As we left Entebbe and soon found ourselves in Kampala traffic, I was fascinated by the motorcycles and the people/merchandise carried by them. Every time we had a long drive, I tried to capture photos of my view from the window of our vehicle. Motorcycles, pedestrians, bicycles use a small lane at the edge of the road. In the US, this would be the breakdown lane.
Our guide in Entebbe, Lovy, mentioned that the motorcycles and bicycles are called Boda Boda which is a corruption of Border to Border. Initially, in the late 1980s early 1990s bicycles were used as a quick and cheap way to transport people and goods through the no man's land between the Kenyan-Uganda border. Eventually, motorcycles became the go-to vehicle for this transport. Now, Boda Bodas are everywhere. They move people, animals, cargo, and riding a Boda Boda looks very risky.
Several ride sharing companies have set up shop in Uganda. I saw a Boda Boda driver wearing a high visibility vest that said Uber Boda and another for SafeBoda. Ride sharing companies like these provide training and helmets to the drivers that access fares through their app. They have a spare certified DOT helmet for customers and are identifiable and trackable through the ride-share system app.
However, it looked like the majority of Boda Bodas operate outside of the ride-sharing companies or any regulation. We saw Boda Bodas transporting multiple people or moving steel beams, bags of cotton, bags of charcoal, slaughtered animals, animals perhaps bound for the slaughterhouse, goods for sale. Here are some of my favorite photos taken during our time in Uganda on some of the long drives.
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| Transporting large fish |
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| Transporting a Live Calf |
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| Close up of earlier photo |
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| Underwear Salesman |
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| Cotton |
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| Four guys and a handsaw |
Multiple passengers reduces the cost per person.
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| A homemade scooter for transporting heavy items |
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| Transporting a Live Goat |
By the way, if you click on the top photo or any photo in my posts, you can view the photos in a slideshow.
Tomorrow, we fly back to Entebbe for one overnight and then the long trip home. We will be home on January 21.
It has been an amazing vacation with a chance see and photograph animals, to learn about people of Uganda, and see how they live. I know now why Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa. Uganda has so much to offer to the visitor.
Particulars:
Our Adventure Consults guides Lovy, Richard, and Eric were easy to travel with and very knowledgeable regarding the flora, fauna, and Uganda. They were a delight to spend time with.
Our luxurious trip arrangements were made through Mandy at
DPP Travel.
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