Going up country is an expression I learned in Kampala. It basically means to go anywhere outside Kampala and has nothing to do with the immediate direction, irrespective of whether your journey takes you “down” or “up” (as in south or north)
Here we are, visiting Mum some 40 km outside Kampala in her little village, where she runs a little shop. And she has the local internet “Café” (in her hand)
It might be interesting to note, that of the total of 24 million, about 15% live in urban areas, with the rest being classified as rural. Kampala is said to have 1.2 Million people (which I believe to be an under-estimation) And the next biggest city is Gulu mit 113.500, meaning less than 10% of Kampala. Hence the urbanisation of the Uganda population is fairly strongly focused on the Capital City.
But looking at this picture, one has to say urbanisation is also relative
It’s in the city of Kampala
Once you move away from Kampala a bit more, things become really “country”
The streets leading to the other major centres, for example Masaka, are not bad. However, as soon as you get into a bit more rural areas and places where there is no immediate “through traffic” like to Tanzania or Kenya, the streets are becoming dirt roads as you would expect.
This is a visit at grandma, who lives about 80 km from Kampala. I don’t think, she has ever been outside her village. Grandma is also the elder of the clan who looks after the graves.
And grandma likes a beer. But to make it less obvious, she fills it into a water bottle.
One of the interesting things for me is always the immense attraction and ‘novelty character’ which an elderly white man represents in the country. Children and even adults might stop in their tracks and wave at you.
And that is in particular so if that white man actually drives a taxi – as in public transport vehicle – I think I am one of very few if not the only one in recent years having done that regularly. And it still is of novelty value in the streets of Kampala and certainly outside the city.
Visiting some ‘holy place’ where natural religion is practiced
and what's wrong with a bit of selling stuff at the 'temple'
And everybody has to start somewhere and even if it is a wooden scooter
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