Slept very well, dreamt of seahorses and unicorns. And raptors. They cannot be trusted! Kicked out of bed earlier than usual, checked on the bullet, which was parked next to the ablution block. They have a power socket right there in the men’s bathroom, and I had a black extension cord snaking out of it into the cabin to keep the fridge running (better to ask forgiveness than permission). I befriended one of the cleaning staff, an elderly gentlemen named Bobbo yesterday and mentioned that I need to keep the power plugged in. He said he’ll make sure it does, and true to his word, it was still hooked up. They use the dame plug for cleaning etc. Later on we rewarded him with a few thousand shillings and 3 pairs of clothes from Annelie’s stash, for his granddaughters :)
Fanie’s birthday today! Congrats and pics. Coffee, breakfast at a little shop just outside the gate. A breakfast chapatti with egg, avo and onions, DELICIOUS! On the road again by 09:15 or so, we’ll be heading out the capital today, Kampala. The road takes us along v very much the same route as yesterday morning to the backpackers lodge, and over the dam spanning this part of the Nile river. I ask Annelie to take a pic of the “Nile River sign”. What I didn’t notice where the military personnel chilling underneath it!!!
We are flagged down and interrogated. I explain with zeal that it was an honest mistake, we’re dumb tourists from Cape Town and we just wanted a pic of the sign. We show the pics and are forced to delete them. We apologise again but still, we have to reverse for further questioning. I radio to the others that we may be delayed a bit. 10 minutes of more reviewing all the pics on my point-and-click, deleting anything that may look like sensitive info and getting another lecture we are finally allowed to continue.
Phew.
And DOH!
Comparatively the rest of the day’s driving was uneventful. We reach Kampala about 2 hours later and it’s quite clear from the offset that the city is quite mad. Kampala traffic makes Arusha look well planned, organised and streamlined! Lots of little streams of the side of the road, where truck drivers and motorcyclists (bouda-bouda’s, motorbike taxis) have parked their vehicles right in the middle of it for a car wash. The city is staggeringly huge, with rolling hills packed with houses. Marieke mentions that back in the day it was called the city of seven hills. I counted more, but that should give you an idea. Pass the Mandela stadium off to the right. Roll past more shops and houses perched on very unstable looking mounds of dirt. Eventually pull into the Red Chilli camp site. It’s another back packers lodge cum campsite, but it looks less busy here. We decide it’s as good a place as any and setup shop near the gate. A few hours later we realise the error of our ways: there’s a bar right across the road. The others are quite sleep deprived at this point, but Mattie speaks to the bar / restaurant owner and he assures us it will only be noisy till 22:00. Dogs. Lots of barking dogs. Again. No sleep in Uganda, it would seem.
More bad news. Mattie is feeling feverish again, cold sweats etc. May be malaria again, but he reckons it’s food poisoning. We think it’s a simple combo of dehydration, over exposure to the sun and lack of sleep. Nevertheless, he takes a time out. Later we decide we may as well stay here another day, so he can recover and we can all take a load off. The vehicles need attention too, the Ford needs new shocks, the Colt needs a new timing chain, the Toyota needs new oil. We were going to grab a bite to eat at a restaurant, but given Mattie’s condition, we’ll just braai here instead.
Annelie and I take the Bullet for a spin around town, after asking a guide that dropped some folks off at the camp site for directions. We get it wrong and get lost somewhere in some industrial area. The traffic!! THE TRAFFIC!! And the half meter deep potholes! Reminds us of the killer rapids we faced-off yesterday. Man, it’s beyond belief. And when we try to make a u-turn, we find the way back closed off and on detour. Lost in Kampala without a GPS. Or map. Swell.
Good thing I noticed a few landmarks, the Mandela Stadium being a right big one. This time we pass in front of it, so we know we’re going in the right general direction. More landmarks, schools, shanty shacks gives us clues. We locate the campsite shortly before 17:00 and decide to call it a day.
Back at the camp, Mattie is still chilling. Annelie starts feeling that same ol feeling. Walter, the Amoeba, is back. And he’s inviting all his bestest friends north of the colon for a killer banquet in Annelie’s gut. She’s feeling both nauseous and runny at the same time. Walter is back with a vengeance.
Food was great, lamb chops we bought in Karen with salad I had to make (since Annelie was down and out, and drained).
Anecdote: I make fantastic salad.
Back to the hospital tomorrow.
Highlights: NOT being arrested by Ugandan military!
[G & A-Moeba Walter], out
I need a little room to breath
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