The plane from Amsterdam arrived at the Entebbe airport on time at 8:15 p.m. last night (Wed., 1-12). It took a while to get luggage and even longer to stand in line at Passport Control to pay my $50 and obtain a visa. There was a driver awaiting me with his sign "frances shirley" which I concluded must be me, and he drove me to Backpackers' arriving about 9:30 p.m. I was slightly confused because I'd been told that the driver providing airport transportation would be the same person who would be my driver/guide for the next four days. Not true. This fellow was a hostel employee who knew nothing about who would be picking me up and at what time on Thursday. Ah, well -- the first step in flexibility and not worrying. I figured 9 to 9:30 a.m. would be a reasonable pick-up time so set my alarm accordingly.
Entebbe Backpackers' has individual bungalows with bathrooms. My room is large with double bunk beds. It has a lot of windows but unless one wants to be open to the world the drapes must stay closed, resulting in a very dark room -- particularly given that the wattage of the one ceiling light can't be more than 25 watts. I did a little unpacking/organizing, carefully arranged the mosquito netting (after first using my duct tape to cover a hole), read a bit, and turned off my book light at 11:30 p.m. Would have been a good night's rest -- except for the 3+ hours of lying awake from jet lag from 3 p.m. on. Of course, had returned to a SOUND sleep by the time the alarm went off at 8:15 a.m. Went over to the reception area at 9 a.m. intending to ask the staff to telephone the number I'd been left. Just then the guide pulled up, and the day began.
My room is at the back of this grouping -- 3rd from the left, 2nd from the right.There are a number of campers with their
tents set up on the grounds.
We toured around the Entebbe area for about 6 hours. Entebbe was originally the capital of the country so has many government buildings. I'd hoped to be able to see something of Kampala, the current capital, as well, but it's 35 kilometers away, and roads are not good. Entebbe has a large area and a population, my guide guessed, of over 1,000,000 -- but there is not a "downtown" as I envision a city. Certainly there are no high rise buildings or commercial center, unless they're far away from the area we viewed.
We visited a large, sprawling, market. Although I'm told there are others within the Entebbe area, this one is the biggest and most central.
The market had meat, hanging like in butcher shops of yore; fish, mostly tilapia from Lake Victoria; and a large variety of produce. I especially like the artistic mounds of potatoes!
We visited the site of the founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda -- location primarily a result of the priests' boat having problems and landing at this point. There is a plaque and statues and a church to mark the spot.
I had a lovely lunch at the Lake Victoria Hotel -- very upscale. I ate outdoors, overlooking the grounds and swimming pools. It was expensive, in comparison with basic Ugandan restaurants, but not bad. Roast chicken (breast & wing) in a mushroom sauce with chips (French fries) and a cole slaw garnish was 18,000 Ugandan shillings, about $8.50. Given the elegance of the surroundings, I thought that was reasonable.
In our travels around the city we observed many kinds of transportation. Lots of people walk; no sidewalks so people walk on the roads, adding interest to the driving. There are vans seating up to 14 people which function as buses but are called taxis. (Taxis for one person to one destination are known as hire cars.) Motorcycles also serve as taxis for one or two passengers; the drivers are typically young men and, without helmets, one takes one's life in one's hands!
Yes, we have here a down vest, a jacket with fur-trimmed hood, and a stocking cap. It's 70 degrees!!!!!!Because Entebbe is located on Lake Victoria, boats also are a means of transport as this one, coming from an island, shows.
I spent over 2 hours walking in the Entebbe Botanical Garden, escorted by a young man named Dixon (his last name; first is apparently too complicated for foreigners to try to pronounce or remember). Most of the trees and plants are local, but some have been imported from other places. According to Dixon this Garden is a positive legacy of Idi Amin who frequented the area and caused it to be created in an area which had housed a coffee plantation.
Dixon with a handful of cinnamon bark in front of a cinnamon tree.
Cactus growing tall and a crocodile tree (check roots)
The Botanical Garden is located right on Lake Victoria, making for some lovely views.
The Botanical Garden is host to three families of vervet monkeys. I was watching two adults 
with a baby at the right side of the path. The baby was suckling vigorously while another adult monkey groomed the mom.
My concentration was broken as the whole family (of about 50+ members) rushed across the road in front of me. It was slightly unnerving, but they largely ignored us.The baby, who had been nursing, decided a ride on mom would be more fun.
Returned to the hostel about 4:30 and have been working on this blog -- as well as dealing with some e-mails. Once this is posted I'll return to my room to organize and pack for tomorrow's departure for the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We'll be leaving at 7:30 a.m. for what might be an 11 hour drive. It seems unlikely there'll be Internet access there -- but I wouldn't have expected it here, so. . . .
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