Golden oldies, a must when in Arua

Many of us with regular 8-5 workdays (sometimes longer depending on what one does) need a little breathing room out of 'that box' called an office. It may be a spacious corner office with two 'bus-sized' French windows, but every now and then some of us need to get out and breath or taste the sanity (or insanity, which ever way you look at it) that is outside of the grind of the workplace - just to let loose or unwind!

I know of quite a few people whose preferred unwinding technique is to pick up a good book and read it from cover-to-cover. Others prefer to lace up their running shoes and simply pound the road (actually, this is recommended for the able-bodied for it has many physiological and health benefits). Some will unwind with music. They will play their favorite selections from CDs, phones, ipods and of course tapes (yes, those 'Side A and Side B' things still do exist in these parts, even in this dotage!). And then some, myself included, like some of both music and sports.

Arua, the town, is quite a unique place. It has a blend of people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, and not to miss a beat, Uganda - oh well, East Africa! I'm sure there are people from the other AU and UN nations as well. In short, Arua is a melting pot of sorts. And believe it or not there is a place for each and every folk in Arua to go and unwind, irrespective of their tastes, likes and preferences. There is certainly a niche for the noise lover, quiet lover (noise hater) and the in-between to hang out.

As for me, I'm an in-between kind of guy, leaning towards the quiet. I found the perfect niche that suits my senses not far from my place of abode. The place is called Heritage Courts, located in Anyafio adjacent to West Nile Golf Club. It is reasonably large with a spacious dinning room, exquisite lawn, two gazebo-styled shades, and one large mini conference-sized balcony. The place has multiple large flat screen televisions for sports fans and news fans alike. However, what takes me there is their live band, the Flamingo Band, that plays on weekends (Fridays-Sundays). Flamingo Band's specialty is the oldies, the sweet golden oldies! Amilo (Tabu Ley), Mario, Transpolo (Franco), De Mi Amour (Franco and Madilu), Frere Edourd, Fanta Rumba (Madilu) - remember those? These and similar hits help me unwind especially after a long week (by the way, each of them can take you on a 10-km ride when on the road - they are great for long distance trips). Did I mention that the core of the band is Congolaise? They know how to string their stuff, literally! 

As far as recommendations go, I would definitely recommend Heritage Courts to those oldies lovers who ever venture to Arua. I must add, I discovered this place with a very special lady who makes my heart beat and my globe rotate! This has become our place and our band. 

Ah, oldies never get old!

The entrance to Heritage Courts. Great avenue that is welcoming!

A portion of the garden with the performing stage in the background.

The Flamingo Band performing on stage.

A close-up of some of the band's members.

Not so sweet jam in the city

We all love fruit jam (at least many people I know), but not traffic jam! If you live in Kampala or its suburbs, I'm sure you would agree with that assessment or can identify with what I'm talking about.

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. The city is quite a colorful, vibrant place, especially on week days when a sea of people and vehicles fill up every open space! On a busy day, one gets the impression that the population of the city is either a misrepresentation or an underestimation. In most cases the number of people seem to double (it could be just an illusion!) probably because of commuters from neighboring cities or towns like Jinja, Lugazi, Mukono, Kajjansi, Entebbe, Bombo, etc. Many of the commuters are employees in the city while others are traders and/or venders. 

When 'padding' is the faster option of managing the jam. Pedestrians walk past a line of vehicles stuck in a traffic jam.

With all the commuters comes a corresponding rise in the volume of traffic (way too many vehicles!). Unfortunately, our road networks and systems are too archaic and outdated to handle the rise in vehicles. Factor in haphazard driving - the law of the jungle or survival of the craziest (which ever suits you) - and you have a mess! Many of the motorists that I've observed are careless or insensitive drivers (or both) who feel they have the right-of-way at all traffic intersections. Commuter minivan drivers are the main culprits here. They have a habit of weaving in-and-out of traffic lanes with total disregard for other motorists. Some will even straddle lanes, just for the heck of it!

Another group of vehicles that are now a staple of the city (and most towns in Uganda for that matter) are the passenger motorcyclists. They are locally known as boda-boda riders (or simply boda-boda). The boda-bodas are very handy in certain situations, for instance, if one is running late and must make it to an important appointment no matter what, then they are the best bets. However, they can be a nuisance to public safety in my opinion. Well, they tend to break almost all traffic regulations. In traffic they will pop up from nowhere and freak the heck out of an unsuspecting motorist (these guys can cause even the strongest of hearts an attack one day!). At traffic intersections, they often congregate in front of vehicles and shoot in every-which-way to get a head start irrespective of whether they have the green light or not (sometimes it amazes and amuses me in equal measure just seeing them do their thing). They have an insane habit of riding very close to pedestrians. Why? I have absolutely no idea! Because of this habit, two people that I know have had a limb broken each, by reckless boda-bodas on two separate occasions while they walked.

Having careless drivers and insensitive commuter minivan drivers is bad enough for a traffic jam. Now for the worst case scenario, throw boda-bodas into the mix during rush hour. What do you get? A thick, heavy traffic stew of traffic mayhem! It's worse following a rainstorm! How can this problem be solved? For starters, getting citizens to obey traffic rules by, say, driving in an orderly manner. Then building modern roads that are wide with multiple lanes.

A traffic officer attempts to solve the ever-present  traffic  puzzle during  rush hour.

I got caught in a traffic jam not long ago. I was from a meeting at one end of the city and was heading to the end of the city through downtown. On a normal day this cross-town trip often takes, at most, 15 minutes. I departed from my meeting location at exactly 4:30 PM, traffic was flowing normally. I thought to myself "well, at this rate I'll arrival at my destination around 4:50-ish PM. Little did I know that there was a pile up ahead. All roads leading into and out of the city were packed with vehicles bumper-to-bumper. This turned out to be but a normal day! By the time I had realized what was happening, it was too late to turn back to use an alternate route (alternate routes are longer, but often faster). 

Moving at break-neck speed, tortoise style! The traffic was so thick that "N" was the only gear to engage for long periods or even turning the vehicle off. It can be frustrating, but happy thoughts and music make good company in such a case. 

Traffic inched its way forward - at a tortoise's pace - as the clock ticked daylight away. Motorists honked their horns at every opportunity to hasten the pace, but to no avail. Some were visibly agitated, but that didn't make the situation any better. Music from one of the radio stations kept me company. And happy thoughts, too! I checked the clock and noticed that 2 hours had elapsed yet I hadn't made it out of downtown yet.

Bumper-to-bumper days! This is commonplace in Kampala during morning and evening rush hour on weekdays.

Which way now? Even 'boda-bodas' that are usually adept at beating traffic jams sometimes get stuck, too. 

Caught some great sights like this one, which I wouldn't have otherwise  seen. The traffic jam has a good side to it after all!

I finally made it to my destination well after 3 hours! I have a general motto (for time-keeping) - 'start early to arrive in time'! A 'stitch in time...' so to speak. Unfortunately, on this particular day it didn't work, not because I set off late, but because of factors beyond me! I haven't given up on it though.

Kabale, the land of many hills

Kabale is located in southwest Uganda, approximately 420 km (260 mi) from Kampala (by road), and sits at 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level. It was the destination of our visit mid this month. The visit was very special -- to witness the wedding ceremony of a dear friend, a friendship that goes way back to our college days (boy, that last part sounds ancient!). Being the road warriors that we are (personally, I'd take a good road trip any day!), we set off on this trip at 1:00 AM on a Friday, aboard a Rwanda-bound bus. The tiring events of the previous day (Thursday to be precise) saw to it that sleep beckoned as soon as the bus pulled out of the terminal.

Kabale town (in the far distance) nestled among hills.

The first part of the trip from Kampala to Mbarara was uneventful, but quite a smooth ride owing to the good state of the road. The bus made a small stop-over in Mbarara for "interested" passengers to perform their respective bodies's biological functions. The second part of the trip (from Mbarara to Kabale) resumed shortly thereafter. I must have fallen asleep somewhere when the trip resumed because I was awoken by a gust of very cold air at around 4:00 AM. I peered out the bus windows, but there was nothing to see except a thick blanket of fog. The winding climb to Kabale had begun! The bus engine hummed as it made a steady climb up the hills. The higher we climbed the colder it got! When we finally got to the summit of the highest hill, we began the final leg of our trip -- descending to Kabale town.

Animals graze on a hillside.

A church and a homestead on a slope. The communities here live in harmony with the environment.

On arrival we took a cab (driven by Steven, a jovial fellow) to our hotel, checked-in, and had breakfast. After our rest, we sought out Steven to give us a quick tour of Kabale. One of the many spectacular things about Kabala is the breathtaking scenery. It has so many hills, each with its unique picturesque features. In fact, the landscape looks as if it was taken out of a postcard! Because the hills are so many, Kabale is locally referred to as the Switzerland of Africa!

Mist as seen here is an integral part of the morning.

A site worth visiting while in Kabale (if one has time, that is) is Lake Bunyonyi, about 7 km (4.3 mi) from Kabale town. This lake is nestled among hills and sits above Kabale town. This lake is so calm and peaceful, but it has neither fish nor other waters of any kind - quite interesting! (I'm sure there is a why question somewhere there, but the answer to that is for another day!).

Beauty and the tranquil!

Enjoying the breeze on a diving plank on Lake Bunyonyi

Following our tour, we prepared for our main objective of the trip, the wedding ceremony, which took place the following day (Saturday afternoon). It was a good and well-attended one (Congratulations and happy trails to the couple!).

Excited about the lake!

L-R: Alfred, Robert (the groom) and Patrick (the bestman).
All three were college classmates back in the day.

We set off on our return trip to Kampala on a Sunday morning, so we could get more of the scenery and catch sights we missed during the night travel.

Heading home, leaving the mist behind.

One little point to note is that to people not accustomed to Kabale, the place is very cold especially early in the morning (the mornings are often covered in mist and fog, particularly during the rainy season) and at night mainly due to its elevation. So, if you are planning a trip there, travel warm!

A multi-purpose golf course

What is a golf course? 

Here is a definition I came across. A golf course is a grassy patch (turf) that comprises a series of holes (usually 9 or 18), each consisting of a tee, a fairway, rough areas and other hazards, and a putting green with a flagstick (i.e. the pin) and hole (i.e. the cup), all designed specifically for the game of golf (I must admit I'm a fan of golf).

For the lay, a golf course is a place where golfers (amateurs and professionals alike) go to play a game of golf either for fun or otherwise. For an enjoyable experience the holes must be meticulously maintained or thereabouts, depending on the type and standard of golf course.

Ever heard of a multi-purpose golf course? If you haven't, well, they do exist -- albeit not in most places. 

A view of the club house from across a fairway.

There happens to be one in my neighborhood - called the West Nile Golf Club. It's an 18-hole public golf club with a serene park-like setting, and a beautiful club house. A quick internet search returns a lot of positive praise, which range from "well-maintained" to "what a joyous course" - I'm sure it was indeed! From what I gather, it was built in 1955. A beautiful acacia-lined avenue runs through the course, offering welcome relief from the sun for pedestrians and strollers on a hot, sunny day. When one visits the club house, they will be treated to an array of winners plaques neatly and artfully placed on one wall, suggesting that this used to be the place to be for the who-is-who of golf's elite in and around these parts of the country (oh, you can thank me for the brief overview later!).

The acacia-lined avenue through the golf course... it's simply so cool!

Fast-forward to the present, 2012 to be exact! The course still has the beautiful club house. However, that's all. The club house is bare - no golf memorabilia of any kind. On the outside sits a full-length swimming pool that is dry. The course itself now looks anything but a course! The turf is overgrown and seldom sees a mower. And when it does see one, the many different surfaces (tees, fairways, roughs, greens) are all cut at the same height, making it difficult to differentiate between them. However, there are volunteers who do it for free, daily! Cattle! (I'm not sure you would have guessed that one correctly!).

A look at one of the golf course holes. Can you tell the different surfaces apart?

Grazers roam the course as they get their fill.

Parts of the golf course are used by school children to play football (soccer) as well as training for cross-country meets (long distance running/athletics). There is another group, the youthful idlers, who tend to use it as their hangout of choice, a leisure park for heaven-knows-what. This I find particularly disturbing!

The favorite pastime. Young men playing football on the course.

Despite all these obstacles, one often sees small groups of young golfers playing a round of golf, especially on weekends. Obviously they are making do with what they have. At least golf is still alive - but barely.

School boys walk across a putting green (or what is left of it) on their way home from school.

It is a shame that such a beautiful golf course has gone to waste. It is no longer the "well-maintained" and "joyous" course of old built for golf, but rather a "multi-purpose" course that is multi-functional. I'm afraid it will turn into an ordinary park one day!

Education exhibition

Last week I took part in a higher education exhibition organized by the National Council for Higher Education in Uganda. The exhibition attracted over 70 universities, other tertiary institutions, and private entities with links to higher education. The aim was for the institutions to all congregate under one roof (in this case two due to the large number of participants) and show what academic treats they each have on offer. The target audience was secondary school students -- and indeed they turned up in big numbers!

It turned out to be quite a treat (in academic terms). However, what caught my eye was the vast array of decorative colours on display at some of the stalls. You can see a few here.

Students from the African Music Institute practice their craft at the exhibition.

The National Council for Higher Education had a colourful stall.

The Muni University Project stall... not bad for a project!

This textbook group made quite and impression.

Now this is full of colour!

Simplicity at its best!

Saving for the future... simple, yet neat.

Good colour combination.

The mechanism of an auto electrical system. It was impressive to see it in plain sight.

Well done!

Wow... that calls for a toast!

Wonderful display in the background.

Nice... but a little crowded.

On the final day of the exhibition, just as the most exhibitors were done packing and ready to load their stuff on/in their respective modes of transportation, the unexpected happened. The heavens opened and it bucketed down in typical tropical thunderstorm fashion! It caused instant flooding, which kept all of us indoors for about half an hour!

The storm wasn't about to be overshadowed!

The water had nowhere to go, quite unfortunate!