Days 27 & 28, May 16th and 17th, 2021: Kampala - Relaxing at Villa Kololo - Acacia Mall - last day

I spent my last days in Kampala quite calmly and was happy to be able to stretch all four of me and continue writing my travel blog in peace. With the hotel's stable wifi, the photos were uploaded relatively quickly, which usually took hours.

Yesterday morning, I still had the PCR test. The Test & Fly Laboratory, which Herbert recommended to me for this purpose, is located near my hotel, the Villa Kololo. If I ever stay in Kampala again, it will definitely be my first choice. Since it was Sunday yesterday, there was hardly any traffic. I actually wanted to walk to the laboratory, but after Bodas stopped every now and then to ask if I needed a ride, I changed my mind. The ride ended up taking longer than on foot. The Boda-Boda driver claimed to know where the destination was. But of course, he didn't. Not that it surprised me. So I took out my smartphone during the ride and fired up my Google Maps. The driver then cheekily wanted to double the fare, even though I had already voluntarily given him a little more than agreed in advance. But not with me. Unfortunately, it is common practice for us Mzungus (white people) to constantly try to collect multiples of the regular price. I am certainly willing to pay a little more, but I won't let myself be taken advantage of. Even if it did happen to me at the beginning out of ignorance, of course. So I paid three times as much for mosquito spray at a pharmacy in Kasese as is usual, and that for a large purchase... The pharmacist (saleswoman) probably also shamelessly took advantage of the fact that she was the only shop around that still had spray in stock.

Then the laboratory was very professional and the test was done quickly. I received my test results digitally via WhatsApp and email a few hours later. Before my departure, I had the PCR test done at the Bernhard Nocht Institute in Hamburg and had to pick up the results the next day. So much for digital...

When I was sitting on my hotel terrace after the test, there was a funny coincidence: the French couple moved into the room next to me, with whom I did the trekking tour to the mountain gorillas in Bwindi last Monday.

In the afternoon, I went to the Acacia Mall. Actually, I mainly went there to have my blood tested for malaria again. However, the hospital located on the roof there was closed on Sundays. Now I simply trust that the few mosquito bites I got despite all the protective measures were harmless.

The trip was still worthwhile because there was a lot going on in the Acacia Mall. It reminded me of my time in the Emirates, where people also meet in the malls not only to shop, but also to spend time together. From the rooftop terrace, I also had a nice view of Kampala.

This morning, Bwambale and I briefly visited the German Embassy and the Uganda Tourism Board. Herbert, the representative of SES in Uganda, recommended that we visit the embassy. Unfortunately, without an appointment at such short notice, we didn't meet anyone. I had written to the Uganda Tourism Board a few days ago, but after not receiving a response, we decided to stop by. It was worth it, and now I have the right contacts and the suggestion that we have a Zoom meeting soon.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to Bwambale, who took the bus for the long journey (about 7 hours) back to Kasese. Since Baluku, our driver, couldn't stay for that long due to family obligations, I sponsored Bwambale's bus ride back. It is already relatively certain that RWECO-VIDE will need me for another assignment. I will continue to support the tourism project from Germany anyway.

I arranged the airport transfer through Herbert. It's a good thing we left so early. In the rush hour traffic, it took us 2 hours to cover the approximately 50 km from Kampala City to Entebbe Airport.

Now I'm sitting here writing the last lines. If I were allowed to take photos, which is not allowed in public buildings in Uganda, I would photograph the Chinese passengers. I noticed them already on my flight there: they are almost all dressed in plastic hazmat suits with FFP2 masks (maybe even FFP3), plus plastic eye protection and plastic overshoes. They look like they're about to enter a high-security laboratory, not the plane ;-)

I'm looking forward to my next visit to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa!