I do not like to dwell on the negative experiences encountered during my tour or let it damper my spirit. I am always overwhelmed by people’s generosity, loving, kindness and these are what is ingrained in my mind. However, by sharing my not so good experiences, I hope my readers and fellow travellers will learn to avoid some of the pitfalls of international travels.

On the early morning of 29th November, around 7.30am, I entered Uganda, Busia from Kenya. Kenya was thought to be one of the countries I could fall victim to robbery and theft but I left Kenya with just good memories save for the bicycle accident around Nairobi University. I had not be as warned about con artists plying the streets heavily in Uganda, not that I need any of those now that I am so accustomed to protecting my civil and moral rights as well as my welfare after all this years of touring.

Somehow, in the most unexplainable way, I got cheated by a money exchanger on the day I arrived in this country. I had a USid=”mce_marker”00 note with me to get exchanged to Shillings. There were plenty money exchangers around the border as I entered Uganda but I thought the crowd was too thick to be ideal to change a big amount right here when the sun hadn’t fully shone and there would definitely be thieves looking for preys at such situation so I pedalled some 100 kilometre inside the country.

I noticed the government approved and certified money exchangers were closed and I was in need for some shillings because I had none and I needed to pay for my food and lodging soon. At the corner, I saw a money exchanger, most definitely not an endorsed one but I still went to him. I saw the exchange rate that day as I passed by exchangers by the border was at US$ 1 for 3000 Shillings but the man there was offering me just USid=”mce_marker” for 2500 Shillings which was absolutely inappropriate and a major rip off. I told him the actual exchange rate at and he said he would give me at the rate of 3000 Shillings as I started to walk off from him when he refused to give me the lawful amount.

I first counted the money at exchange rate 2500 Shillings and told him it is supposed to be 3000 Shillings per dollar. I counted for the second time at the exchange rate 3000 Shillings per dollar when he finally gave up his dishonest act. And again for the third and final time before the exchanger place it inside an envelope. All of it was done before my eyes, so I do not know how and when he slyly made off with $60 worth of Shillings. I still have not figured how it could be even remotely possibly, even in the wildest imaginations ever. This kind of things is so morbid, has never happened to me or a huge majority, I am sure.

By the time I realised I was short of 180,000 Shillings, I was at the entrance of the hotel, paying for my room. I did not count again as I left the exchanger because of the rowdy crowd around me. I was too far off to go back and even if I did go back, what would be of my evidence that they cheated me. You might think I might have dropped some off along the way, I did not. It would be firstly impossible because it was safely stashed inside my haversack bag that I was carrying all the time and lastly because the envelope was still very sealed when I took out the money.

The day after, I witnessed a thief stealing everything from her passport to her wallet from an elderly American woman, in board daylight in front of every one of us dinning in an Indian restaurant and there was nothing any one of us could do. Despite being extremely cautious and wary of my surroundings, I am still a victim to these mischiefs.