I went to Uganda by myself by overnight bus to Kampala. I had a rough border crossing with my visa but eventually got there.
That first day in Kampala I found it strange not to hear the East African language of Kiswahili anymore. It was odd to be a tourist in a foreign country again but now I was much more experienced in how things worked. I knew how to haggle down and felt completely comfortable jumping on the back of a boda (motorbike) to get where I needed to go. It’s all about confidence.
One thing I did notice in comparison to Kenya was that everything was so much greener and they had a lot more water. There were bananas everywhere!
I spent just a couple of days in Kampala wandering around the streets and buying a few souvenirs to take back to my Masai family. I walked through the craziness of Owino Markets which was jam-packed with people – no faranji (tourists) though.. It had everything you could think of! I had a ‘rolex’ for lunch which is eggs, tomato and cabbage wrapped in a chapati –yum!
From Kampala I caught a local bus to Jinja which was beautiful. I really enjoyed Jinja and booked myself on a full-day white-water rafting adventure down the Nile.
The rafting was great fun and I met some cool people. We spent the day going down various rapids and past many locals bathing in the Nile. Dinner out with the people I had met from rafting and then I missed my overnight bus (well they never stopped to pick me up!) so stayed an extra night in Jinja. I wasn’t too fussed as it meant I had another full day exploring Jinja. I jumped on a boda (the back of a motorbike) and got the driver to show me around taking me to a cool view of Lake Victoria and some cool spots along the Lake for sunset.
I was only in Uganda for a few days as I wanted to get back to my Masai family in Kenya. Unfortunately I had a bad bout of food poisoning on the overnight bus back across the border to Nairobi which made for an uncomfortable journey. I felt much more at home arriving in Nairobi and knowing where to go and what bus to catch without the locals ripping me off and having to pay ‘mzungu’ price.
I had one of the Masai pick me up on his ‘piki piki’ (motorbike) and take me to Olasiti where I went straight ‘home’ and to bed, not feeling well at all.
I slowly slowly started to feel better the next day and met the newer volunteers who were great! I helped them with building the orphanage (they had done a great job!) and got some painting done. On the weekend there was a Masai wedding which was very interesting to experience and I am glad we got to take a few pictures for them.
My ‘host mum’, Hannah, was due to have her baby whilst I was in Uganda and I had hoped to meet the little one and help Hannah around the house, but she still hadn’t had the baby! Instead, I helped Hannah doing various things such as the dishes and helping with the meals for her. I even taught Hannah how to make cookies using a chapati tray and a saucepan over the fire!! Now this is something I am quite proud of.!
I also got to spend more time with little ‘Angel’, my host ‘sister’ (Hannah and Paul’s daughter) who was just shy of two-years old. Angel was gorgeous and each time I would arrive back at the home she would come running up and grab my hand to play with her. I had great fun with little Angel and she managed to learn a few English words too.
I had a great time with the new volunteers (helping build and paint the new orphanage etc) and even though Hannah did not have the baby whilst I was there (she ended up giving birth to a healthy baby girl, the night I left of course!), I was able to lend a hand and enjoy my last few days with them.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time living with the Masai and they were very welcoming. I learnt so much about their way of life and they are some of the friendliest and happiest people I have ever met. They know how to appreciate life and gain happiness in the simplest of gestures.
Eventually it was time to move on from Kenya and I booked a flight to Ethiopia. I found it really hard leaving the most incredible country of Kenya, as I had met so many special people and had really felt ‘at-home’ but I was slowly running out of money and needed to move on.
It was time for my 50th country..
