Week 4- Matatus, Private Hires, and Legs.

Location:Kampala

Getting around Kampala is easier said than done. While the city's busy and heavily congested traffic would lend itself to the notion that public transportation is readily available, in reality, the usage of said transportation is often more trouble than its worth. This is especially true of matatus --or public taxis cars that collect an unsettling amount of passengers into one van and weave in and around the crumbling roads despite their relatively large size. Crowdedness notwithstanding, another issue with matatus is that they only service certain areas while largely neglecting others. For example PCA, despite its being a walking distance away, is not accessible by matatu, necessitating a private hire, which if you're traveling alone can get quite costly. Furthermore, a trip can sometimes call for multiple matatus, requiring a transfer in Old Park- a large matatu park with more than 100 vehicles all identical in appearance and most poorly labeled. Needless to say, navigating by matatus is often a very long and cumbersome process. There are two alternatives to a matatu. The first is a private hire, which as previously mentioned, depending on the number of passengers can become expensive. On the other hand, walking is also an option --assuming of course that one's destination is within walking distance.

This week I made my first appointment to visit my NGO. I was informed that it was within walking distance from Mulago Hospital. The other alternative was taking a matatu, but my aforementioned sentiments regarding those taxis rendered that option unlikely. So I opted to walk. To get there, it was recommended that I forgo the busy main road and instead take the road less traveled --ie an unpaved, unmarked path winding through what looked like a rural landscape. My walk was largely solitary expect for the occasional children and bicycles. This was really unusual from the typical overcrowded, bustling paths in most other parts of Kampala. The walk was very pleasant until this path merged with a larger much busier street. The road was unmarked and since my NGO was supposed to be located on a main road, I assumed I was moving in the right direction. However, after walking down this road for close to fifteen minutes, I caught an address out of the corner of my eye and realized that I was on the wrong road ---by a long-shot. Evidently, I had entirely missed the "main road" I was supposed to turn at and kept walking past my destination for at least twenty minutes. Not realizing exactly where I was at the moment, I started asking for directions only to be met with shrugs and Luganda beyond my grasp. Finally, after being offered boda boda services at least a dozen times, I finally asked a boda driver to give me directions. He did and I finally made it to my NGO --sweaty and exhausted, but in one piece. Recommendations: choose your poison (Matatus, private hire, or legs) or learn the ropes and quickly.