The Interesting and wacky eclipse moments

The fact that it won't happen till over 100 years later makes the eclipse a timeless topic. You can write about it whenever. I made it to Pakwach to view the eclipse. And the hybrid eclipse did not disappoint. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It happened on November 3, as was predicted. It was amazing to see that the biggest percentage of the crowd were Ugandans – Ugandans whose trips were not sponsored by companies but who individually spent money and travelled to see the once in a lifetime event.

Improvising for eye gear
Like most awesome moments, the hybrid eclipse viewing was dramatic. Clearly, the media did a good job sensitising people on what eye gear was suitable. Everyone tried to get hold of the recommended eye gear – some wrongly used or based on myths.

Before long make-shift glasses with film negative strips were on sale going for Shs2,000. When someone said the media had rendered them unsafe, people stopped selling them. But with the authentic eclipse glasses going for a whopping Shs35,000 many had to improvise.

Soot on the sunglasses
Polythene bags and x-rays found their way to the streets. But what was interesting was those who insisted on using sunglasses. Knowing they were not safe, they bought small lamps (commonly known as tadoba) and candles and coated their sunglasses with many layers of soot. It was a popular Plan B.

Naked viewers
It is evident why Owiny Primary School, Pakwach, was chosen as the official viewing place. There, the sun shines like those are its last moments on earth. As viewers bought bottle after another of water to quench their thirst, some people, men in particular decided to either undress or dip their outfits in water and wore them again. And in no time the clothes would be dry.

Clouds, clouds go away

Even though it was mostly scorching hot in Pakwach, at about 4.30pm, it became cloudy, and for a long time. Viewers had already seen the start of but not the total eclipse that everyone had come to witness.

Prior to the D-day, there had been jokes about the possibility of a no-eclipse show. One couldn’t help worry about the possibility of not seeing the total eclipse because of the clouds – the beautiful sky was no compensation. Viewers even started praying for the sun and moon to reappear.

One tourist with his face lifted to the heavens, started blowing away the clouds furiously until they made way for the sun and moon. Shortly after, the sun and the moon met. It was dark for a couple of seconds - the sky black with outstanding sparkling orange rings. It was beautiful – the viewers cheerfully clapped and screamed as if to congratulate the sun and the moon for a great achievement.

Tales of Blue Island

Many people love to take a break at the end of the year. But 12 months is a long time to wait, right? A group of friends and I therefore decided to make use of a mid-year public holiday that luckily for us  fell on Monday making the weekend longer. Though in dire need to unwind our wallets were only semi-smiling. We agreed and made plans to spend two days and one night at Lake Side Adventure Park, Bule Island.

Seeing as we were not spending too much on the trip, we didn’t expected it to be a lot of fun. The excitement was initially because we would be altogether and out of town. But we were wrong. The activities tired us to the bone. We totally enjoyed ourselves while there. 

Getting there

Bule Island is located somewhere in Mukono, you can get there by water and road briefly or road alone. The complete road trip is longer and more costly. We opted to go by water. This required us to be at KK beach at an agreed time from where we were picked.

If with spending the night at Bule Island, you can leave your car parked at KK Beach Ggaba over night. Prior to the trip, we were told it would cost us Shs5,000 per night but when we talked to the guards they said it is free of charge.

We travelled on boat for less than 20 minutes and then into a car to Lake Side Adventure Park. Transport is about Shs20,000 to and from. It is less if you are many. And you don’t have to spend the night. If you decide to, that will cost Shs30,000 in the dormitory. The cottages are a little more expensive but where under construction when we went there.

The vacation mood starts the moment you get onto the boat thanks to the vast fields of vegetation surrounding the place. It is serene, the air so fresh that you wish you could bag some of it. We were told that the network is poor for all telecom companies once you get on water. We complied at first but were later grateful for that. It helped us relax more because we paid attention to each other and our surroundings instead of being on phone half of the time.

The activities

At the park are two main activities, the obstacle course which is Shs10,000 per person and the high rope which has two levels each costing Shs30,000. Involving running up and down, jumping and all kind of things, the obstacle course seemed so easy to do. We were divided into two groups and told to compete away and repeat as many times as we wanted. We thought we would compete one on one after the group competition. But when we finished, competing as groups once, with a few bruises, sweaty bodies, exhausted, we walked back to our rooms quietly. Word of advise, don’t go for this after a heavy meal.

The high rope is also a mixture of challenges divided into two levels. The second is obviously more challenging than the first. It is almost as daring as bungee jumping and ends on a cool note of a zip slide at all levels. These activities are suitable for company staff retreats or group of friends. When counting them they seem few but they are so draining, you wouldn’t go for a second round even if you didn’t have to pay. You can take children as well if aged eight and above. After this sleeping, card and board games is all you will be able to do. A friend and I decided to play Twister to help stretch our muscles, that didn’t go to well.

At the island

The nights at island are quite and peaceful. At adventure park, power is switched on at 7pm to 10pm. It can be kept on longer at a fee. It is then that  you can take a hot bath and charge electronics. When the water levels are low, they hold a camp fire at the beach – it is beautiful. A friend carried a portable hoofer with which we played music off our phones, it spiced up our visits so much as we turned the dormitory in which we were sleeping into a mini dance hall. It was fun.

The surroundings

When we attempted to move around, we ended up at Lagoon Resort whose staff unlike those at Lake Side Adventure Park where not as friendly. Seeing as there was a swimming pool unlike at the park, we decided to go swim there But even though the pool was abandoned, we were refused from using it because when they have guests it is exclusive to them. As we turned to live, we were asked to pay Shs5,000 for entering the resort. It is something clearly written on a sign post at the entrance. But we thought we wouldn’t have to pay it since we wanted to swim. It costs about Shs500,000 per night ($200). We hurried back to the friendly (need I add affordable) Lake Side Adventure Park but not before walking down to the Lagon Resort beach. The walk way is heavenly, a day there can heal you of all the stress. These also have a speed boat.

We were totally impressed by Lake Side Adventure Park. The staff is friendly and highly professional – they see to it that you get what they promised. Requiring you to place your orders days before your trip, the meals are delivered just on time in the most appetizing of ways. Breakfast costs Shs10,000, lunch and dinner is Shs15,000 and Shs20,000 for a barbeque. Soft drinks cost Shs2000. You are allowed to carry wine/champagne and anything else that you need but is not sold at the Island. Check out their website www.lakeside.ug to get contacts and ask to be served by a gentleman called Perfect. He is almost perfect.

Growing up in a slum

I wrote this about a year ago, it is a tale of sheer humble beginnings 

I grew up with my mother in a slum. Then, it was only my mother and I and we slept in a one roomed house that was divided into a sitting room and a bedroom by a curtain. That is the way everyone’s house in the neighbourhood was structured. We shared the latrines and bathrooms which sometimes would get so messed up and impossible to use. We used to have some kind of cleaning roster but some people would not clean when their turn came. On those days one couldn’t use either the bathroom or latrine.

The situation worsened when it rained as some people would enter with dirty shoes and not clean after themselves. Thankfully, our houses didn’t flood when it rained especially at night, like in other places. We liked playing in the rain even if the water was dirty and before you frown, it was actually fun. For us, fun was all that we cared about. the dirty bit was for the adults to worry about. I can’t even imagine where that water came from, but somehow we never fell sick.

I remember that the place used to be littered and there were filthy trenches next to our muzigo. We had a rubbish point that garbage collectors always forgot to clear and some neighbours refused to contribute money to pay the person who was supposed clean the trenches. Then, we had to wait till everyone gave the landlord their contribution.

There is no privacy is slums as just by observing, everyone knew what was going on in the neighbour’s house. You would know who spent the night at whose place, what food they eat since we cooked from outside the house and what time one got back home. Most of the children around the place used to wear dirty, torn or stained clothes. My mother bought me a couple of slippers which I only wore after bathing in the evening. It was okay to run around without slippers and no one ridiculed or bothered you about it. It was so much fun to run around the neighbourhood with other children as we chased after tyres or played hide and seek. We rolled in the grass and wailed in delight as we played with each other.

Being a child in the slum
My mother never had to buy me toys. Life in the slum was never dull, there were fun activities to do and that did not include watching television. My mother had a small black and white one but we only watched it at night when outdoor activities were not an option. But it is not because the people in our neighbourhood were criminals or dangerous like most people think of slums. They were average normal families who just couldn’t afford to live in a better place.

While there, most of us the children went to the same day school so parents took turns to take and pick us from school. Those times it felt like one big family. Most of the people were friendly and looked out for each other’s children. For example my friend’s mother wouldn’t see me cutting my slipper and pass by without scolding me.

Our house was next to a market that was so vibrant in the evening. For a treat, my mother would take me and buy all sorts of deep friend snacks and oh boy was it fun. I looked forward to those days. The market would be a little dusty because of a lot of movement and we would keep stopping so my mother would exchange pleasantries with people she knew.

It is only when we went to church and found children with better clothes and white shoes that I envied children who lived elsewhere. But that was momentarily. The slum was home and I loved it, I didn’t wish to be anywhere else.

Away from the slum

Later, this was taken away from me by a man that I later learnt is my father. My father’s home was enclosed in a gate. It was a lot bigger than my mother’s place with a living room, dining room, a telephone, big fridge and I had my own bedroom. There was a video player and DSTV so we were glued on the TV most of the time. It looked like it was from the movies. I found it so cool and exciting but after a few weeks I got bored and missed being under the sun and running about in the open. My father had two cars, one to take us around and another that he used. My half sisters and brothers had never used a taxi before so they did not know many places which I found so bizarre. I remember laughing at them and I bragged that I was "sharper" than them. 
I later got used to my new life and within no time I could fit in both worlds just fine. And since the posh places are, according to society better than slums, before long my mother was out of the slum and I spent more time at my father’s.

Unlike what a number of people think, I don’t believe that people in the slum have a lesser life compared to those who live elsewhere. They lead a normal life. Despite the neighbourhood and surrounding, the slum is home and it always feels good to be there though they wouldn’t mind having better.

Banura 

The boda boda business that compliments my salary

I dislike boda boda riders probably as much as you. But I am the worse person for helping more get on the streets and I make money from them. It is not a fortune but it is something.

“I have been working for about four years now. This is an idea I came up with when I had been working for three years. Though I was paid at the end of the month, I earned wages, so I did not earn a stable amount, which made planning for it hard. But even then, I knew the range.

Regardless of that, when you have an accountant father, saving money is inevitable especially if you have a job. It does not matter that you do not know how much money you will have at the end of the month. So, I started saving after my second month at work - July 2009. I earned Shs250,000 in the first month so I decided to save Shs100,000. That left me with little money, but my parents were still paying my hostel fees, tuition and also gave me pocket money. I only needed money to transport me to work from the university and back - what I remained with was more than enough.

Saving even from a small salary
I continued saving Shs100,000 every month for a year. And by the way, that should not make you think I’m a disciplined person financially. I’m not. I’m an impulsive buyer who even takes shoes and belts on credit. I know my weakness so I placed a standing order for the bank to always deduct the money as soon as it gets to my account and place it on another account. When it is not on my main account, I cannot use it. After a year, I had saved Shs1.2m.

By then I was working so hard and earning about Shs500,000 a month. So I started saving Shs200,000. I did that for a year and by the end of it I had saved Shs.2.4m. The sum on my account was Shs3.6m.

Two years later, I graduated and my parents stopped helping me financially. I moved back home so I did not have to spend on rent and bills. But the rest of the things like lunch, transport, air time, clothes as well as leisurely expenses are on me. Since my expenditure increased, reducing my savings was inevitable.

In July 2011, I reduced my saving to Shs150,000 monthly. It left with about Shs300,000 to spend. It was not enough so I had to live on a tight budget. I continuously battled with the urge to reduce my saving. But my accountant father always calls to ask if I’m saving religiously and even asks how much I’m saving. I do not lie to him so I maintained the amount I was saving.

Reaping the benefits
By July 2012, I had Shs4.2m on my account. I then decided to go back to school and attain a Masters Degree. Thankfully, my parents agreed to pay Shs2m of the Shs3.8m I need for tuition annually. So I have to come up with Shs1.8m yearly. Shs900,000 was to be paid in four months. I had no other money on me so I withdrew Shs600,000 from my savings and topped up.

I remained with Shs3.6m on my account. Since I had to spend on tuition, I knew it was time to make my savings multiply. I searched far and wide for a business idea and failed. Everything that I came up with or was suggested to me needed too much attention from me, which, with work and school, I knew I would not have. Besides, everyone thought depending on an employee to take care of such attention-requiring ventures was a bad idea. I needed something where all I had to do was invest the money.

Then one day, as a boda boda rider was taking me home, he started whining about failing to raise enough money to give his boss. He said he was riding it on a loan basis but had not paid for three months because of personal problems and now the initial owner wanted to take it. And that there, was my eureka moment.

Getting into the boda boda business
I remembered that earlier, a boda boda man had asked my mother to buy him a motorcycle to ride on a loan basis but she was hesitant. I told my mother that I was interested and she helped me do a background check on him. He had been running a number of errands for us in the past and he seemed trustworthy.

He knows me and does not take me serious so I asked a friend of my mine to act like he is the one interested in buying him the motorcycle. When it was bought, my friend wrote an agreement, signed and lectured him about payment and all. So, as far as the boda boda rider is concerned, though my mother receives the weekly pay, my male friend is his boss. Sometimes he calls him to report me for taking too long to give him the book where he signs to indicate that he has paid.

How the ‘loan basis’ arrangement works
We agreed that he will be paying me Shs70,000 a week for 20 months and there after he becomes the owner of the motor cycle. The fuel and maintance costs are his responsibility. So, in total, I get Shs5.6m at the end of the 20 months. Since I bought it at Shs2.8m, it means every month for 20 months I get Shs140,000. He is still paying and will continue till about April next year, after which it will be his motorcycle. Thankfully, he has so far made his payments religiously.

Of course, it is little money but since I do not break a sweat to get it, it is okay. My plan is to buy as many as I can so I can earn more. There are so many young boys that want to join the boda boda business but cannot afford to buy the motorcycles and would therefore be happy to get an investor.

The biggest challenge
However, not all of them are trustworthy. A few months ago, I was able to identify a second boda boda rider that has also started work with a second motorcycle. Since I bought this one around the time when motor cycle number plates were not available, it cost me Shs300,000 more than I bought the first one. If all goes well, profit from this will be Shs2.5m.

I have also identified a third young man that wants a motor cycle. He turned out clean, and started riding in April, 2013. It is becoming a hobby of sorts but the future for boda bodas especially in the city centre where they are most profitable, is unclear. There is no doubt that I will have to think of another way of making money. Wish me luck.”