Cheerful Bus Rides

I arrived in Fort Portal on Saturday afternoon, after a cheerful bus ride. Even though the public bus rides can be lengthy, sweaty and sometimes bumpy, they are always entertaining! I just love the people watching. I love how the local people travelling by bus are always dressed in their best clothes - this is typical of most people in Uganda when out and about or travelling. There was an elderly man sitting just ahead of me, wearing a worn, but lovingly cared for light blue suit, his white shirt and around his neck a large cross necklace. He had jolly eyes and graying hair. I think he must have been a man of the church, because about 3/4 way through our journey we came upon an overturned truck that seemed to have taken a corner too fast and tipped over. He went outside and seemed to pray for the men trying to un-turn it, and/or blessed them. The men working shook his hands gratefully and proceeded their work.

There were also small children on the bus, and they are so quiet and well behaved. A young girl of about three, dressed in a lovely yellow dress, and black polished shoes, sat so patiently on her mother's lap for the whole journey, looking curiously at the "muzungu" (white person) sitting across the aisle with big, wide eyes ;-)

I arrived at the bus park just before 10am, and we left just before noon. You end up waiting a while for the bus to leave, because they won't leave the bus park until the bus is full. It was hot sitting in the bus, but I had a good chat with a young man next to me, travelling home from his college classes, asking many questions about Canada, what foods we eat, what sports we like. He was kind and showed me where the public washrooms were - as you're never sure how long the journey will take and if the bus will stop, I had tried to dehydrate myself, but still had to go.

Then people purchase snacks and drinks for the journey, the bus engine rumbles and the driver honks the horn letting people know that we are about to leave. The huskers that walk up and down the bus aisles selling medicines, lanterns, food, drinks, toys, combs, belts, purses ect... quickly rush to get off the bus before it leaves.

And then we were off. The road to Fort Portal has been paved, but they are still fixing it just outside of Kampala, so our initial journey was slow. The bus actually had an old Chinese brand of TV mounted at the front, and the driver played various videos - some Ugandan music videos (the famous local artists being KuKu and Chameleon), some 80's music videos (Cindy Lauper!), and religious music videos. The music pumped through the bus, and put everyone in a jolly mood.

The bus did stop about half way through our journey at a town called Mbende. It stops for a few minutes so people can take "a short call" (ie: bathroom break), and buy some refreshments. As soon as the bus stops, it is swarmed by a huge crowd of people selling chapatis, roasted plantain, peanuts, barbequed meat, chicken, yoghurt drinks, soda, water... It's quite the site. You just stick your hand out the bus window, and they pass you your treat, and then you pass them some cash. I had a chapati and 2 roasted plantains... yummy ( total cost $0.33).

And so I arrived in Fort Portal about 41/2 hours later. The green, lush rolling hills, spotted with tea plantations, rich vegetation, flowers, small farms with cows, goats, chickens running about, people on their bicycles transporting matooke (cooking bananas), and then the town. Busy with activity and commerce, women dressed in their colourful fabrics. It's a beautiful place. My guest house is lovely as well. The back yard overlooks the rolling green hills, and you can see the mountains in the background. It really is paradise.