Sorry about my urge to talk about public transport again (as in “The Frustrations of Travelling by bus in Kampala” at http://amydominafrica.blogspot.com). This week I spent six days at Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC). I travel from Kampala to Entebbe, where the airport is, which can take anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours total in a day depending on the attitude of the drivers of the public transport, i.e. matatus/mini-buses/taxis – all the same thing. But it’s not a “bus”, here a bus is as big as a Greyhound and drives you far distances. Matatus or taxis or mini-buses hold 16 people in them; though they are small, they are efficient (and made by Toyota by the way). This week was a steep learning curve for me (expected) – since there is no strict schedule of a bus system, like in the States, I had to learn as I went.
There are three possible stages I can catch the Entebbe bus from. Two are in the city at the crazy taxi parks, the other one is closer to where I am sleeping. And since there is definitely a rush hour in Kampala, I once again have to schedule my life around the traffic, just like in Chicago. You probably are thinking that taking the matatu from the stage nearest to my temporary home would be the best answer, but I learned that this matatu doesn’t leave Kampala until about 7:30am, much too late to get to my job on time at 8am. I even talked to the driver about the earliest he usually leaves, and I think he understood. He answered 7:30, which is wishful thinking, as all the drivers believe they are leaving earlier than when they actually pull out of the taxi park. So I have to get to the inner city (called Nakasero, it’s like saying, The Loop) early to catch the first matatu to Entebbe, otherwise I wait another 30-45 min for the next one to fill up. This brings me to 5:30 waking up, 6am boda (motorcycle) ride, 6:15 in taxi, 6:20-40 first bus leaves, or if I miss it, after 7 second bus leaves. If I can catch the early bus, the drivers are efficient and usually get me to Entebbe in 45 minutes, which makes me early for work but less stressed. This is a time when carrying a book comes in handy. If I get a bus that leaves between 7-7:20 than I should be safe, unless the style in which the driver drives is poor, or crazy, it could take up to 1.5 hours or more.
It’s all about the drivers. They all have different techniques. You see, when a bus goes to Entebbe, some people get off the bus before Entebbe, which means the driver must find new people on the road asap to fill those seats so that they can maximize their income. Sometimes these drivers stop at every km searching for someone on the road who is going in their direction. Add 35km to 45 minutes and that gets you almost to 1.5 hours, easily. So I gave up on the stage nearest to my temporary home, and went for the two taxi parks in town, which doubled the price of my boda ride (twice, for the ride home). The New Park, I found, is slower to leave than the Old Park. So the Old Park is my answer, and I must get there by 6:20 if I want to be less stressed to start my morning. In all, if I take 2 boda rides and 2 matatu rides in a day, that costs 15,000 UShilling, which is about $7. If I take 4 boda rides and 2 matatus, add another buck. But usually the last 2 boda rides are only if I am late, or lazy, as the walk from the matatu drop-off to UWEC is a 10 minute walk.
But in some ways I am enjoying having to deal with the public transport scenarios because I can practice patience, positive thinking, and learn more about the culture of Ugandans. Now if I really had serious responsibilities, and when the time comes when I am too busy to have time to waste, then things may be different, or maybe not. I will keep practicing Zen-like thinking…as if I am back in the150ft tree that I climbed in a forest that I cannot say, with people who's names I cannot share (due to forest rules).
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