GETTING THERE IS
HALF THE FUN?
(Gorilla
Tales Part 2)
Travel
Tales Index - Gorilla Tales Index - Uganda Pix - Rwanda Pix - Zanzibar Pix
We knew
Next up was another overnight flight to
Of course, the one great difference was the fact that everyone around us was black and we were clearly in the minority. Since we have been in this situation before in Asia, it was not particularly disconcerting. However, the first time it happened to me, in China in 1992, it was very uncomfortable. Of course, here I was a 6'2" bearded guy walking around the back streets of Beijing with a "cone of silence" following me as people pointed and stared. The reception here has been markedly different. Much more like Cuba or Trinidad and Tobago. We hear a few people say "mzungu" (foreigner), but much more likely is a smile or a hello. Sometimes, Paul is referred to as Chuck Norris! We'll have to get to the bottom of that one. Occasionally, people have stopped us to ask how we like their country and a few other questions. Looking at a map is an invitation for someone to offer their assistance.
The official language of Uganda is English. All the signs we see and all the newspapers are in English. Just about everyone we come across speaks English, but somehow we are still experiencing a communication problem. Part of it is probably our accents, the fact that people are not used to white tourists and our use of the language is somewhat different. No surprise given we couldn't make ourselves understood in London! (And we thought our New York accents were a thing of the past). Walk into a museum, say "hello" and the response will be "hello", followed by "you're welcome" i.e. You are welcome here. Just a slight difference, but the first time you hear it, you're a little confused. While people will speak to us in English it seems the language we hear used most often on the street is Swahili.
The guidebooks say how nice and pleasant Kampala is. We don't see it and certainly hope it is not indicative of the other cities we are going to. There are some pleasant, tree-lined streets, but the center of the city is bustling, full of traffic and difficult to navigate as a pedestrian. There are no stoplights plus they drive on the "British" side of the road which can have you looking the wrong way half the time. Our hotel is near the official market - which is similar to just about every other market in every other third world country we've been to. However, the market has overgrown its location and has taken over a number of streets including the one our hotel is on. Coming and going can be an obstacle course.
Some friends had indicated they were concerned about our safety. First of all, according to the newspapers, anytime a crime does occur in public, an angry mob chases the criminal and beats him. Secondly, there are shotgun-toting security guards at every bank, foreign exchange, grocery store, hardware store etc. There must be at least 3 shotguns per block. The beer truck that was picking up empties and resupplying bars had a guard sitting atop it! We feel pretty safe - from people - but not cars - or some of the gaping holes in the sidewalks where sewer covers are missing. Walking back to our hotel last night, in the dark (we have seen one streetlight in all of Kampala), dodging the holes and the minivans was quite "interesting".
Yesterday, we encountered the Marabou Stork. Sort of the Ugandan version of a pigeon, but on serious steroids at about 4 feet in height with a 6-foot wingspan. You think pigeons in New York City and elsewhere make a mess?
