By Joshua Masinde
The cool, icy breeze permeates several openings on MV Kalangala. It’s my first voyage on water, from Nakiwogo pier in Entebbe to Lutoboka pier in Kalangala district. I’ll be in Kalangala in 3 hours, courtesy of the cool weather and the serene lake.
The Captain of MV Kalangala, Yusufu Bulunya, confides in me that it takes approximately 3 hours to or fro the island.
Aboard the ship, are approximately 108 passengers, the maximum capacity of human cargo the Marine Vessel Kalangala can afford to carry. The cosmopolitan passengers, stuck on their seats in the 1st and 2nd class compartments are apprehensive of the impending three hour voyage. Some, like Dr. Peter Kato, are not travelling for the first time. He is used to the usual voyage aboard MV Kalangala.
“Tickets go for Ushs14000 for 1st class,” a raspy hoarse female voice totters through the gramophone. “Tickets go for Ushs10000 for 2nd class.” And the usual cliché, “We wish you all a safe journey.”
Hardly, quarter way the voyage, the erstwhile quiet, organized ambience within MV Kalangala has mutated into a noisy ‘restaurant’.
Soft and alcoholic drinks are all over. But, NO SMOKING warning stares one in the visage as one traverses across the chambers.
The few, who can afford silence, are at it, apart from the one or two inquisitive breaks. A few tables away, revellers are playing cards. I can’t withstand the hullaballoo they are evoking. The incessant flow of alcoholic drinks has made the revellers madder at their din-making game.
The thrilling episodes of Jurassic Park can keep you entertained well throughout the icy voyage.
For non-alcoholic consumers, there’s a canteen between the 1st and 2nd class chambers. You can order for tea or soda there. Different food types are also served at the canteen. So, you if you don’t have company, are hungry and have some money to spare, order for a bite.
“You are feeling sea sick,” doctor Kaliika tells me, about two hours into the sea. The moist breeze had eaten me, skin deep. I thought I was in a human freezer. Carry your jacket or pullover in case you don’t want to feel sea sick and are travelling for the first time.
There’s also security aboard MV Kalangala. Patrick, one of the two security guards tells me, he has worked on MV Kalangala for a year now. He boasts of his swimming prowess, which puts him in a position to even save any drowning soul, if unfortunately possible. I don’tbelieve him. But, he will warn you about the sections you should not go to, especially atop the deck.
