Even given my brief travel
throughout Uganda, I am confident that I live off of one of the nicest roads in
the country. This has mainly come from
other PCV’s stories and my exploration of the dirt roads that exist out in the
deep villages. More on that later.
Most of my travel is from
Mbarara to my site, which is a simple 30-minute taxi ride on a paved road,
minimal potholes, and no crazy winding roads.
Granted the taxi drivers will crush nine to ten full sized humans in a
1988 Toyota Corolla, five in the back, four in the front, including one in the
driver’s seat, plus a couple babies and a flock of chickens in the trunk, the
drive is relatively pleasant. The two lessons
I have learned is to one, bring an iPod to drown out the blasting Ugandan music
they blast over the speakers, and two, the more people there are to squish you
in the better. It replaces the concept
of seatbelts, which are clearly not a viable option.
Since being at site, I
have been able to accompany the hospital staff into the surrounding villages
when they go on antenatal and treatment clinics. Now these are the roads I do not envy! We are talking the Indiana Jones ride at
Disneyland, minus the awesome troop vehicle.
The hospital has a truck, in which case I feel somewhat safe and secure in. Lately though the truck has been out of
commission, which means we get to take the 1990 Toyota Corolla. It’s a popular car option. When we go over the humps and bumps, I am
terrified the bottom of the car is going to fall off, leaving us to Flintstone
it to our designated location. My head
bobbles like those dolls, leaving me with a pounding headache by the time we
arrive, in which case I have screaming babies receiving immunizations to help
ease the pain.
I understand this is all a
part of the experience of living in a developing country with a developing
infrastructure. Like I said, many roads
are pleasant to drive on – Kampala to Mbarara, Mbarara to Ishaka – and many
roads are getting work done to make the drive more pleasant – Masaka to
Kampala, Mbarara to Kabale. These are
the trips where I can even manage a to take a catnap. With the good comes the bad though. And oh are they bad. My friend who lives about an hour from me is
approximately 14 kilometers, 8.69 miles, off the main road, where you have to
travel in a taxi up a terrible dirt road with 12-14 other Ugandans because the
driver wants to ensure he will get his moneys worth in the event no one wants
to travel the opposite way. This trip,
which would take between 15 and 20 minutes in America, takes 45 to 60 minutes
in Uganda.
Traveling in this country
is one of the most tiresome adventures yet also one of the most rewarding. You tend to met incredible people, like a
young woman about to graduate with her Masters in Business Administration who
has traveled to Australia, and you get to answer all sorts of questions about
America, such as, “I heard that there are no cars in America and that you all
take airplanes to your destinations.” Sheer
entertainment.
For those under 48’’ and
booking their tickets to come and visit yours truly, bring a booster seat. That way you can guarantee a seat to
yourself. Maybe. Even those under 60’’, AKA Juls, just know
that you will find yourself between four Ugandans in the backseat, one who is
probably breastfeeding her child.
This is Africa.
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