Welcome to the Fat Cat

Last Saturday, August 13th, after a 3-hour drive, I arrived in Kampala. Tony dropped me off at the Fat Cat Hostel and headed back. The hostel is really cool, quite big, with many guests, in a nice location, clean AND breakfast is actually included.

I think I have never celebrated a toilet in my life as much as there! It was wonderful. Full of energy, I sat on the seat and... no kidding, I didn't want to talk about that.

Just around the corner from the hostel, there is a mall which I visited and had the opposite of a culture shock. Everything was so stylish and bright, with well-dressed people sitting in the cafe. I really felt like a bum, with my baggy clothes and dirty shoes (the white soles were actually brown). As much as I longed for something familiar from time to time, it was strange to be confronted with so much Western glamour again.

I spent some time there and in the evening, I went to a bar with my roommate and two of her coworkers. It was the same there, clean and well-dressed people, it was the 'Place to be' - I was really confused. Nevertheless, it was fun, we had a few gin and tonics, a tasty shisha, and then I went home.. or rather, I took an Uber - I'm a fan now.

The next day, we went to a cultural festival at the National Theater. There were singing and dancing performances, from breakdance to traditional, everything was there. It was really beautiful and on that day, my heart opened a little more for Uganda.

I have now bought a book 'Insights into Uganda' to fully make the most of the remaining month I have here and to learn everything about the culture, history, and people.

Everything is very relaxed right now. Today is August 15th, 2016 and I treated myself to a quiet day, wrote a lot, read, and planned my further journey:

September 19: Flight to Cairo, where I will couchsurf

September 26: Flight to Beirut (Lebanon), where I will also couchsurf

September 30: Flight to Istanbul, where I will treat myself to a nice hostel for a few days

October 3 (arrival on the 4th): Flight to Phuket (Thailand), where I will meet Alica&Max, just like Eileenchen, Eileen will stay until the 20th, and Alica&Max will continue their journey open end :)

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the flight from Uganda to Thailand has been changed and what I initially saw as a misfortune has now turned out to be a good opportunity for me to visit some Middle Eastern metropolises. I'm really excited about it! Some people may not know it yet, but I'm quite fascinated by Middle Eastern culture and feel a certain attraction to it. I have already been to Turkey and Egypt, but Lebanon is new for me and I'm particularly curious about it.

By the way, in the end, I'm paying $100 more for this little detour to the Middle East than if I had flown directly to Phuket, but I also save a lot of money through couchsurfing. So, everything is easy :)

Oh yeah, I forgot the most important thing. I haven't decided on the next project yet, I have 2 options to choose from and I'm still thinking about it. Accordingly, I'm enjoying another day in Kampala and will move on on Wednesday!

So, I'm going to have a relaxed evening now, maybe I'll go to the cinema. I was also invited to have pizza, but my stomach hasn't been cooperating for the past 1/2 days, so I'll probably decline!

I wish you all the best from over here and I want to thank everyone who I've bombarded with messages in the last two weeks and everyone who has thought of me. Lots of Ugandan lisische love for you