City Hustle Africa

That is the thing about this city, full of dazzling bright faces ever dripping with sweat yet lively going up and about Kampala. The crisscrossing from one one end to the other without a clear order on the dusty streets yet it remains fascinating to the city dwellers. The sight of breastfeeding mothers carrying baskets of fruits hawking around, to young men running after vehicles in motion in one of the slowest traffic jams you can ever witness. Sounds of sirens of military vehicles making their way through the tight traffic jams are so common as compared to the sirens of ambulance and emergency rescue vehicles. Driving in Kampala is a bitter sweet experience you could never get anywhere on earth. The narrow roads,the haphazard movements of motorists gets you thinking you are knocking the next minute or they are knocking you. Somehow you make your way out of the messy structure and when you reach uptown it gives an awe experience of a modern day city full of life. Casinos, high end restaurants and cafes to the presidential suites. The aura and comfort leaves wishing to live here forever.

A small turn of the moment fives minutes away from uptown you are in Kikubo lane the busiest business street in Uganda. A narrow stretch of a road going not more than half a kilometre but carrying each and every traffic you have seen on earth. From street vendors lining up their merchandise on the sidewalks leaving no room for pedestrians who in turn compete for space with motorcyclists, " Tuktuk" tricycles carrying merchandise usually Chinese products from the hundreds of wholesale shops lined up along the opposite sides of the street to Lorries and trucks delivering supplies freshly offloaded from the railway station.

Wheelbarrow pushers make it more confusing and taunting that you need a city guide used to this life to give you a hand to the other end of the road. Pickpocket hooligans are a normal and the climax of the road experience here are the somewhat untouchable thugs who make the rules here. Passing through Kikubo is an experience you would never look forward to but missing out on this one life time exposure is what you can not afford down play.

In about one hour without the snail speed movement of traffic you could round up Kampala city central business district about ten square kilometre area and around it is covered by the outskirt towns and shanty ghettos which house most of the city's population during night. The sights and sounds is well made on the seven built hills which make up the major town. From Nakasero housing national administrative buildings to the west is Mengo the the royal palace of the King of Buganda kingdom the biggest tribe in Uganda. On Rubaga hill south of the city centre sits the Cathedral for the Catholic headquarters in Uganda and at Makerere you locate perhaps the biggest university in East Africa popularly known as the Ivory tower. Old Kampala hill is where Fort Luggard is traced where the British colonial government established its head Office and now occupied by Gadaffi Mosque the biggest in the city. Kololo hill is full of high rise office apartments and magnificent residential structures.

And then the shanty towns and ghetto settlements sum up the city experience. People here know the city and love it more than those in the major space. Urban music blazing from the bars, the security barracks housings, to groups of youths chanting raggae music. Retail duka shops and groceries busy with women buying food and bread and revellers winding up the day in pubs and dance clubs roving themselves all night. You should dream of visiting this beauty of a city as it has the story of your life time.

You can only see the sun from from where you located my ancestors said but my view of this city makes it more lovely than most cities I have been to. You can only work a few hours in the arcade buildings usually where having hair saloons and beauty shops, and shopping of clothes not the normal normal working hours of 08:00 am to 05:00 pm East African time and still be counted, visit the shopping malls in the early evenings and the day ends in the pubs,night dance clubs and churches for night life.

The food is so natural and the most affordable anywhere. Mashed bananas, posho, rice, chapati plus a variety of other African dishes never miss out on the menu. Have you heard of the Luwombo a traditional Baganda meal to having Millet bread( atap) with boiled Tilapia fish with ground nut stew and from the north of Uganda to sweet potatoes and Bamboo ( malewa) from the east. Of course the uptown hotels offer the best foreign dishes which needs not to worry you if have crossed the border here.

Weekends are the epitome of happiness and joy of life in the city. Music concerts here, expensive wedding reception parties and water revellers donning swim suits riding to the beach side at Africa's largest lake Victoria which is 20 minutes drive away from town. Sports lovers never have to regret living in this city as weekend is when soccer games are played in the different stadia around town, the Indian community gather at the cricket oval while the rich and affluent drive their posh SUVs to the golf course grounds. Kampala is a mixed grill of games and sports with rugby, tennis, swimming, car racing and motor cross sports among among others.

The more you will find it hard in this city, the more you will want to stay because of the number of surprises which keep on unfolding. A stroll on any of the streets of this city makes you gaze in amazement and awe. A tool kit never to miss out in your travel bag is a camera as photo moments are seldom restricted a warm jacket and umbrella because the weather here changes in a blink of a eye and learn a few local greetings like " gyebaleko" meaning how are you because the official language in most of the city is Luganda and English only used in offices and uptown places. A life time opportunity to remember is a visit to Kampala. Welcome to the city!