Well what a weekend I have had. Callum from kizizi came down to see me on Firday and that is when it began. We hit the old haunts of Garden City and ranchers for steak on Friday after work before heading home to set up camp for the weekend. We headed up to the american club(both on one bodaboda rather painfull but a lot of fun) we watched the English smugly beat the tongans to our severe disapointment. We met a lot of nice english people some how and ended up getting a lift home with them. Saturday I had already planned out as you know in my earlier blog, I decided to go to didi’s world kampala’s one and only theme+water park. We decided before heading off that we needed a proper Ugandan breakfast. We chose rolex as our breakfast of choice, a crepe style pancake is made first of all from dough and then fried and set to the side, then an egg is fried on the pan style oven in about the same size as the crepe about 10inches, the egg is then set on the sort of crepe and tomatoes are cut and put on top. The whole thing is rolled up and then stuck in a small plastic bag, this all costs about 15p and is quite dilicious and filling. We then got ourselves two bodaboda’s as we had learnt from last nights mistake, we arrived at didi’s world with unatural excitement at the prospects of enjoying a busy day at the many attractions.
As we walked along the disney style walkway to the entrance we noticed a surprisingly severe lack of anybody else and only one car, we thoughr maybe we are at the back entrance…as we walked in and paid the 5000ushs(£2.50) and made our way throught the turn styles down the slope to didi’s world…and it was empty…nobody not one soul there. We took a right near the end of the slope and went into the large arcade with pool tables,air hockey,table football,snooker,basketball games and dozens of arcade games all ghostly standing idle without anybody to play them. We quickly left hoping to find some people at the many rides dotted throughout the park. We quickly started to realise that we were the only people there. As we walked around looking at the various rides and attractions such as the pirate ship and mono rail we were struck with slight fear as to where anybody was and also excitement as we had a whole theme park to ourselves!
We found the go kart track with one go kart working and we decided it was about time we a go on some of the rides. We managed to find a manager or a cleaner or a somebody and asked them when the rides opened, they told us 10minutes so we headed to the arcade to play some games before making our way in a random fashion around the attractions. We stopped off at the discotheque before heading to the aracde where it seems that its been partying as thought its AD 75 for many a year. After trying nearly ever aracde machine and even the air hockey (yes Northern Ireland did beat the English again) we realised 30minutes had gone but yet no rides where open and no more people had arrived.
We decided to the classic mazungu(white man) thing and que up untill somebody came to help us, we decided to try the pirate ship first as it seemed some what safe. We quickly were on and sat by ourselves each of us at one end of a large ship as we swayed back and forward quickly realising it wasn’t so long ago we were eating those rolex and regreting them imensly. We managed to make our way off this ride and decided to give the go kart a try. The large health and safety issues were as usual in africa thrown away as I flew round a concrete track in a busted old go kart without any protection, this no doubt added to the excitement as without a limiter and what clearly were african style slicks( worn to balding)the go kart was sliding sideways very nicely making it all a lot of fun.
Then it happened we saw people, a large group of black people in suits and what seemed to be exspensive dresses all dolled up with their hair in a large array of strange styles. To the bumper cars! We soon realised we were in some trouble as the crys of mzungu were screamed across at us from some school kids who decided to join in on the bumper cars who were about 8-9 and excited about the fact that crashing was even more fun when not on the road. After about 30minutes on the bumper cars and a few bruises we decided to give the pirate ship another go but this time Callum managed to get himself a lady friend.
As the ships slowly and gracefully shook to a near stand still we made out way off and to where else could we go but the bumper cars for another session of pick on the myzungu, this time it had became popular with all 20people who were there taking part.
By now it was quite warm and we decided it was time for a soda and a go on the water slides. We made our way up to the top of the tower where all the slides started. We soon realised they didn’t intend on switching them all on and so we were stuck with using one. Callum was bravely forced to go first soon followed might I add(after I watched him clean out two small african kids who were in the plunge pool)the slide was teribly hard to slide down on and I ended up running down it for a large amount before finnaly flinging myself klingsman styley down the last section in a furry of scared and warning screems and as I slide down a break neck speeds litterly I felt the lack of gravity which surrounded the slide kick in as I was stopped at the very end of the slide. I then proceded to fall in rather gracefully I felt to the amusement of the crowd from the bumper cars who came to see myzungu in their natural water habitat. After a few more goes we decided that we could not deal with posible excitement of any more rides and also it was about 3 now and we had already spent 5hours in didi’s (end of) world and that we had a lot we still needed to do. The rest of our day was a large disapointment compared to our early morning shinanigans as we shopped till my small bag weighed about 50stone.
We decided to go to the cinema as Callum living in the literal bush dosent get to see moving images and we picked the best out of a bad bunch and went to see the reaping which is a ridulously terrible film which callum and I discussed in an intelligaintly we know about films way to the bemusement of an elderly south african couple who were sitting with us in the might I add it VIP section of the cinema. After indulging in a film fix we headed to Bubbles O’learys the classic universal irish pub to watch the Scotland V’s italy match. We cheered on the azuuri to the disgust of the many scots and as Troncon scored we felt we might actually get linched. Once the excitement had died down as the scots won we headed on home.
After a good nights rest we were up nice and early to try and attempt to get Callum a bus to Kizizi and also get some breakfast at Nando’s. We managed to get ridulously lost but eventually found the bus which was leaving at 10, it was now 9.58 and there was no time to get food. Well I was mistaken, Callum handed the guy a little don’t leave yet money and we were off to Nando’s for some chicken!
I now am currently sitting at the american club(you all know what that looks like) and im about to watch the France Vs Gorgia match…could be a close one…and Callum is currently on his 8hour bus journey home with what he tells me is the black Aretha Franklin sitting beside him.
I shall not be able to update untill next week some time so that is the reason for the unaturally long update which I am sure is quite unecesarry but I felt I should give you a taster of DiDi’s amazing world.
Enjoy the pictures below.
Guy
Callum and his lady friend
Hamilton who?
Alonso Style
The rolex took their affect on Callum about now
Here is the play park and ferris wheel in background
The water slides
If you cant beat em join em
Callum with his "friend"
Just before pick on the myzungu began
The grand walk way to the entrance
The mighty entrance
The empty aracde
The mono rail
The pose that sums up Uganda the best as we were sitting in an empty theme park in the middle of Kampala.
