Mbarara

I am in a personal rebellion against long bus rides at the moment.

I therefore break up my journey between Kabale and Queen Elizabeth National Park at the town of Mbarara, a name i have total difficulty pronouncing.

It’s not particularly interesting, but does have a few good restaurants and a quirky feel to the place. Check out the lane behind High Street and you’ll find an alley of chiropodists operating off small wooden crates.

Probably the best restaurant in town is the City Top restaurant at the heart of the town centre on Main Road, offering a hearty selection of snacks and mains and boasting an African, Indian and Continental menu. Fridays are their chicken Biryani Special day. Their chicken tikka masala is pretty tasty too.

Or a cheaper alternative you could do worse than check out the Hot Spot restaurant. It can be found off Main Road at the Barclay’s Bank turn-off.

It is election time here in Uganda (not dissimilar to my journey through Tanzania) and there are continuous parades going through the town centre with loud music and honking horns continually as all three parties contending here trying to outdo the other.



Uganda is enjoying a rare period of political stability. Multi-party democracy was only secured in 2005.


Ever wondered what happened to that big fat bastard Idi Amin who murdered some 300,000 Ugandans? He fled to Libya in early 1979 and eventually died in Saudi Arabia in 2003.

With so much action going on along Main Street, i check into Bena Guest House also on Main Street but further away from the town centre. It is a clean and comfortable en-suite room with lashes of hot water, but charges USh30,000 per room including breakfast without a single person discount.

Unfortunately it transpires to be neighbouring an evangelical church that blares monotonous hymns on a Yamaha organ till 11pm.

There are a couple of ATMs in town.