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KALANGALA – I was fortunate to have been invited to attend a four-day media training workshop in Kalangala district last month.
Since I had never been to the Island district, I was ecstatic; my mind brimmed with fantasies of what I expected from this expedition.
This voyage started off at the National Theatre in Kampala on a pleasant Tuesday morning where the rest of the team I was to travel with had convened in a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) branded bus.
We set off at exactly 10:35 am after a roll-call confirmation that everyone was actually on board. We headed out to Entebbe where we were to board our next means of travel to cross the lake Victoria.
MV Vanessa a high-end water vessel, was waiting for us by the lake shore to take us across this perilous water body that I was going to cross for the very first time in my entire life.
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I stepped aboard this beautiful boat, I was amazed at its aesthetics, complete with a 32-inch LED television screen and very comfortable seats that carried all the 56 occupants on board plus the boat’s crew.
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We were ushered into the hi-tech boat by a very warm-spirited and passenger-friendly stewardess, who instructed each of us to wear a life-jacket and how to manoeuvre in case of an emergency like if the boat suddenly capsized.
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We then set off with the water waves roaring as MV Vanessa sped off at break-neck speed across the wide lake, sights and sounds of birds and fish on the water surface were all the eyes could see for several minutes of this aquatic journey.
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After an hour or so, we could see the natural beauty of an island –Kalangala – beckoning us as we alighted from the flashy boat and made our way to the sandy beaches of the Island, opening us to a whole new world of lush vegetation, tall palm trees and a breezy tropical climate whose fresh air I could feel blowing through my hair.
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A minibus and coaster picked us up and drove us through a dense minuscule forest with plenty of sights and sounds along the way to our final destination –the Brovad Sands Resort – which accommodated us for the next three nights.
Here, I saw beautiful cottages with a dual marriage of both ancient and modern architectural designs that combined a grass-thatched roof with a cleverly woven contemporary look – I enjoyed a hot shower to counter the cold temperature of the Breezy island district – though stingingly cold at night, it sure felt like home to me.
We were all treated to a three-course meal for dinner which lasted for about an hour and then several personal activities took over for the rest of the night.
Couples cuddled in dim-lit corners of the bar lounge as other singles; mostly male groups drunk the night away to spectacular sights of the Kalangala night feasting on the abundant fish that’s readily available.
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At dawn, the distinct sound of various birds could be heard chirping in the distance. Such a sweet melody to my ears, I woke up, stretching my arms with a yawn- still drunk with sleep – and lazily walked to the balcony to have a closer view of this new territory that I had for long yearned to experience – It was delightful to say the least.
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Other common activities on this Island include; swimming, fishing, forest and nature walks plus boat cruises and sun-bathing to mention but a few. There are enormous investment opportunities in Kalangala especially in the transport and accommodation sectors and many more that can be fully exploited given available resources.
I enjoyed every minute of my stay on this abundantly-blessed island and I still look forward to my next opportunity to this moment.