"Among the clouds" Kabale District by maharaja_joe

Kabale is the chief town of Kabale District and lies about 2000m above sea level. This place is very close to the border with Rwanda and saw a fair share of refugee influx during the genocide of 1994. The area is quite stable now, and is the local hub for trade and agriculture. This place is small: no traffic lights, and one tar road that connects it to Kampala (the capital of Uganda) in the north. The main road from Kampala continues through the town south to the border with Rwanda at Gatuna, 10 km away. One can always see trucks carrying humanitarian aid travel down this road toward or away from Rwanda.

My good friend, Joe, helped me with my travel and accommodation. He was in Kabale to set up the machines required to process the Artimisin. I spent my first few days in Africa with him in Kabale. These acclimitization days were instrumental in planning my entire Africa trip.

A hot cup of tea after a looong ride from Kisoro

My hosts in Kabale were East African businessmen of Indian descent. They were setting up a small factory to chemically process Artimisin, an herb known in the Orient to cure malaria. The local farmers grow the herb on the hills surrounding the town. Staying here gave me the opportunity to experience the local life-style and mingle with the common man.

Most of the people indulge in sustenance farming of potatoes, bananas, maize, etc. The region is hilly and most of it is terraced to grow produce. The women work in the fields with their children tied to their backs. Many are Christians, and polygamy abounds. I met a person who has 8 wives. As with any small place, everybody knows everybody. In Kabale, many people are also related to each other because of polygamy.

The houses are made of wood and mud. Small strips of wood or bamboo are used to make a matrix. Mud is then mixed with water and filled in the empty spots to form a composite structure that acts as a wall. The middle class farmers build houses of mud bricks. The richest houses are made of bricks and cement.

The hills of Kabale during a thunderstorm

Kabale has intermittent electricity, but the outlying villages have none. The richer folk and some businesses use diesel generators. This has a direct impact on the local business. Most shops shut down around 6 pm and the streets are deserted. People use kerosene lamps at home when there is no electricity. Surprisingly, there are two shops in the local market that deal in solar-power. They are quite well-equipped and have everything from panels to lanterns. I spoke to a local doctor who had installed the panels in his village 2 years back and in his nursing home 2 days back. Another place that has used solar power is an island resort on Lake Bunyoni.

All in all, Kabale is great place to get a feel of rural Africa. The people are extremely friendly, everyone speaks english and the local food is great.

• Pros:A great place to chill out
• Cons:Nothing to do
• In a nutshell:An african hill station