person negotiates for the fare, so no one pays the same amount.

After Entebbe we went to the capital, Kampala, to see the city and go to the museum. Kampala was…intimidating. I have never been in a place with so many people and where the traffic is so crazy.  The motorcycles (none of whom had helmets, very illegal in Rwanda) were at the bottom of the traffic totem pole and basically had to avoid all the cars and taxis almost hitting them.  People were also pretty low and if a motorcycle or car decided he was tired of waiting he would go onto the sidewalk to pass while people jumped out of the way.  There were people EVERYWHERE, many of them hawking in the streets and trying to sell taxi rides, snacks, jewelry, street food, clothes, etc.  The city was huge and had clearly had exponential growth; entire roads had been shut down by stationary taxis waiting to fill.  I didn’t even get any pictures of Kampala because I was constantly being shoved along and was honestly too overwhelmed to stop and shoot.