Partying and Shopping in Kampala

Spent the weekend in Kampala. I’m quite pleased that I managed to navigate my way there on Saturday morning, and to get around ok for the most part. I took a boda to the road, then found a taxi (which is not a taxi but a minibus), who only overcharged me a little. Then a boda to the bank, where my bank card did actually work (I was quite worried about the possibility that I might not be able to access my Canadian accounts).

Kampala is hotter than Nkozi, and the air hangs in a heavy haze of exhaust and dust. In no time at all my shirt was dingy with the grime that flies around the back of the bodas.

I went to Garden city for some shopping, which is the rich and mostly white mall in Kampala. Culture shock or what! I couldn’t believe the selection or the prices, not to mention how many mzungus were there! I wanted to get a skirt, but the only one I found that I liked was 80,000! Way too much. But I got my legs sugared, way less painful and removes more hair then waxing, and only 10,000! Then wandering around the shops in the center of Kampala I bought a great new blouse, and managed to bargain it down to 10,000 from the original price of 15,000, I’m getting better at this!

I’m way more comfortable on the bodas since I decided that as a crazy mzungu woman I can get away with riding astride… its way easier to balance, no way would I ride one sidesaddle in Kampala! Its actually quite fun zipping in and out of traffic, and no problems with traffic jams cause the driver just goes in-between the jammed up cars.

I went to a party on Saturday night. Quite fun, once I got there! I had some sketchy directions texted to my cell phone so leaving the hostel I got into a special hire (which is like a taxi) to try and follow them… got lost down a dirt road and the special hire ran out of gas. Luckily right then I got a call from Dominick, a friend of a friend who was supposed to pick me up at the blue mango (hostel), but that hadn’t been communicated to me, hence being lost down a long, dark dirt road. Anyway, he explained how to get back and via a couple more calls we managed to find each other and I got driven to the party, where I met many lovely people and drank far too much wargi (a gin-like local brew).