The hustle and heat of Kampala!

My day in Kampala was awesome!  Hot, dusty, busy, taxi's, boda boda's, people, children, shops, stalls, more shops, more heat, more dust and more taxi's and boda's...lol.

The people on the streets are just so cool.  They all want to chat to the 'Mzungu's' who are braving the streets of Kampala.  All so friendly and full of smiles.  What an experience to be amongst such happy and helpful people.

There are taxi's and boda boda's everywhere.  What should be a two lane road is actually a six lane road.  To me it doesn't look like there is any sort of road rules, but in the midst of all the craziness there are in actual fact traffic officers who just keep the traffic moving.  No stop signs and very few traffic lights, no one stops and yet everyone gets their chance to go.  Surprisingly enough there are very few bumper bashings, I am yet to see one, and there are no high speed accidents simply because you can't drive really fast in Kampala.

There are millions of shops on every single road.  Every shop has a sign so the pavements are jam packed with people, signs, banners and more people.  There is a shop for every single thing.  At some points there are a whole lot of shops in a row that all sell the same things yet they all seem to happily share business.  Life in Uganda is good.

Something even more surprising are the streets that have NO litter lying about.  The bins that are provided are basic drums and the people use them.  You don't see people tossing stuff out of their car windows which is a common occurance in South Africa.

We stopped in for a sneak peak at the Acacia Mall and that's all it was, just another shopping mall.  It is full of over priced shops and it lacks culture.  Needless to say I was in the mall for only 5 minutes and then took back to the streets again where it is all happening.

So even though the city is over crowded all the time, it's real hot or alternatively flooding on rainy days, the people and the culture is just awesome!  What a great country!

Shopping at the Nakawa Market - Kampala

Our weekly adventure to the Nakawa market is just that, an adventure.  I love it.  This is my favourite thing to do in Kampala.  I'm not into spending my time in shopping malls and chain stores.  I prefer to mingle with the locals, live like the locals and eat like the locals.  It's really cost effective and there is nothing better than soaking up the energy and culture of the people.

I have been shopping at Nakawa since I arrived in Uganda.  After 2 months of weekly visits to the market I am rocking the shopping.  There are hundreds of stalls that display the most delicious fruit, vegetables, beans, herbs, spices, maize and flour.  How do I choose the stalls to buy from?  I look at the quality of the produce and the prices BUT my deciding factor is the smile on the stall owners face.  I have my regular stalls that I buy from so when I walk towards them, the stall owners are standing up, smiling and already beckoning me with their beautiful friendly faces.  That's how!

I see that the 'Mzungu's' (white people) are always out to save a buck or two, always trying to bargain the prices down and usually don't approach the stall owners with a smile.  That isn't the way I shop.  I am not into crippling the locals financially through bargaining for a discount.  The prices are so affordable already and even more so for the quality of the produce.  Quality I have not seen in South Africa other than imported GMO produce.  Because I don't engage in silly bargaining tactics, each stall owner pops a few extras into my bag.

All of the produce is sold per kilogram and the prices range from 1000 UGX to 5000 UGX.  Just a reminder that the exchange rate is:

1 USD =  2500 UGX
1 USD =  10,50 ZAR
1 ZAR = 243.9 UGX

Today's shopping list:

• Spinach  - 2 bunches
• Broccoli  - 2
• Carrots - 1 kg
• Cucumbers - 2kg
• Green Peppers - 2kg
• Lemons - 1 kg
• Oranges - 1kg
• Garlic - 4 
• Onions - 2kg
• Potatos - 3kg
• Avo's - 3 kg
• Brinjals - 1 kg
• Pineapples - 3
• Bananas - 3kg
• Mango's - 1kg
• Herbs
• Watermelon - 1kg
• Pumpkin - 1kg

All of this shopping cost a total of 50 000 UGX = R205.00

This feeds two families of 8 people, lunch and dinners for one and a half weeks worth of meals and salads. The vegetables and fruit last long and once washed in vinegar water are good to eat just like that.  

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Uganda, then you simply have to venture into the Nakawa Market in Kampala.  I get royal treatment because I am classed as a 'rasta lady' and people from all over shout greetings to me throughout my shopping spree.  People stop me to have a chat because I am friendly and respectful towards them every time they see me.  It's wonderful to be accepted, for just being me, by the most humble and happy people.  

Here are some pics of the Nakawa Market.  Just look at the quality and the smiles.  If you are ever looking for me, then the Nakawa Market is where you will find me.  This is my local hangout ;-)

A sneak peak into life in Uganda, Africa

So here I am in this beautiful country called Uganda.  When driving from the airport to the house in Kampala at 01h00 in the morning, the humidity took me right back to Grenada.  The lush green vegetation, the bird life, the heat on the sweltering days, the feeling of island life, it is really beautiful here.

We live in a ‘compound’ style manner, two families, a staff member, a full time gardener, two full time ladies working in the house and with the children, a security guard from sunset to sunrise, 4 dogs and a farm yard of hens, chicks, roosters, ducks and rabbits.  These animals provide us with endless hours of entertainment and learning.  Having these animals also allows Joshua to now be responsible for various duties which entertain and educate all day long.

We have started a food farm which will soon start producing good crops to feed the household.  Our current garden consists of, butternut, garlic, onions, beetroot, spinach, carrots and hot peppers.  The herb garden consists of chives, dill, parsley, coriander, borage, red basil chervil and chamomile.

As of August we will begin harvesting which will have a positive impact on the health of the families and the weekly spending on vegetables from the local market place.  We currently spend 160 000 UGS on fruit and vegetables on a monthly basis, which feeds 8 people twice a day along with fruit snacks in between.

The current exchange rate is:  1 USD = 2500 UGS

So with the current exchange rate in mind, we are spending, 64 USD per month on vegetables and fruit for a family of eight.  I think that is pretty damn good considering we are eating fruit and vegetables every single day!

The municipal water here is pretty disgusting.  So we are ONLY able to drink bottled water.  Some days the tap water is clear but on most days the water is brown and smells like fish.  Yugggghhhhhh!  We use tap water to wash and cook with and bottled water for brushing teeth, drinking and washing the fruit and vegetables.  The fruit and vegetables are soaked in a vinegar and bottled water solution to rid them of any farming poisons and residue from bad water that the locals use in the market place to wash the produce with.

Recycling is a part of our daily lives.  Every single packet, piece of cardboard, plastic bottle, wood, nails, lace curtains, piping and wire is reused somewhere in the house or in the garden.  All raw peels from the kitchen are thrown into the ‘big hole’ along with used tea bags.  This method produces the best compost which then goes into the vegetable gardens.  We are on ‘big hole’ number two already since the 3 June.  It’s amazing how much a household produces which in city homes, is just tossed into the bin instead of being used in other ways.

The local shops are just outstanding.  Living local is again proving to be the way to go.  They stock something of everything and if you are not fussy and happy to live local then you will be able to shop comfortably at the funky purple wooden shop down the road.  Being vegetarian helps a whole lot too ;-). 

The local market is half the price of the fruit and vegetables available in the big shops.  I absolutely love spending time wondering around the market.  There are hundreds of stalls in the Nakawa Market.  A never ending variety of, bright healthy fruits, vegetables, beans, rice, flour, maize, herbs and spices.  All sold per kilogram.  The produce is packed in plates on display with prices so the prices you see are those you pay.  There are however stalls that don’t display prices and those are usually the ones that try and charge you higher prices than those that the local people get.

The market also sells ‘used’ clothing and shoes which comes from America and China.  It’s crazy, simply because their ‘used’ is like our ‘new’ back home.  Again the prices are pretty good and even better when you shop with a local. 

My shopping buddy is Vivien, one of the local ladies that work in our house.  Vivien speaks the lingo and gets local prices.  When I refer to local prices, each item is usually 1000 UGS cheaper than what visitors and ex pats are charged. 

The food stores offer most luxuries that we find in Jozi.  Here in Kampala we shop at Capitol Shopper, which is like a Pick n Pay Hyper, it’s a two level store and the variety of products on offer is outstanding for an African country.  There is a Shoprite and a Game here where you can find Rooibos Tea if needed, otherwise the local brands are all good.  I find it pretty easy to settle into the local brands, afterall why travel to different countries and stress to find those SA brands that you are used too.  You travel to experience other countries in every way including food.

My week is pretty busy with teaching, laundry, growing seeds, planting seedlings, digging and spending time with Joshua.  I teach the staff different ways to get their chores done, ways that are ‘green’ and smart.  Vivien could only cook stew, beans, rice and spaghetti, now she cooks spaghetti bolognaise, pasta salads, green salads, three bean salad, filled pancakes, fluffy rice, pizza, meatballs, hamburgers… shoo the list is now endless.  The cool thing is that Vivien is now a competent cook who can cook a variety of delicious meals for a family of eight.

Our garden is huge and drenched in vegetation, which brings the most amazing variety of birdlife into very close proximity.  So close, you can clearly see the colors and markings on the birds.  The skies are alive with storks and cranes, what a sight, seeing fifteen storks all sitting in a big tree.  The birds of prey fly overhead all day every day.  From Yellow Billed Kites to Vultures!  Yip, great big ugly vultures in the trees above.

It is now Uganda’s rainy season which means rain almost every day.  If you don’t wake up to the rains then you will have a down pour in the afternoon.  Sometimes daily chores are easy in the fine rains but when the heaven’s open and the rain pours it’s time to retreat indoors unless you have foul weather gear.  All indoor work is done when we are unable to go outdoors.

Baz works just over the road from the house, which is AWESOME!  He starts work at 08h30, so leaves home on foot at 08h25 (if he hasn’t pulled an all nighter), then pops back over for tea at 11h00 and then lunch at 13h00.  On installation days Baz is on site 2 hours away and then we see him at breakfast the following morning.  It’s pretty cool having that small luxury of eating three meals a day together.  A luxury, that city life doesn’t offer families these days.

Life here in Uganda is good.  The food is plentiful, the people are friendly and it pretty much rains all year round. 

Love the life you live and live the life you love.

Peace love and happiness always. 

Blu

Life up Africa - Uganda!

Kampala the capital of Uganda, what a vibrant pulsing city. It seems never to sleep, I've traveled all hours of the day and night and the energy never changes. You can get anything you want here, just don't expect to find it in the likely places, there is a game a shopprite, but there are a thousand small shops in every nook and cranny. 

Ten thousand motor vehicles crowd the hand full of roads and twice as many Boda Boda (100cc motorbikes) local transport. All viaing for the same inconceivable space. No such thing as road rage here, find your hole fit in it and keep going.

The first thing that struck me about Kampala and Entebbe is how clean it is, clean in terms of litter. After spending the last year travelling south America and the carribean and noting the amount of trash every where it was a pleasant surprise to see a country take pride in its towns.
Saying this there is sand a red sand with a dust that covers everything everywhere, you can't escape it. It makes everything feel old and tied a dirty dusty Africa.

Ugandans what a nation, self opinionated, racist and stubborn, yet content, not worried about much, other than there business.
They are pleasant clever people willing to laugh and share life.

Being on latitude 0 is on bucket list, turns out its not far from me, living on the equator is not what I anticipated, I thought it would be hotter, rain more but the contrast is not so great.

Now working in Uganda, is an experience,, not to be taken for granted every thing is a challenge and if you can't think on your feet then this place will break you down, nothing is what it is and just because it worked yesterday doesn't mean it will work today. 

So I'm three weeks in and a whole bunch of weeks to go, what cool place, what a cool job and what an adventure.

Until next time
Eyes up