Uganda - Pearl of Africa

My trip to Uganda was on such short notice that I never took the time to read up on the country's info before I left. I have travelled to many places in West Africa, but unfortunately I could not say the same for East Africa. I wasn’t expecting much and my only consolation was the fact that it would only be for two nights and that I would at least be able to communicate in a language I am familiar with. Don’t get me wrong, I love Africa, but thinking about unfriendly immigration officers and traffic jams I thought that staying at home with my family would not have been a bad allternative. I was however curious to see Uganda and thought it would be good chance to do so. I like West Africa, but I could write books about corrupt customs officials, poor service, language barriers, stomach bugs and many other little irritations that you find in these otherwise beautiful countries. My first hindrance would be arriving in Uganda without a visa. In Luanda you can also receive a visa on arrival, but you have to be sure that you are in possession of all the required paperwork first. Despite the fact that you queue for an hour (if you are lucky), they sometimes take your passport from you and only give it back a couple of days later. Parting with my passport is not something I particular like doing in countries where the bribery scheme works better than the national lottery.

We arrived in Entebbe 20 minutes before the scheduled arrival time and contrary to what I was expecting, the visa counters were clearly marked and the queue very short. Obtaining the visa was a walk in the park. The queues for travelers WITH visas were much longer than the queue for travelers without visas and after I paid my 50 USD dollars I could just walk through. This took me about 5 minutes and I couldn’t disagree that traveling without a visa to Uganda is probably a better option than actually arriving with one. The only words spoken by the Immigration official was ‘Welcome to Uganda Sir’. ‘How long will you be staying?’ ‘That will be 50 USD’ and ‘Have a pleasant stay in Uganda’. All done with a big smile. Whenever I arrive back in South Africa and I am not met with a similar smile I almost feel we lose the first opportunity to make people feel welcome in our country. After all this is the "first impression" any tourist gets when he or she enters a foreign country. Now the friendly immigration officer alone made me realize that it is probably true what people say about the friendliness of East Africans compared to West Africans. The friendliness of the immigration officers was something I would find during my whole stay was not restricted to only one particular Ugandan citizen, but to the rest of the population as well.

The 40 km drive from Entebbe to Kampala took about 1 hour and when I reached the Sheraton Hotel I already felt that this country had a lot to offer. The roads were much more organized than what I am used to in other countries in Africa that I have visited, the road signs make sense, the drivers are much more courteous and the service at the hotel really made me feel welcome. Just before we entered Kampala we drove by a huge Coca-Cola bottle in the middle of a roundabout. In most African countries you usually find the statue commemorating some freedom struggle or the plight of the African continent. I had to smile and was wondering what the Coca-Cola Company had to do to get that particular spot, you cannot miss it. I foung it quite appropriate for myself because Coca-Cola has been some sort of comfort drink for me on many trips to Africa. My check-in at the hotel was met with the same enthusiasm that I received at the visa counter. I dropped my bags in my room and went for a couple of beers.

I finished my business the next morning without hassles and took some time off to shop at one of the local markets. Even here I could see the difference between East and West African traders. Walking past the stalls I was greeted politely and when I entered I was overwhelmed by their friendliness. In Cameroon I was nearly trampled alive by desperate stall owners pushing and pulling me in all directions in an effort to convince me that their stall has something better to sell. I guess business is must tougher in Cameroon than in Uganda then. After paying for the few items I mentioned to a friend that if this lady was going to thank me one more time then I'm going to ask her hand in marriage. I cannot imagine any man so lucky to have such a beautiful young woman showing so much appreciation for such a simple deed. After I’ve left I even felt bad for bargaining for a better price.

I usually try some local food whenever I go. I remember my first night in Paris when I ordered McDonalds much to the disappointment of my wife back home. It was late, I was hungry, and the menu was the only one I could understand at that crucial point. I can honestly say that after a couple of trips to France I’ve made up for that little faux pas of my first trip. I can even boast with frog legs on my list now. I was advised by a friend back home to try the fish from Lake Victoria, so I went for Tilapia. I can definitely recommend it. There were some interesting meats on the menu as well, but being a South African I have tried many of them before; crocodile, bush buck, springbok, to name but a few. I think the food in Uganda won’t disappoint a good trencherman and it reminded me a lot of what we eat back home. The evening at The Lawns Restaurant was well worth and a live African Jazz band under a hot African sky contributed to the ambience. I couldn’t stay late though because my flight back to Johannesburg was leaving very early the next morning so I headed back after my meal was finished. It was a very short trip and I am sure that I’ve only scratched the surface of what Uganda has to offer. I am pretty sure that I will go back there one day and explore a bit more.