Sand and Sun

Oh the Sese Islands. What a wierd and wonderful little place. It's an island chain in Lake Victoria, and well worth a visit, even if you have to let your comfort bubble be invaded a little bit in order to get there.

It's nothing too different from normal travel around Uganda, the usual hassles are involved; obnoxious conductors, overcrowded taxis that stop every few minutes, hot buses with lots of smelly exhaust, etc. But there are some new and wonderful things to deal with once you reach the shores of Lake Victoria.

The boats that travel like water taxis to all of the islands are large and cannot come all the way to the shore, and are anchored probably 20 to 40 feet away from the waterline. To get to these boats you have to hire a porter, which I didn't really understand until I got there meant a human porter to porter you from the shore to the boat. Oh how I love being carried by Ugandan men, especially since they are quite unafraid to tell you just how heavy you are. But they are strong and reliable, and could even carry my ass along with my backpack, no easy feat I assure you.

So after that embarrassment, I'm finally in the boat with those going as well, and we get to ride about 3 hours to reach our island. It would be a nice and beautiful ride, except you can't see over the sides of the boat, and so stare at the wooden sides of the boat, trying not to think about what would happen if that patch over there started to leak heavily and also avoiding thinking about how sore your butt's going to be after riding on these wooden benches.

But despite all of the problems, the trip was totally worth it (including the 7 hour bus ride to get to Kampala prior to the taxis, etc. to get to the boat). The island was amazing and relaxing, and I enjoyed the 4th of July weekend sitting around a bonfire, so besides the lack of explosive fireworks, it felt rather like home. And then 6 am Sunday morning rolls around, and I have to repeat the entire traveling process again...

Oh well. That's life (in Uganda).

Cheers