Day 2 - Kasubi

We spent our first day in Kampala visiting the Palace-turned- tomb of Kabaka (King) Muteesa I in Kasubi. He was apparently the first to invite the British and helped many pioneers in their expeditions. The palace is a circular hut with a thatched roof,made of grass and reeds that was initially constructed in the 1880s, inside which lie the tombs of Muteesa I and 3 of his successors. Our guide, Joseph, told us that each King had 50+ wives just to disprove any favoritism among the numerous tribes! The hut is covered in bark-cloth (made from the trunk of fig trees) which apparently was used as clothing and upholstery until the 19^th century. The royalty is still respected and liked by the Baganda (people of Uganda) even though the present King (Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II) has no political powers.

We then ventured into the city center equipped with the Lonely Planet guide to East Africa and several downloaded maps of Kampala – sadly, that didn’t prevent us from getting lost! We somehow ended up in the taxi stand, and were shuttled back and forth for about an hour - I’m sure pointing to the map and asking for a restaurant in miniscule print did not help! We eventually made our way to Kampala Road, which runs right down the city center and is home to many Government offices. Kampala road is broad and lined with shady trees and unlike most other roads in Kampala, without any potholes! One big surprise were these gigantic Maribou storks that had nests all along Kampala road – they seemed least bothered by the traffic or the gawking tourists ;)

Kasubi