A Day In Kampala

The hostel we are staying at is the typical hippy filled backpackers hostel. There are tons of British and Australian backpackers in their late twenties early thirties wearing cargo pants, t-shirts that say peace, and bandanas. The bartenders are very trendy. There is a very metro Australian and a really beautiful Ugandan girl. The hostel itself is well designed it consists of a complex of buildings containing dormitory style rooms and personal rooms with bathrooms attached. We are sleeping in a dormitory style room and there was a snorer last night, it was the loudest I had ever heard (yes Mom much louder than Dad).

On Thursday we woke up and decided to register at the embassy. The cheapest and fastest way for tourist to travel around Kampala is on the back of motorbikes called Boda Bodas. The Boda Boda drivers gather in groups of about eight to ten on street corners. About every three blocks or so you see a group. They also gather in front of larger hotels and hostels. Steve and I each hopped on the back of a Boda Boda that was waiting outside our hostel and for about two dollars go a ride way better than any roller coaster at Sixflags.

Once we made it to the embassy and through embassy security we sat in a waiting room for about an hour. When we finally got inside the room where you register, the embassy’s emergency alarm system went off! Luckily the threat was not inside the building and we were allowed to continue with our paperwork. In about five minutes we had finished our paper work and went across the street to lunch.

We walked into a restaurant that was about fifty feet long by forty feet wide. It had retro looking pleather chairs, a pool table, cracked mirrors on the walls and a somewhat fully stocked bar in the back. At first I couldn’t tell if it was a night club or a restaurant. Eventually a waiter found us and offered us a menu. I ordered Uganda’s traditional food called Mattoke (steamed and then mashed plantains). We also ordered a vegetable stew to go on the side. The mattoke is very dry, filling, and flavorless so you need the stew or some sort of sauce to put on it. Overall the meal was very good. The vegetable stew complimented the mattoke perfectly. It was like the African version of chili on rice.

After lunch we went to the gas station to buy towels and calling cards. We got ripped off when buying the towels. We paid about ten dollars, ouch. But I guess it had to happen with something. Then we took another thrilling boda boda ride back to the hostel. However, this boda boda ride was even more eventful than the first, because these drivers said they understood where our hostel was when they really didn’t. So before we could make it back to the hostel we had to get lost in Kampala, stop ask other boda boda drivers for directions, and fill up on gas.

Once we made it back to the hostel we meet Hudson. Hudson has been hired as a substitute John until John can get back from the states. Hudson is great. He is really nice and knowledgeable. Once we met him we determined that we needed to do some errands. He took me to the MTN (Cell Phone) Store. We went to see if I could buy minutes for my phone or use a calling card from my phone so it will be cheaper. With a lot of effort and many test phone calls we determined that I can neither add minutes to my phone from Uganda nor use a calling card with the phone to make it cheaper. Next we went to the Bank to exchange money. We went to Barkley’s (a prominent bank in Africa that also has a branch in Masaka). They charge a ten percent fee for exchanging money and a 25 dollar fee for taking money out from a debit account at the counter. However, if you go to the ATM its only 10,000 USH about six dollars. After this we returned to spend the night in the hostel.

With Hudson we were able to use the taxi system instead of the boda bodas. The taxis are really like buses that don’t have a set route, but region that they drive around in. So we hopped on a taxi that drove by our hostel. The taxi itself was the size of a minivan and they fit four people in a row. We then took it to the Taxi Park, a large undeveloped piece of dirt in the center of the city where all the taxis go, sort of Grand Central Station of Kampala. From there we got out and walked to the places we needed to go. At the end of our errands we went back to the taxi park, walked through a huge maze or taxis and found one that went to our region. We then got on and went back to the