Daytrip to Kampala

I went on a daytrip to Kampala recently. I visited the museum and then a large mosque which is the second largest in Africa. Both of these were quite interesting and I learned a bit more about Ugandan history. The museum seemed dark, dingy and low budget but I later learned that this was due to a blackout (a common occurrence in Kampala) which killed all the lights. It wasn't huge but I really enjoyed the museum.

The mosque was interesting. It was nice inside, especially the chandelier type stuff hanging off the ceiling. The ceiling itself looked painted but was actually all carved as well. I particularly liked the large tower which allowed a great view of the capital. I was really surprised with how undeveloped it is. There are no skyscrapers and no obvious CBD.

The most developed view of Kampala

I walked quite a bit through various parts of Kampala as well and I can’t say I liked it. I’m strongly leaning towards spending my last free week in Mukono after this day. The problem was that it was just really crowded and the air was more polluted. I prefer the more relaxed and simple Mukono. The only advantage was the common and cheap western food which Mukono lacks. Though overall I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay there especially since it’d probably be more expensive. I guess the last factor will be the travel buddies I met and where they will stay but even so, it’s just a one hour bus to Kampala.

A really strange peculiarity about Kampala is how many reasonably busy sidewalks have uncovered manholes in the middle of them. I am certain many people fall into them by accident as they are just everywhere without warning. Some are small, some are huge and one was even filed with water giving it a deceptively flat appearance. Interestingly, one nightclub in Mukono had a similar thing which was funnier since alcohol and darkness don’t mix well with random holes in the ground. My fellow volunteer Cynthia even fell into the same one twice!

A typical Kampala street with regular manhole traps