Emergency Pizza

Two weeks ago the owner of our favourite eating place told us he wanted to go back to Italy. He was looking for someone to take over his Pizzeria. To be honest, it did not take us long to decide. The first restaurant in town with excellent foreign food was about to disappearfrom Fort Portal! This is really an emergency. Our only consideration was if we would manage time wise. Pierluigi convinced us that the place hardly needs any time to run it.

The pizzeria is a small place with 16 tables and a small bar. The location is right in the main street in an old building . The building is known for the oldest bar in Fort Port The Glue Pot (since 1960). The interior of the place could definitely improve, but the pizza’s are great. Pierluigi build an wood oven, specific for pizza. The people who come there are wasungu (whites), mohindi (Indian) and Ugandan. The Ugandans come for the meat with chips, the bar and football. The wasungu have their special night Wednesday and especially eat pizza and spaghetti. The mohindi prefer quite evenings so they get quick service and they come for pizza, chips masala, fruit juices and Indian tea. We really have to learn a new type of business. The pizzeria has 6 staff members: 3 in the kitchen, 2 in the restaurant, 1 in the bar. The new name will be Glue Pot Bar and Pizzeria. The pizzeria is of the few places that does take away and they even deliver by motorcycle!

If you want to see the flashy website of the pizzeria you can look at pierpizzeria.com
Also important is that the pizzeria is using 40 kilo of mozzarella per week. We have taken over possibly the biggest client of our cheese factory.

The restaurant to be

Our major project: the renovation of the house we bought has finally started. The house is on our names. The municipal county has approved our plans. We are adding another floor to the building and the contractor started November. The first two months only seem to destroy the house. The roof was taken off. Columns need to be cut in the existing house, to hold the first floor also during earthquakes. Finally at the beginning of this year we saw results! The first floor received it’s floor and walls. The quality of the work is better than we expected and so far the delay is only 1,5 week in 3 months time! We expect the roof to be on at the end of February. In the mean time we are looking at the next phase, getting the doors and windows, getting plumbing and electricity in and setting up fences around the plot (instead of old iron sheets).

Most outside doors and window frames in Uganda are made out of iron. Our house will have wooden doors and window frames. The most used and available wood is mahogany. So we placed an order with a local carpenter for 28 doors and 27 windows. The owner personally went to Congo to select the trees for our house. The trees have to cross the Blue Mountains –which go up to 2000 meter high - until they get at the Semliki river, which is used to transport them to Uganda. Arriving in Fort Portal the wood first has to dry. Hopefully we will have the doors and windows in April.

We have not even discussed getting tiles, toilets, shower head.... We are thinking about the furniture and decorations and staff but that is too early.

We were lost

This expression is used in Uganda if someone has not seen you for a long time. No were we not lost, but very busy.

Just a small review. Michel had a small accident while setting up the cheese container. He suffered of a concussion for 6 weeks and had some stitches in his arm. But a visit of two friends , Pim &Tanja livened up the place. This gave Michel the opportunity do some sightseeing. He had not left Fort Portal since our arrival in June 2010! We visited one of the most beautiful national parks of Uganda, Murchinson Falls and spend a couple of evening s unpacking gifts, sinterklaas sweets and some items that did not make it to the container. Unfortunately the visit resulted in malaria for Michel, but he recovered quite quickly.


In the meantime Heleen guided two more groups of tourists in Uganda and Rwanda. One in October and one during the Christmas holidays. During a gorilla tracking one of the gorilla’s touched the guide and held his arm.

Setting up the cheese factory has been delayed by this all. But the arrival of Michel’s parents at the beginning of January are giving a huge boost. Everybody is working to get the cheese factory finished mid February. Heleen is setting up a clientèle by making yoghurt, quark, full cream and fresh cheese at home at a regular basis. The kick of f of the selling started at a Christmas bazaar. This was a great success thanks to Pim and Tanja. The first samples of our products now have found their way to the most important lodges and hotels. Methods of making the products are improved and everybody is very positive.

To be honest with all our activities, we were a bit lost.

Emergency cheese

We are slowly making progress in setting up our lunchroom and cheese factory. The architectural plans for the renovation are finished. We are in the process of selecting a contractor for building the extra floor on top of the house . Under Michel’s supervision improvements are made to the exterior of the gardens. A huge wall of 4 meter high and 25 meter long is being build to make sure the back garden does not end up at the neighbor yard, which is much lower than our place.

At home we are making yoghurt and fresh cheese to try out the milk. Also we try to get goat milk, which is very difficult. In the mean time everyone is asking when the cheese will be available. Specifically the local pizzeria, who now gets all his cheese from Kampala (300 km away). On his specially request we made mozzarella. We tried several times to get it right and proudly we let the pizzeria test it. The Italian owner is very happy with the cheese. We agree we would only start to make big amounts when the cheese factory was finished, but can make 6 kg in our kitchen in case of emergency.

Four days later… the pizzeria has an emergency. The mozzarella, send deep frozen by bus from Kampala, got lost. When found back the next day, it was spoiled. At 13.00 we get a call if we can make 6 kg of mozzarella, otherwise they might not have enough.

Our first order! We are so proud. Eight hours later we are less proud. We are not equipped to handled big amounts in our small kitchen. We are completely exhausted and the kitchen is a mess, whey and curd everywhere. With headlamps on (since the electricity was cut half way) we made in three batches of 20 liters of milk the mozzarella. At 21.30 we drive off to the pizzeria , who is very happy to see us, since the mozzarella just got finished 15 minutes ago. But we tell him we are never going to do this again unless the cheese factory is finished. The rest of the evening we spend at least half of our profit on pizza and drinks.

Very proud we tell everybody, they are eating our cheese. Victory and a big lesson on making larger amounts of cheese. We keep the cheese activities low profile for the time being.

Cranes and heavy containers

Getting the container from Amersfoort to Kampala took us 2.5 month. We have heard many bad stories to get it through customs but managed to do this in a couple of days. Getting the container to be placed next to our house, seemed to be more difficult. The transporter is suddenly being difficult about placing the container on the ground, so we look for a crane in Fort Portal. After 3 days we have found a man who says he can place the container, if it is empty. We get a transporter to bring then container to Fort Portal and arrange some help to unload. The truck with container went to the lunchroom to be. While our caretaker was preparing lunch for the helpers and the truck drivers, Michel tried to find the guy, who was suppose to take the container of the truck. After literally following the bulldozer with the man, it turned out that the proposed solution was not possible. In three days time he would make time, but would place it without a crane. Michel had only to make a special talus en get some poles. (The cheapest solution for this was to just cut a tree). In the meantime the truckdrivers needed to head back to Kampala. The truck luckily had a small crane so he could unload it just on the side of the truck, everybody thought…. It turned out that the container was too heavy. With a lot of patience it took the drivers one and a half hour to put it down by tilting it to it’s back and then move the truck centimeter for centimeter. A weak heart is not recommended for this method.




The next move a couple of days later looked even worse. A bulldozer scoped the container placed it on a special prepared driveway. For 15 meters the container was pulled by a winch rolling on 4 logs. The pictures tell the story.

Boxes and more boxes

The container has arrived, after problems with the work permit, we had some problems with the transporter, which is a weblog story on its own. But finally the container arrived in front of our rental house; not really in front, more against the gate of the house. Damage of one bag of cement... Because the crane was not strong enough to unload a full container, we unloaded it on top of the truck. We had arranged a couple of people to help us. Every item had a sticker and every room had a label. What can go wrong?

Unbelievable, while opening the container, it looked exactly the same as when we closed it. No items where moved, so far nothing is broken. We only have some water damage, since the container roof was hit by large object probably a hook of a big chain. After two hours with 8 people the container was unloaded. some items were placed in the garden, most rooms including the garage were unreachable because of the number of boxes and items laying all around. Michel went off to our house on Mugurusi road, the place where the container needed to be offloaded. Heleen stayed behind to create some order in the house. Boxes labelled kitchen turn up in the master bedroom and so on. But still one week later we have too many items, too little cupboards and continuously essential screws missing to put things together.


To put as many items in the container as possible everything was taken apart. Even the legs of the sofa’s were taken off. This means a challenge when putting things together. The legs of the sofa’s were separated in three different boxes. The screws for the television cupboard only showed up in one of the boxes after a week unpacking. Now, after a week of unpacking the house is liveable. The kitchen and living room do not contain anyboxes. All the other rooms still have.

But the pleasure of sitting on a sofa, specific your own sofa, drinking espresso, having good kitchen tools is unbeatable. The biggest joy is too see Couda, the oldest dog to wag her tail fanatically, when she discovers her eating bowl somewhere between the boxes and the first week playing with a different toy every day.

Patience and a lot of help

Five days Kampala, what a difference with the quiet Fort Portal. We were suppose to go together and we had already agreed that Michel would drive in Kampala. The traffic is chaotic and Heleen was not looking forward. The evening before leaving, our worries about the concrete slab for the container in Fort Portal were too big. We decided to split up. Heleen was facing a 4,5 hour drive on partly bad roads and traffic chaos in Kampala. Her tasks were, to get a -proof of existence- certificate from tax authority, transfer of the car on our name, getting the work permit, getting the container cleared by customs and to come home with a fridge, gas stove/oven and electrical switch and wiring for the house. To get this done you do not only need to know your way in Kampala , but also know how the Ugandan systems works.

The major item was the work permit, since this is key in getting the container cleared. We had delivered our papers in March to a friend, who would arrange it. But no success, even when Heleen arrived in Kampala she was told, wait till tomorrow. Finally after two days Heleen was given the papers and contacts to follow up herself. After 5 days of running up and down between tax authorities, immigration and banks. Standard procedures are long. Simple tasks normally take hours or days and to separate tasks, different departments and a bank need to be visited. Payments for government or tax fees need to be done at the bank to separate tasks. (Electronic banking is starting to be introduced, but does not fit in the system, sine you need a proof of payment on paper). Efficiency is not high on the list at organizations, with low salaries.

This means that even if you have approval for a special pass (sort of intermediate status, before the work permit is approved), it normally takes two days to pay and get it entered in your passport. Although the procedures are long and we had heard horror stories of containers not being cleared for 3 to 6 months, everybody was willing to co-operate. Heleen told everyone that she could not stay a weekend in Kampala and even government officials were cooperative. A transfer of a car normally takes 4 days, they reduced to 2 days . Approval for special pass normally 4 days, now done 1 day. Receipts at a bank for payment 3 hours, reduced to 45 min. Entry of special pass in passport 1 day, reduced to 4 hours. We know Uganda has entered the top 5 of most corrupt East African countries, but all the help Heleen received was without extra payment! It is interesting to see that in the Netherlands you have to pay for emergency procedures. When you need your passport or driving license quick, it can be arranged but you pay a lot more. Here an explanation was enough. Uganda is a great country!

After living in a empty house with a borrowed bed, a borrowed bread machine, no table, 2 chairs we are looking forward to the container. It also means we can really start to make cheese. So getting the container cleared also very high on our list. When arriving at the container Heleen was almost in tears. The locks were tampered with and many were broken. The seals of Dutch and Kenyan customs however seem to be complete. But to be sure a surveyor was called in to assess the situation. Waiting 1 hour for the surveyor before opening the container was horrible. One hour of visions of a half empty container. After cutting the seals the container was opened and the contents was untouched! Tax authorities were very co-operative and inspection of the goods was finished very quickly. It was time to go home for Heleen with the good feeling that she conquered the bureaucracy and Kampala, and had a car loaded with luxury goods.

Preparing for the container

This week we split up for the arrival of our container. Heleen went to Kampala to arrange clearance of the container (and to do a whole lot of other things) and Michel stayed in Fort Portal to supervise the construction of a simple concrete slab for the final destination of the container. We need to place the container “first time right” because there is not a crane in the vicinity of Fort Portal that can lift it, so we bring a crane from Kampala. But what about the other containers in Fort Portal, you think; well these either do not leave the truck and are emptied on site or are lifted after empting.

The construction of the concrete slab needed a bit more arranging than expected. Since the container will stand on the ground for some time we want to place it above the ground on concrete to prevent rusting. The cheese making requires the container to be place on a level surface. And taking into consideration that the ground has a slope and the rainfall can be extreme, the design of the concrete slab includes a brick wall foundation, reinforced concrete pillars and hard cores (big stones) on a cement base to support the weight of the container. A local architect that draws our ideas about the renovation of the old house made the design.

We hired a contractor, agreed on a price and just before we wanted to start on Monday the Mayor and the Town Clerk including a delegation of politicians were inspecting the road work near our plot. The Mayor saw the building materials and ordered the contractor to abort work that was not even started. Michel spend the rest of the day with the architect writing a proposal letter to the Town Clerk, including drawings of the concrete slab and discussing with the Town Clerk on how to proceed. An approval of the Structures Engineer was needed, but the man was not in town and could not be replaced. Finally the next day we got an informal approval after an on-site inspection of the Structures Engineer.

Materials like sand and the hard cores are bought in the surroundings of Fort Portal and brought by the architect who conveniently owns a small truck (he also has a driving school that is run by his wife from the same office). With the truck most materials were delivered behind the house. To reach there, the truck has to drive down a sloping driveway. The house is approximately 3 meters below road level. With every load, the nicely decorated walls of the driveway moved outwards. The truck holding the container would never be able to pass the house without collapsing the driveway. We decided that the 12 meter driveway needed to be repaired in a permanent way: remove the 1 meter top layer, put in rocks in a particular order, use iron mesh to hold the walls and finish the top layer with small grid. Meaning more truckloads of stones and grid and hiring hard working men.

Buying a house (1)

Looking for a house is not simple in Uganda. Buying a house is even more complicated. After looking around we had several options. Our favourite option is a plot walking distance from the city centre in a posh area of schools, lawyers and NGO’s. Most houses in the area have been renovated, but ‘our’ house has not been maintained for many years and is not occupied, except by some homeless people. Everything of value has been stolen from the house. Electricity wires, sockets, the electricity meter and even the cast iron lit of the septic tank. But the house has pretty outside walls and is big (17 x 11 meter), the plot around it is even large for a place so close to town (24x48 meter).

There are many reason why this house is for empty and still for sale. Not only is the place completely looted, but also a tenant was evicted (a Dutch man, which will we know well) and has claims against the owners about investments done by him and goods stolen from rooms. But the major reason of the state of the house is that the owner died 20 years ago and left behind 6 children, with 6 different mothers. In the age of 0-10 years old. Since the children were minors an uncle became caretaker of the house. To make a long story short 3 years ago the children took charge, hired a family lawyer and went to court to reposes the house. Since then the house is for sale and have had a number of offers and close deals. But the six children (influenced by family) could not agree. We did an offer on the house three weeks ago, but were warned to be very careful with the family. We checked with a Ugandan friend, the land office, their lawyer, etc. The family wanted to meet us, but only Michel was around. The real estate agent, the lawyer and our Uganda friend were not welcome and Michel meet 6 family members representing 3 children. The meeting was not successfully because the family refused to lower their price and we did not hear from them for 2,5 weeks. The rumour circuit was not silent at all. We spread the rumour we were not interested. Their family lawyer presented the family his bill for the last 3 years of his work. Suddenly the family was interested in a negotiation and we settled on the price the same day.

Normally in the Netherlands this means the deal is done and the rest is just administrative. We made another round to the officials Land office, water& electricity company, city council, the local chair person (appointed as guardian of the neighbourhood) and the former Dutch tenant. We hired our own lawyer to protect our interest. In a week’s time the family cleared the property and we transferred money from the Netherlands (which is a story on its own) to a just opened Uganda account. Friday at 8.30 all 6 children would be there to sign the agreement and to do the transfer of money.

The day went slightly different than expected. At 11.00 only 4 children were there. One would not come at all, but send the grandmother, which had not arrived yet. Another one probably on the way, but could not be reached. The original proof of ownership had to be taken from court by our and their lawyer. Finally grandma arrived. At 12.30 we were at the bank to do the transfer. As if we were not allowed to buy the property there was a power-cut and the automatic generator failed. At 14.30 finally the last child arrived signed and the bank transferred the money. Then the whole family moved to the house. We expected a handover of the keys and we even took a camera to capture this wonderful moment. But nothing goes as expected:

• 3 of the 4 locks had to be cut, because the keys could not be found.


• Suddenly the small shed on the property was not included in the sale and they wanted to take it away. And the only piece of value in the house, some kitchen cupboards was claimed by one family member. I asked if there were also planning to take the trees and the roof of the house, which they almost took seriously.


• The family is not used to bank transfers and were suddenly afraid they handed over the house without receiving the money. It took us and the bank a long talk to convince the transaction was definite, even though the money had not arrived on their bank account.

At 17.00 we came home exhausted, too tired to celebrate. The next quest is getting the house on our name. This is taken up by our lawyer.
To be continued...

House hunting (3)

After 2 months of house hunting we know which questions to ask if a house or plot is worth visiting, even though the answer is often: “You just have to see”. When Heleen came back Michel knew about a special plot 15 km out of town, but on the foot of the Ruwenzori mountains (5000 m high!). No water and electricity, but near. The site was also close to a campsite. The man travelled specially to Fort Portal and by car we went to his plot.

When we parked the car and wanted to leave he asked us if we do not have boots. This should have made all the alarm bells go off, but it was a rainy morning and we were still too polite. When we started walking on a footpath I ask innocently if the car cannot reach the plot. The owner nods and says when the area is more developed. During the walk we get explanations about all muzungu’s (whites) who have lived in the area; 2 people, and how the sometimes take a motorcycle to climb the steep hill. A future neighbour (woman with child) is following us to work up in the fields. After 30 minutes steep walking we reach the campsite. Completely out of breath Heleen asks Michel if he is serious about this place. For courtesy Heleen decides to look at the plot and politely mention this is not what we are looking for. But after another 15 minutes Heleen decides that hurting her knees is not worth the courtesy. Heleen explains we do not want to live in a place where we have to climb the mountain for 45 minutes. He says surprised:”But madam you will get used”. By the way the nearest electricity pole is 1 km, if the hospital gets connected in the future.

Michel decides to continue and after 15 more minutes he reaches the plot. The owner has two wives and lives with one wife in a mud house on this plot (called semi-permanent house). He now mentions that he would like to keep the house, but is selling the rest of the plot. The house is on the only not-completely-vertical part of the plot. The rest is too step to do anything except growing beans and potatoes. We add to the list of questions: Is the house/plot accessible by car? Anyway, the view was breathtaking, despite the damp morning we can see as far as lake Albert and lake Edward.