Taxis and Coasters

Thursday afternoon Bry'Chell and I took the UMU coach (think Greyhound-type bus minus the toilet) to Kampala and spent the night at the Grail in Rubaga (the neighborhood where the Catholic Social Training Center is located).

Friday morning we caught a taxi near Rubaga to the New Taxi Park. From the New Taxi Park we walked to the Old Taxi Park and caught a coaster to Jinga.

Some definitions might be helpful here. First, a taxi is not a car that you hail to take you to your destination. A taxi is a van that seats fifteen people--but not like an American fifteen passenger van. It seats three across including a fold-down seat on the end that uses what would be the isle space. The taxi follows something of a route. You can pretty much guess where it's going from where you catch it. It's not quite a bus service, but close enough for practical purposes. It's also cheap--prices vary by destination, but from Rubaga to the New Taxi Park is 500 schillings--just under twenty-five cents at the current exchange rate.

Tha Taxi Park is a veritable zoo of taxis, buses and people. It's a huge lot with taxis, buses and people going every which direction. It's important to keep an eye on your pockets, purse and knapsack in the taxi park. However, people are also incredibly helpful. You can ask just about anyone, worker or traveler for information and they will take time to point you in the right direction.

We exited the taxi at the gas station by the New Taxi Park and were given directions to the Old Taxi Park, which is quite near the New Taxi Park. I had been given instructions to take a coaster (translation: small bus that seats about thirty people) to Jinga rather than a taxi. The coasters are more comfortable, cheaper and safer. Buses, taxis, coasters don't leave on a given schedule. They leave when they're full. Since taxis are smaller, they fill faster. The disadvantage of a coaster is that it takes longer to fill.

In this case we were one of the first ones on the coaster, so we had a while to wait. The waiting was entertaining. There are vendors wandering the taxi parks selling stuff. They sell EVERYTHING. There were food vendors selling cookies (bisquits here), yogurt, pop, juice, plates of hot food, and meat on skewers. Other vendors were selling handkerchiefs, watches (which will work for about five minutes if at all), suit jackets, jewelry, undershirts, hats, air time for cell phones, newspapers and probably a million other things. It's sort of fun. The vendors walk by, or come up to the coaster windows and show their wares. Being a muzungu, I merited extra attention. Everyone figures muzungus have money. I bought some air time for my phone and a couple of handkerchiefs since I had forgotten mine. Bry'Chell bought two rings. They were 500 schillings each--handkerchiefs and rings. We spent fifty cents on air time and a dollar on everything else combined. It was better than the Dollar Store.

The ride from Kampala to Jinga took about two hours through beautiful countryside. Right before we arrived in Jinga we crossed the River Nile. Bry'Chell was a little impressed, being the longest river in the world doesn't mean that much to her. She was less impressed when she found out the place Moses was put in the river was probably over 3,500 miles downstream. Oh well, it's hard to impress a 13 year old.

Once we arrived we found a place to eat and use a bathroom. Our expectation of bathrooms has really changed. Bry'Chell was pleased with this one because it flushed. It was just the squat type, but it did flush.

We ate and called a friend of a friend. Lacey, a staff person from Notre Dame University, had given us the name and number of a former student of hers, Dennis. We called Dennis and he came to get us and show us around town.

We went to the source of the Nile--the place where the river exits Lake Victoria. It was cool. I'll write more about it in a separate entry. Each of the sights deserves its own write-up. From there were went to the Nile brewery, then we had a late lunch at a fancy resort place. We went to Bujagali Falls--which was beautiful and finally ended up at the place we were staying--Adrift Adventure Company.

It was a long and very full day.