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Published: July 10th 2009
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The Nest
Home of Edirisa It's a short journey back to Kabale from Lake Bunyonyi. As I wait for my taxi, I idly glance over a map showing the districts of Uganda and am surprised to find that more than a quarter of them begin with K. I stay a couple of nights in Kabale. The Golan Heights hotel appeals because of its incongruous name but I choose a funky hostel that has wifi. Once again, travellers are in the minority, though there are plenty of volunteers. Kabale is swarming with bicycle
boda bodas in numbers I've never seen before.
I meet a Scottish couple who have been living in Kabale for ~8 months. It has been a tough experience for them, not helped by some family tragedies back home, and it seems as though our conversation is an outlet for some of their frustrations. One of their pet hates is still being referred to as
mzungu, even by locals they now know well. They say it is rare for anyone to call them by their real names. I must say I'm with them on this. I don't understand why someone who can speak perfectly good English will insert "
mzungu" into what is otherwise an
After the rain
Courtesy of South American Drainage Systems Inc English sentence. They say, in resigned tones, that foreigners who have lived here for decades are still called
mzungu. Though obviously there are differences between foreigners and locals, just as there are between Ugandans from the east of the country and those from the west, the persistent use of "
mzungu" seems designed to ensure such differences are kept front and centre. I guess, for me, this is just a reaction to coming from a society where pointing out people's racial differences is not cricket. A sign in the Western loo reminds users not to stand on the seat as it could break. Yes, there are definitely differences but even so ...
The Scottish couple are quite clear on why they think Uganda, if not by extension many parts of Africa, is struggling to lift itself out of poverty. The problem lies in the education system and its emphasis on rote-learning, with creativity being stifled and lateral thinking never encouraged. I don't find this argument convincing. After all, the British education system (at least, when I went through it) has a strong attachment to rote-learning. Without that emphasis, I would never have been able to attend a (supposedly good) university
Colours
Home of Edirisa and then work for an (allegedly excellent) company. I then realise that this culminated in my current status as an unemployed travelling bum. Perhaps they have a point.
Whatever I might hear in the way of reasons why Uganda is struggling, it also becomes apparent that I am losing it big style. A farcical sequence involving me reclining semi-naked on my bed, and the door suddenly swinging open to expose me to the customers in the adjacent cafe, results in my laptop making a gravity-assisted descent to the stone floor, after which the keyboard refuses to work. I then leave my shampoo in the shower and it goes AWOL. But the biggie, which I only discover once I've moved on, is that I leave $150 in my bed (don't ask ...) Good job I didn't postpone this travelling lark until I'm 60 - I confidently expect to be a dribbling wreck by then.
Dull but possibly useful info i. I took a (special hire) taxi booked from Bunyonyi Overland Camp back to Kabale, which cost USh15,000. Ask the driver to stop briefly at the lookout that gives the best view of Lake Bunyonyi (could also do this when
going to the lake).
ii. I stayed at the Home of Edirisa, paying USh15,000 for a twin room with shared facilities. This is a quirky place with a museum, crafts shop, and a restaurant with a cheap, extensive menu. There's also free wifi but it's very slow. You should try to book this in advance as there are only a few rooms and it's a popular place.
iii. There's a nearby nightclub that, on Friday night, keeps going until about 6AM. You may as well go to it yourself, as you won't get any sleep at Home of Edirisa anyway because of the noise.
iv. The Royal Supermarket offers extremely good exchange rates for $, USh, and RWF.
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