A time for reminiscence…………………….

Yesterday was a good milestone to review my life here. How far had I come and how far more the road will be. I can feel the ripple effect from the economic downturn in Uganda. Things are slowing down while some other countries are already on its way up.

Just last month one of my German shepherd died and today I am bringing another of my dog to the vet to check what is happening to her. She hasn’t been eating and was always hiding in my room sleeping. She had to be put on drip because she was already suffering from dehydration.

Blood samples were extracted and I brought it to the lab to run some tests. Results came back that she was diagnosed with pancreatitis. The doctor told me it could be due to anything, ranging from contaminated food to hereditary. In order to understand more, I goggled and found this site very useful, http://www.vetontheweb.co.uk/pet-clinic-detail.asp?id=213

Ying on drip.

The laboratory was just next to the apartment which I stayed when I first came. Time really flies. It has been a long time that I had not come back to this part of town. I used to eat at a restaurant, (Sam’s Restaurant), just next to it. While waiting for the results of the test report, I decided to celebrate my birthday in my small little way, giving myself a treat at this restaurant once more.

The very first apartment which I stayed.

Sam's restaurant.

My birthday treat - pepper steak.

2001, I came here with a colleague, Sandra Wu. We were supposed to conduct a feasibility study on Uganda’s market on a certain type of self igniting fire extinguisher from Japan. Beekeeping was never our study and this fire extinguisher business never took off.

We were so enthusiastic with the whole project because everything and everybody seem to be in favor with the product. We went to all relevant authorities, business organizations and fire departments. Everybody wants it. We even did a life demonstration at the fire house in Kampala and many people came to watch. It was a big hoo haa event. End of the day, it was only hot air! At that time, Uganda has no buying power at all! Most people are still waiting for hand out from NGOs.

It was indeed a great paradigm shift for me. Being inexperience then and took everything at face value. Culturally it was a 180 degree turn compared to where I came from. Generally the people are mild mannered and they will never give you any opinion other than, “good”, “it’s nice” even when they don’t like it. We only managed to convince a few big Companies to purchase a number of them.

It was on the last few days before my return trip to Singapore for a briefing that Uganda Investment Authority invited me to attend an investment meeting on Apiculture. It was there that I met Professor Horn and we had a very long discussion about this industry. Our direction shifted and we never looked back.

9 years had passed and the experienced gained was priceless. It was bundled with much ups and downs, joy and sorrow, frustrations and satisfactions.

Living in Uganda was and is still not easy. Investing in any business here needs to be very careful. It is true that Uganda had improved in many ways but still it is landlocked. Road transportation is a killer. To make matter worse, most of the roads are very badly maintained with lots of potholes sprouting up whenever the rainy season comes. I believed Uganda could have been mistaken for Mars from afar with all these lookalike craters, (potholes).

Anyway, my birthday wish this year is to stay healthy, stay positive, focus on the training school and to look forward for this new challenge, hopefully becoming one of the most productive and comprehensive beekeeping training and resource centre in East Africa. Happy birthday to me .

They don’t understand the meaning of confidentiality and security…………………….

Last Saturday, I went to my regular bank, Standard Chartered Bank, which I thought to be a world class, high standard bank, where I do all my transactions. I had a shock of my life when I wanted to check on my account to see my balance. I approached one of the customer relation officer at one of the open concept station, sat down in front of her, gave her my bank account number and you know what she did? She simply log onto the computer, search for the account, wrote the balance on a piece of paper and loudly recite the amount to me! Everyone in the bank turned and looked and me, thinking out loud as if saying, “Wow! you have so little money in the bank, might as well keep it under your pillow!”

I went, OH MY GOD! I told her, “Have you ever thought that I might NOT be the account holder? I might have gotten the number somewhere and just handed it to you and there you just simply blurt out the balance without even first asking me for any identifications to make sure I am the rightful owner!”

She simply gave me that “why are you doing this to me” aghast look. She did not even recognized her confidentiality and security lapse and was trying to rebut by saying she was trying to be customer friendly and not to agitate the customers by asking too much questions.

Yes, I know she was being helpful by not asking too much, but as a professional especially in the financial industry, there is no excuse to overlook such things. Definitely I would not mind if she were to ask me all the security and identification issues. I would had felt much better coz at least I know my money is safe with them.

The banking industry still has a long way to go in terms of customers confidentiality. This incident had brought me back to another case where I was making some transaction at DFCU bank. Every teller has a money counting machine to assist the teller to count money. The most intriguing part was that the digital counter which shows the amount being counted was place in such a high position that the whole queue, or I should say, the whole bank can see how much money was being counted! Ha!

No wonder there are so much robberies and snatched thieves. They simply wait inside the bank to see who is going out with loads of money and then hijack them along the way.

I really hope those who are in charge of security in the banking industry see this post and to finetune the system and plug the loophole.

I felt sad or ashamed, not because that now everyone knows I am a poor bloke, but it was that the bank officer did not realized how serious the repercussion would had been but instead thinking that we as customers are making life difficult for them. Wrong attitude.

For you…………………….

Happiness is being able to be what I am, where I am and who I want to be with for no one can hurt my feelings without my permission now.

- Lesster

A Sunday to myself……………………

Uganda weather is really unpredictable now a days. It was so sunny this morning and I wanted to give my dogs a wash down. After cooking breakfast, the next thing I knew. the weather changed and now it is raining cats and dogs. The rain really hit hard on the ground and everything that were not tied down went scattered everywhere.

 

I had decided to tidy up my room. It has been a while that I did not do it . Adjusted the orientation of my bed to make more space. Jonathan is coming next month and I had shifted my work into my room. I kinda like it now coz its so convenient for me to work and to watch all the Cantonese and Korean series Melissa gave me when I was back home beginning of this year.

True enough, the weather in Uganda and life is running on the same line……..unpredictable.

Yesterday, I received another sad news from Melissa. She told me our friend’s husband is diagnosed with brain cancer. It all started when he first experienced spouts of giddiness in July, the docs diagnosed it as vertigo. Next, when he experienced acid reflux, they prescribed him anticid. Then when he experienced pain in the back, they dismissed it as muscle pull. Only upon persistent request for a scan (which was intended for the stomach and colon) did the report finally (accidentally) pick up spots in one of the kidneys. Further tests confirmed it’s cancerous. within a short span of 2 months, the cells have gone into the blood stream and a tumour has finally been detected in the brain.

He’s only 50 and we knew him since our early 20s. He goes for annual thorough check-up yet all the tests couldn’t pick up any signs or symptoms of the deadly cells! yet they say we are very advanced in our medical field! how so?

Sometimes I wondered, is it because technology had advanced so much that it can detect every single problem which had already existed in our bodies. When we are not aware of it, we simply live life with not much worries. But once something wrong is detected, our worries are then amplified, worries and stress takes over and finally one give up fighting.

Life goes on…….

After the rain, went out to the garden to pluck kangkong for lunch. The sweet potatoes, maize and kangkong are growing well with the rain.

Steamed rice and kangkong

A simple joy in life. Steamed rice and fried kangkong for lunch. One can never asked for more.

My approved work permit.

Got my work permit renewed recently. Hopefully this will be my last renewal because Ugandan Investment Authority told me that they are going to recommend me for permanent residency once I cross my 10 years mark. I cannot imagine I have been living in Uganda for 9 years now. Will this be my home? I wondered……..

If you had stayed too long in Uganda…………………….

1. You thought the signs on the toilet are in Luganda – MALE is pronounced as “mar-lay” and FEMALE is pronouced as “fee-mar-lay”

2. You read the road work sign as “GO, SLOW MEN AT WORK”

3. When you wanted your staff to work on something immediately, you tell them to do it, “NOW NOW” instead of a single, “Now”

4. You drink beer with a straw

5. You keep your money in your socks

6. 7 o’clock in the morning is 1 o’clock to you

7. You become an expert in avoiding potholes on the road

8. You pronounce ginger as “geen-gir”

9. You only lift your eyebrows as a sign to agree on something

10. Found ants in your soup – your reaction according to the number of years in Uganda,

a) Scream, complain, demand to see the manager and want to sue the restaurant. Have the soup changed and ask for free meal (stayed less than 2 years).

b) Simply pick the ants up and continue to slurp the soup (stayed 2 years to 5 years).

c) Gobble down the soup together with the ants (stayed 5 years and above).

A friendship that lasted 63 years…………………….

Rest well, dear friend!

Tricia passed on this morning. She was one of my first 4 dogs that I brought home when I first came to Uganda. It was just like yesterday when I answered to an advert on the supermarket wall, saying that they had young German shepherd puppies for sale.

When I went there the following morning, I saw 8 puppies running around. 4 caught my eyes and Tricia was one of them. Paid my deposit and collected them 3 weeks later because the owner wanted to make sure they had reached 12 weeks before they were separated from their mother. Imagine if they were to know their destiny, how sad it will be for them

According to the calculation, Tricia should be 63 years old when she left. The doctor did a postmortem on her and she was diagnosed with liver cancer. She had been very strong last few months for I did not noticed anything peculiar in her daily activities. It was only 1 week ago that I saw her struggling to walk on her hinds. This had happened to her other siblings and they recovered. She did not make it.

Just 2 days back, she lost her appetite and show signs of giving up. Initially I thought she had indigestion or worms. So I contacted my vet and he came and gave her vitamins and antibiotics jabs. Nothing changed.

By evening time, she was already lying sideways and had difficulty in breathing. I carried her to the verandah and gave her milk which she did not responded well. It was getting cold outside and I brought her into the house. At least she will stay warm.

Come this morning when I went to see her, she had already passed on.

Looking back, I can say Tricia is really a fine guard dog. She was obedient and intelligent. She gave me many happy memories and puppies too. Most of them were given away to friends.

Writing this passage had also made me realized that I could had given them more love and tender care. They are really man’s best friend.

Uganda 47th Independence day…………………….

Uganda 47th Independence Day - News article by Cyprian Musoke and Steven Candia (New Vision)

UGANDA marks 47 years of independence from British rule today with celebrations at Kololo airstrip.

An array of VIPs is expected to attend.
Among them Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir and Liberian President Sirleaf Johnson as well as ministers, MPs, civil servants, religious and traditional leaders and diplomats.

As in previous years, the opposition parties said they would not attend the celebrations, arguing that the event has become an “NRM affair”.

The theme for this year’s Independence Day celebrations is: “Unity, a key factor in protecting Uganda’s destiny and independence.”

The theme was chosen because of the recent divisions in the country, said the Minister for the Presidency, Beatrice Wabudeya.

Uganda has known eight presidents since the British Union Jack was lowered and the Ugandan flag hoisted, some of them lasting for only a couple of months.

The first post-colonial president was the Kabaka of Buganda, Sir Edward Muteesa II. He was ousted by Milton Obote, who in turn was overthrown by his army commander, Idi Amin, in 1971.

When Amin’s brutal dictatorship fell in 1979, Prof. Yusuf Lule and Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa had brief tenures.
Disputed elections were held in 1980 that made Obote bounce back. His second term lasted for five years. He was toppled by Gen. Tito Okello Lutwa in July 1985.

Lutwa’s junta was shortlived. It was swept away in January 1986 by Yoweri Museveni after his National Resistance Army waged a five-year guerrilla war.
For the last two decades, Uganda has seen relative stability and development, characterised by economic growth, increased revenues from taxes and a growing GDP.

Real GDP per capita has tripled in the last 20 years, according the UN Human Development Report, from $515 in 1987 to $1,454 in 2005.

Social indicators have also improved, although not fast enough for Uganda to reach its targets under the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Adult literacy has increased from 43% of the population in 1970 to 58% at the time the NRM took power and 74% today.

Under-five mortality went down from 224 per 1,000 births at independence to 195 in 1986. It has stagnated at around 135 since the beginning of this decade, below the 56 per 1,000 births target. The number of people living below the poverty line stood at 55% by the time Museveni took power. It went down to 31% in 2005 but has since gone up again to 37%. More efforts towards poverty alleviation are needed to reach the 2015 target of 28%.

Access to safe water saw the biggest jump. Only one-fifth of the population had access to a safe water source at the time of both independence and the NRM take-over. This went up 46% at the end of the 1990s to reach 64% this year, according to the 2009 World Health Report.

Life expectancy has improved from 43 years at independence to 52 years today. In the 1990s, however, it saw a sharp drop – to 41 years – as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Uganda’s population has grown five-fold in the last 47 years, and its urban population more than 10-fold.
There were only 6.5 million Ugandans at the time of independence, 341,000 of whom lived in urban centres.

Today, Uganda’s population is about 31 million, while people living in urban centres have reached almost four million. About half of Uganda’s population is under the age of 15.
The Police yesterday issued guidelines to ensure smooth traffic flow around the venue of the celebrations. Upper Kololo Terrace will be closed to traffic from 6:00am till the end of the function.

Guests with vehicles bearing red stickers will access the airstrip via Elgon Terrace and will park before the Heroes’ Corner. Invited guests with blue stickers will access the venue through Wampewo Avenue and park near the main entrance.

The public can access Kololo via Wampewo Avenue and park near the main entrance, while Wampewo Avenue will remain one-way from the roundabout to the airstrip.

Meanwhile, several party leaders have indicated that they would not attend. DP president Ssebaana Kizito said the celebrations had become an NRM affair.
“I will not attend because the aspirations we fought for at independence to get our own government have not been realised. Like Jomo Kenyatta used say: ‘It’s not yet Uhuru.”

FDC spokesman Wafula Oguttu said his boss was out of the country. “But whenever we attend such functions, the President begins abusing us, yet he is the one who invited us.” Miria Obote said she would travel to Arua to celebrate the life of her late husband, Milton Obote.

Memorable pictures captured during filming…………………….

During the 10 days filming, the production team and I really had a great time! All of us were chatting non stop during our waking hours which started from 6am till 11pm everyday. I remember when we were back from the west, we reached Kampala around midnight. We could hardly open our eyes while having our dinner at Nandos.

What had happened were beautiful memories that we will cherished for the rest of our lives. Below are some of the memorable photos captured ad hoc while the filming was going on and during breaks. Only recently I managed to extract some time to have them posted up. Priceless.

Belinda trying out some glasses at the airport transiting from Dubai.

Entebbe Airport. Somehow it resembles Paya Lebar Airport in the early 70's

Nas was trying to capture as many scene as possible. Traveling from the airport to my place.

Cows are a status symbol in Uganda. The more one has, the richer he is being recognized. This is an Ankole cow.

Children in Northern Uganda gathering around to watch the filming.

Children in Northern Uganda gathering around to watch the filming.

A quiet little girl sitting and waiting to see what is going on.

Toddlers are excited and curious because deep in the villages, it is rare to see "Muzungus".

A bicycle is a luxurious item in the village.

A child enjoying the photo session.

Nas and curious onlookers.

Sheau Huei getting into the picture business.

Nas getting help from the village kids.

Beautiful sun setting in the West. Timeless.

Capturing moments.

Its a long road.

This crater lake shaped like the Africa Continent from afar.

Fresh fish from the lake.

A walk in the Queen Elizabeth National Safari Park.

Sheau Huei in front of the salt lake.

This german guy's name is "diesel". He has been cycling all over Africa for the last 20 years.

Diesel was passing Uganda at that time. He was on his way to Congo.

Stopping at the Equator for a break.

A nice surprise visit and to dine with him…………………….

Having a short chat with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng before dinner during his visit in Uganda.

Mid autumn night…………………….

Was letting the dogs out last night. Took a shot at the moon since it was mid autumn. Had not had this festive feeling for a long long time.

Full moon on mid autumn.

Giant mushrooms…………………….

It’s that time of the year again where giant mushrooms are beginning to sprout in the North. You can see the villagers lining up their mushrooms along the highway. Each one cost about Ush4000 (S$3). They are tasty and rich in vitamin A as I was told.

These giant mushrooms are wild. They can only be found in the North during the last quarter of the year.

They come in different sizes. I got this having a diameter around 28cm.

According to some findings, these mushrooms are rich in vitamin A.

Sek’s 49th…………………….

This year we got Karl to help us prepare a 25kg pig for roasting. Time really flies living in Uganda. Its Sekaran’s 49th birthday. This was the first time we roasted a complete at his home. Usually its either Mary cooks, pot luck or going to a restaurant.

Although the Singaporean / Malaysian community is very small here, but we are closely knitted. Living harmoniously and sharing is more important than trying to outshine each other, trying to claim who is better or which recipe or dish belongs to which Country . There bigger things to do in life than dabbling over small issues as such. What goes around, comes aroud. Happy birthday Sekaran. Hope you enjoy the evening

Peter helping out with the roasting.

Sekaran looking at the ready supper.

Karl serving Annie.

Sekaran cutting birthday cake.

10 Secrets to a Stress-Free Life…………………….

Start Small

Don’t overwhelm yourself with big changes. Alter one small thing—a morning habit, a food choice. Over time, these will add up to the intentional life you crave.

Connect

Put love and friendship first in your life, scheduling dates with others as you would doctors’ appointments. Connection may help improve heart health, prompt the release of the stress-relieving hormone oxytocin, and allow you to sidestep the health risks of isolation. While you’re at it, get a pet—you might further reduce stress and ease depression.

Focus on Now

Rather than disperse your energy with multitasking, take one job, one person at a time. The more mindful you are, the quicker you can stop stress and turn yourself around.

Write it out

Release stress by getting negative feelings out of your body. Pick up a pen and write down your thoughts.

Own the News

Change the way you approach the bleak information you get from the media. Don’t shy away from knowing the facts—apathy can prove as damaging to your spirit as stress or depression. But use what you learn to become part of the solution. Send light, positive energy and prayers to those suffering, while finding tangible ways to get involved. You’re in a position of power and control. Embrace the media—look at it and use it as your classroom.

Walk softly

When we’re stressed, we tend to hit the floor hard with every step. Imagine you’re walking on a lotus flower—tenderly, gently. Unplug through your feet, and you’ll calm down to a more tranquil mental place.

Try a Mini-Meditation

Memorize a three-to-five-word phrase, a mantra, that will bring you back to center when things get rough, such as “I am strong” or “Spirit will guide me.” Also, keep a peaceful image mentally on hand (a beach scene, a quiet forest) to call up in stressful moments.

Love your commute

See your travel time as a chance to cultivate patience and compassion. If you can use calming breaths to stay relaxed and unruffled in traffic, you can handle anything.

Practice gratitude

It’s hard to feel gratitude and stress at the same time. Devote five minutes a day to giving thanks for all the gifts in your life—starting with your breath, the source of everything.

Take stock

Make a list of things that bring you joy—and another list of things that drain your energy. Do this 10 minutes daily for a week, and then review your lists and see how your own life matches up.

Everything happens for a reason…………………….

Last Tuesday, Fischer and I decided to drive up to Gulu to see how the place is progressing with our project. Usually we would book our accommodation while we are still in Kampala the day before. When we arrived at the hotel, we were informed that the rooms had been fully taken up. As usual, in Uganda one must always be mentally prepared for these kind of happenings.

We went around a few other hotels to check. All singles were fully booked leaving only the bigger doubles. A single only cost Ush60,000 (S$42). The double are costing us Ush92,000 (S$64) each so we decided that we will only stay for one day instead of two. For us, we only need a clean bed to crash in.

Our plans were to be in Gulu on Tuesday, coming back on Thursday which was yesterday. At around 3pm, I received a text message from the China Embassy informing me that to avoid going into Kampala town for there was a riot brewing. This was the exact time if we arrive in Kampala if we were to stick to our plans. We would had been caught in the riot and the crossfire between the rioters and the police.

Somehow while we were in Gulu, we just decided to cut the trip short although we are supposed to travel to another district, (Lira) the following day. What made us change our plan, definitely its not the cost of the rooms. I guess things are meant to be this way.

Three killed in violent Kampala riots

Thursday, 10th September, 2009

The Police block Buganda Katikkiro (premier) Engineer Walusimbi at Ssezibwa Bridge, a gateway to Kayunga district, where he was going to prepare for the Kabaka’s visit

By Vision Reporters

THREE people were reported dead as violent riots linked to the Kabaka’s planned tour of Kayunga district spread to the city and across Buganda.

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By press time, 39 people had been injured in the riots, triggered off by false reports that Katikkiro Walusimbi had been arrested on his way to Kayunga. He was expected to prepare for the Kabaka’s visit which was slated for tomorrow.

The city suddenly flared up into chaos in the afternoon as Kabaka supporters engaged the Police in running battles. They pelted vehicles with stones, barricaded roads with logs and huge boulders, lit bonfires, looted property and torched buildings.

The chaos first erupted around Kiseka Market and spread quickly to Wandegeya, Bwaise, Kawempe and Maganjo-Kagoma on Bombo Road, stretching the Police to the limit. Military Police moved in with armoured vehicles to take charge of the situation.

Offices and shops closed down and motorists vacated the roads amid sporadic gunfire, teargas explosions, a heavy presence of regular and anti-riot Police backed by military Police.

In Bwaise, demonstrators set a huge store on fire before going on a looting spree. The Police fire brigade put out the fire. The rioters also set ablaze the Natete Police station, and the vehicles parked there. A Police woman in Natete was stripped naked and beaten up. Reports also said some shops in the city were looted.

In the city centre, Kabaka supporters barricaded Entebbe Road near Centenary Bank with logs and burned tyres. They turned all vehicles away, threatening motorists and stopping them from going to Market Street.

Commotion erupted in Kawempe when four policemen, attempted to stop a rowdy group from barricading the road. They were disarmed and their guns taken. Kawempe Police boss Joel Aguma confirmed the incident.

Outside Kampala, too, rioters resorted to violence and looting. In Kyengera, on the Masaka highway, youth seized a truck loaded with sodas. They grabbed the sodas before burning the truck.

In Nabbingo, also on Masaka highway, irate youth stopped buses and roughed up passengers.
In Mukono angry youth attacked a bus, smashing the windows and injuring passengers. The Police rescued them.

Two of the dead were reportedly killed by stray bullets near Shoprite on Ben Kiwanuka Road.

One was a Saracen private security guard and the other a Congolese businessman who was shopping. A bullet ripped through his stomach. A third man was shot in the eye in Bwaise and died on the spot. The bodies were taken to Mulago Hospital.

“The guard was standing in the door when I suddenly saw him fall down after a military truck fired live bullets in the air,” said a shaken Annet Namusisi, a telephone booth operator.
By evening, more than 30 people had been rushed to the casualty ward at Mulago Hospital with various injuries, ranging from gunshot wounds to broken limbs. Most of them were from Bwaise, Kalerwe and Kanyanya suburbs.

Four policemen were also rushed to Mulago Hospital with injuries. One of them, Alex Wabwire, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, had his leg shattered. He was reportedly shot by rioters who snatched a gun from a guard.

Eliphaz Sekabira, the hospital spokesperson, said 39 people were being treated. Three people were arrested and detained at the Central Police Station in connection with the riot, said Kampala metropolitan deputy Police spokesperson Henry Kalulu. However, many others were reportedly detained at Wandegeya Police Station.

It took the combined effort of the Police and the army to quell the riots in the city centre, which returned to relative calm at around 4:00pm. Thousands of commuters were stranded till late for lack of transport, forcing many to walk home. The few taxis on the road charged exorbitant fares.

By press time, major roads such as Masaka, Jinja, Gulu, Hoima and Entebbe roads, were still blocked by angry protesters with logs and bonfires.

Riots were also still going on in the suburbs of Kampala, such as Nateete, Bwaise and Busega, as well in the districts of Mityana, Mukono and Wakiso.

A motorist on Mityana Road said the road was blocked by protesters at Bira, causing a long queue on either side.

Stranded motorists and passengers, including foreigners, threatened by violent youth, were calling The New Vision journalists, pleading for help.

In Kampala, mambas with military policemen criss-crossed the city at night, while foot soldiers patrolled in single file.

Reported by Steven Candia,
Chris Kiwawulo, Charles Ariko
and Patrick Jaramogi

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/694267

This incident does made me ponder – how blessed I am to be a Singaporean, having to live all my life growing up in a peaceful environment. If I were not made to witness all these happenings, I would not have appreciate my roots more. Singapore and Uganda gained independence about the same time.

Interesting way of baking…………………….

Yesterday I was invited to a small gathering with the German community. We had an interesting dish, earthen baked pork. As usual, Karl will have to prepare the pig for the event. Karl is a butcher by profession and he had been doing this for the last 28 years. In Kampala, he trains the Ugandan butchery industry. Animal slaughtering is a skill. One must learn the proper way of preparing meat. The animal must not suffer during the preparation.

Karl had seen these kind of ceremony / celebration when he was in Tonga. The practise was even bigger. They literally dug a hole big enough to put in a whole cow and a horse. The baking takes a few days.

Uganda has quite a big population of expatriates. It is also interesting that once in a while we come together to exchange cultures and experiences. Some of my German friends had already travelled around Africa for more than 30 years. They have a wealth of experiences for me to tap.

Nairobi trip (continued)…………………….

After traveling for 14 hours, we finally reach Kampala around 8pm. We took off from Nairobi at 6am Sunday morning, having stop over at Eldoret to spend our lunch time with our friend Rieko san.

Lunch at Rieko san's place.

The road was smooth and we arrived at her place around 11am. We lunched and chatted for 2 hours before we hit the road again. I really like her place especially the fire place. It comes in very handy especially when the weather drops to 15 degree C in the evening.

The overall trip was fruitful and smooth except for the constant harassment by the police. Not only they were stationed every few kilometres along the highway, in Nairobi, they were everywhere. We were almost stopped everytime because I am driving a Uganda registered vehicle. They will try and find every possible fault so that they can either summon or charge us. Luckily I have all the documents in place. They will always threaten us that they will charge us and impound our car. Their scare tactic of wanting to tow our car to the police station will not work on me. Well I have been staying in Uganda long enough not to be intimidated by them. All they want is money. So long as I have all the neccessary paperwork, all my lights are in working conditions, have my safety belt on while driving, they cannot do anything. Their last resort was to ask for some money for lunch or dinner. But still I do not give in to them. This is not right!

During the trip we visited Yeen-Lan, a Singaporean running an orphanage. We were given a tour and were very impressed by the setup. We were also invited to lunch with the children. These children were rescued from pit latrines, hospitals and young mothers who threw them away at rubbish dumps or roadsides. But you can never imagine their ordeals if you were to see them now.

Rafiki Foundation

Our gang from Uganda visiting Singaporean in Kenya, Yeen Lan

The future of Kenya.

In Rafiki, this child's dream will come true.

Their meals are monitored closely to ensure a well balanced diet for these children

Art class

Decorations done by the hands of the children.

This boy wants to be a doctor.

Kids making greetings cards for sale.

Jigsaw made out of wood.

We had seen the patience and perseverance of Yeen-Lan transforming these children from unwanted streets kids to fine young children having an opportunity to face the world. She has indeed done a fantastic job no doubt but somehow, having live in Uganda for sometime now, I left with a mixed feeling with quite a number of “What ifs” lingering on my mind.

The next Singaporean we met was married to a Spanish. Her husband was in conservation projects. I forgot to take my camera along to have some snaps with them.

Coming back from Nairobi early in the morning, we saw some magnificent sight. We managed to capture a mountain that is situated in the Rift Valley. The view was breathtaking.

Mountains in the Rift Valley.

Trip to Nairobi…………………….

The total distance from Kampala to Nairobi is 700km. It took us 13 hrs having stop over at Eldoret for lunch prepared by our friend, Rieko San. she was posted there by the Japan Embassy.

We set off on Saturday afternoon 3pm from Kampala and stayed the night at our friend’s resort, Kingfisher Safaris in Jinja. We wanted to cut off some running time the following day so that we can reach Nairobi earlier. This way, we would have already covered 82km.

Hampton House

By the time we reach Hampton House, the place we are going to put up for the next 7 days, it was almost 8pm in the evening. Hampton House is a guesthouse run by an expatriate catering for Missionaries traveling around East Africa. The place is very well furnished, with an attached kitchen shared between to occupants. The place is really value  for money going for about S$50 per night.

Hampton House compound

Nairobi right now is in her winter period with a temperature of 23°C during the day, dropping to 15°C in the evening.

It was 8 years ago that I drove here. How time flies. I was with Professor Horn then, visiting bee institute and Organizations in the honey trade. The honey industry is more developed than Uganda. It will take some time for Uganda to catch up.

Hampton House room

I was really impressed by the setup. The rooms are very spacious with a separate small living room easily accommodating 4 adults. The beds are comfortable and firm. The rooms are also fitted with a safe deposit box for your valuables and passport. It is already a well known fact in Nairobi, daylight robbing and pickpockets if you are not careful. So having your valuables safely locked in the room is a good idea.

Hampton House interior compound

I had a good sleep after the long drive. The next morning I was greeted by the cold fresh air. Luckily the guesthouse do provide a heater so that the rooms are warm and cozy in these weather.

One of my mission for this trip is to visit manufacturers for packaging materials for my honey. I need to keep myself up to date with the industry in order to be competent. Packaging and value adding is a must in order to push my honey to the next level.

Nairobi CBD area

The atmosphere in Nairobi reminds me of Singapore in the early 80’s. New and high rise buildings are sprouting up everywhere. Kenyans dressing are more affluent than Ugandans. Even the way they walk are comparable to Asians, brisk.

One thing for sure, the traffic is much more organized and the people here drive with better driving attitude. This is one thing Uganda is lacking. In Uganda, if there is a traffic jam, you will see drivers having the biggest car will try and squeeze and overtake the queue thus causing bottleneck jams.

Table soccer

Coming back to Hampton House, I chance upon this item which I had not seen for a long long time. It is a table soccer which I used to enjoy playing during my secondary school days. I spent a lot of  my time playing it at the amusement centre.

My younger brother was very good at it and he gets me so frustrated whenever I played with him. I always lose to him, grunt…

But anyway, it was fun…..frustrating but fun!

Something I did for the first time…………………….

Last year was quite an eventful year for me. The most memorable event was when Belinda Lee and her team from 360 production came and did a program on my life and work here. This year they had made a book out of the program. It was launch in Singapore on 15th Aug 2009. The book was a compilation of the 27 Singaporeans living in 21 different Countries. This book was the summary of the experiences gained by Belinda during her search for Singaporeans overseas.

Looking back, this program made me rediscover myself again. During the 10 days of filming. Belinda and I spent most of our waking time chatting and sharing life experiences. She made me realized some aspect of my life which I did not see, and some which I did not want to confront. The most important aspect that I learned from this chapter of my life is – To Be True To Yourself. Although she is so much younger than me, but her perception of life proved otherwise.

This program really has depth. That is why it was awarded the “Best Infotainment Programme” and Belinda getting the “Best Info-ed Programme Host” award at the Star Award 2009.

Find Me A Singaporean - The Book

Growing up…………………….

At 8 months, Yang reaches the height of 4ft when he stood on its hind legs. Brought him to Timothy Centre two days back to outline the parameters for the beefarm. Dogo Argentino/Great Dane is more of a hunting dog. He is very friendly and does not display any aggression till now. Not sure how will be his character when he passes his 1 year mark. My German friend Karl is so kind to get me a leash strong enough for this breed when he went back to Germany last month. Its not common in Uganda to have such a big dog. Getting strong leash is not easy here.

Yang growing steadily.

Balancing act…………………….

Caught this candid shot while I was driving in town today. The Ugandans’ neck are really strong. Very often you can see street vendors carrying loads of goods on their heads.

Stoves on man's head.