Today is Christmas Eve.......duh, you already knew that. So, why did I decide in the middle of the afternoon to go to downtown Kampala? Not a bright idea but fun in a strange sort of way.
I hopped on a boda boda and had the driver drop me off just near the taxi park. I swear half of Uganda's population (ok maybe just a third) were crammed into the 4 streets that I did shopping on. From the top of the hill, it looked like a whole bunch of ants moving around. But, that's where the cheapest shops are. Lots of thieves and stuff too. But, being that I'm on a pretty tight budget, decided to brave it and see what I could find.
You pretty much had to shove your way down the sidewalk and don't bother being offended by stepped on toes, grabbed butts, or any other trivial matter. Just make sure you hold onto your bags tightly and keep moving forward. It was at this point that I realized that I wasn't carrying a purse. Just my coin bag grasped in my fingers.
After all the shoving, the sweat, the noise, etc. I finally managed to finish my Christmas shopping for the girls. One towel, 4 shorts, 4 skirts, and 8 blouses later, I was done! And all for the grand total of less than $30!!!! I've learned to bargain pretty well if I do say so myself. All of my purchases were done in the inside shops (known to be more expensive than the ones on the outside along the street) and no item is secondhand!
Now time to shove my way back up the hill (in the same madness) to get another boda boda to weave in and out of traffic back home.
So, while the day proved to be fruitful and uneventful (I didn't lose any item that I purchased or my coin bag), I don't think I'll willingly repeat it next Christmas Eve. Or maybe I will....... just for the experience. I love big cities!
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