Busia County, a location with riveting accounts of culture and creativity. Our first observation has to be the vast greenery that meets our eye and if you have your camera, please don’t hesitate to take it. The county overlooks the eastern region of Uganda as well as the famous lake that provides the fish we’re hopefully going to have for lunch.
Our first agenda of the day is the boat festival. We’re heading over to Sio Port, where we find ourselves surrounded by the local communities that have come ready to show us what they’re made of! The morning sun feels like honey melting on our skin. There’s a tonne of activities to choose from which is just our luck since we hadn’t prepared to participate in the actual boat races but observing is always an option as we look for a team to place our bets on. The commentator has come ready and buzzing,and there’s a few vuvuzelas in sight. He shouts, “Wachezaji, mko tayari?” The response comes from our fellow spectators and we shout along with them to psyche the participators on. The sight of ethnic cohesion is evident from the flags to the body art to the dancers and drummers. It feels like a festival! Led by a coxswain, the team members look well-built – possibly as a result of the endless hours working on their upper body strength seeking to compete for the fastest current as they race upstream with the aim to surpass their opponents by at least a boats’ length to have a greater chance at victory because of the full dependency on the tide. It seems far from an easy race, the communication between the members never stops and we’re cheering them on even louder… finally, we have a winner. The Busia team emerges victorious for the third time in a row. There go the drums and vuvuzelas! A handsome cash prize is handed to the coxswain along with a bronze trophy.
Main event done, we engage in the sub-activities of our choice from tug of war to boxing to swimming that allow us to further engage with the welcoming locals! Thereafter the endless provision of food is Instagram-worthy. From the matoke to the fresh fish from the lake to the ingokho, we’re about to eat to our fill.
The next stop is the Teso Cultural Festival at Kakapel, said to attract people from as far as Sudan and Uganda. Shoes off, we dance along with the pros barely keeping up but the effort we’re making gives them more hype to keep us going. It already feels like the food we ate earlier is gone from the calories burnt.
It’s late in the afternoon but a trip to Busia isn’t complete without a visit to the famous Kakapel ancient rock site – a natural monument that consists of granite entailing art from different eras. The art? Amazing! Our tour guide informs us on the history of the caves that housed the Twa people 4,000 years back. Mainly hunters and gatherers, this community was also of talented artists given their lack of unlimited supplies back then.
Pictures taken, moments felt, we conclude our outdoor pursuit camping at the Kakapel Hills that offer more scenic views to unwind on the day that was. The campfire feels great and the view of the lit houses in the distance makes our final moments in Busia a memorable safari.
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