Its 5:45am, the dawn is breaking outside and we are in the office doing our last minute checks. In 2 hours Warid Congo will open its doors in a new country and become part of the commercial operations running in Pakistan, Bangladesh & Uganda.
There are many times when I thought that we will never get here just like many other times when I thought we were so close that I could reach out and touch it. I guess even with one's best efforts one has to count on a lot of faith and hope to get through life.
This also marks a change for me as what started as "my project" is now "my operation". And I am looking forward to working with the other members of the management team to make a difference.
UPDATE: 4pm
WOW! What a response! We are overwhelmed - both in Brazzaville & Pointe Noire. The business centres opened at 8am and within 30 minutes we had a queue of people wanting to come in to buy the SIMs. And even now the queue is there. Moreover, its like the whole company has come together for one purpose - to delight the customer. We have people from IT, Engineering, HR working on crowed control and helping people to fill forms. Inside the business centres the sales, customer services and finance teams are running around to serve the customer. Sweets baskets are being filled, fizzy drinks are bring served to the people who have been queuing in the heat and you see lots of smiles all around. And to make my day... the numbers are looking great! Alhumdullah!
See for yourself:
Let's pray that this is the beginning of something great.. Ameen!
There are many times when I thought that we will never get here just like many other times when I thought we were so close that I could reach out and touch it. I guess even with one's best efforts one has to count on a lot of faith and hope to get through life.
This also marks a change for me as what started as "my project" is now "my operation". And I am looking forward to working with the other members of the management team to make a difference.
UPDATE: 4pm
WOW! What a response! We are overwhelmed - both in Brazzaville & Pointe Noire. The business centres opened at 8am and within 30 minutes we had a queue of people wanting to come in to buy the SIMs. And even now the queue is there. Moreover, its like the whole company has come together for one purpose - to delight the customer. We have people from IT, Engineering, HR working on crowed control and helping people to fill forms. Inside the business centres the sales, customer services and finance teams are running around to serve the customer. Sweets baskets are being filled, fizzy drinks are bring served to the people who have been queuing in the heat and you see lots of smiles all around. And to make my day... the numbers are looking great! Alhumdullah!
See for yourself:
Let's pray that this is the beginning of something great.. Ameen!
I am in Dubai (or at Dubai Airport to be more precise)! How I come to be here is a long story (which some of you already know). For the benefit of those who read this blog to learn more about the ways of the world, I will narrate the story again.
The easiest way to go from Kampala, Uganda to Brazzaville, Congo is to take Ethiopian Airlines. First you fly from Entebbe airport to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and from there you take the flight to Brazzaville. Although, the total flying time for the both flights is around 4 hours; the main problem is the connection. The flight from Uganda arrives Ethiopia in the evening, the fight for Congo does not leave for another 14 hours. While the Ethiopian airlines is happy to put you up in a hotel, our green passport does not qualify for a visa to get into Ethiopia (I hope you are suitably insulted). Thus you have to stay at the airport for the whole 14 hours.
The way around is to fly Emirates from Uganda to Ethiopia (because the Dubai flight stops at Addis Ababa for 1.5 hours) and then from Ethiopia to Dubai. You arrive in Dubai 30 minutes past midnight and stay at the airport for the next 4 hours. Then you take the Ethiopian Airlines flight back to Ethiopia which arrives there in time to catch the same flight from Addis Ababa to Brazzaville, Congo. So instead of sitting at Addis Ababa airport for 14 hours, you spend most of that time flying around. Below is a diagram which I made with Paint (as that is the only software available on this PC in the lounge) to explain the journey.
As enjoyable as it may sound, but it does play havoc with your internal clock. You change three time zone within 24 hours (GMT+3, GMT+4, GMT+1). And just like any flight through Dubai, you cannot sleep for 24 hours.
I am sure you would agree that Dubai has become the "Bus Terminal of the World". The whole airport is like a huge waiting area in which either people are queuing or waiting (or queuing outside their gates so they can wait inside). The duty free has so many people on checkouts that you would be forgiven for thinking that they are giving things away.
So busy is the airport that they have ran out of gates and planes are parked on tarmac from where the bus takes you to the airport. There are so many buses running around that we almost has a traffic jam at the airport. A glance at the screens in the Departure area showed 32 flights departing within 45 minutes (1.45am to 2.30am). That just over 1 a minute!
Having said that, if it was not for Dubai we would have to wait days to go anywhere. Since most of the international airlines have suspended services to our airports, Emirates is our only option which connects us to the rest of the world.
I am gonna go now and have a cup of tea (they have Earl Gray in the lounge), relax and try my best not to sleep as I have to get going in 45 minutes!
The easiest way to go from Kampala, Uganda to Brazzaville, Congo is to take Ethiopian Airlines. First you fly from Entebbe airport to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and from there you take the flight to Brazzaville. Although, the total flying time for the both flights is around 4 hours; the main problem is the connection. The flight from Uganda arrives Ethiopia in the evening, the fight for Congo does not leave for another 14 hours. While the Ethiopian airlines is happy to put you up in a hotel, our green passport does not qualify for a visa to get into Ethiopia (I hope you are suitably insulted). Thus you have to stay at the airport for the whole 14 hours.
The way around is to fly Emirates from Uganda to Ethiopia (because the Dubai flight stops at Addis Ababa for 1.5 hours) and then from Ethiopia to Dubai. You arrive in Dubai 30 minutes past midnight and stay at the airport for the next 4 hours. Then you take the Ethiopian Airlines flight back to Ethiopia which arrives there in time to catch the same flight from Addis Ababa to Brazzaville, Congo. So instead of sitting at Addis Ababa airport for 14 hours, you spend most of that time flying around. Below is a diagram which I made with Paint (as that is the only software available on this PC in the lounge) to explain the journey.
As enjoyable as it may sound, but it does play havoc with your internal clock. You change three time zone within 24 hours (GMT+3, GMT+4, GMT+1). And just like any flight through Dubai, you cannot sleep for 24 hours.
I am sure you would agree that Dubai has become the "Bus Terminal of the World". The whole airport is like a huge waiting area in which either people are queuing or waiting (or queuing outside their gates so they can wait inside). The duty free has so many people on checkouts that you would be forgiven for thinking that they are giving things away.
So busy is the airport that they have ran out of gates and planes are parked on tarmac from where the bus takes you to the airport. There are so many buses running around that we almost has a traffic jam at the airport. A glance at the screens in the Departure area showed 32 flights departing within 45 minutes (1.45am to 2.30am). That just over 1 a minute!
Having said that, if it was not for Dubai we would have to wait days to go anywhere. Since most of the international airlines have suspended services to our airports, Emirates is our only option which connects us to the rest of the world.
I am gonna go now and have a cup of tea (they have Earl Gray in the lounge), relax and try my best not to sleep as I have to get going in 45 minutes!
Labels: addis ababa, airport, dubai, emirates, Entebbe, ethiopia, ethiopian, kampala, uganda
Some ten kilometres below Lake Victoria, lie the little-known but stunningly beautiful Bujagali Falls. Although lacking a single massive drop of the kind that generally earns waterfalls their fame, the Bujagali are distinctive because of the sheer volume of water cascading over the series of low rapids that would otherwise be unremarkable.
What the falls loose in height; they make up for in speed (only someone with a death wish would dive or swim there). The water is so fast that you can easily see how a few of these falls can move the Nile for the next 6000+ Km to Mediterranean Sea.
Unfortunately, this wonder of nature is about to disappear. To ease the power shortages (yes they have load-shedding in Uganda as well), the government has started the construction of a 250MW hydropower facility. This dam will result in water level rising and the falls disappearing for ever.
I know that since we have a serious power crisis in our country, it is very hard for us to sympathise about destruction of some falls. But in my opinion, if we play with nature too much... it does not like and bites back!
You can see the Bujagali Falls picture album on Picasa.
What the falls loose in height; they make up for in speed (only someone with a death wish would dive or swim there). The water is so fast that you can easily see how a few of these falls can move the Nile for the next 6000+ Km to Mediterranean Sea.
Unfortunately, this wonder of nature is about to disappear. To ease the power shortages (yes they have load-shedding in Uganda as well), the government has started the construction of a 250MW hydropower facility. This dam will result in water level rising and the falls disappearing for ever.
I know that since we have a serious power crisis in our country, it is very hard for us to sympathise about destruction of some falls. But in my opinion, if we play with nature too much... it does not like and bites back!
You can see the Bujagali Falls picture album on Picasa.
Labels: bujagali, falls, jinja, LakeVictoria, uganda
Lake Victoria is not only the largest tropical lake in the world; it is also the Source of River Nile - the longest river in the world. Although Wikipedia disputes the facts that the source of Nile is Lake Victoria, but since it does not offer an alternative locations and the Ugandan government has already developed the tourist spot, I think it would be fair to say that the Nile starts from Lake Victoria.
The Nile has two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and fertile soil, but the former being the longer of the two. The White Nile starts from Lake Victoria and flows through southern Sudan, while the Blue Nile starts at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, flowing into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
We saw very few tourists on at this place (maybe because it was late in the evening and it had rained a lot a couple of hours earlier). We would have taken the boat ride in the lake and the river, but we did not have much time; so we took a few pictures and moved on.
Next to the source of the Nile is a statue of Gandhi. According to Ghandi's wish, the majority of his ashes were immersed in some of the world's major rivers. The monument represents the place at the source of Nile where part of theses ashes were immersed. I am told that a lot of Indians visit this place to pay their respects to him.
You can also see the Source of the Nile Trip album at Picasa.
The Nile has two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and fertile soil, but the former being the longer of the two. The White Nile starts from Lake Victoria and flows through southern Sudan, while the Blue Nile starts at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, flowing into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
We saw very few tourists on at this place (maybe because it was late in the evening and it had rained a lot a couple of hours earlier). We would have taken the boat ride in the lake and the river, but we did not have much time; so we took a few pictures and moved on.
Next to the source of the Nile is a statue of Gandhi. According to Ghandi's wish, the majority of his ashes were immersed in some of the world's major rivers. The monument represents the place at the source of Nile where part of theses ashes were immersed. I am told that a lot of Indians visit this place to pay their respects to him.
You can also see the Source of the Nile Trip album at Picasa.
Labels: jinja, Lake, LakeVictoria, nile, uganda
I have done it! I have crossed the Equator and stepped into the Southern Hemisphere. This happened at midday on 29th July 2007! I know this may not excite your much but there was a time in nautical history when elaborate rituals were performed onboard ships when they crossed the Equator. The sailor who had crossed the Equator were called Shellbacks and the ones who had not crossed the line before were called Pollywogs. Wikipedia says that in the 19th century and earlier, the line-crossing ceremony was quite a brutal event, often involving beating "pollywogs" with boards and wet ropes and sometimes throwing the victims over the side of the ship, dragging the pollywog in the surf from the stern. In more than one instance, sailors were reported to have been killed while participating in a crossing the line ceremony. A watered-down version of the ceremony, is also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships even today.
Thankfully, since I crossed the line on the ground I was able to avoid the drama. I did however feel as if I had opened a new chapter in my life (which is true as I will be in Brazzaville, Congo in a couple of days and the city is in the southern hemisphere).
To mark the memorable moment in the history, I even filled my name in the visitors' book and purchased an "I was here" certificate for 10,000 shillings (US$6). I know it was a rip-off but I am a sucker for these things!For another 10,000 shillings, I could have seen the (fake) science experiment which demonstrates Corialis Effect using three pans marked "Did you Know". Two of these were placed on either sides and one on the equator. The guy would pour water into each pan and show you the spin of the water in different directions. You can read Adam Rasheed's post on GRC Blog to understand why the experiment would have been fake.
There was a big display at the souvenir shop which listed some interesting facts about the Equator. The one I liked most was that your body weight goes down by 3%; beat that Dr. Atkins!
For more pictures, visit the Equator Trip album on Picasa.
On Sunday we had planned on getting up early and visiting a couple of places. Our ride was to first pick Irfan & Sajjad from their guesthouse in Kitintale and then come for Nasar and I around 9:45am. I was ready by 9:15 and decided to check-up on Nasar. I knocked his door - no response, I banged his door - no response, I kicked his door, no response! For a second I was worried. One of the housekeepers came up to check if everything was ok. I told him that I was trying to wake Nasar and there was no response. We went onto the joint balcony from my room and found that the window was open. I saw Nasar sleeping and shouted his name a dozen times to wake him up - NO RESPONSE!The housekeeper had an idea and went to get something long which could reach the bed and poke him. In the mean time I got three apples from the dinning room and threw them at him. Although two of them hit his shoulder, but I missed his head and he did not wake up.
The housekeeper brought back a wiper with expendable pipe. We got close enough to bang the headboard and poke the quilt... but nothing happened.
Somehow the housekeeper managed to open the balcony door to his room and I went into the room and shook the life (or sleep in this case) out of Nasar. After 25 mins of trying we finally managed to wake him up (but only because we got into the room). If you are planning to buy Nasar a birthday present (21st March), have a look at some of these alarm clocks which claim to wake everyone except the dead!
Labels: alarmclock, kampala, nasar, uganda
Since Saturday is a working day here (in the company and not Uganda), we decided to go the Lake Victoria Beach which is near Entebbe. Although the original plan was to leave around 1:30pm after lunch; but you know once you are in the office, getting out on time is not easy. We left for Imperial Beach Resort (a hotel with its own private stretch of beach) around 4-ish and got to the beach an hour later. Since we used the beach entrance to get into the beach area, we ended up paying 2000 Ugandan Shillings ($1.20) at the gates. Had we entered through the hotel gates, we would not need to pay the fee.
Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake and the second biggest fresh water lake in the world (the picture is taken from space). It is split between Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania. It was named after Queen Victoria by the an British Indian Army office John Hanning Speke who after getting tired of all the fighting in India decided to instead go explore Africa.
Maybe it was a cloudy day or something else, but the beach did not appeal to me. Some of the sand was kinda white, but it did not feel anything like the beaches I had visited.
The resort area was nicely developed with gardens, outdoor food areas and a swimming pool (which you had to pay extra to get into).
Visit the Imperial Beach Resort picture gallery on Picasa.
Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake and the second biggest fresh water lake in the world (the picture is taken from space). It is split between Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania. It was named after Queen Victoria by the an British Indian Army office John Hanning Speke who after getting tired of all the fighting in India decided to instead go explore Africa.
Maybe it was a cloudy day or something else, but the beach did not appeal to me. Some of the sand was kinda white, but it did not feel anything like the beaches I had visited.
The resort area was nicely developed with gardens, outdoor food areas and a swimming pool (which you had to pay extra to get into).
Visit the Imperial Beach Resort picture gallery on Picasa.
Labels: Beach, Entebbe, Lake, LakeVictoria, uganda
We went out for Friday prayers a earlier today in Kampala. The central mosque is named "New National Mosque" but usually called "Old Kampala Mosque" which is on top of Mengo hill in old Kampala. The mosque opened in June 2007, although it has been completed a year earlier. This delay was due to a dispute between the mufti and the Muslim community who accused him of selling mosque land for commercial use. The construction of the mosque was funded by Libyan President Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and he will also pay the annual utility bills of about US$200,000.
Unfortunately, we were did not get there on time and missed the prayers. Since the gates were jammed with people coming out we decided to find another mosque to say Dhuhr prayers. The one we found is called Wandegeya Mosque and had Indian dome type architecture and was more kinda old and a little run down.
Irfan Khalil, Sajjad Butt, Nasar Shakil, Faisal Nasim
Since I wont be around in Kampala for the next Friday prayers, I will have to go sometime during the week to offer prayers and see the mosque.
Unfortunately, we were did not get there on time and missed the prayers. Since the gates were jammed with people coming out we decided to find another mosque to say Dhuhr prayers. The one we found is called Wandegeya Mosque and had Indian dome type architecture and was more kinda old and a little run down.
Irfan Khalil, Sajjad Butt, Nasar Shakil, Faisal NasimSince I wont be around in Kampala for the next Friday prayers, I will have to go sometime during the week to offer prayers and see the mosque.
