Is that a Chicken in the back seat?

So those of you who have ever taken a cab in New York City know that it can be a frustrating and harrowing event, but travel in a country where infrastructure is a foreign term is something altogether more harrowing and hilarious.

A few weeks ago, we left Kampala for Jinja, the second largest city, located on Lake Victoria in Southern Uganda. How did we get here? Two and a half hours on a postal bus (87 km) took us here. As in, we rode above the mail. It's perfect - talk about making use of space. we had a raucous group on board and the conductor had oversold the tickets such that 5 or 6 people were standing for the journey.

On our way out, I noticed (for the second time) a cow, tied to the cab of a truck by its horns, on the back of a pickup truck. Every time the truck stopped, the cow's front legs would buckle and the cow/bull would slide forward, despite all its efforts to stay standing. Now this may be of some surprise to you, but having been in a taxi with 10-15 chickens tied to a rope and hanging upside down inside the car (and plantain bananas tied underneath) set the precedent so it was only a mild shock to me. (I later found out a friend rode a matatu/taxi with agoat tied to the roof)

Back to the story - so we were travelling along, tihs happy bunch of hodge podge travelers. As we go, we pass by a market. the hawkers came to teh windows to sell their wares and much to benefit of the standing crowd (which was told to duck if a police car passed by) one seller was eager to sell his bamboo stools; they are quite unlike anything i've seen beofre. made of wood, it is cone shaped with the bottom of the cone cut off, such that if yuo needed some air... you could get plenty. Anyhow, we got to Jinja no problem.

Once here, that's when the adventure began. We worked for a few days in Iganga, a town East of Jinja by maybe 30 km but the journey took a long time because one part of the road was being repaired... and by one part, I mean one side. So drivers for both directions were sharing one side of the road but with one developing world difference - there were no barriers or demarkations. This gives matatu drivers the liscence to swerve all over the roads to avoid the massive pot holes all along the road. matatus and oil tankers. going in both directions. One team member likened it to a game of frogger. I hav ea picture of a cloud of dust, and the cab o fa truck emerging from it. harrowing. and yet, because they all understand the game of chicken and have a desire to live, we live.

For me, I'll just say I'm glad to not take that road to Iganga again. Strange to think that I'll be glad to get back on the postal bus and head to Kampala. Folks, don't try this at home.