Ugandan Driving Games

Our ride into Jinja, although long, is neither boring nor uneventful. Our kids have never asked to take something with them to do in the car, nor stated that they were bored. Two reasons they do not get bored are the pothole game and the crocodile hunt.

During our trip, we eventually come to a part of the road which is unlike 90% of the roads in Uganda - it is paved! However, it is full of potholes littered along the way. Mark and Titus have made it a game to see how well Mark can navigate this thoroughfare without hitting the obstacles. The goal is to hit a minimal number of potholes, while avoiding pedestrian, vehicle and animal traffic. Like Super Mario Kart for the Nintendo DS, there are levels in this game. Level 1 is on a clear day without any oncoming traffic. Level 2 would be a clear day with only a few small cars or motorbikes. Level 3 - cloudy day with a large oncoming truck. Levels 4 and 5 include rain or dark. We have not achieved level 10, which would be a dark and rainy night, with cows, goats and pedestrian traffic moving in addition to large oncoming trucks flashing their high-beam lights at us! Yikes!

Soon after we leave the pothole game, we approach the Nile River and begin our new adventure, the crocodile hunt! As we traverse the bridge going across the dam, we immediately look to our right for the float where many birds and monitor lizards congregate. We have even seen otters swimming here a time or two. After counting lizards and bird species, we turn our attention to left side of the dam where two crocodiles are sometimes spotted. If it is a particularly hot day, we have a better chance of seeing them sunning on the bank of the river below. Titus has learned to sit on the left side of the car just so he can have an advantage for sighting them. Unfortunately we have only seen them a few times, but when we do it is with great excitement.

Soon after the crocodile hunt, we arrive at our destination. Our games were fun, but we are glad to get out of the car.