Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Uganda Adventure: Day 14; To Kampala

Ah, vacations! Just when you feel totally content and at home, it's time to pack up and leave. Just like life.

It's a school day and the kids on the other side of this property were playing before 8. Then, the lawn maintenance crew woke me up again by edging the grass right in front of my balcony. They do it here with a machete!

I grew accustomed to this hotel. It's not as peaceful nor luxurious as the Mweye lodge, but we spent more time here. The staff recognizes us, and when I come to the front desk they know I came for the computer room key. :)

on the roadAt noon, we left the hotel and headed toward Kampala on the same road that is all dirt and holes for the 2nd half. We passed few tiny towns and villages; children walking on the side of the street back from school. It's amazing that there were kids as young as 6-7 on the road, by themselves. And the "emergency lane" here is really just 2-3 feet wide. They are so close to the passing vehicles. I guess that is why their uniforms, for those who have them, are in bright colors: yellow, pink, purple, blue... so that they can be seen. They were just walking, in small groups or alone, barefoot on hot pavement, sometimes carrying little plastic lunch bucket and/or a notebook. If they got tired of carrying them in their hands, they would just put it on their heads and continue on. :) It's also interesting that more often the smalled children don't have shoes, but the older they get less of them are barefoot. You'd think that very little ones have more sensitive feet that require more protection. But I guess if they don't develop hard skin when they're little, it would be harder later.

pine treesThe scenery was lushes hill country. Musana trees with bright yellow flowers and Muko trees with bright red flowers, stood out. There were even pine trees, planted forestation, used mostly for timber. Long horn cows, goads, boda-bodas, and women with stuff on their heads were also on the road. Besides the babies, they never carry things on their backs. They walk with straight shoulders and chins up as they carry those loads.

We stopped for 1.5 hours in Mubende, the same town we stopped at on our way from Kampala the first week we traveled, and had lunch in Town View Hotel up on a hill. We were in Kampala at 7. The driver this time took us on some alternative roads, so we luckily escaped the traffic jams in the city center.

fang fangWe were staying at a Chinese hotel, Fang Fang. Being in a large and densely populated city, and staying at a Chinese hotel is such a culture shock. Chinese people work here, it's decorated in Chinese style, and their restaurant is all Chinese menu. What a difference from the last few days.

We were all pretty tired after that long ride, that after dinner we just went to our rooms. Even though we were in the city center, the rooms were quiet. Good night sleep.

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