Stress Relief

By MV

This is the perfect stress relief any day, any time. It is a small, absolutely stunning holiday resort tucked away in a serene flower paradise. Ideal for long morning walks and lazy evening strolls as you catch a whiff of a variety of flowers, especially the beauties called lavenders. You can hide in the flower gardens, or sit on one of those small bridges, your doorstep or climb one of the trees and read a good book. You can also enjoy some of the finest cuisines...yum!

This little flower paradise is recommended for those seeking a slower pace of life away from our usual city chaos, pollution and STRESS! Here, even in a short time, I found that much-needed personal space to squeeze in some me-time. You just need to pick a flower, enjoy the fragrance; take a deep breath and smile… reflect and relax in total tranquility.

This is quite simply exotic beauty redefined by the Golden Sand Lake. I was here and I absolutely loved it. This is understated class in every sense of the word.

Perfect escape for...

...refreshing morning walks

An afternoon walk to a calming location where...

...you can sit there, read a book, sip some wine or enjoy the soothing river.

Or open your windows and talk to these blooms

And let this wonder calm you so...

...you can enjoy your evening meal.

Roadside sights

As a frequent traveler, I've come across sights and scenes that are often amazing and interesting in equal measure. Here is a collection (pictorial) of a few.

Harvesting grass. Women and girls transport their grass harvest home, which will be used for roofing their houses. This harvest is done in the dry season when the grass is fully grown and the its drying process has began. 

The coke side of life. A large coca cola-shaped kiosk stands next to other make-shift sheds along a busy highway. Such sights are common in Uganda, and provide travelers with water or other refreshing beverages while on the go.

Roadside venders interacting with travelers aboard a bus hoping to interest them (travelers) in their merchandise. The good range from food items to art pieces and stools. 

A lady stands next to her stock of grinding stones and pots that are on sale. The grinding stones are used for grinding grains while the pots are often used for holding drinking water, cooking , or serving local brew. 

A cluster of mangoes hanging on a tree trunk along the roadside. The mangoes ended up in a polyethylene bag and came with us. 

Buying more mangoes.

A women's group sell shea butter oil (in those plastic bottles on the tables). The oil is got from the shea nut tree, which is common in the West Nile region.

Pick-up truck transports cargo from a farm to town.

Women selling their vegetables at a roadside market.

Fishermen casting their nets on the River Nile in Pakwach. 

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!

Sights from the countryside

This past weekend I went back to my roots visiting as well as sightseeing. By "back to my roots" I mean Moyo and Adjumani districts in the northwestern part of Uganda, known as the West Nile region. The visit was quite interesting for the following reasons:

First, the roads to a large extent were badly damaged by the rains that it made the trip so bumpy. It left me trembling like a leaf in the wind after the trip! Second, the commuter taxi broke down three times on the first leg of the trip, which delayed the trip.

I snapped a few pictures during the trip.

First breakdown: The commuter taxi had a faulty, which caused its engine to overheat. We had to wait for it to cool down and fixed. Er... the pleasures of our public transport system!

                                     

A roadside market in Lefori. A convenient way to shop on-the-go. It is pumpkin season - a variety of pumpkins were on sale. 

Coconut tubers in Lefori: A snack that is seasonal delicacy. The tubers are harvested just after shoot germination and steamed before eating.

A storm brews as I near my destination (somewhere in the mountains seen in the distance). Luckily, it had passed by the time I arrived.

Picturesque: Sunrise in the mountains of Metu in Eremi. This was at about 6:30 a.m.

Hiking in Metu: The area has scenic hiking trails that twist and turn among rocks. Pockets of bamboo forests offer quiet resting spots on a good, hot, sunny day along the trails.

A homestead in the foreground near a scenic rock in the background.

Sunset as seen from high up in Eremi.

The magnificent River Nile (the light blue speck) seen on the climb to Eremi.

Having fun: Children swim in River Nile at the landing site in Omi, Adjumani district.

 A ferry (in the distance) is on its way to the landing site in Omi.

Getting closer: The ferry prepares for docking at the landing site.

A trip north

I recently took a trip from Kampala to Gulu on a working cum visiting trip to meet colleagues at Gulu University. I was psyched up for the trip since I hadn't been to Gulu in a while.

On the morning of the trip, I found my way to Buganda Bus Park (BBP) to get on a Gulu-bound bus. It was an usually hot and dusty Kampala morning, with the makings of a thunderstorm afternoon written all over it.

I arrived at BBP just before 11:00 a.m. For those who haven't used that bus terminal, it is one chaotic place. Different bus services that are headed to the same destination compete for passengers in a crude way - one is made to feel like a rope in game of 'tug-of-war' so to speak! Anyhow, I found myself being pulled in the direction of a BTC bus, which plies the Kampala-Gulu route daily.

Now, being a stickler for time, I asked the ticket master what time the bus would set off for its destination. His response was "I load strictly for 1 hour". He said this while he looked me straight in the eye without blinking. He gave me my ticket and I boarded... I took a window seat so I could sight see, but most importantly for getting first-rate fresh air (it can get extremely hot and musty in our non-air conditioned buses!). I tentatively estimated our arrival time in Gulu to be at around 5:00 p.m. To my surprise, the bus had only four or five actual passengers even though almost all seats were occupied. It turned out these "other" passenger were only seat-fillers - mostly hawkers who occupy the seats to give the impression that the bus is almost full and ready to depart.

Wildlife to see at Karuma bridge.

The hawkers can be either saviors or an annoyance (aggressively shove whatever good/merchandise it is that they are peddling in one's face). As I sat in the bus willing time to  fly by, one hawker would board after another with their 'stuff' - which ranged from knock-off electronic equipment to food items. One came in selling roasted chicken yelling "tongweno tie, tongweno tie!" Another one came selling men's coats "London coats here for 3,000; pay 3,000, get one London coat!"

Meanwhile, the 1 hour loading period stretched to 2 hours, then 3 hours, then.... "why in heaven's name weren't we setting off?", I wondered. I looked out the window only to notice that the 'original' ticket master had been replaced by another. Looking back I realized that what he meant by 'loading strictly for 1 hour' was perhaps his way of referring to his shift. 

All this time the temperature in the bus kept shooting up as the sun kept getting hotter and hotter. It was so hot that I stewed and sizzled in my own perspiration. Had I been a piece of steak, I would have been well done! Seriously! Being the Ugandans that we are (so docile for my liking), no passenger showed any concern regarding the extended delay despite the heat building up in the bus. I scanned the faces of some passengers for any signs of restlessness until I noticed one. A few seats down the aisle from my seat I saw a passenger clad in an MTN t-shirt visibly agitated. At first I mistook him for a hawker. He would shift restlessly in his seat then get up, look out, and sit back down again.

Time check: 2:15 p.m. A crew member member got on the bus to count how many empty seats remained. Mr. MTN asked the crew member why they were keeping us waiting that long in the park. The crew member's response was that there were still three empty seats available that needed to be occupied. That was when Mr. MTN took him on... yours truly gladly backed him up! Then some of our fellow passengers joined in. The crew member hurriedly exited the bus. Mr. MTN followed him out to continue his argument. A short while later to our relief, the bus driver took his seat and eased us on our way towards our destination. Time check: 2:30 p.m.

The magnificent Karuma Falls... one of the sights to look forward to when traveling north.

The journey began well with the bus slowly inching along the highway. When we were finally out of Kampala, they kept stopping to pick up more passengers. By the time we reached Karuma Falls there was no standing room. Then came the rain! The bus leaked like a faulty faucet. By the time we arrived in Gulu it was already 8:00 p.m. On arrival I heard that that particular bus service often breaks down. Guess I was lucky to survive that one!