Sailing away to Kalangala’s stunning sunsets, waters

If you are looking for a place to walk bare foot and kick some sand in the Pearl of Africa, turn to the South Central, home to Brovad Sands Lodge which boasts of clean tropical sands, garden-fresh air and natural environment.
Going to the facility was a plan that did the running in my head for a couple of weeks. Work and other engagements always stood in the way of actualising the plot to take the deserved break.

Plot
One Monday, feeling a little under the weather, I decided to visit and confirm my booking for a weekend at Brovad’s office in Kampala. Doreen Nyangoma, the marketing manager immediately confirmed my stay.
She therein provided me with an itinerary of activities at the facility on Bulaga Island, one of many that form the Ssese islands’ archipelago. On Friday morning I woke up feeling fresh and excited, ready to travel. One hour and a few minutes got me to Entebbe and a couple of minutes to Nakiwogo, the docking point of MV Kalangala which handles ferry service from Entebbe to Kalangala/Ssese Islands and back.

On the ferry
While we smoothed out our way to the islands, everyone seemed awake. There was a movie showing at the VIP section, and those watching it had to compete with a group of youths who blared music as they chatted, laughed out loud and shared jokes.
Waitresses and waiters were on their feet for much of the journey as they took and delivered orders to travellers. For Shs10, 000, you could have a beer or coffee, tea and katogo (mixture of matooke with meat). There were some snacks to bite on.
Some passengers opted to take a nap, others conversed throughout, and the rest watched movies. Your writer split time between weaving words and capturing some sights.
Animated traditional drummers on board, sung happily as they rhythmically clapped, perhaps after sipping on some brew. They were heading to the islands for a cultural fete, and travellers enjoyed the precursor. The heavy current punted the ferry a little.
As we approached the shoreline, the sun was shying away from the skies. Its golden rays kissed the waters. Kalangala is popular for some of the most stunning sunsets and sunrises.
Even if you do not care for photography, take a seat on the sands, as your eyes feed on resolute fishermen rowing on Lake Victoria’s interminable waters, casting out their fishnets at dusk.

Photo moments
I love my sleep so rather than make an early morning call to the beach I opted for the evening to wait on the sun as it set. By 6.30pm I was set to capture the progressions of the setting.
Different bird species were flying across the lake, adding colour and life to my cinematography. On one of the evenings, I chanced upon boys who had just had a swim in the lake and were taking turns for photo shoots against the sunset using their smartphones.
This was a magical opportunity to capture silhouettes of the young souls as they interacted against the excellent sun backdrop as it shared its beauty at the water’s wavy layers that lasted some minutes.