Those mannequins are to be seen everywhere in Uganda, always white and slim...hardly any in Tanzania.
As I said in a previous post, my legendary smile works for a friendly reaction...
Or not..
The patient lady selling traditional brooms along the traffic jam
Color study... well Africa is a color study in itself!
These trendy hats are quite common in Uganda Not at all in Tanzania. I love how fashion gets recycled.
The "I don't care lady" gliding through the downpour...
Usually my natural charm suffices to defuse a situation when I get spotted.
Or not...
These contraptions on the other end, unlike the retro hats, are common through the East African countries...I got rescued once in Kenya and once that Land Rover came to a halt next to my car the driver slammed the door and the front grid fell off! Just like in a movie. But those mechanics are good at fixing older cars on the spot. A bit more challenging with modern cars full of electronics...
Rare case of a mask worn, and properly. A few dozens deaths due to corona since the beginning. One cannot blame the average Ugandan especially with some notorious examples come from the West
Notice the heavily taped carb board trays. Their main purpose is to life the whole set of items at once to allow a delivery vehicle to pass through. Normal circulation is not allowed so the street is taken by the poorest sellers.
The bazaar also contains a few buildings made of labyrinths on a few floors. Olivia runs through that with impressive ease.
Another president for life overlooking hot elections these days... Only 33 years in power.
Bagozza Milano...another fakeryat best. Or fake fakery.
And this brave woman smiles! What a resilience after months of misery.
And the massive road work is being carried on as usual. No visible help is diverted to the people. I hope l missed something on that aspect.
There was a street some time ago...
Some residents are relocating, salvaging what they can.
Another resilient woman, laughing while spreading fish to dry.
The road work going for 100's of km in the area.
These waitresses must be fit, they never stop delivering dishes across the vast Kikuubo market.
Moschino, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior...these brands are not faked in the traditional sense sometimes, just created by some lousy crooks slapping names on awful creations, even mixing names on the same garments.
A massive highway project is still going on but help to the people? Apparently not.
These guys took a bath further away, away from sewage and potential cholera...
Previous marking of water level.
A rare smile that day...
Nile cabbage everywhere...
Salvaving is a common occupation...
The over cautious cyclist wearing a motorbike helmet.
The very end of the road. No quay, harbor, ferry boat...
I don't want to diminish the Tanzanian drivers, riders and others but the Ugandan road "skills" are a step "higher". For example 3 passengers and maybe cargo is a common sighting here, even in cities where the cops don't even bother to stop the habit. Their driving skills in traffic jam is also one league away...I owe an apology to all the Tanzanian drivers I might have abused in the past for what was in comparison amateur recklessness.
Lukewarm attitude towards Covid...and cool rubber boots.
The guy enjoyed the view ...
Another common scenery...
Elections in the making...dirty, violent and unfair, what a surprise.
The Harley dreamer?
Sweet apparition in the bush.
Olivia and I left Murchison Falls, also locally called Kabarega falls, through a western gate, spent a night in a non descript place, Buliisa, after trying to spot the Nile delta where the Victoria Nile flows in lake Albert but Wanseko was flooded. And the next day we drove to Butiaba,also on the shore of lake Albert. Not much there except for the old timers, "The African Queen" was partly shot here. And a ferry that, like in Murchison and Wanseko, was discontinued. No surprise and a bit irrelevant fact to us as we didn't plan to travel to Congo on the other side of the lake. And also on lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, for the big military boat scenes.
Oh and Hemingway was injured in a 2nd airplane crash here after being rescued from the first one in Murchison falls...
Here is a view of the lake from the escarpment...
Indeed the Nile went high up in this area too...
The irony considering some signs are about water projects...
The African art of packing but in this case we didn't smile. This car was the only example of some food
delivery we saw in the short time we stayed there. There are hardly no shop open and apparently not much help from agencies...
But a massive highway is under construction, apparently useless for now...
I often get reactions, positive and negative, from people when I shoot them. Here, nothing...people must have other things on their minds like relocating, salvaging what can be salvaged, feeding...
Whatever museum or good restaurant that might have been available in Butiaba quickly looked a wasted wish to us...
One of the sad view of the day...
Life goes on for the fishing people...
This is the end of the road ending short of the submerged harbor.
The recent higher water level is clearly visible on the wall.
I feel sorry for these sellers...the job to pack and unpack everyday, carry the whole burden across Kampala unpractical streets...
Corona is officially there but the measures are half hearted in many cases. Here above is one good citizen though.
Women tend to be more friendly than women when I practice street photography. Smile, waving hand, even a blow kiss...but men? That is another league. Some will be friendly too (no blow kiss though) but others will be plain rude, I don't blame them, and yell the same obscenity, that is "Eat your mother's ass"! Similar to the French "Nique ta mère"...(fuck your mother)
I know I have been a "fashionisto" but I think I can spot a fashion crime here, no?
The feeling to enjoy a park for yourself is quite exhilarating... the Corona situation still going on in Uganda, kind of.
We had tried to reach the falls from the northern side via the only dirt track. Nobody bothered to tell us that this only track was not maintained due to poor numbers of visitors. What a shitty excuse for laziness. At least that side of the park looks a wild like the Serengeti. But my crossover car was no match for the derelict track. I suddenly missed my Land Rover...
And due to heavy rains and floods (never been that bad since 1964 ) the ferry and the bridge are out of service. So we had to get out of the park and try again from the south. Which was easy, it is (sadly?) heavily and properly tarmacked all the way to the falls through a thick tropical forest.
A guide took us around for a little walk and though I would have loved to see the falls from both sides, the south is the better choice for sightseeing. But for wildlife the north is better.
The original Murchison fall in those 3 pictures above.
In the 60's a major flood forced the Victoria Nile around and created a new neighboring fall, Uhuru fall, from the Swahili word independence. That is the one on the left hand side. It has stayed since and shows no sign of disappearing, especially this year.
Our guide George overlooking what was an island and the original 10 pound bridge. The old remaining foundations completed disappeared this year. He says this view shows the Nile at its highest level for decades.
And the small fall on this picture appeared this year, sideways to the original fall.
The Uhuru fall sprays a lot of water upwards. Nothing like the Niagara falls but still plenty.
After the falls, the Victoria Nile continue to lake Albert a bit further where it will be named Albert Nile till South Sudan, White Nile.
After this sweet visit we left through the western gate, towards lake Albert. Sadly flooded too but that will be for another post.
The fried tilapia...absolutely not my favorite.
The frequently seen emergency rain hat...
Shower cap is less frequent.
All those 1000's mannequins I have seen in Uganda are white...there should be a market for African type.
The corona situation is wobbly. Few wear it and when they do... then the schools are closed but not the infamous public minibuses, nor the markets...
I get all kind of reactions for the pictures, laughing, anger, indifference, abuse and the most frequent one seems to be "Lya amatako ganyoko" which is "Eat your mother's ass". But my charm worked on these ladies apparently.
Any color missing in this shot? Purple...
I had only taken this shot for the colors and contrasts but my Ugandan common-law wife laughed at it and pointed out the roots carried by the vendor, "mulondo" which is the equivalent of our blue pills. I'm glad the need for it has never come in our conversations...
Elections coming next year, they didn't waste to start the electoral campaign.
this picture misses a yellow touch, I know...
While waiting for my car to be fixed, I grabbed my camera.
25 kg bags of rice, sugar, flour...are very common here too. Tough job for the housewives.
Unusual moped in Kampala.
As stated before, Africa is street photographer must. Colors, activity, fashion...
"Why run pretty lady? Is anybody dumb enough to run over you?"
Helmet...baby step.
I can't remember I have ever seen such a bicolored dress.
Street photography has been a hobby since Mom offered my first SLR camera in 1987. Not that fashionable by then but I had discovered the big masters...
Fast forward 33 years and I am still at it, here in Kampala, Uganda, right now.
Stunning fashionistas are numerous along traditional outfits which can also be quite awesome...
...or not?
oh and haircuts are a whole chapter of their own.
Corona...the rules are a bit more followed than in Tanzania but it is more due to a fear factor of the police I hear. On approaching a police road block, whether in a bus or in a car, everyone lifts the mask up.
Kikubo, central Kampala, closed to regular circulation, even to cows. Most of the retailers operate here.
The banana seller is the attraction on the picture but notice the orange hat. Isn't that an old-fashioned hat from the roaring 20's? Yet I have seen quite a few of them here in Uganda only, different colors and patterns. Still very stylish on African women l'd say.
On top of the chaotic atmosphere in the bazaar, the show is also about fashion. Bras for sale...and those ladies know a few things, whether l can appreciate or not.
My big problem these days are slippers or sandals with furry decorations and to add insult...socks!
I'm told I cannot understand fashion...
At least this elegant woman fits some of my fashion standards.
Items are stacked beyond belief, no space must wasted.
Even stairs are rented to lower class business people.
And the street itself can be squatted. These entrepreneurs just have to be ready to lift up aside the goodies on a tarpaulin or small table when a deliver van shows up.
Traditional brooms and cool sport hat on the lady in red. "Venezia". Another long trip for a garment. I have spotted a t-shirt once belonging my Belgian bank.
No idea what this is..
A typical butchery in east Africa and maybe beyond. I'm told that the carcass is fresh from the morning, always. I spotted some smiles around...about our weak stomachs or about noticing my incredulous face?
Fur hoodie...? Uganda is not the hottest country but not cold either, to me.
Sugar cane delivery. Sadly I don't see those juice machines. My favorite juice in Zanzibar, sometimes in Dar
The dream at night when overtaking is envisioned...
In Kampala, many sidewalks are much larger than the streets. Traffic jams are there much worse then Dar es Salaam.
I aso owe an apology to some Tanzanian drivers I may have abused for their terrible driving...they are waaaayy worse here.
Fiest time I went to buy a phone voucher, I went to such a yellow shop. Only to discover the salesman was selling car parts. Millions of houses and shops are painted for free by big companies in those bright colors. Better then concrete grey hen people don't have th money for a paint job.
Sugar cane juice with a drop of lemon on ice is one of my favorite juices out here in East Africa. But it comes out yellowish like lime juice. Maybe that red is just another concoction. I have to ask my fixer.
In a school I visited. Interesting choice of toy. Kids love to run behind a wheel or a metal ring, albeit usually smaller, and direct it with a stick. Cardio and coordination. Better than slouching on the coach for sure.
The businesswoman at work.
Usually bus stops are...chaotic, colorful, noisy and packed with goodies on stalls or on somebody's head or shoulders. And thus those scenes are very photogenic
In Uganda but on the way to Kenya, an unusual bus stop in stark comparison. One main color and hardly no more? Quite impressive.
Colors in Africa!
Of course some scenes are so similar to Tanzania
A rarity amongst the cheap Chinese or Indian tiny motorbikes
The struggle for many women who dress smart but live in the bush or in a village...
Things are not that different from Tanzania in the end. Just details here and there. For instance those Hel's Angels are more numerous, faster too (yes yes) than in Tanzania.
School kids wear uniforms too.
Pavements...equally a gymkhana concept to enjoy here too...
Just off Entebbe airport there is a beach called Aerobeach. I just couldn't believe my eyes when I reached the place as 15 or more wrecks and relics litter the place, including 2 airliners. This is a Mig 21 Fishbed, Russian make from the 50's. The memorialstatue is of the late Yonathan Netanyahu, brother of the actual Israeli prime sinister. He died in the famous 1976 raid in Entebbe to sort out a highjack situation.
A typical scene in any street in any town or city.
Hats off to African girls who love to be fashionistas where road conditions don't really encourage this trend.
This big bike is a serious change from the usual little 125cc made in China or India, equally reviled by owners and users
The business woman, 3 phones and a charger...
How to decorate a coach ...come and nose around in Africa.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
