Finally, a much delayed recap of our weekend in Entebbe. Last Friday, after meeting up with Ali and Dai at their house in Katikamu (a neighbouring district), we took bodas to the taxi park in Wobulenzi (the town where we had our pedicures done the other week). From there, we got on a matatu to Kampala, and another to Entebbe. Kristen had already arrived at the Backpackers hostel by the time we arrived, so after catching up with her for awhile, the five of us headed down the hill to a restaurant for dinner. Lots of laughs later, we made our way back to the hostel, where we ended up playing cards until the early morning. Saturday Kristen had to head back to the airport to pick up her bags, which had gotten lost amidst all the itinerary changes she’d had on her trip back from Canada. While she was off doing that, Ali, Dai, Vanessa and I spent some time in town and eventually headed to Goretti’s, a restaurant on the shores of Lake Victoria. Quite a scenic spot to eat the much-craved pizzas we all ordered for lunch!
We spent most of the day at the beach, playing cards, swimming, and eating grasshoppers. Ali convinced us all that while in Uganda we’d be remiss if we didn’t try the local delicacy, so we all took turns eating one. I didn’t mind them, but wasn’t wild about the aftertaste. Ali’s best friend, who was flying in from Washington DC for a week to visit her and see what Ali’s been up to for the past year, arrived in Uganda late on Saturday night, so Ali and Dai headed to the airport after dinner to meet her, while the rest of us stayed at the hostel and took advantage of the free wireless internet. Kristen and Vanessa thought it was hilarious that I called my dad for tech support when my computer wasn’t connecting properly, but it was worth it – apparently his magical computer powers aren’t impeded any being half a world away! When Ali, Dai and her friend, Ashley, returned from the airport, I spent a really nice evening visiting with them and getting to know some of the other travellers staying at Backpackers.
Since Kristen was attending a retreat at a Buddhist centre in Entebbe all of Sunday, the rest of us went into town again for breakfast, and eventually made our way by boda to the taxi park. We took a matatu back to Kampala, where we’d made reservations to see a performance by a Ugandan dance troupe that Ali and Dai had seen before and absolutely raved about. Since there was still some time before we had to leave for the show, we had lunch at the same (delicious) Ethiopian restaurant that Vanessa and I had eaten at on a previous trip. I’ll save the details (and photos and video) of the dancing for a separate post, but suffice to say it was completely fabulous and totally awe-inspiring. Definitely worth the early trip back from Entebbe.