The ambiance of an African capital

Well, my trip to Uganda was my first trip to Africa ,but would prove itself not to be the last. I had never really planned to go to Sub-Saharan-Africa, but during an internship the chance was suddenly there. I could go to Uganda for 5 weeks to conduct a small survey about youth participation in HIV/AIDS prevention programmes… 1 – 2 – 3… And I found my self in Kampala almost by coincidence.
I must say that Uganda took me by storm and not least Kampala.

The city is to me very unconventional. The main street you can walk in about 20 minutes and from a rational point of view there is absolutely nothing to buy… However, I must say it has been one of the most amazing places I have ever visited.

According to the UN Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world and even though Kampala is the capital you do not have to hold a post-grad to see that you have ended up in a country where things are very different from a Western perspective. What amazed me the most by Kampala were the open and very friendly attitudes of people all the time coming up to greet me in the streets as well as their sincere interest in your person… And then the feeling of being different, because all of a sudden it was me who looked so very different when walking the streets.

If you are planning a visit Kampala please just put in enough time to just walk around the city. I walked around by myself at all times and mainly in areas that was not know for being posh without ever feeling unsafe. I must see if I shall guide you is the central ‘mini-bus’ station, which is something of the most chaotic I have ever seen in my life… But after a little time I actually learned that there was some kind of system in the chaos and also learned where to go and what to ask for… Close to the bus station there is a huuuuge market where you can buy everything. I did most of my grocery shopping there as it was so much cheaper than going to the super market. However, it is not a place where you find a lot of tourists and remember that you actually are walking around what is everyday life to these people so do it with respect. I always began by buying something almost from the beginning so the people at the market actually could tell that I was there for a purpose. Remember to bargain about the prices – that is half the experience. When you ask for what it cost it is always double the price than what you actually get it for… After I heard the price I always looked at them and said “No, no, no my friend that is mzungu (white man) price)… That always made people laugh and from there we started the real bargaining.

Well, besides just the different and amazing atmosphere Kampala is not known to be big in sights. However, I managed –by asking locals I lived at- to find the old king’s ‘castle’ in form of olden straw huts, where traditional Ugandans still come to ‘pray’ (at this link you can see a picture of the castle: http://buganda.com /history.htm). After that I took a boda-boda to find out where the present king lived… And after a very long ride and a lot of asking around I found him in a big villa… Nothing interesting as such… But was a fun outing.

There is also a nice cathedral in the outskirts of Kampala, which has been build to commemorate the 22 Ugandans which were canonized by the Catholic church in 1964 (http://www.buganda.com /martyrs.htm).

Finally, you can also take a posh evening out. Eating good food at a small square ‘just’ behind he main street and find some one there to take you clubbing – Something the young Ugandans definitely know how to do.

During my stay in Uganda Ihad my base in Kampala and went to most of the other places I visited from there.

Short introduction to Kampala: http://www.backpackers .co.ug/kampala.html