Lost in Jinja

My trip to Jinja ended up being a mini adventure. After a long search, I finally found an accommodation for under $15 and got a boda-boda driver to take me there. Judging by the price, the guesthouse seemed to be quite far away - oh great, I wanted to stay IN Jinja! After a 15-minute ride, we arrived in a village, and there was nothing in sight, not even a small shop. I walked into the guesthouse and was greeted nicely, but something about the whole situation felt eerie. Oh man, what had I gotten myself into? I told the lady at the counter that I would stay for a water and then drove back to the city. It didn't make any sense for me to stay there because I wanted to see Jinja and the guesthouse was almost as far away as Bugembe, where I live! Unfortunately, the lady didn't have any credit to arrange a boda for me, so I asked for directions to the nearest main road. After that, I walked alone in the middle of nowhere for 10 minutes, and eventually, I passed by a brewery where there were at least a few people. In hindsight, the whole thing was a bit silly, and I'm lucky that Uganda is not as dangerous as Kenya, where Joram said I would have definitely been robbed on such a solo trip.

Finally, I found a boda and went back to the city where I met up with Mitesh, a world traveler I had met on the ride from Kampala to Jinja. We spent the rest of the day in a cafe, and then I went back home. I was sooo relieved when I arrived there. The kids were doing a joyful dance, and I decided that next time, I wouldn't even bother trying to sleep in the city and just come straight home! :)

I'm currently feeling a bit torn inside. On one hand, there are some great things to do in the city: rafting, bungee jumping, horseback riding, a music festival, and much more. BUT Africa is expensive as a tourist, and accordingly, everything costs a fortune. Theoretically, I could treat myself to one thing, but I actually think I'd rather donate the money to the project. I see how people live here, there's never any protein to eat, even I'm starting to get in the mood for a film because I'm retaining water, and I feel healthy as fuck when I eat a few tomatoes. It's not like anyone here is letting me starve, the portions are huge, and I often get special treatment. But somehow, I don't really want that, and I've already started giving away food.

It was hardly surprising, but actually experiencing it is quite an eye-opening experience. And I don't want to preach, spread negativity, or evoke guilt. This is simply the world we live in. But maybe each of us should occasionally make ourselves aware of the abundance in which we live! And the next time we complain about the government and the system, let's not forget: we have social benefits, health insurance, generally the best medical care, everyone can have a roof over their head, no one has to go hungry, children have a right to education, we have time for thinking and luxury problems, and so on and so forth.

We are extremely well off, and I'm grateful for that!