Daring to do the dew

The Grip pack bottle, the new Mountain Dew bottle was launched, at a place that would give true meaning to ‘doing the dew’.

Lakeside Adventure Park was the venue. Located 26 km from Mukono town, everyone invited was to use water transport to cut the journey from KK beach in Ggaba.

Within 10 minutes, we had crossed to Bule Island in Kyagwe Mukono in a seven-seater boat. Three minutes in a tourist Land Rover, we arrived at the Lakeside Adventure Park, nestled between Mutoola beach in Mukono and Lagoon Resort.

Taking the challenge
Built in early 2011, the Lakeside Adventure Park is currently the only high ropes course in Uganda. Designed for both amateurs and experienced participants of all ages and abilities, it brings the challenge and excitement of a tree-top adventure to the shores of Lake Victoria.

Clients always frequent it for corporate, school and family fun day getaways. For beginners, the park has ‘strange things’ put up; wires, nets, hard timber and ropes on poles hundreds of meters above the ground.

These, we were to learn, are for different challenges meant for adventure. They are organised in 10 stages; each getting harder by the number.

The first stage is climbing a wall to the top. This, like the nine others, cannot be done by someone who has acrophobia – the phobia for heights.

During a media challenge, organised in teams comprising two teammates, I was unlucky not to make it to the last point, stopping at the second task which was moving on a log with ones hands touching a wire tied above to parallel poles .
The challenge required moving through all stages in the less time possible.

But in my mind, the second task, it was like sitting at the entrance of a helicopter with my legs swinging. And when I looked down, all I was could see were blurry images. I told my instructor to get me down immediately.

And as others kept going forward, I watched from the ground.Most of the competitors completed the challenges, others got tired with three or two stages to go. The challenges required a lot of energy.

Some painful moments
We complained about pain all over the body. Even I, who freaked out mid-way. Other challenges which followed after the climbing was a crate race, which involved two people running over three crates.

The Daily Monitor team emerged winners. No one was supposed to step on the ground, so with speed and precision, players were supposed to shift the free crate so that it can be stepped on until the end. Also, a tag of war between journalists and Crown Beverages was won the media team.
When one chooses not to use water transport, which is a boat from KK beach to the Island, they can use Jinja road to Mukono trading centre. From there, you can take Katosi road; it goes straight to the venue.