We arrived at the hotel last night to be greeted by a power cut. We were shown to my room by candlelight and the first impression was of size; it had a sitting area with a sofa and two chairs as well as an enormous bed and the largest wardrobes I have ever seen. William checked all the security bars and doors, which made me even more worried, then they left me to the Bates hotel!  In fact by the light of day it was absolutely fine, if slightly dilapidated. I was wakened by the gardener sweeping up leaves the same way as the people who  sweep the road side; with a large bunch of twigs.

From my room

After a rather peculiar breakfast I settled down to read before my taxi  came but the next occupants arrived, complete with sixteen suitcases so I made my exit and went to wait in the refined, rarified atmosphere of Entebbe airport. It all went very quickly downhill from thereon. The flight was delayed by two hours, but I was assured that the connection would be held , we were given vouchers for lunch and then at 2.30 they announced that the flight was cancelled! Chaos ensued as we had to reclaim baggage and wait for the airline to allocate us to taxis either to their hotel or back home. So twenty hours after leaving home for Zanzibar I returned to William and Gemma's appartment! I am assured that we will be on the flight tomorrow and they will be sending a car for me......

To help make up for the disappointment William and Gemma had kindly organised dinner out. (Especially thoughtful as Liverpool v Man City was being shown live on tv.) We went to the Khana Kazana for a delicious curry then did a little late night shopping for (European) ice cream  all of which helped to restore my sense of humour!

So, Zanzibar tomorrow! 

 (Blog suspended until Saturday when I return (dv) to Kampala.)

Back at the Kampala International School for a Christmas fair. Amazingly I bumped into someone I used to know twenty years ago in Miri! Good to catch up though. We watched a super childrens' choir and an African dance group of teenagers,very lively indeed!

Part of the campus

and the eight lane 50m   pool

Off to Zanzibar tomorrow but having discovered that the road to the airport will be closed for the Kampala marathon I decided it would be easier to stay in Entebbe tonight. Unfortunately many other people have obviously decided the same and it was very much no room at the inn. After ages on the phone I have managed to find somewhere... more later......

Our plans for a barbecue round the pool were scuppered by rain but a barbecue on the balcony proved a good alternative.

I have no idea what the internet connection will be like in Zanzibar, but will be back when I can!

After a morning reading and swimming this afternoon we went to Wamala Tomb, 12 km northwest of Kampala.

The road to Hoima

One of the means of earning a living in the villages is making bricks, by hand, out of the clay. They are then stacked to dry usually with palm leaves over the top to prevent the top ones drying out too quickly.

We had to leave the tar road and drive for a couple of miles up the hills until we got to the tomb, and were met by our guide who broke off from tending her garden and changed into her "uniform". She insisted we sign the visitors book - the last visitors were in September.

The tomb is the former palace and resting place of Kakaba (King) Mutesa 1's father who died in 1856. He was a keen hunter and had a sizeable menagerie of lions, leopards, elephants etc.( Mutesa's tomb was apparently bigger and more impressive but it was burnt down a couple of years ago and, despite it being a major historical site, nothing has been done to restore it.)

Noting the concrete floor and supporting beams William was very sceptical but in fact I found it fascinating. There was a curtain screening the tomb, beyond which we were not allowed to go but the construction of the hut was amazing. The roof was made by coils of some sort of grass, used as beams placed in circles with more grasses plaited in.

The roof was held up by whole tree trunks. In front of the tomb was a collection of the king's spears and shields.

Sadly the place has fallen into disrepair and it seems  a shame to lose such an important part of the past. The roof was falling down in places and consequently the tomb had recently been flooded with the rain.
Leaving the hut we were asked to back out of the royal presence. An amazing place but I wonder if it will still be there in a few years....

Back in Kampala this evening we went to a quiz night at the Kampala International School whose campus would put many universities to shame. The quiz was in aid of a new school development some way out of Kampala;  the total build budget  for a main hall for 600 students, dormitory for 50 students, classrooms, kitchen, staff house and washroom block plus a bore hole and pump for clean water is £100,000! All the labour is given free. 100 exercise books can be purchased for £16  and text books for a whole year group cost £280. It is really quite humbling.

Incidentally we were only a few points behind the winners. We had some French diplomatic staff on our team so kept up the Gallic connection!

Today I returned to the Tanzanian Commission to get my passport back, complete with visa. We then went on to a superb Belgian patisserie for lunch; far too much temptation! On the way back we called at several of the local roadside pottery stalls to select some more pots for my garden. (To come back in the shipping.)

We came across a man transporting this coffin on a motor bike. Note the viewing window!

This being the end of the rainy season we have had a couple of very heavy rainstorms today, reminding me very much of the rainy season in Malaysia. The sky in the picture of Emin Pasha where we went for tea says it all.

Another two contrasts:

The cafe at the end of the road;

and the one in the shopping centre.

William went off to play football and Gemma was doing some work so it was very quiet and I have just been sitting on the balcony watching the kites circling and drifting overhead. They seem to appear every evening around dusk and this evening there were about sixteen of them all covering the same patch.  The electricity then went down (again) and the generator came on breaking the silence. Apparently Prince Edward was here at the High Commission a couple of weeks ago and when he had gone the newspapers reported that he was going to solve the problem of electrical supply in Uganda! Keep trying YRH.

I had to go to the Tanzanian High Commission this morning to get a visa for Zanzibar  (everything "official" seems to cost $50....) and thought I would take a few contrast photos. So;

The Garden City Shopping Mall

and shops on Namirembe Hill

and downtown

Rush hour in the leafy suburbs

and on the Jinja Road

  I managed to get myself lost this afternoon whilst walking down to the (not so local!)shops. Fortunately I have a Ugandan sim card and could call for directions but was getting rather tired of "Hello muzungu" every five minutes. ; I started to laugh at the thought of greeting people in London, "Hello black person". In fact it is a perfectly pleasant and acceptable greeting here. (Well, white person.)  

I was very pleased in a patriotic way to find the our CD plates are CD1 ; with other embassies taking the numbers after.  The Americans are CD2 !!  Apparently, with money, any number plate is OK. I have seen THE BOSS and YASSER on different cars so far.  Most people tend to drive 4WD simply because the roads are so awful.

Just because I like the photo I include one of the smiling faces of Uganda.

This morning I visited the National Museum of Uganda. Arriving early they said I could go in as long as I didn't mind the cleaners, so I had the whole museum to myself! It is a rather basic museum with none of the elaborate displays which we take for granted, but there were some interesting artefacts; pottery, textiles and a large section of musical instruments. There was also a copy of Stanley's letter to The Telegraph. Henry Stanley met King Mutesa, the King of Buganda in April 1875. After sharing the story of Christianity with the king, Mutesa became very enthusiastic and asked Stanley to write to Queen Victoria asking her to send missionaries.

In the grounds of the museum were several different types of the round houses once common in Uganda.

The next stop was Old Kampala Hill which was the original site of Kampala founded by Captain Lugard in 1890 but now is home to a large mosque. The money to build it was supplied by Colonel Gadaffi and is known as the Gadaffi mosque... 

It seemed a logical step to next visit the Anglican cathedral. I was  the only Muzungu (white person) walking in this area and it seems that Ugandans do not go in for litigation as there were enormous open manholes in the middle of the pavements, totally unprotected and an ever present danger to all pedestrians. I certainly would not like to have to walk along them in the dark.

The cathedral is the fourth on the site and was rebuilt in the 1990s but sadly the roof is already leaking.  It is very plain and simple inside  and the views from the grounds are amazing.

Having done so much walking I was now ready for my first boda boda experience. It was terrifying! Halfway to my destination downtown it began to rain very heavily and we had to take shelter under one of the shops.As well as weaving in and out of the horrendous traffic they also have to avoid the many potholes in the roads. Most of the local ladies ride side saddle but I was having none of that  and clung on with everything available! Very exciting and exhilarating (once successfully completed ) however.

After visiting the parliament buildings I was ready for my second boda ride and an afternoon reading by the pool. I do like Uganda!

 Gemma and William had to work today so after they had gone I swanned around their apartment pretending I lived here (I could easily) then tried to work off the chocolate souffle with half an hour on the treadmill. Having forgotten how to occupy myself whilst the maid clears up around me I took myself off to the pool for a swim and some sunbathing. William came home unexpectedly for lunch and summoned me back to the flat by throwing a water bomb from his balcony over the palm trees into the pool beside me. All those outfielder skills still coming in useful!

This afternoon I went for a walk around Kololo hill where William and Gemma live and saw some fabulous houses and apartments. Why do embassies have to be so huge and opulent? Obviously security is a big problem as you can see from the huge gates and rolls of wire. Every plot has its own security guard, usually armed, who patrols day and night. Having said that I felt very safe wandering around.

One of the main modes of transport is the boda boda, basically a man on a motorbike. Several stopped me on my walk and offered me a ride but, being unable to distinguish between a boda boda and simply a man on a motor bike, I thought it prudent to decline, anyway I was out for a walk! At the top of the hill  the view over Kampala was spectacular and I could even see Lake Victoria in the distance.

After church we went off in search of currency-around 3,900 Ugandan shillings to the pound!- then went to the local supermarket.

We spent the afternoon in true expat style round the pool at the British High Commission; sunshine, sun loungers and a nice cool drink-and it was lovely to meet some of William and Gemma's friends.
The day ended well with a meal at The Mediterraneo, an Italian restaurant whose chocolate souffle was amazing!

Uganda

I went to bed last night with the lights of Kampala spread out before me. My bedroom has floor to ceiling windows onto the balcony and an amazing view of the city from Kololo hill. This morning I awoke to the sound of parrots, macaws and monkey birds as well as the sounds which I associate with Kampala; a bustling busy city yet with cockerels crowing in backyards giving a distinctly rural touch.

We went to the Kampala International Church, Bugolobi; the first time I have been to a church recently where the average age was under 40 and the congregation numbered about 100. It is an offshoot of a larger church and the service was held outdoors in the grounds of the Ambrosoli International School. Wonderful singing led by an American guitarist and his Ugandan assistant, aged about 9 also on guitar, with a choir to lead the way. They made me feel very welcome and I really enjoyed the service. There were American, Dutch and English members of the congregation as well as Ugandans.

Travelling through the city I was struck again at the number of people walking about; every road has scores of people walking along often for miles and miles, and all looking very smart and well dressed. (Apparently Ugandans are well known for taking pride in their appearance.) On the roads too we saw many of the laden bicycles - drums of oil, tens of chickens, sometimes whole corner shops all balanced precariously around the cyclist.