Blogs from Kampala, Central Region, Uganda, Africa - page 2

Advertisement

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala December 3rd 2018

We arrived at the Entebbe airport and the change was drastic. The walls were postered were tourist attractions. It only took 45 minutes for a visa instead of 2 hours. Armed security guards were only by the doors separating those in from those outside. As we taxied to Kampala, our driver explained the majority of the expanded highway from Entebbe to Kampala was now complete (the project started 5 years ago). However, as we neared the city, it was evident much remained the same: women bent over sweeping the highway with stick brooms; workers chopping grass on the wayside with machetes; Bodas and cars making 3rd and 4th lanes of traffic appear out of no where; people living and selling out of shacks, the smog and presence of an elephant on my chest while trying to ... read more

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala January 16th 2018

We had a very pleasant evening sitting around the pool and sipping cold beers after our day with the gorillas. Cepha's Inn was a very nice spot and Monica and I would probably have upgraded from our tent to a room, however, we were only staying one night. I had showered (cold but not freezing) after the gorilla trek and had folded my sweaty clothes into a bag to be dealt with later. We left early the next morning heading towards Kampala. It was a 400km. drive on so-so roads to Kampala and we had another hour driving through the city core and out the other side to our new camp site. Earlier on the safari, we had driven west through Tanzania towards Rwanda and cut under Lake Victoria on the south side. Now in Uganda, ... read more
cold beer above the Nile
looking north on the Nile
our crow's nest retreat

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala November 16th 2017

I've always wanted to go white water rafting, but have never done it. Since rafting down the Nile is a top attraction in Uganda, I decided to finally do it. What makes it so convenient is that the rafting companies will pick you up in Kampala at no extra charge, take you to Jinja -- two hours away, then return you to your lodge at the end of the day. You can raft 365 days a year, and even do it while it is raining. Our guide said they'll cut trips short during electrical storms, but that's the only time a condition will affect a trip. One of the things you read about over and over again on the rafting companies in Jinja is their dedication to safety. Safety is as much a priority to them ... read more
Nile River
Nile River
Nile River

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala November 15th 2017

Went on a city tour via boda boda (motorcycles). Boda boda is Ugandan slang for border-border. As explained to me, a lot of smuggling takes place at the borders via motorcycle. Border-to-border somehow was bastardized to boda boda. Most taxis in Uganda are actually motorcycles, so the term now also refers to moving people, like merchandise, from place to place via motorcycle, hence the phrase. There isn't a lot to see in Kampala, with the highlights being Idi Amin's torture chambers, the mosque financed by former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi -- dictator is a theme associated with many of the sites visited. I was rather impressed with the tour agency, as it provided us with helmets, each of us had our own driver, a guide -- in addition to the drivers -- was included, and they ... read more
Kampala
Kampala
Kampala

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala November 14th 2017

Didn't do much today, just crashed. To get from destination to destination, it involved a drive of at least six hours, and most of it not on tarred roads, so the drives were very bumpy. (Everyone refers to it as an "African massage".) Also, a lot of the activities I've done since arriving have required a lot of physical activity. My mind tells me I can do it, but my body continuously reminds me that it's not going to be so easy. Besides sleep, my only other goal was to get laundry done, as finding a place to do it during the rainy season is very difficult. Laundry is done by hand at most lodges, then hung out to dry. If they think it will rain, they won't do it. If your laundry is hanging, and ... read more

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala November 13th 2017

Yet another early start, and a long drive to my next destination. As I was having breakfast, it was fun to watch all the people who had arrived the night before and were excited to be leaving for their safari trip very shortly. On my way back to Kampala, the capital, we stopped off at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to go rhino trekking. The guide and his assistant did not carry guns, but they allowed my driver to join us. The place is heavily guarded to prevent poaching. The trek resulted in seeing several mothers, all with babies of varying sizes. It's always a relief to see the horns still on the rhinos. Our timing at the sanctuary couldn't have been more perfect. No one was there when we arrived, but we saw quite a few ... read more
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala November 3rd 2017

Since I hadn't finalized my travel plans before leaving San Francisco, used today to work on them, as well as try to adapt to the change in time zone.... read more

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala November 2nd 2017

LV Brussels @ 10:55 am (Brussels Airlines) AR Entebbe @ 8:55 pm All international flights to Uganda arrive at the Entebbe Airport, located outside of Kampala, the capital. The airport played a role in a very publicized hijacking that took place in the late 1970s. A flight from Israel to Paris was hijacked and diverted to Entebbe, where the hijackers were warmly welcomed by Idi Amin, the infamous Ugandan dictator. The Israeli military conducted a successful hostage-rescue mission in the middle of the night about one week later to rescue all passengers. (The original terminal is no longer in operation.) As a kid, I learned of the hijacking not from the nightly news, but from two really bad made-for-tv movies at that time. The first one starred Charles Bronson, where he single-handedly saved the day. The ... read more

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala April 8th 2015

It was a trip that my cruel bosses didn't make me aware of untill the last three days,as such i didn't make enough home work about the country-Uganda where i had been scheduled to go on a short assignment.To be honest i couldn't even locate the country on the map.All i knew was that the country was in Africa. The moment i landed at entebbe airport,evidence that indeed i had landed in Africa was thrown into my eyes-the buildings were old and most dilapidated.It was no where close to the Heathrow i was used to.After some hustle going through the slow checks i was inside the hotel van and on my way to Kampala-the capital city of Uganda. Good Lord? Kampala is a thing that should have never been refferred to as a city in the ... read more

Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala June 30th 2014

Today we headed to the markets for shopping and then Bazils house. I assumed the markets were similar to previous markets I have experienced in Asia and Africa, however, they were very different. They were super classy and clean. Most of our group went crazy shopping but in Uganda that mean you might have spent $40. Everything is so cheap. Pants around around $6, professional painting might be $20 for a 40"X40" and purses, kitchen stuff and Bazil lives in the village of Kimera. It's fairly close to Mukono but about an hour from downtown Entebbe where the shops are. Regardless, we had to take a taxi and a bota-bota (motorcycle taxis) from Entebbe to Bazil and Alice's house. The taxi took around 40 minutes and then dropped us at the end of a dirt road. ... read more
Bazil's House
Bazil's dining room
Bazil's




Tot: 0.118s; Tpl: 0.006s; cc: 8; qc: 80; dbt: 0.0569s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb