On Thursday Andrew and I celebrated 14 years of wedded bliss ;-)
To mark the occasion, we planned a fun day out.... an adventure to explore some of the prominent sites of Kampala. I chose five venues to visit on our day tour.
We set out just after 9am on Andrew's motorbike, our helmets firmly in place to brave the chaos of Kampala's traffic!
We teamed up with another couple, who had arranged to ride on local boda boda (motorbikes). Their obliging drivers were set to show us the way to visit the five sites that I had requested.
- We started at the palace of the local tribal king- the Buganda king, known as "kabaka."
Apparently, once we entered the compound, all women automatically become the property of the king and have to cover themselves with propriety- which in our case turned out to be an orange rectangle of material! I'm not sure how Andrew felt about giving his wife over to another man on our anniversary!
Tour guide Augustin led us around the grounds of the palace and related the rather bloodthirsty history of the kings of the Buganda tribe. The actual palace now lies empty because all the blood shed there makes it an unappealing residence for the current king.
Part of the tour led us into the dreadful torture chambers used by dictator Idi Amin during his reign of terror. In this dingy, dark, underground hideaway, Idi Amin ordered the torture and death of over 19,000 men.
Following on from Amin, Obote retaliated against those who had been loyal to Amin. A further 7,000 men were condemned to die gruesome and cruel deaths in the belly of this concrete monstrosity.
It was a sobering visit.
We finished the tour with a walk around the photo gallery that chronicles the family members of the Buganda Royal family from the late 1800s, when photography first reached Uganda. It was fascinating to hear and see history from the Kampala region.
- Our next venue was the Catholic cathedral of Rubaga, set high on one of Kampala's hills.
I would like to say we zoomed up the hill, but that's not quite true! The motorbikes we use here are not known for their speed! Just for their resilience and for being large enough to fit passengers (sometimes several!!) behind the driver!
We arrived at the cathedral and parked the bikes under a nearby, shady tree:
Rubaga cathedral boasts some beautifully constructed stained glass windows. Sadly, though, these windows portray the tragic stories of some of the 46 Christians murdered for their faith by Mukasa II- one of the Buganda kings. He had felt threatened by the rise of Christianity in his kingdom. Several of the windows show the martyrs receiving baptism before being forcefully taken to their death at Namowongo, just outside of Kampala.
It was a sad kind of illustrated history lesson.
Our lovely guide, Rose, also showed us the ancient organ donated from Germany over 100 years ago. She unlocked the wooden cover - and was most obliging when I asked if I could try my hand at playing a few notes!
I enjoyed the colours chosen for the church interior- definitely bright and cheerful and a great reflection of local choice!
It was a cathedral well worth visiting. I was gaining a better understanding of this city we live in as I added to my sketchy historical knowledge of Kampala.
- Our third stop was Namirembe Anglican cathedral, to visit their small museum.
I have visited this venue several times for inspiring musical events, but Andrew and our friends had never been and none of us had visited the cathedral's Cultural Centre.
We collected another guide. This time, Rosetta led us around the cathedral's "archive chamber". This spacious room was packed with photographs, information boards and models depicting the history of the churches which had stood on this site.
The current cathedral is the fourth cathedral constructed here since the 1880s. Lightening strikes, gale force winds and ambitious architects have all contributed to the volume of buildings!
We learnt more about the martyrs and some history of the Anglican bishops sent from England to support the church here in the 1800s- one of whom was captured and killed for his faith by the local king.
Another died of fever before even reaching Kampala.
Yet another was a key figure in a spiritual revival which swept through Uganda.
We even read about one church leader half a century ago who felt compelled to sell his motorbike in order to dedicate himself better to serving God. I wondered what he would have to say if he heard of us riding around Kampala on Andrew's bike today!
We took some time to get a few pictures before leaving this impressive cathedral site:
- After this, we four mounted our trusty bodas to set off into the heart of Kampala city to visit Kampala's- and indeed, Uganda's- first ever shopping centre!
Andrew and the other boda drivers deserve a medal for their incredible feat of driving through the utter CHAOS and bedlam that is Kampala city centre!
I would have loved to have taken some photos! However, it is ill advised to have the phone or camera in your hand as you squeeze between trucks, buses, other boda drivers, pedestrians, cars or traders staggering through the crowded streets with heavy sacks of goods balanced between their shoulder blades. The risk of either dropping your phone or having it swiftly swiped from your hand is high!
After a hot, hair-raising and incredibly fascinating and colourful ride, we made it into Kampala's gritty downtown!
We dismounted, left the other two boda drivers in charge of all three motorbikes and headed into "Pioneer Mall". The slogan above the entrance says it all: "the first and still the best mall in Uganda" !!
We ate our lunch at the advertised "Antonio's" cafe. I was so hungry that my trademark East African "chicken and chips" was polished off in no time!
- Happy, with out tummies full and with the glow of having survived a motorbike ride through the labyrinth of Kampala's busy streets, we embarked on our final destination.
In stark contrast to the noise, heat and rather interesting (!!) smells of the city centre, we headed back up the hill into Kampala's hotel district. To finish off our anniversary tour, we enjoyed a most civilised cup of coffee at the newly constructed and somewhat opulent "Pearl of Africa" hotel.
I thoroughly enjoyed our 14th wedding anniversary! What a way to celebrate being in Kampala together- and to now look forward to more years here with a better understanding of the place we live in.
