The Long And Winding Road
Last night, Stephen and Fred had stressed the importance of being ready on time this morning. We have let a little “African time” mentality seep into our psyche so it was good to be pulled back into line. Our packed bags needed to be at the Lodge reception by 7:30 sharp and we were to be fed and watered and ready to roll at 8:30am. As we pulled up at the slippery ferry wharf, the sweet, melodic sounds of the adungu – a curved Ugandan stringed instrument made of hollowed out wood – were wafting through the warm morning. Two older gentlemen, with a handwritten sign reading “Hot Music in Park” were playing through their extensive repertoire, which was really just one long song. They were delighted to receive tips from our team as they shared their talents from underneath the boughs of my favourite: the sausage tree.
Buses and bodies boarded the ferry that took us directly across the Nile River and we disembarked to find a fabulous souvenir shop and an amenities block. With the pit toilet horrors I’ve endured so far this trip, I decided I’d rather cross my legs than brave another nightmarish ablutions block. The souvenir shop had a treasure trove of African goodies, including beautiful timber bongo drums covered in cow hide, polished cow horns, hand made African rag dolls complete with babies in back pouches, earrings, nose rings, toe rings, key rings, pouches and vouchers, fashion and percussion, postcards and playing cards. The shopkeeper thought it was Christmas when our two busloads of cashed up muzungus piled into his laden little shop.
If the road was not flooded, the plan was for us to view Murchison Falls from the top. Thankfully the road was accessible, despite the high rainfall and we got to experience the sheer power of the Falls from this superb vantage point. The rocky viewing platform allowed us undisturbed (and unfenced) views of this tumultuous aquatic phenomenon. Huge volumes of water gushed in all directions, swirling and rushing toward itself in dramatic splashes, it was incredibly loud and powerful as it made its way over the rocks to spill violently into the Nile River below. It was truly amazing.
The vegetation and landscape over this side of the River Nile was very different to the savanna. Far more like a rainforest, copious members of the monkey family made up for the absence of giraffes and elephants. I wouldn’t have been surprised had Tarzan swung by on a loose jungle vine. As I’ve mentioned previously, our trusty red bus and green bus have bumped us through thick and thin this week, our constant companions on the crazy Ugandan highways. The red bus, with Antonio at the wheel, started making some worrying noises, struggling to get into gear. While we are lucky enough to have a few teachers, a paramedic, a software engineer, a policeman and a frameless glass expert on our team (amongst other things), unfortunately we don’t happen to have a motor mechanic amongst us. It became apparent as we kept driving, that the bus had some issues under the bonnet that couldn’t be swept under the carpet, so to speak. An annoying interruption to our game of I-Spy though it was, we knew there was only one thing to do. We had to get off that bus. Antonio got us to the safety of a little village where all the passengers on the red bus, climbed aboard the already crowded green bus. It was team bonding at its finest, sweaty companions shoulder-to-shoulder, cheek-to-cheek (bottoms straddling a cheek a seat). We were a little bus-shaped can of human-shaped sardines rattling down the bumpy highway. ‘Standing room only’ didn’t apply to this little jam-packed omnibus as there was not a square inch left to stand in.
The countryside was similar along the way. Long horned cattle milled on the side of the road as gravity-defying loads stayed inexplicably in place atop the heads of brightly clad women, resembling tulips with slender moving stems. Run-down dwellings, mostly made of brick, with heavy metal doors and fires burning were home to broods of laughing children, playing with sticks and chasing one another amid clouds of dust.
Wagers were laid on what our eventual arrival time in Kampala might be. Stephen’s first guess, laced with the optimism we’ve grown to love, was 2:30pm. Others more realistically guessed in the vicinity of 5pm. With the variables many, it was anybody’s guess. In the meantime, we savoured the sights, read, snacked and napped, with a couple of pit stops allowing us to unfold ourselves after being so squished and cramped. Josh led a short session of Pilates on the grass, much to the amusement of the young local family of 7 kids, all of whom, confusingly, had names starting with ‘J’ and the brave amongst our number went to the “bathroom”. It was a l-o-n-g day.
Nearing the city of Kampala we were stopped by a bunch of uniformed traffic policemen, checking – of all things – whether our vehicle was overloaded. Uh oh. Before we could say “could you possibly move over, I can’t feel my leg”, we were through! With a wink and a high-five, our overflowing, busting-at the-seams bus had been miraculously waved through the checkpoint. Apparently our driver Ponsiano has friends in high places. It’s not what you know…
Today is Ugandan Independence Day and the streets of Kampala were a hive of activity as we entered the outskirts of the city. Every patch of dirt in this bustling capital is put to use. Razor-wired fences stood guard along the footpath as unpainted buildings in various stages of disrepair were punctuated by the odd plot of corn. Vendors packed the verge with watermelons, lounge chairs, bunk beds, small mountains of clothing and other miscellaneous wares. Loud speakers were pumping music into the street as armies of people on bikes congregated in animated groups. Billboards advertising “Fun Time” and ironically, a plethora of paint companies (they must be going broke) were looming large.
We all let out a collective sigh of relief, none more than Peter and Julianne who were both feeling a little under the weather, to finally get to our hotel around 5:00pm, Sam taking out the honours in the guessing game. Molly and Maisy, as well as Kaye and Adrian, somehow managed to score penthouse suites, complete with massive balconies and their own little lounge rooms. Hopefully the private function by the pool with a love of Bollywood-style doof-doof will wrap up soon so we can all get some shut eye.
