UWEC Day 5

Unless Hameed was to be called in for an emergency, I had the weekend to myself. I was told earlier in the week that it might be wise to invest in an internet USB stick, so that I would not have to rely on Wi-Fi from wherever I am staying. This was especially true since power outages are very frequent here in Uganda. And that very thing happened as of today. The generator that supplies the back half of the zoo (including the admin offices, vet hospital and the bandas where I was staying) was not working properly so there was no power. I figured I would then venture into town to get an internet USB stick. In Uganda, a company called orange™ is a supplier of wireless internet throughout the country. They had very fast and affordable service, especially for someone like me who would be travelling from place to place, and need a reliable connection.

However, to my dismay, I was informed that they were out of stock of the USB sticks and that I would have to come back the next day to get one. Well, I was not going to waste my visit into town. I figured I would make a trip to the bank to get some money. I was now wishing I had brought more US cash with me when I came here, because it is REALLY hard to get an ATM to dispense some when you need it. First of all, my debit card was only accepted at certain banks/ATMs and second I had no option to get USD. So, I had to keep taking out UGX and then go to a foreign exchange to get some USD.

Entebbe Market

After leaving an ATM near a gas station, I noticed a large gathering of people in one corner of town and wanted to check it out. It was the Entebbe Market. Never had I been surrounded by so much culture. There was so much fresh produce everywhere! From stacks of pinapples, to plantain, bananas, root vegetables (like cassava) all grown by local farmers. There was also clothes and nick nacks galore. I tried not to take too many pictures, because I did not want to seem like a nosy tourist, but hopefully from what I have shows how vibrant this town is.

Entebbe Market

Entebbe Market

Entebbe Market

It was very hot today, probably almost 35 with the humidex. On my way back from town, I always passed by the Imperial Botanical Gardens Hotel (FYI, the Imperial Group of hotels are a very large conglomerate in Uganda). I noticed on a sign that they had a swimming pool. Well, with the weather as it was, and not much going on at the zoo otherwise, I took full advantage of this discovery. It was only 10,000UGX to swim (~$4CAD) so that was even more incentive to go. I packed up my trunks, left UWEC, and head for the hotel. Also knowing how extreme the sun is here (remember, part of Uganda lies on the Equator) I figured I should soak up some sun, so that I wouldn’t burn to a crisp, when working outside for long hours. After a relaxing couple of hours, I decided to check out the hotel restaurant to grab a bite. I had a nice coconut chicken dish with rice. Still cost me less than $15 for my meal!

When I had finally returned back to UWEC, the power had still not returned, but I ran into Bruce again, and helped him get some browse for Charles and then assisted in bottle-feeding him his milk. Good night Charles…