Why you should visit Kampala.

Kampala is  known as one of the safest cities in Africa. It is a place you can move around around without feeling threatened. I have seen some foreigners move out and about even at night. People are always friendly and ready to help just in case you ask for it. Some people refer Kampala as the city of East Africa just because it’s lively and full of life. People love life and they take every day as it comes.

Kampala road, one of the streets in Kampala.

If you are a foreigner expect to be called as you look like; Mzungu for White, Muchina/ for Chinese or Asian looking. And this does not mean anything racist, it is how you are referred to and you will get used to it.  They will call you to greet you or offer a service or simply take a photo of them if you look like a photographer. And if for example a “boda boda man” bike rider tries to offer you a service and you are not interested, he will not persist by pestering you. It is kind of annoying when someone forces a service upon you that you do not want.

This seller on the right asked if he could be in the photo.

Kampala is one of the busiest cities in Africa, it has about a population of 1.9million people or so. People are out and about doing their work and then there is the traffic with cars and vehicles everywhere It can get exhausting to go through this busy city and all the noise around but it’s an experience one should not miss and the seeming chaos actually has a charm and attractiveness to it since you will not find it anywhere else.

There are rules and laws of the city.  But not all are followed and that applies to the traffic rules. Drivers are stubborn, traffic lights are not followed and some are not functioning, so you the pedestrian you have got to figure it somehow, on how to cross. Fortunately, of late the Police is doing a good job curbing drunk driving in the city.

You will go a day within this city without having any of your belongings or money stolen, just hang on tight to your bag and that will solve the problem.

Busy down town town Kampala.

The old taxi park.

There are varieties of restaurants and cafes to eat from while in the city. If you do not want to eat local cuisine, you can eat Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Thai and so many other cuisines. The coffee is great for the coffee lovers as you all know we have lots of it in Uganda, even though most Ugandans drink Tea which we call Chai.

One of the coffee shops in the city, you can also do shopping if you wish so.

The social life is very good here, there are a variety of bars and clubs, entertaining theaters where you can watch some comedies and plays, salsa dancing classes, Poetry and book clubs, Cinemas etc.

Enjoying the view of Kampala.

 In this city,  you will never be alone.

Welcome to Kampala – the one City  in Africa that never sleeps.

The dog walking experience.

When a client contacted me and asked about the walking tour, I was happy to give him all the details he wanted. But then there was one thing, he said he wanted to come with his dog. I asked my self; "How are going to do this?".
I started thinking of all the routes that we could use which had less people and of which we could do the tour on day like Sunday because it is much easier to do the walking tour. But then the client said his dog would go any where, I didn't have to worry about changing the routes. The tour was actually done on a Saturday.  The dog was a beautiful Labrador of about two years and half called Zeus.

 

 

The seller playing with Zeus.

We started our tour quite well, we reached the first market and some people were wondering why we hada dog with us. Some people were agitated with this peaceful dog thinking it could harm them. The thing is, in Uganda dogs are mostly trained for security purposes and they are quite scary. So most people think all dogs are the same. But we kept convincing them the dog was friendly and peaceful and then they would try to touch Zeus to prove it. They fell in love with him once they realised he was actually cool and calm. We took a break at this market for a bit for him to take some water.

Zeus got himself a bright colored necklace.

 

 

 Cuddling Zeus.

 

We continued our trip on Kampala streets and people kept giving us space to walk because of the fear of the dog. But this is one of the tours I have enjoyed, peoples' reactions and walking this wonderful and most behaved dog was great. It taught me a lot about how people think of animals or dogs. I think we need more pet culture in Uganda. We need to give more love to these animals.
When we passed in Owino market people thought we were selling. We got comments like; "Are you selling?", "How much can I give you?", "What a beautiful dog!", "What do you feed it on?", and so on. There were still some people who were agitated.
We later had another break for him to take some water. He was really tired.

Relaxing time.

Posing for a photo with Zeus.

 All in all, this was a good experience. Zeus was very strong than I expected, he gave me a good work out with my arms we kept switching him.
If you ever want to walk your dog, write to us. Lets find him/her a different route than yours to see Kampala. Dogs need to see their city, don't they?

The sweetness in walking.

I have come across people wondering how I do this. I am talking about the walking. They wonder how I walk from the city to the Buganda palace. My answer is always " I love walking, Its healthy and I can manage to do it." Well, I think most people in my country are lazy, we are used to boarding taxis or using "boda bodas" bikes. Most of my friends are like that, they would rather get a taxi from Kampala road to Jinja road than walking. One time a man told me "I can't believe you are girl and you are doing kind of work like a man does, its good of you." I smiled and told him walking is not that hard as people make it seem to be.
There are many advantages in walking if only we took time.

If we took off time to walk everyday, these are the advantages.

 Most of the people walked on the tours are older and it is impressive that they are still energetic to do that. I have heard that abroad people walk and do a lot of cycling, hence keeping the bones strong and active. Well,, who doesn't want stronger bones and joints?

Lets ditch the taxis and "boda bodas" (Bikes) some times and walk.

I know the roads in Kampala are challenging to have a walk, but if you have been around for a while, you get used to how things work. I have often forced my friends to walk with me but it comes with whining, that it is my job and that is why I am not bothered. But I always win. And I enjoy walking with clients because a group walk is less tiring and more fun. Could not ask for more exercising.

Walkers are happy people.

Everybody who enjoys walking, why not join me? You will no regret it. Happy walking.

The grasshopper, one of Uganda's favorite snack.

I was thinking to my self that I should have written this blog in November, because its a month of grasshoppers. The Baganda, one of the tribes in Uganda named the month of November as "Musenene" meaning grasshopper because that's the time when they fly in. 

It is one of the most awaited months of the year because people rip big from selling these grasshoppers and they get a lot of money. And we always want to eat them too.  I my self can never have enough grasshoppers once I start eating them, there is something special about them that keeps you wanting to have more. Good for me because it means I tend to get more protein in the month of November.

A lady in the market starting preparation of the grasshoppers.

Some people who have never eaten grasshoppers at first thought always think that we eat them row. But that's not the case. Once they are hunted, you have to pluck off its wings, its long jumping and walking legs and the antennas. Wash the the remaining of the grasshoppers, put a pan of fire and pour them in. If they start turning brown, put some little oil because they have fat themselves and onions, you can as well put some tomatoes if you want. Put some salt to taste. If they are completely brown, they are ready to be eaten. 

Sometimes grasshoppers are mixed in the ground nut sauce and eaten with food. Very tasty! 

Buying grasshoppers from a street vendor.

During my walks, I always want everyone to try out these grasshoppers because I would not want anyone to miss such a taste. The facial expression they give is like "no where in this world I would eat a grasshopper!". But I don't give up easily in convincing people to try. I always tell them to at least close their eyes and try one grasshopper. And if that is done, they are surprised by the taste. They always ask for more. Or sometimes they are like, "they are actually not bad!" It is always good to know I did not try for nothing.

Before trying out the grasshopper with closed eyes.

After giving it a try, there is a smile and he is having one more.

 So I say to you all, don't let this chance pass you of having more protein and trying something new. We still got lots of grasshoppers in December. Eat them!

The friendly Ugandan.

Uganda is known to be one of the countries with the friendliest people in the world. It is so simple to fit in when you are new to the country. And its not like people are only friendly to the foreigners, they are good to each other all in all. A Ugandan person is one who will find you on the street and strike a conversation with you for the first time.

A few weeks ago I was walking a friend to the road and my room keys feel in a trench with a metallic cover which no one could open. Then two men approached us for help, one of them went to bring a stick to pull out the key but it was in vain. The second man went and brought another longer stick with some nails so the he could fix them to my key rings and pull them out, and with that, we were successful. I was so happy at how these people were kind to me and very willing to help yet I did not know them.

I have met some nice and friendly people during my tours, and some who are not nice one too. Not everyone can ever be good. Mostly people in markets are not quite friendly and I understand it. Maybe some are frustrated because they have not made sales for the day, and hence will not be happy with anyone. But there are nice people whom you ask to take pictures of their items and they will gladly allow you. Some will show interest in where you are from, they always ask questions like;

"Are you from America?" because they think most of the foreigners are from the U.S.A.

The people I walked on this day kindly asked if they would take pictures of the butchery and they were accepted.

On other occasion some people were calling us to taking pictures of them with their products. I was like, this is different, I mean no one would call you to have a picture with them or of them. But its always nice to make people feel at home in a foreign land. It makes it easier for people to interact with each other.

This man Kindly asked me to take pictures of him with the "walkers".

I always like teaching the basics of the local language to the people I walk with because they are the most greeted and called out on the street like;

"Mzungu, how are you or Oli otya? And people would want them to reply in the local language. So while on the go, I teach the "walkers" how to greet and how to say thank you and the sort.

And don't be offended when you are called "Mzungu" which means "White".  It is just a simple way of being referred to a foreigner with no hidden agenda.

Chatting away.

All can I say is feel free while in Uganda, and I promise you will want to come back the next time. I have seen that happen to my friends, they enjoy Uganda and they always return. Talk about its nature, good weather and the nice people.

Are you an art lover?

Last weekend I was bored at home and then decided to go check out some art galleries. Something I had not done in a year and , I tell you it was worth it. It was breath taking to see all the new stock  I had not seen. If I wash rich I would buy all the cool art pieces I saw in there. We have got quite a good number of galleries in the city and good talent for those who do the cool art pieces. I was not allowed to take pictures in the galleries, except for one art gallery. So you will forgive me I wont have any pictures to share about what I saw. But it is worth to check out these galleries.

At one of the art galleries.

If you enjoy art, I will be providing "Art tours" if you want to check out and do some shopping at some of the galleries. You can also order for something to be done if you want it so, rather than buying something already made. 

Displayed art pieces.

I am not gonna write much about this but if you would want souvenir art pieces from Uganda or just some good art work to hang in your house. Just let me know. I my self got something small and I am not about to stop yet. Even when you are not buying anything, it gives such a good feeling to look at these beautiful art pieces. I guess that's what art is about.

Information about the tour

Well I just realised that most of the tours in Uganda are used by road transport or water and nothing was used by our legs. And if you have a walk around an area you have never been before, you get to witness more and experience more with the locals. I have been doing this for five weeks and I love it actually. I have learnt more about the people I walk with and how things are done in their countries and I am always pleased to teach them about my city and country at large. History is told of how things were done back in the day up to where we are now. I also like jokers, I have walked with some funny people and the laughter shared always make the walks less tiring.

This is Uganda's independence monument. It was unveiled on October 5th 1962, four days before the independence day.

The good thing about the walks is that you are exercising and sightseeing. The more hills encountered on the way will surely make you feel like you are exercising, which is alright I guess. You know Kampala is a city of seven hills, so it is hard not to find any during the walks. It is best you are well prepared with your walking shoes.

The statue of "Kabaka" King Edward Muteesa 1, the first President of Uganda.

There are two types of tours. The six hour tour and the four hour tour. You choose what suits you.

The areal view of the Old taxi park.

Beautiful display of fabric in a shop.

The girls negotiating prices with the seller.

To access the mosques and the Palace, you will have to part with 10,000 shillings each, which is about 4$.

Taking some time off.

Entrance to the Gadaffi Mosque.

Do not be fooled, these are not Arabs but rather European girls, at the entrance you are dressed like this people touring the mosque.  The attire is available for the females.

I do not like to dictate the walks, so if you do not want to do any of the above tell me what you want to do around the city and it will be done. For example you might want to check out all the worship houses around the city,food tour, you might want to do a pub crawl at night and I will be your mate and so on.

The Kabaka's lake with a small Island.

At the Kabaka's palace.

The walks are either done early in the morning or in the afternoon. The meeting point is at the post office since it is easy to find and very accessible. But how ever if you have difficulties in finding it, you can be contacted on your cell and something is done about it.