Blogs from Kampala, Central Region, Uganda, Africa

I booked a walking tour through Tripadvisor yesterday, with a female guide, Faridausi and Glyn booked an Uber to meet her in town. She was almost 20 minutes late, but it seems in Uganda, that’s standard and not worth an apology. The first stop was a statue of Edward Mutesa, the first president of Uganda, (after independence from the UK in 1962). He was also the King and pushed out of power by Milton Obote and sent into exile, aided by Idi Amin. And then Obote was ousted by Idi Amin, who made himself popular by returning the body of Mutesa, so he could be buried in Uganda. Nearby stood a statue celebrating Uganda’s independence, a public place with a few homeless scattered around. A very old sign displayed photographs from 1962. A big hole had ... read more

Uganda Day 10 Birds, traffic and getting lost in Kampala I was already awake when the alarm went off at 6 this morning so these lie-ins must be a bit too much. Breakfast was a buffet-style affair and quite Westernised but it was nice. The hotel houses conferences and weddings so it’s a bit posher than we’re used to and everyone is very formal but it’s clean and apparently in a nice part of town. Wehen we were booking in yesterday Zed was concerned that we might be a bit late setting off today as breakfast didn’t start until 7. So we were there just before 7 and ready for when he was due to pick us up at 7:30. He messaged to say that he was on his way, then that there was lots of ... read more

Today we left Lake Bunyoni for the 440 km trip back to Kampala including a stop at the equator. It was sad to leave all the lovely people of Lake Bunyoni View, but we did leave them a good tip. At a nearby petrol station, Didan said his farewells too and we thanked him a lot for the awesome time we had. And so started our long journey, through towns, past farms with women and children toiling in the fields. By quarries where mostly women were bent over doing what appeared to be back-breaking work. We left our last dirt road and returned to tarmac, where they have far fewer potholes than the UK. Zedius calls it an African massage when we drive over the bumpy dirt roads, but in all honesty, I’ve not found them ... read more

I am three days out from leaving and testing out a blog that I hope to keep updated for friends and family to read... read more

The never ending dilemma, “What is my responsibility?” and "Can anything explain why I have the opportunities I do besides random chance?" I am excited to leave Uganda, to go back to normal toilets, access to clean drinking water from the tap, convenience of firm departure times. But how do I forget the power of the American dollar (average rent $40 - $100; monthly income $250, a semester at college $1300), malaria and typhoid, most don’t have access to indoor plumbing or electricity? The things occupying the mind here are things that never crossed my mind: getting water, how to study without electricity, missing a week of school each month because I don’t have menstral pads. While I am not wealthy in the states, I am actually rich compared to the global population. Why? Because I ... read more