So, it's been a few days, and a lot has happened. I'm now in my permanent apartment, and no longer at the motel. This is both a good and a bad thing -- but more on that in a bit.
My last day at the motel was actually rather dramatic. Things were fine when I left in the morning. I rushed back after work so I could pack everything up and be ready to leave, and Bruno (the owner) came up to my room to tell me that this weird guy who had been a guest... had left in the middle of the night, without paying, and taking one of the motel's laptops with him. Brian, who had been on duty when it happened, had been fired. I thought Bruno was joking at first about Brian, to be honest, but apparently he had a habit of letting people leave without paying. So... that was really strange. They called in an armed guard (armed with a baton, not a gun) to stand at the entrance to the motel; they were worried that Brian might try to come back, and/or they didn't want to take a chance on the same thing to happening again. Still, we all (Diane, Bruno, some of Bruno's friends, and myself) hung out at the reception desk for a while like usual after I finished packing. Bruno and his friend went to a "chidula" (I think that's the word?), which sounds like it's a bar with loud music and dancing and drinks. They invited me, but I decided to stick around the motel.
Diane, Samuel (one of the employees) and I ended up drinking ginger tea, eating Rolexes, and watching soap operas. We watched a Ugandan soap opera called "The Hostel," with acting so atrocious I thought it was a joke at first. But it was still good... I love African soap operas like nothing else in this world. I don't know why, but there's something charming about them. After it was over, there was a Mexican soap opera with really terrible English dubbing over the Spanish. Emily showed up in the middle of that, ready to take me to the flat in Kisaasi. I stalled a bit by offering her ginger tea; Diane makes really lovely ginger tea, with fresh ginger root. We hung out a bit longer, and Diane finally let me pay her (she had been putting it off because she was in denial and said she would miss me too much to let me leave), and we put all my stuff in her car. She had offered to drive me to the flat instead of making me get a taxi.
So, we set off. It's really not very far, although the roads off Kiira Road into Kisaasi are terrible and pot hole-y, so it took a while for Diane to carefully drive around them. Only part of the road is paved, and once you turn off even that road, it gets very dark. But we made it, and I said goodbye to Diane and promised to visit. After she left, one of the neighbors helped Emily and me up the stairs with my huge suitcase to the second floor. And then I met Alejandro.
Alejandro is Emily's very naughty puppy, who she saved from the street a little over a month ago. He has the most energy of any puppy I've ever seen, and it's hard to believe that when she first took him in, he was so weak she didn't think he'd survive. He has sharp little claws that need trimming, and he bites a lot -- not in a mean way, he just chews on hands and fingers. He's not house-trained terribly well, and the first thing I saw him do was poop on the living room floor. Charming. But really, he's a cute little guy -- despite being an undeniable pain in the butt. He looks like every African dog ever: they all interbreed and end up looking exactly the same, and he is no exception.
Anyway, after a bit of puppy-related excitement, I made it to my room. It was set up like a hotel room, with a queen-sized bed and little bedside tables on each side. It also wasn't terribly clean -- Emily's old roommate only moved out the night before, and I guess there wasn't time to sweep the floor. The rest of the apartment is nice, although it was a bit messy. The kitchen is big and basic, and the bathroom is HUGE. There are two bathrooms -- Emily's room has its own en suite bathroom, but the shower doesn't work. So technically the other roommate, a British girl named Ula, and I share the big bathroom -- but everyone showers in there. The shower's not great, as I discovered this morning, but there's hot water at least.
Emily was going out to meet Ula at a bar somewhere, but I didn't feel like going (the Rolex was sitting in my stomach... those things are heavy!), so I just turned in for the night. The bed is surprisingly comfortable, as is the pillow. My sheets are pink, which... anyone who knows me will know that that's a little strange for me.
I got up in the morning at around 10:30 and spun my wheels until Emily woke up about an hour later. I don't have my own key yet, and I have no food in the kitchen and no real sense of what's nearby, so I couldn't do much without Emily. I did rearrange my room though, so it feels more like a bedroom and less like a hotel room.
Emily decided to make pasta for lunch (breakfast?), which ended up taking forever. There's no strainer, so the pasta was kind of soggy, but it was sustenance. While she was making the food, I saw three kids at the house next-door playing, and the little boy saw me and started waving. It was so adorable that I had to go get my camera, at which point they all started waving and posing for me. This is one thing I love about African kids -- they really love having their picture taken. Unlike in Latin America and Southeast Asia, where the kids pose and then demand money, kids in Africa really just get a kick out of cameras.
In other news, I also met Ula's boyfriend this morning... who is in high school. She's a little bit younger than Emily and me, and he's in his last year of high school, but it's still kind of weird. They were hungover from the night before, so they joined us for the food and then went back to bed. He seems nice enough. He's British, but his family has lived in Kampala for 8 years, so he's also kind of a local.
By the time we were done eating and ready to do something with the day, it was already 2:30. Emily had mentioned wanting to go to the pool at Kabira Country Club, which sounded absolutely lovely. We walked -- I'm still trying to avoid bodas, and it wasn't nearly far enough to justify taking a taxi. The area near the flat is so dark at night because it's wide open during the day: there's a makeshift soccer field, and grass and a stream, and there were about six cows hanging out by the bypass. It was really quite beautiful, and I would have taken a picture if I hadn't left my camera on my desk after the episode with the kids. I'll take pictures this week when I'm on my way to work.
The walk was... steep. Most of the walk is uphill, and the road isn't paved for most of the way, so it was very dusty and hot. We tried to buy Cokes along the way at a little shop, but they were out, so we tried again at the 24-hour little mart at the gas station. I prefer Coke in glass bottles, so we tried to buy them... but the woman at the cash register was like, "Do you have empties?" I told her no, and asked how much the Coke was, and she shook her head. What? Apparently, they won't sell you Coke in a glass bottle unless you have an empty glass bottle to trade in -- but at the same time, there was a sign saying that they would no longer be accepting empty bottle deposits. We had no idea what was going on, so we just bought them in plastic bottles instead. It was a strange moment though, and I couldn't help thinking about how any American would have just slapped a price on the glass bottles and made the sale. Capitalism at work, but not here apparently.
Emily had lost half of her bathing suit, so we went to a nearby all-purpose store called Nakumatt for her to buy a new one. I ended up buying some shower stuff and new hangers, and I also got matches and little incense-type things to make my room smell nice. (The apartment has a general smell of... puppy. I'd like to counteract that effect in my room.) We found Emily a bathing suit, and then headed to Kabira. It cost 25,000 UGX for a "day pass" to use the pool, which is a bit steep, but the country club is really nice so I guess it's worth it. I was really hot at that point, so I jumped right in the pool, and it felt lovely. I haven't been in a pool in so long, I forgot how relaxing it can be to just swim back and forth. I got out when Emily ordered spiced African tea (which is delicious), and we chatted and drank tea for about an hour before they started to close the pool. I knew from our email exchanges that Emily was really sweet, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy she is to talk to, as well.
After we left Kabira, I suggested that we go to a coffee place Emily had mentioned earlier. We got in a taxi, but we ended up going in the wrong direction. That's not as catastrophic as it sounds, because the main roads in Kampala run in a loop, and you can end up right back where you started going in either direction. But it would have been much quicker and cheaper to go clockwise rather than counterclockwise, which is what we did. I got to see parts of the city I'd never seen before, though... but we also got ripped off. When we got in the taxi, the conductor/fare collector told us it would be 1,500 UGX each, but when the time came, he demanded 4,000 UGX. It wasn't worth arguing over, but it always stings a little bit to get ripped off. The place we went is called Good African Coffee, and they also had food, so we decided to get coffee and dinner. We both got a drink called an Affocato (I think?), which was one or two shots of espresso mixed with ice cream and milk foam. It was seriously delicious. We also got and ate dinner, which was pretty good as well. I got a burger with fries (I had wanted something else, but they were out of it), and the fries were surprisingly good. It was way too much food though, and I felt sort of gross after eating it all in addition to the coffee/ice cream concoction.
We took a boda back to the flat, where we found that the power was out. It was really, really dark. It sounds stupid to say -- of course it was dark! But there aren't even lights out on the streets, so it was almost pitch black. Luckily, Emily's phone and mine both have "flashlights" built in, so we went in and found Ula and shone some light around the flat. Emily had a couple candles, and we had bought matches at Nakumatt, so she and I each put a candle in our rooms. Mood lighting, or something. Emily and I decided to watch TV on her computer, which died after about 20 minutes. But the power came back on shortly, so the day was saved. I think the power was out for about a little less than an hour.
Emily and Ula started making moves to go out for the night, but I was getting tired and decided not to go again. I'll have to be more fun next weekend. They left at around 10:30, and now here I am. Ready for night 2 in my Kampala apartment.
My last day at the motel was actually rather dramatic. Things were fine when I left in the morning. I rushed back after work so I could pack everything up and be ready to leave, and Bruno (the owner) came up to my room to tell me that this weird guy who had been a guest... had left in the middle of the night, without paying, and taking one of the motel's laptops with him. Brian, who had been on duty when it happened, had been fired. I thought Bruno was joking at first about Brian, to be honest, but apparently he had a habit of letting people leave without paying. So... that was really strange. They called in an armed guard (armed with a baton, not a gun) to stand at the entrance to the motel; they were worried that Brian might try to come back, and/or they didn't want to take a chance on the same thing to happening again. Still, we all (Diane, Bruno, some of Bruno's friends, and myself) hung out at the reception desk for a while like usual after I finished packing. Bruno and his friend went to a "chidula" (I think that's the word?), which sounds like it's a bar with loud music and dancing and drinks. They invited me, but I decided to stick around the motel.
Diane, Samuel (one of the employees) and I ended up drinking ginger tea, eating Rolexes, and watching soap operas. We watched a Ugandan soap opera called "The Hostel," with acting so atrocious I thought it was a joke at first. But it was still good... I love African soap operas like nothing else in this world. I don't know why, but there's something charming about them. After it was over, there was a Mexican soap opera with really terrible English dubbing over the Spanish. Emily showed up in the middle of that, ready to take me to the flat in Kisaasi. I stalled a bit by offering her ginger tea; Diane makes really lovely ginger tea, with fresh ginger root. We hung out a bit longer, and Diane finally let me pay her (she had been putting it off because she was in denial and said she would miss me too much to let me leave), and we put all my stuff in her car. She had offered to drive me to the flat instead of making me get a taxi.
So, we set off. It's really not very far, although the roads off Kiira Road into Kisaasi are terrible and pot hole-y, so it took a while for Diane to carefully drive around them. Only part of the road is paved, and once you turn off even that road, it gets very dark. But we made it, and I said goodbye to Diane and promised to visit. After she left, one of the neighbors helped Emily and me up the stairs with my huge suitcase to the second floor. And then I met Alejandro.
Anyway, after a bit of puppy-related excitement, I made it to my room. It was set up like a hotel room, with a queen-sized bed and little bedside tables on each side. It also wasn't terribly clean -- Emily's old roommate only moved out the night before, and I guess there wasn't time to sweep the floor. The rest of the apartment is nice, although it was a bit messy. The kitchen is big and basic, and the bathroom is HUGE. There are two bathrooms -- Emily's room has its own en suite bathroom, but the shower doesn't work. So technically the other roommate, a British girl named Ula, and I share the big bathroom -- but everyone showers in there. The shower's not great, as I discovered this morning, but there's hot water at least.Emily was going out to meet Ula at a bar somewhere, but I didn't feel like going (the Rolex was sitting in my stomach... those things are heavy!), so I just turned in for the night. The bed is surprisingly comfortable, as is the pillow. My sheets are pink, which... anyone who knows me will know that that's a little strange for me.
Emily decided to make pasta for lunch (breakfast?), which ended up taking forever. There's no strainer, so the pasta was kind of soggy, but it was sustenance. While she was making the food, I saw three kids at the house next-door playing, and the little boy saw me and started waving. It was so adorable that I had to go get my camera, at which point they all started waving and posing for me. This is one thing I love about African kids -- they really love having their picture taken. Unlike in Latin America and Southeast Asia, where the kids pose and then demand money, kids in Africa really just get a kick out of cameras.
In other news, I also met Ula's boyfriend this morning... who is in high school. She's a little bit younger than Emily and me, and he's in his last year of high school, but it's still kind of weird. They were hungover from the night before, so they joined us for the food and then went back to bed. He seems nice enough. He's British, but his family has lived in Kampala for 8 years, so he's also kind of a local.
By the time we were done eating and ready to do something with the day, it was already 2:30. Emily had mentioned wanting to go to the pool at Kabira Country Club, which sounded absolutely lovely. We walked -- I'm still trying to avoid bodas, and it wasn't nearly far enough to justify taking a taxi. The area near the flat is so dark at night because it's wide open during the day: there's a makeshift soccer field, and grass and a stream, and there were about six cows hanging out by the bypass. It was really quite beautiful, and I would have taken a picture if I hadn't left my camera on my desk after the episode with the kids. I'll take pictures this week when I'm on my way to work.
The walk was... steep. Most of the walk is uphill, and the road isn't paved for most of the way, so it was very dusty and hot. We tried to buy Cokes along the way at a little shop, but they were out, so we tried again at the 24-hour little mart at the gas station. I prefer Coke in glass bottles, so we tried to buy them... but the woman at the cash register was like, "Do you have empties?" I told her no, and asked how much the Coke was, and she shook her head. What? Apparently, they won't sell you Coke in a glass bottle unless you have an empty glass bottle to trade in -- but at the same time, there was a sign saying that they would no longer be accepting empty bottle deposits. We had no idea what was going on, so we just bought them in plastic bottles instead. It was a strange moment though, and I couldn't help thinking about how any American would have just slapped a price on the glass bottles and made the sale. Capitalism at work, but not here apparently.
Emily had lost half of her bathing suit, so we went to a nearby all-purpose store called Nakumatt for her to buy a new one. I ended up buying some shower stuff and new hangers, and I also got matches and little incense-type things to make my room smell nice. (The apartment has a general smell of... puppy. I'd like to counteract that effect in my room.) We found Emily a bathing suit, and then headed to Kabira. It cost 25,000 UGX for a "day pass" to use the pool, which is a bit steep, but the country club is really nice so I guess it's worth it. I was really hot at that point, so I jumped right in the pool, and it felt lovely. I haven't been in a pool in so long, I forgot how relaxing it can be to just swim back and forth. I got out when Emily ordered spiced African tea (which is delicious), and we chatted and drank tea for about an hour before they started to close the pool. I knew from our email exchanges that Emily was really sweet, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy she is to talk to, as well.
After we left Kabira, I suggested that we go to a coffee place Emily had mentioned earlier. We got in a taxi, but we ended up going in the wrong direction. That's not as catastrophic as it sounds, because the main roads in Kampala run in a loop, and you can end up right back where you started going in either direction. But it would have been much quicker and cheaper to go clockwise rather than counterclockwise, which is what we did. I got to see parts of the city I'd never seen before, though... but we also got ripped off. When we got in the taxi, the conductor/fare collector told us it would be 1,500 UGX each, but when the time came, he demanded 4,000 UGX. It wasn't worth arguing over, but it always stings a little bit to get ripped off. The place we went is called Good African Coffee, and they also had food, so we decided to get coffee and dinner. We both got a drink called an Affocato (I think?), which was one or two shots of espresso mixed with ice cream and milk foam. It was seriously delicious. We also got and ate dinner, which was pretty good as well. I got a burger with fries (I had wanted something else, but they were out of it), and the fries were surprisingly good. It was way too much food though, and I felt sort of gross after eating it all in addition to the coffee/ice cream concoction.
We took a boda back to the flat, where we found that the power was out. It was really, really dark. It sounds stupid to say -- of course it was dark! But there aren't even lights out on the streets, so it was almost pitch black. Luckily, Emily's phone and mine both have "flashlights" built in, so we went in and found Ula and shone some light around the flat. Emily had a couple candles, and we had bought matches at Nakumatt, so she and I each put a candle in our rooms. Mood lighting, or something. Emily and I decided to watch TV on her computer, which died after about 20 minutes. But the power came back on shortly, so the day was saved. I think the power was out for about a little less than an hour.
Emily and Ula started making moves to go out for the night, but I was getting tired and decided not to go again. I'll have to be more fun next weekend. They left at around 10:30, and now here I am. Ready for night 2 in my Kampala apartment.
Great report, Katie. Too bad about the eau de puppe. Incense sounds like a good idea. Your departure from the motel was also quite an adventure!
ReplyDeleteI am just back from London, and driving back from Orando. Tired.
Love,
Dad
Katie: the previous comment I sent was before Lynn told me that we had a list of your previous e-mails of which I had no knowledge. So I've just read a couple of them and am intrigued with them. Keep it up. I'm going to read a couple more now, that I know. Grandpa Howard
ReplyDelete