Driving in Kampala

I thought when I left Atlanta, I would avoid traffic! Well, was I wrong. In order for the staff to get to work, almost everyone drives into Entebbe. There is one main road (2 lanes) that goes to and from both Kampala to Entebbe. For some reason I am enthralled with thr traffic here?! It amazes me that people actually can get from point A to point B.

Driving in the city is not for the faint at heart; it is a true skill. Have you ever seen coordinated chaos? There are no driving rules, no one sits and waits in traffic, or gets a photo taken when accidentally driving through a red light. In fact there are no lights! It's polite British style driving with a race track twist. Everyone is merging and driving every which way through city roads, all trying to get in or out of the city. It's like being in a pin-ball game, your a player with no control, you just sit in awe, and you have no choice but to accept that "it's a part of the culture".

Example: Yesterday, I saw three Mac-Trucks all going the same direction one on road, of course they got stuck together. They made a huge traffic jam/mess as each of them were jockying trying to get unstuck!

The drive to work is long and can take anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 hours each way from Kampala to Entebbe. I am up at 5 am to be ready for my ride at 7:30 (not so fun). However, I do get to see the sunrise which is a early morning silver lining. Basically, every morning I get a city tour of Old and New Kampala. I was surprised to find that the city is sprawling, it seems to never end. It's a densely packed city, full of vibrant colors, random architecture, and the ever present mix of rich,and poor.

Outside of the city, on the way to Entebbe - the road passed various small towns and villages. Entebbe is situated on around beautiful Lake Victoria. Entebbe is the complete opposite of Kampala, it is a large quiet country area. One of my favorite parts of the drive is when we pass an get a close view of the water.




PS: By the way I am not driving myself to work, staff here get offical travel via Embassy/CDC drivers.
PPS: For all you former RPCVs - yes, I am rolling up in the Land Cruiser (so weird to be on the other side)!