The first 2 weeks were taken up with our fabulous camping trips.
That left 9 weeks.
We have enjoyed discovering new things to do, or revisiting places we have enjoyed previously. Kampala has much to offer to keep children engaged and interested, if you're happy to get out around town.
Here are NINE examples of Things To Do with Kids in Kampala for Nine Weeks...
1. Nature
After taking the kids camping out of town, you can also camp in Kampala! If you can't leave town, just put the tent up indoors and let the kids invite their friends and sleep in the tent-in-the-house:
Let the kids build a tree-house in the garden! This is Ben and Joel's creation:
Stuck in one of those notorious Kampala traffic jams? Just time it so that you can at least enjoy the sunset, then let the kids take photos to hone their photography skills!!
Back at home, the boys found this colourful beetle in the garden and took photos before releasing it:
Also, the Reptile Centre in Entebbe is a fantastic place for an outing! This was a trip especially for my boys, who enjoyed this outing while Esther was away all week at an outdoor camp.
My boys enjoyed seeing, learning about and even handling some of the locally caught reptiles!
How many people does it take to hold one Rock Python?
The vipers were scary...
... but this Cobra was one VERY angry snake! I wouldn't want to meet him without the glass to protect us! Apparently, people do find them in the bush in Uganda- I'll be keeping a wary eye out next time we go camping!
2. History
I wouldn't be true to my teaching roots, nor my British roots, if I didn't try to educate my children about the history of the city and country where we reside.
This is why I took the children to visit Kampala's Rubaga Cathedral:
A helpful guide took us on a tour around the cathedral. The children enjoyed the icing-sugar colours of the domed ceiling!
They didn't enjoy the stained glass windows of the cathedral, however, since these depict the suffering of the Ugandan Christian martyrs. These were 45 young men killed for refusing to renounce their Christian faith, on the orders of the tribal king of Buganda between 1885 and 1887. A sad story of persecution for faith.
Next History stop was the Buganda Palace. Here, a tour guide talked us through the various kings of Buganda-one of many tribal kingdoms of Uganda.
We learnt that, after a trip to England, one of the Buganda kings returned to Uganda in the early twentieth century and allowed women to eat eggs and meat! Up until this point, only men were allowed such delicacies!
We also heard that this same king was the one who finally allowed girls to actually go to school after his visit to Europe. Until then, educating girls was perceived as a waste of energy. Their role was seen to be solely that of having and raising children.It was fascinating to hear how travel opened up new ideas.
We learnt that, after a trip to England, one of the Buganda kings returned to Uganda in the early twentieth century and allowed women to eat eggs and meat! Up until this point, only men were allowed such delicacies!
We also heard that this same king was the one who finally allowed girls to actually go to school after his visit to Europe. Until then, educating girls was perceived as a waste of energy. Their role was seen to be solely that of having and raising children.It was fascinating to hear how travel opened up new ideas.
This palace was built for the Buganda kings- the ruling tribe of the Kampala region of Uganda.
Tragically, this palace also has a brutal history, involving much intrigue, bloodshed and cruel grasping for political power.
In fact, so much blood was shed within the walls of this palace when Obote's forces invaded to take power from the king that nobody resides there. It is used only for political meetings; the current king of Buganda and his wife live across town.
As part of asserting his newly-grasped power, Obote ordered the destruction of the king's cars and goods.
However, this relic survives, much to the delight of my children, who were allowed to get a feel for the size of a Daimler- albeit in burnt-out remains!
However, this relic survives, much to the delight of my children, who were allowed to get a feel for the size of a Daimler- albeit in burnt-out remains!
Sadly, the rest of the tour involved a walk down the hill towards the horrific torture chambers which were used by dictator Idi Amin. So horrific and so mind-blowingly evil. Definitely not a place I would care to photograph.
I even wondered whether I should have taken the children to such a sad place. It definitely generated some deep and ponderous questions and conversations, as we struggled to process the horror of such recent, devastating history. It gave rise to interesting discussions about the role and responsibility of leaders of a country - heavy topics, but thought-provoking.
A few week's later, we passed by All Saints Anglican cathedral in central Kampala and popped in to see this older church. We felt more at ease in the light and happy atmosphere of this church, as opposed to the heavy and oppressive atmosphere that envelops the Buganda palace and grounds.
3. Arts and Culture
I took Esther and 2 of her friends to watch a FABULOUS musical, named "Hope". Some of our friends were in the cast and involved in the music! We thoroughly enjoyed seeing them in action. It was a fantastic show and a great outing.
"Hope", the marvellous musical:
Over the course of these summer holidays, we have also had a couple of trips to Kampala's cinema across town. It was fun to watch "Aladdin" and the "Secret Life of Pets 2". Bizarrely, most films in Uganda are shown in 3D. The glasses are less than flattering!!
4. Cuisine
At the beginning of the holiday, I took the children to visit the education centre where I volunteer during term time. The staff were busy preparing for a great feast for the end of their term. The chefs were very kind to our children and allowed them a stir of the massive pot of stew, being prepared for over 150 people!
A friend told me afterwards that in Gabon, where she used to live, people use these giant pots to boil up whole baboons to eat!!!! :-(
These holidays, Ben got a chance to try his hand at Asian cuisine while staying with a Chinese friend. He was given the chance to make sushi - and said it was delicious! It certainly looks tasty...
At home, I gave each of my children a holiday task of preparing a meal for the family. They had to choose the recipe, write the shopping list, come with me to the shops, buy the food and make the meal. We were in for a treat!
Esther made a meal of devilled eggs for starter, followed by stuffed peppers and rounded up with a yummy chocolate dessert.
Ben made beef macaroni casserole.
And here is Joel preparing homemade fish-fingers using local Nile perch fish (with a bit of help from his brother):
All plates were DELICIOUS!!
5. Hospitality Sector
There are plenty of hotels to explore in Kampala!
I decided to take the children to visit the hotel which is most prominent from our lounge window.
We set out with a couple of friends to visit the "Pearl of Africa". A gigantic- and yet very empty- hotel, high on the hill across the valley.
The children enjoyed taking the whizzy-fast lift to the 15th floor. They tried to spot out house across the valley!
In fact, the glass lift goes so fast that it made me feel ill after my cup of tea and slice of banana-bread from the restaurant downstairs!
We have also enjoyed visits to street cafes around town. This cafe was right next to Rubaga cathedral. It somehow reminded me of a French cafe. Since I love all things French, I just had to sit down here to order our cooling glasses of passion-fruit juice!
Through the holidays, we have also had many guests for meals or to stay. Most of the guests have been under 15 years of age, as the children's friends have stayed with us!
It is always fun to have people over- and to be invited out. We have been to friend's houses and even got invited to a fun July 4th American Independence Day BBQ- despite our British roots!
Some of the meals, though, have been clouded by the sadness of goodbyes. A few weeks ago, just before these holidays, our very good friends, the Lindtjorn family, left Kampala. It has been a hard goodbye. They were our friends and neighbours in Juba, and also with us on our team in Kenya and Tanzania.
Andrew was able to say farewell at a local Indian restaurant to his fellow-pilot and good friend Eivind, the night Eivind flew out of Uganda for good.
6. Local Business and Industry
We have really enjoyed visits to local factories during these holidays.
Papercraft, where they make recycled paper, were most welcoming. Our children were given the amazing opportunity to make paper themselves, out of recycled paper and out of banana-tree bark.
Next, they used recycled paper to make their own photo-frames to take home:
Papercraft also have a partner business. They take used glass and recycle it to make beautiful glass products.
It was so fascinating to watch the glass-makers at work- these are highly skilled workmen.
They use a furnace of 1004 degrees Celcius to melt the glass!
Then they shape the glass by blowing down long tubes into the hot, malleable glass! We couldn't quite believe our eyes as a vase took shape before us:
Voila! The finished product, now proudly displayed in my lounge with pretty local flowers: WOW!
Since chocolate is one of my favourite ever things, this was a very exciting outing for me!
We saw the original cocoa beans, from western Uganda...
Esther asked one of the workers what it is like to work in a chocolate factory... I think she was planning a future career in chocolate-tasting!
We all came home with bags of delicious "Equator Chocolate"!!
And also with a greater awareness of where chocolate comes from, as well as learning about local business. A great outing!
7. Retail
I needed new curtains. Since it is not easy to find pre-made household products, I went with a friend and took Esther and her friend, deep into the chaos that is central Kampala.
The girls posed by the oldest shopping mall in Uganda:
Buying material is always an interesting experience in Kampala. Down winding streets and through the dark labyrinths of old shopping centres we trailed. Bargaining for a good price is part of the deal, with good humour being the key to success. The noise, the movement, the heat and assortment of colours is an assault on your senses!
My good friend helped me buy some perfect material. A couple of weeks later, thanks to the good work of a local seamstress, I have beautiful new curtains.
8. Community
We are grateful for the friends we have been blessed with here in Uganda. There is a strong sense of community among those of us who come from far-flung countries and often with our Ugandan friends too.
Our children enjoyed this particularly when they were invited to attend a 2-day Bible Club at a friend's house as part of their holiday activities.
The children all had lots of fun! Equally, I was excited to have other people happy to care for, teach, entertain and feed my children for 2 days!
Last week, Esther branched out from us to join a different community, as she went away for the whole week on a special camp for TCK* teenagers. Waving her off on the bus was a strange moment, as she set off without us for a week's adventure!
The group of almost 70 teenagers had a WONDERFUL time! And we are so thankful for these enterprising people who organise such great events for our kids!
9. At Home:
Of course, one of the lovely things about holidays is more time to relax at home and not to rush out the door to school every morning!
However, I do not want my children's brains to turn to mush... so we have kept a little momentum going with some study at home: Maths work and also a Holiday Diary, to record our outings:
The slower pace of school holiday life has allowed our children to unearth projects, toys and games that they never have time to enjoy in the hectic, busy term time. There has been much fun in the house and garden - and it has been great to enjoy Kampala as our home.
All in all, these holidays have allowed us many opportunities and also rest time: Hurrah for school holidays!
Yes, they are super-long school holidays, but Kampala has much to explore! These 9 weeks have flown by- and the 9 areas of interest have kept us busy. We hope you enjoyed reading about these possible Things To Do in Kampala :-).
