Off to Market!

Monday, 6th July. GMT: 12:33 . Kampala Time: 2.33

Kampala is a geographically interesting city. Built on several hills, it doesn’t feel too much like a city at all. From the areas I’ve visited (admittedly a limited number), it feels more like a sprawling town, broken up by large sections of greenery. The roads aren’t near as bad as India, though still distinctly third world. As Alex took great pleasure in pointing out, most of the cars are from Japan and the proportion of cars to motorbikes is surprisingly high. The number of beggars is also strangely low and things aren’t quite as third world as I expected. From a conversation with some med-students yesterday, the biggest problem in Kampala, like the rest of Africa, is HIV. Infection rates in Kampala are as high as 10% and the roads are covered in “stay faithful” and “get tested together” billboards. None the less, the problem is very difficult to curb- people with HIV stay relatively healthy for years and aren’t going to live a life of chastity just because they have the virus. If they even know they’ve got it.

HIV risks aside, I’m still determined to go out and explore. Sadly, Alex has different ideas and would far prefer to laze around the hostel, so I’m preparing to go out by myself. Sun hat in hand, I’m off to see the big city, more specifically the market. Wish me luck.