Krazy Kampala

It's probably one of the more unusual landings: pitch black with basically only the lights of the plane lighting of a small area of the airport as you land in Entebbe. There is very little power in the country and that means little light is wasted on extra lights. Once you disembark, the smell in the air hits you - fresh, as the breeze drifts off Lake Victoria. Stars fill the sky, with many familiar constellations hanging at unusual angles (Entebbe is right on the Equator). The sound of music drifts from some unseen village near by.

From there you head to Kampala where you are suddenly in loosely organized chaos. Still there are few lights apart from some candles, naked bulbs hanging from ceilings, or sporadic lights from taxis and boda-boda (bike taxis) as the lights on many taxis turn off when the engine is cut (and most people turn off their engines all the time to save gas). Smells of cooking foods waft in through open windows. People laugh and chat.

Yup, I love this place... and it is only the beginning...

Walking around the city during the day was even more fun. People everywhere selling everything you can imagine, or simply standing around chatting with friends and family. Stores are cramped as are roads - choked might be a better adjective. The air is thick with exhaust and dust, but everyone is laughing and smiling. When the sun came out you could feel your skin cooking. It's hot, but for some reason it didn't feel as hot as I remember tropical places in Asia.

The people though... so friendly, not asking for anything, just having fun joking and laughing about life. After years in Asia, this is the first so called "developing country" where I wasn't attacked right away by everyone wanting to sell me things or to gain my business. Here, it seems, people are more laid back and know if you need their service you will come to them. That being said, when you get to the taxi park, the rules change. Everyone wants to load up fast and get moving. That being said, most of the taxis have their usual destination written on the roof, so even among that craziness there is some semblance of organization.

The landscape: lush, but also very dusty and dirty. Enormous birds fly about, and geckos run amuck in the rooms at night.

I never thought I would say it, but I feel strangely at home here. I feel at peace and calm. I am smiling like all those around me. I am excited about the next 8 months. I'll keep you posted (internet is very very irregular though).