This weekend we visited Ugandas capital city: Kampala.
Travelling there alone was different: We travelled on public transport with the guest house manager to show us the ropes. Public transport here is different to back home- there are no trains so people rely on intercity buses. We squeezed onto the coach packed with luggage, people, children, and the occasional chicken. There are few seat belts to be found on the buses and they travel in excess of 100-120km/hr which is exciting on the bends to say the least! Fortunately after a while people got off and we managed to sit together by a window. We were glad of the fresh air and entertainment when the bus stopped- locals came running up to the bus windows to sell food- bananas, sodas, chipati, various bbq meats, corn on the cob etc- all sold through the windows on long sticks. Some locals would even board the bus for a stop to sell their items up and down the aisle. We even had a herbal medicine seller onboard at one point!
Thankfully after four hours of journey we reached Kampala! We then braved the busy streets to get to our hotel. Luckily there was very little unrest in the areas we visited, despite a protest being planned earlier in the day.
We spent a great couple of days exploring Kampala and getting a good rest! It was lovely to eat some home comfort foods including pizza, chips and even baked beans. We have managed to stock up on some treats, including coffee, for our time back at hospital, although unfortunately we managed to leave some of these in Kampala by accident.
A highlight of our trip was undertaking a Boda-Boda tour of the city. Boda-Bodas are small moped/motorbikes used all over the towns in Uganda for short trips weaving through traffic. Notoriously dangerous we had been avoiding a journey on boda boda, having seen some of the patients post-accident! However we found a great tour around the city which uses boda-boda but also helmets, safe driving, restricted speeds and high-vis jackets. We saw a range of sites, including viewing kampalas seven hills from high up, the largest market in east Africa, the palace, the crazy taxi centre and the local fish market where we ate fresh fish for lunch in a street side cafe. We had great fun, but Unfortunately Sam now wants a Boda-Boda to drive in the UK!
We also managed to pop by the craft markets and discover a great coffee shop- I hadn’t realised how much coffee I drank before we came here and am without it!
We returned in a taxi piled high with our shopping and the guest managers family, so didn’t need to brave the experience of public transport on the way back, and returned safe and sound.
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