Vagabond by Mogoatlhe Lerato

Author:Mogoatlhe, Lerato
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781928337713
Publisher: Jacana Media

At first, it would seem as if I’m turning a molehill into a mountain but a closer look at the facts proves me right – Ugandans are out to get me. They don’t just want me dead. They’re determined to make sure that I return to South Africa a mangled corpse. I first come to this realisation on the day I move across town from Lunguja to Bugulubi. Red Chilli Hideaway is walking distance from the main road but I have a backpack and camping gear, so I get a boda boda. I still haven’t figured out how to sit on one without shifting my weight to one side. The boda rider keeps telling me to sit in the middle, whatever this means. He puts my stuff between the headlights and revs his motorcycle. Instead of moving forward, it leans upwards and topples me to the ground. I’ve been avoiding boda bodas because they’re known as coffins on wheels, but they’re the only way to move around the city without having a traffic-jam-induced psychotic episode.

Other than being East Africa’s party capital, Kampala also has some of the worst traffic jams in the world. The boda boda nearly falls again when the rider drops me off at Red Chilli. The establishment has hostels with shared kitchens and chalets, a swimming pool, restaurant and gardens where I rent a spot for my tent. Guests are tanned road hogs with bundles of bracelets on their wrists, and groups of young overland travellers who sound, dress and act the same. They move like a flock and keep to themselves.

I pitch my tent between the dormitory and the swimming pool and stay away from other residents in keeping with my rule to avoid Americans and Europeans. The only resident I hang out with is a young man I will call Peter, who is visiting from Mbarara in Western Uganda. I get a boda to Kabalagala one afternoon to lunch at Ethiopian Hut restaurant. It’s one of several in the area. I visit it in particular because it was bombed by terrorists months before my arrival. The blast put Uganda on the travel advisory list. I visit the restaurant to defy the advisory.

Going to Ethiopian Hut is my way of letting Kampala know that I’m not afraid of its other recent headlines. Besides, Ugandan food is bland. The only local food I eat is a rolex, made with an egg fried with chopped onions and tomatoes and rolled into a chapati. Ethiopian food is fragrant and spicy. My initial anxiety about going to Ethiopian Hut is a waste of energy. I find beefed up security that includes body scanners.

I keep going back to Kabalagala for the grills that come out onto the pavement and get fired up to cook fish at sunset, the fresh bundles of qat on sale, and the zouk music blasting from Congolese restaurants.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.