'I FOUND A KIND OF PARADISE IN UGANDA'

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Before the summer of 2018, I did not believe it was possible to fall in love with a place. Now I do. I took a trip to Uganda with my friend Harriet, mainly out of boredom – too much time to spare and an eternal search for sunrises. 

I was born and raised in Kenya but I never really gave much thought to the other countries in the East African region; and even when I said I wanted to see the world; I meant oversees. But, as luck would have it, I had an opportunity to travel in Uganda from Jinja, through Kampala to Hoima.

Awestruck by Jinja town
After 12 hours on the bus we finally arrived at our stop in Jinja town at 5am. Left in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed to me, amazingly at that hour, we got swamped by a number of motorcycles. The riders were offering to deliver us from the cold morning air to our home. 

Harriet negotiated and soon we were both on the bikes, speeding toward her home. It was, thankfully, a short fun ride. Two cups of tea later, I fell into a deep asleep. Harriet woke me up at 10am. She was going into town and wanted to know if I wanted to go with her.

Of course, I wanted to. I jumped out of bed, had more tea, took a cold shower to wake me up in the absence of coffee and then, stepped outside the house. At the front porch, I looked out at the magnificence of Lake Victoria. It is quite to a view to wake up to. 

Jinja town has the makings of any small town in Kenya. We ran a few errands and headed to the forex bureau, and then the market. The market is under a roof, well organised and with no fishy smell. But the best part is the fresh produce and affordable pricing.

I was overwhelmed by the food. I bought only what I had not eaten much of back at home – matooke, cassava, a big watermelon and a pineapple. I was eager to get home and find out if they tasted as good as they looked. I will tell you this; buy a lot of them when you are there. 

I took time to visit Lake Victoria. It is beautiful and in the words of my motorbike rider, “That thing is huge!” I also visited the Source of the Nile. Wow! After two days in Jinja, we were off to Hoima. As we were leaving the town, we crossed the Nile through a breathtaking view. It is so beautiful I could hardly believe my own eyes.

A day in Jinja
We were in Kampala in an hour’s time, thanks to the Sunday traffic. When we arrived in Hoima, I kept busy eating food with plenty of groundnut sauce and rice. I went around the town, ate more fruits and we were on our way back to Kampala the next morning. 
An early start guaranteed that we would avoid the morning traffic. The magical moment happened at 6:53am – a magnificent sunrise. The sun displayed its might, shinning bright orange before emerging like a giant bright yellow circle. I stared at it until I could not see anymore. That moment made an otherwise long trip seem so short and meaningful.

Excited to see Kampala
After three hours on the road, we were in Kampala. I very excited to see the capital. So far all the other places had made a wonderful impression. Kampala did not disappoint. It is a buzz of activity; busy as expected of any capital city. After a morning of errands and gloomy weather; the afternoon turned into a semi-sunny time of exploration. 

I was at this point so happy to see a coffee shop; I went in for a cappuccino; which without a doubt is the best cup of coffee I have ever had. With the threat of a downpour, we rushed through the streets to buy a bus ticket to Nairobi. 

Afterwards, we headed to Naalya where our host for the night lives. It was there that I learned how to greet like a Muganda lady – on my knees. Our host happens to come from Toro Kingdom which was involved in a news story that was the talk of the night. After dinner and a lively three hour debate about moral values, we went to bed past midnight. 

I did not want to leave. While everyone was asking me if I was happy to be going back home, I was assuring them that I had found a new home in Uganda. 

It was actually sad to be leaving rather so soon but I will return for a longer stay in my kind of paradise for I long to see the green terrains, gaze at the Nile, walk in Mabira forest, revisit the lakes, eat the fresh food and drink the wonderful coffee again.

Local tourism

Uganda is gifted by nature but it takes the truly objective mind to see it. Right from the outskirts of the city, as you drive along the highways, you are surrounded by a kind of greenery that makes you feel at peace. This is a far cry from the maddening crowd of Kampala. 

You do not have to spend a lot of money to travel to the national parks to see the beauty of this country. Just take time to sit at a secluded spot near Lake Victoria and you will learn to appreciate its beauty.

Sometimes, though, it is a foreigner who wakes us up to the splendor of our environment.
By Peter Godwin.




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