Kampala: Our Big City Adventure

As a little escape for the women living here at the Timothy Centre, it was decided that a weekend girls’ trip to Kampala to do some shopping and relaxation would be the perfect little vacation. Not knowing what to expect (as I’ve already had so many unexpected experiences) I was definitely on board and prepared myself for an adventure. It was definitely nice to get away and to see something more than just what we were becoming accustomed to in Masaka. During the drive in we hit torrential rain storms and I was dreading the fact that it might be stormy in Kampala. But once we arrived there the sun came out and we were ready for our weekend.

the rainy drive into Kampala

the more modern looking part of Kampala city.

After Sue and I got our more than expected hair dos, we were off and ready for the day. We first went to Garden City mall where we enjoyed our first Kampala experience. When arriving at the food court in the mall one would expect that you would simply line up at the kiosk that you wanted to purchase food from, but not here in Uganda. As soon as we sat down at our table we were immediately surrounded by about 5 or 6 different people all trying to show you their menu and what their restaurant served. It was a little bit chaotic because it was definitely something that I hadn’t expected; everyone wanted your business and wanted you to buy from them. It was another part of the culture here that I would have never anticipated.

Garden City Shopping Centre

mall food court - where we got mobbed by the food cour merchants

After the mall we experienced another first; Kristen and I got the chance to see the city from a boda boda taxi. Boda bodas are little motorcycles that people used to get around the city, and are often a faster and more affordable way to get around. They are everywhere, and when you’re driving you have to look out for them because they dodge in and out of traffic, often using the gutters and small spaces left between the road and the sidewalk to get through traffic. A pro about using a boda boda is that you NEVER get stuck in traffic because you can weave around it, which made the trip to the craft fair a lot faster. The funniest thing about this part was when we were looking for someone to take us we tried our hardest to dodge this one driver because he looked the sketchiest out of all of them, and he ended up being our driver. After an intimidating first couple of minutes (and a fist pound to another boda driver – all I could think was “KEEP BOTH HANDS ON YOUR BIKE) it actually turned out to be pretty fun.

our boda boda experience.

The rest of the weekend consisted of some shopping at different malls and two different craft fairs. It was a lot of fun to get out into the markets and try our hand (usually not that successfully) at bartering for our purchases. And after a lot of contemplation and even more browsing around, both Kristen and I were able to almost all of our shopping done. I am now fully stocked up on Christmas presents for when I get back to Canada. :)

craft markets that wedid most of our shopping within

entrance of another shopping centre

 Another exciting even that was happening while we were Kampala was the big soccer game between the Kenyan and Ugandan team. The atmosphere was so much fun because of all the anticipation and excitement that was leading up to the game. There were people walking throughout the traffic on the main roads selling jerseys, flags, horns and everything to do with Uganda to eager fans. People were blowing their horns and waving their flags all over the city. People had their cars decorated and fans adorned the boda boda taxies, and they were using their transportation as a way to celebrate their city for this upcoming game. It was a really fun atmosphere to be in. Everyone was wearing their jerseys and was all excited about the upcoming game. Kristen and I even got into the spirit and bought our Ugandan soccer jersey. The atmosphere reminded me of the Ugandan version of the Vancouver Olympics and when the Canucks play offs were going on. People were just there to celebrate their city and their people. Even though it was a really fun atmosphere, it was good to know that we weren’t going to be caught up in the craziness of the city afterwards. Unfortunately, the outcome of the game ended up not being in Uganda’s favour.

selling Ugandan flags and jerseys before the game

people gearing up for the game

All in all, the trip was definitely an experience. It was definitely a good time and another experience of a lot of the unexpected. But I have come to enjoy that part of living here in Uganda.