Day 6 - Kampala/Mukono

I booked the bus for 8 am on Friday and anticipated a long, hot ride. There is no air conditioning on the buses, the road was not paved until about the last two hours, and the bus was packed. It is hard to describe thee bus situation, but the transportation is cheap and easy, just uncomfortable. On the bus ride up to Kitgum, we had a flat tire, so I was not surprised when ten minutes into the journey we had a problem. Apparently, there was a trailor that got "spoiled" (had a mechanical problem), so it was taking up most of the road. The further you get away from the city, the narrower the roads and zero to no resources. The broken down vehicles often stay on the road until their owners fix them because there are few towing devices and also people prefer to fix it themselves because it is cheaper. So the way people signal they are broken down is that they drop leaves on the road 5 meters before the broken down vehicle. Our bus tried to pass the vehicle, but began to tilt so severely that everyone got out of the bus. 

I was not so much scared as I didn't want to be delayed. The bus driver carefully drove through the narrow place and soon we were on our way. 

Most of the time I am usually tolerant of most people but this lady behind me was really getting on my nerves. It started when she tried to take our seat because she didn't realize there were seat numbers of her ticket. I thought maybe she was from the village and had not taken a bus before, but I quickly realized she was just an ignorant, boastful person who tried to impress everyone with who she had been partying with or how much she could persuade a man to buy for her. These kind of people completely turn me off. She was completely self absorbed by talking on her cell phone very loudly, asking the bus to stop so she could go to the bathroom when the rest area was 20 minutes away, and rotating seats whenever she felt like changing. I was beyond annoyed, but thankfully I kept my cool.

The bus ride was long and we arrived in Kampala at 5:30 pm, which was about 9.5 hours after we departed. Once arriving and picking up our luggage, we rushed up to my tailor to get fitted. We were already late and the walk to get to her was about 25 minutes. Kampala is a terribly crowded city and pickpockets run rampant. I absolutely hate walking through the city, especially if I have something in my bag. We finally arrived at my tailor, Grace's shop and she began presenting the skirts and suits that she made for me. They were absolutely gorgeous. She makes such amazing designs and I am always in awe of her handiwork. 

After getting my clothes, I headed back to the bus park to catch a coaster to Mukono. That ride took about an hour until I arrived at the hotel. So, all in all, the ride was close to 12 hours. After checking in I had scheduled some drinks with friends, so I enjoyed my evening with them before collapsing in bed after a very long day. 

I think it is worth mentioning that the hotels are quite different here than home. First of all, they are cheap, but may or may not have wifi, hot water, and/or electricity. The most I paid during my trip was 100,000 or $40, but I typically paid about $15-20 a night. The hotels stamp or carve their name/logo into everything including the sheets. They also have all different sorts of showers/toilets, but my least favorite is the squatting toilet. Several of my friends tell me they prefer them because they are cleaner because you don't sit on a seat, but I have time hitting the hole. At least I'm working on my quads.

On Saturday, I had scheduled two meetings, one with Joseph (a UCU students whose family makes mats) and the other with one of my favorite people, Banner. I have always been grateful to know so many people and support local families instead of big chains. Joseph's family makes gorgeous mats using raffia that they actually go get from the village. It is a awesome process. I had preordered some mats and bottle openers, so Joseph dropped them off for me.

Then I spent some time Banner who is a student I met at UCU. I have had a somewhat mother/son relationship with him and he is one of the first people I met on campus. Banner is from Rwanda, but has spent quite a bit of time in Uganda. He is such an awesome young man and I'm thankful for our friendship. 

My friend Sam picked me up around midday and spent the rest of the day watching movies, packing,  and getting my nails painted. Jenny and I have painted each others' nails several times, but this time she spoiled me by painting mine. Then we cooked beans, posho, rice, and ate fresh avocado. I also got a lesson in how to properly eat posho (which I think is made for maize flour) with my hands. Jenny actually shot a video of it and I didn't know it, but I will post on FB. We relaxed until it was time to go to the airport.