Kampala’s Swimming Pool Survey

This task is a little harder than you might think, for there is
much competition here, with pools at most of the major hotels, one
at the University, one next to Lake Victoria, and one even in the
middle of a bar. Moreover, I have to spend a day at each pool,
swimming, sunbathing, and sampling the bartenders’ skills. Still, it
must be done, and I’ve taken it upon myself to complete the
difficult task.

So, in order of luxury, here are the swimming pools of Kampala,
Uganda:

• Sheraton Hotel Kampala: While it doesn’t really
  surprise that the most luxurious hotel in Kampala would have the
  best swimming pool, the Sheraton actually wins not on the design
  of the pool for swimming, as its circular with an island in the
  middle, but it is the second coldest pool in Africa (the Novatell
  in Arusha is first, with ice floes in the deep end!), taking your
  breath away when you jump in.

  Then add to that the fully stocked bar and extensive, if
  expensive menu, and the $5 USD entry fee allows a complete retreat
  from Africa. Well, an almost complete retreat, for while I never
  saw a single African swimming, the staff is all African, with one
  guy a little too eager to watch me shower.

• Entebbe Beach Resort: Okay, so its technically not in
  Kampala, but Entebbe, the town just on Lake Victoria that has the
  lakeport and airport, does have the best beach resort I’ve seen in
  Africa. With a huge and cold pool, perfect for laps, a large
  manicured lawn filled with shade trees and tables, and even a
  white sand beach to swim in the lake, it definitely is worth the
  forty minute matatu ride from Kampala, as the locals know.

  Each weekend, the resort is packed with Ugandans escaping the
  city and if it wasn’t for the inability of the bar to make a
  margarita or daiquiri (they didn’t have mix or even a blender!) it
  would be the best spot in Kampala to get a tan or just lounge.

• Bar TLC: While this is the place to be late Friday and
  Saturday night, it also happens to have a full health club somehow
  attached to the bar. Yep, only in Africa can you drink and lift!
  Oh, even better, they have a huge swimming pool set right next to
  the bar, with only a little rope holding back the drunken masses
  at 3am. Can you say ‘liability’?

  And it’s a distant third as the pool is surrounded on three
  sides by walls, killing any breeze that tries to cool you, and the
  water is lukewarm, which isn’t good for suntanning in equatorial
  heat.

• Makerere University: As the cheapest option, about $1
  USD, at the University pool you get what you pay for. It’s a
  rectangle of semi-clear water, filled with jumping and splashing
  kids, lean muscular swimmers, and random students trying to cool
  off after classes.

  Actually, while the pool itself isn’t much, even though I did
  have a fun time teaching the kids ‘Marco Polo’ and freeze tag, it
  does make a great excuse to walk the University grounds, admiring
  the beautiful layout and asking beautiful students directions to
  the pool.

• Fairway Hotel: Even though the swimming pool itself is
  better than the University pool, on the day I went there, the
  complete lack of anyone near it, be that swimmers or even hotel
  staff, was a signal I heeded after walking around the pool area
  looking for life.