After Kabale we headed towards a bush-site (more like someone's back garden) where we were going to spend the night in. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, during the drive it absolutely hammered down and we ended up back in the Red Chilli Hideaway in Kampala very late at night. I think this was fortunate as hot showers and toilets far out-weigh bush camping experiences after months of cold water showers and weeks of camping. My bed.... :-(
So a late night and again an early start to make our way to Jinja and apparently the 'Adventure capital of Africa!'. I wouldn't necessarily say that but you could do grade 5 white water rafting and kayaking. Our campsite had a good bar and unfortunately loads of ants by the tents, which seemed to congregate in Tom and Sarah's. They ended up sleeping in the truck.
Most of the group went white water rafting the following morning. Bec, Ellena, Tom and I decided to chill out and stay in camp. I wasn't feeling too good and a shame as I have enjoyed white water rafting in the past and it would have been good to do it on the White Nile.
Most of us had handed in bags of dirty clothes for washing thinking they would all be dry by the end of the day. Well nice thought but we didn't take into account the torrential downpour and hail storm that occurred around 12:30. While most were off rafting, the few of us back at camp had no chance to get all the washing off the lines and just sat in the bar, a bit chilly; laughing that again we'd have damp smelly clothes. All of a sudden Tom woke up, saw the monsoon and shouted, 'our tent's open!' and pegged it to the field. Driver Steve was already out cleaning the truck and saw Tom sprinting to his tent. About 10 mins later Tom returned completely sodden, the tent was flooded, his sleeping bag soaked through, but at least the ants were drowning, saying 'Sarah's going to kill me, I may as well have a few drinks and get pissed before she gets back'.
It seems very funny now and at the time it was for the rest of us but poor Tom was a little worried as he had had two tasks to do that day: Sort the tent out and wash the clothes - tent flooded like a mini swimming pool and washed clothes still soaking wet. Great.
Sarah was a little annoyed to say the least when she returned. However, Tom had upgraded to a tented room with beds to try and limit the amount of crap he was going to get from her. It worked to a certain degree but not totally as most of their clothes were hanging up completely soaked.
There were quite a few foreigners at the camp. All doing some sort of rafting or kayaking. The usual adventure seekers :-).
The following day a few of us popped into Jinja town. I had lunch at Indulge and took full advantage of their free wifi. In the evening we were booked on a boat (or more appropriately termed 'booze') cruise up the Nile to Lake Victoria. I have wanted to see Lake Victoria and the source of the Nile for years so it was great to have the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately many of the others were not so interested in where we were but what drinks there were and how many could they 'get down' in the hour and a half we were on the boat. To be fair to them though, it was an all inclusive trip so what do you expect?
It started off relatively civilised but as soon as we were heading back to shore it quickly turned into some sort of drunken teenage outing as if they were away from their parents for the first time and making the most of it. Don't get me wrong, I've had many a drunken nights and probably annoyed many people at the time, but they were generally in towns/cities in the UK or Europe and not by the source of the White Nile and Lake Victoria.
It got worse...the journey back to camp on the bus was hell. The few of us who had not drunk their own body weight in gin or rum were slightly annoyed and embarrassed. Extremely loud drunken singing whilst driving through local villages made me cringe. Absolutely no respect for the locals, many of whom can hardly feed their families let alone waste money on copious amounts of alcohol. If I could have got off the bus and found my own way back to camp I would have. How old do I seem? lol.
That evening the bar showed the video of the rafters for that day and for some the drinking began...Ian I would say was probably the drunkest person there. Dancing to start, then on the tables, then doing a dancing circuit type thing around all the tables in the bar and on the veranda out the back, closely followed by slightly less drunk Tom and Phil. It was very funny until it was discovered that Ian had a big gapping gash on his left shin with blood pouring out. Ouch! The wound is healing well so no cause for concern.
After Jinja we headed across the border back into Kenya staying firstly at Nairobian Campsite where I upgraded to an ensuite room (I needed some comfort) then onto Lake Naivasha for two nights. Carnelly's campsite was good, hot showers, toilets and a decent bar. However ants got the better of us and not wanting to spend the night in infested tents a few of us choose to kip in the truck. Not all that comfy but better than being bitten half to death. We have enough bites from mozzies and the like without extra ones from ants.
Whilst at Lake Naivasha we visited Elsamere for afternoon tea and a short video on the life of Joy Adamson. It was a lovely quiet place and the cakes were lush. lol. A few of us felt a bit sick after eating far too many of them.
Relieved at leaving the ant infested campsite we have made our way back to Nairobi and Karen Camp. Again a few of us have upgraded to dorms as we couldn't be arsed to pitch our tents.
We visited the Giraffe Sanctuary yesterday and had a few laughs feeding them. Some were brave enough to let them feed from their mouths but I didn't fancy having a sticky slobbering giraffe tongue licking my face even if the saliva has antiseptic qualities.
A lazy day for me today. Internet, a bit of reading and maybe a nap for an hour or so.
Apart from the ants and mozzies, insect life seems to be keeping away from us thankfully. There were a load of caterpillars at Lake Naivasha that freaked some people out and one not so little bugger bit me! What's all that about?
Until the next time
Sam xxx
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Gorillas in the mist, truck life and lush bakery
Our first full day in Rwanda was taken up with a trek to see the only remaining mountain gorillas. This is mainly what the first part of the trip is for and definitely one of my must do's along the way. It is quite pricey at around $300/400 but what an experience!
We were picked up around 8am and driven to the starting point where, to my surprise there were quite a few groups of people all waiting to start trekking. I wasn't expecting so many people, however there are around 8 or 9 gorilla families and 8 people are allowed to view one family for exactly one hour per day. A few families are out of bounds to tourists and are only approached for various study and conservation purposes.
Six of us were in a group with a couple from the states and a great guide called Augustin. He briefly explained which family of gorillas we would be trekking to see, what to do and what not to do. Basically, keep quiet, no sudden movements and no running away if a silverback looks like he's going to charge. Easier said than done!
All eager to start we set off towards a part of the national park where the Umubano family of gorillas were last seen. I decided to hire a porter to carry my bag which turned out to be $10 well spent. As well as our guide Augustin, there were two porters and a guy with a rifle looking out for buffalo and poachers, who they'll shoot and ask questions later. The porters used to be poachers but have changed their ways and now help unfit tourists like me.
Some of the trek was difficult to say the least. Muddy, slippery, steep slopes heading up further into the mountains and mist. On top of that were the numerous thistle and stingy nettle plants to try and avoid that made many of us yell out with various expletives. We did have regular breaks to catch our breath and at least due to the mist it was quite cool.
After what seemed to be a very long hour and a half we were asked to set down our bags and walking sticks as the gorillas were not far ahead. Fantastic, not the hours and hours of trekking we heard some had gone through and excitement set in.
A short stumble through bamboo and undergrowth and there they were. A massive silverback, 'Charles', and his family. The hour we spent watching them was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I took some photos then sat and just watched them and their behaviours. At one point Charles was laying back, relaxing with his head resting on his left arm, eyes closed reminding me of my gramp after Sunday lunch sleeping in a chair or sofa.
The guide and trackers made grunting noises every now and then as a way of communicating with the gorillas, saying 'hello' and telling them we were friendly. They didn't seem at all bothered about us being there and I was surprised at how close we were. Only about 4 metres. There were a couple of nervy moments though, especially when they weren't responding to the trackers' grunts, making loud noises with Charles looking like he was annoyed and going to rush straight toward us. What were we told?...Stand your ground, crouch down, don't run....clean underwear anyone?
The babies and young gorillas were soo cute looking like black balls of fur. One adolescent thought it was a good idea to roll 10 metres down the mountain and jump onto the back of one of the trackers. Bit of a surprise and right next to Bec and me. Another potential heart attack moment but thankfully not much harm done (the tracker did have a few scratches) and only a passing glance from Charles who was probably thinking, 'junior is up to his tricks again, scaring the nosey humans'.
The hour flew by and it was sad to leave the gorilla family, but necessary to make sure they don't get too used to humans being around. Although they seem to be pretty used to us anyway. A fantastic morning and probably the most exercise I've done in a year. The rest of the day basically just involved a kip and a beer before heading out to the town for a bite to eat. Not bad food at a local b&b but they tried to overcharge us. Apparently they've tried to do this before on a previously trip. They're not really helping themselves and only looking at the short term. Now the Oasis trucks will never go back there and pass the word around other overland trucks. The food was nice and if they hadn't tried to overcharge then they could have got a fair amount of visitors passing by from overland trips in the future.
The next day we headed back to Uganda and stayed in Kabale. A small town with a fair few internet cafes, backpacker type accommodation and a fab bakery selling donuts, various pasties, samosas, pizza and many different types of cake. Funnily enough the place was quite busy when we were staying there.
Life on the truck is varied to say the least. On early drives most of us are asleep or trying to sleep through the very bumpy roads. When we have a later start there's an amount of childish revelry going on consisting of 'piggy in the middle', trying to hop on one leg - which is quite difficult when the truck is constantly moving from left to right to avoid pot holes and bumps or having no choice but to go over them. I have to say I've stayed out of these games, mainly because I can't be arsed and prefer reading or listening to my iPod. I think the age difference is showing through.
Talking about iPods, the other day I was DJ Sam on a 7-8 hour drive. I think I might go into retirement as I had no sleep or rest really and was shattered when we eventually reached camp.
Fellow passengers on the truck so far are:
Ellena, my tent buddy and youngest amongst the group at 21. Becca, a lovely Aussie who likes a bit of a drink and gets very loud after a few of them. Chris and Alex I've mentioned in a previous post, who were also on the Masai Mara trip. Chris is a teacher and Alex is a biochemist. Tom and Sarah, also previously mentioned are a couple from Kent. Tom is an artist and does bathroom fitting to get cash and Sarah is a designer. Harriet and Kate are two 23 year olds who graduated from Cambridge with law degrees and as far as I know aren't working yet. Harriet very much likes attention. lol. Steve, 33 is another Aussie and works in Project Management as a contractor. Phil, 27 is a Business Analyst from Manchester. Sade, another Aussie also likes attention and I've no idea what she does for a living.
A good bunch.
Bye for now
Sam xx
We were picked up around 8am and driven to the starting point where, to my surprise there were quite a few groups of people all waiting to start trekking. I wasn't expecting so many people, however there are around 8 or 9 gorilla families and 8 people are allowed to view one family for exactly one hour per day. A few families are out of bounds to tourists and are only approached for various study and conservation purposes.
Six of us were in a group with a couple from the states and a great guide called Augustin. He briefly explained which family of gorillas we would be trekking to see, what to do and what not to do. Basically, keep quiet, no sudden movements and no running away if a silverback looks like he's going to charge. Easier said than done!
All eager to start we set off towards a part of the national park where the Umubano family of gorillas were last seen. I decided to hire a porter to carry my bag which turned out to be $10 well spent. As well as our guide Augustin, there were two porters and a guy with a rifle looking out for buffalo and poachers, who they'll shoot and ask questions later. The porters used to be poachers but have changed their ways and now help unfit tourists like me.
Some of the trek was difficult to say the least. Muddy, slippery, steep slopes heading up further into the mountains and mist. On top of that were the numerous thistle and stingy nettle plants to try and avoid that made many of us yell out with various expletives. We did have regular breaks to catch our breath and at least due to the mist it was quite cool.
After what seemed to be a very long hour and a half we were asked to set down our bags and walking sticks as the gorillas were not far ahead. Fantastic, not the hours and hours of trekking we heard some had gone through and excitement set in.
A short stumble through bamboo and undergrowth and there they were. A massive silverback, 'Charles', and his family. The hour we spent watching them was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I took some photos then sat and just watched them and their behaviours. At one point Charles was laying back, relaxing with his head resting on his left arm, eyes closed reminding me of my gramp after Sunday lunch sleeping in a chair or sofa.
The guide and trackers made grunting noises every now and then as a way of communicating with the gorillas, saying 'hello' and telling them we were friendly. They didn't seem at all bothered about us being there and I was surprised at how close we were. Only about 4 metres. There were a couple of nervy moments though, especially when they weren't responding to the trackers' grunts, making loud noises with Charles looking like he was annoyed and going to rush straight toward us. What were we told?...Stand your ground, crouch down, don't run....clean underwear anyone?
The babies and young gorillas were soo cute looking like black balls of fur. One adolescent thought it was a good idea to roll 10 metres down the mountain and jump onto the back of one of the trackers. Bit of a surprise and right next to Bec and me. Another potential heart attack moment but thankfully not much harm done (the tracker did have a few scratches) and only a passing glance from Charles who was probably thinking, 'junior is up to his tricks again, scaring the nosey humans'.
The hour flew by and it was sad to leave the gorilla family, but necessary to make sure they don't get too used to humans being around. Although they seem to be pretty used to us anyway. A fantastic morning and probably the most exercise I've done in a year. The rest of the day basically just involved a kip and a beer before heading out to the town for a bite to eat. Not bad food at a local b&b but they tried to overcharge us. Apparently they've tried to do this before on a previously trip. They're not really helping themselves and only looking at the short term. Now the Oasis trucks will never go back there and pass the word around other overland trucks. The food was nice and if they hadn't tried to overcharge then they could have got a fair amount of visitors passing by from overland trips in the future.
The next day we headed back to Uganda and stayed in Kabale. A small town with a fair few internet cafes, backpacker type accommodation and a fab bakery selling donuts, various pasties, samosas, pizza and many different types of cake. Funnily enough the place was quite busy when we were staying there.
Life on the truck is varied to say the least. On early drives most of us are asleep or trying to sleep through the very bumpy roads. When we have a later start there's an amount of childish revelry going on consisting of 'piggy in the middle', trying to hop on one leg - which is quite difficult when the truck is constantly moving from left to right to avoid pot holes and bumps or having no choice but to go over them. I have to say I've stayed out of these games, mainly because I can't be arsed and prefer reading or listening to my iPod. I think the age difference is showing through.
Talking about iPods, the other day I was DJ Sam on a 7-8 hour drive. I think I might go into retirement as I had no sleep or rest really and was shattered when we eventually reached camp.
Fellow passengers on the truck so far are:
Ellena, my tent buddy and youngest amongst the group at 21. Becca, a lovely Aussie who likes a bit of a drink and gets very loud after a few of them. Chris and Alex I've mentioned in a previous post, who were also on the Masai Mara trip. Chris is a teacher and Alex is a biochemist. Tom and Sarah, also previously mentioned are a couple from Kent. Tom is an artist and does bathroom fitting to get cash and Sarah is a designer. Harriet and Kate are two 23 year olds who graduated from Cambridge with law degrees and as far as I know aren't working yet. Harriet very much likes attention. lol. Steve, 33 is another Aussie and works in Project Management as a contractor. Phil, 27 is a Business Analyst from Manchester. Sade, another Aussie also likes attention and I've no idea what she does for a living.
A good bunch.
Bye for now
Sam xx
The adventure begins, camping, Lake Nakuru
Well the 3 month overland through Eastern and Southern Africa has begun. We left Karen Camp 6:30am Saturday 29th Nov, picked a few more people up from a hotel in Nairobi then set off towards Lake Nakuru. Seems to be a great bunch most in their 20s and I am the oldest passenger so far. Great! .
The first part of the trip is a 3 week drive through Kenya to Uganda and Rwanda before heading back to Nairobi to pick up others for the journey south.
The truck (Jozi) is comfy enough. A big yellow vehicle that you can spot a mile away. It is called a truck and if anyone calls it a bus or van (Tom seems to be doing this a lot) they have to buy the crew a drink. The seats all face inwards so everyone can chat on the drives and at the moment plenty of space for luggage. Although I think it's going to be a bit of a sqeeze when the rest of the passengers join and there's 22 of us. I can see a few arguements brewing.
The scenery was great as we were driving along. A quick photo stop looking down over the Great Rift Valley and a few hours before we reached camp. I don't do much camping these days so not sure how I'll be after 3 months of it. Fed up I expect. I'm already missing my bed.
Our first campsite was great. A field on a diary farm with hot showers and nice bar. We're in several cook groups and take it in turns to set up brekkie, lunch and dinner. Was all a bit daunting at first wondering how the hell could we cook for loads of people, but Ian has been helping and fair play the meals so far have been great. I'm the only veggie.
A few beers in the evening and a few stories from a very full-on South African guy who's leading a different truck tour and a bit more up market by the sounds of it. At the end of the night we ended up doing some sort of story/dance thing pretending to be springboks and downing a shot of mint stuff. All a bit bizzare but funny.
Up and out for 6am to go on a game drive in the Lake Nakuru National Park. We were delayed around 30 mins because one of the mini buses taking us round had a flat tyre on the way. African time kicks in a little again.
The park was completely different to the Masai Mara with a definite track which vehicles have to stick to. No off-roading to get a better look at the animals. Much of the same animals but in far lesser numbers. Soo glad I visited the Mara beforehand as it was alot more amazing.
One good spot was White and Black Rhinos. Fab. We didn't get to see any of these previously so was great to see them. One looked like it was thinking whether to charge at us or not but decided against it or couldn't be bothered and plodded off away from us. Our driver said that this particular rhino had charged his vehicle several times in the past so I think we were lucky. I'm all up for a bit of excitement but a rhino charging at me is not one adrenaline rush I'd like to experience.
Hundreds if not thousands of flamingos were good to see. All standing in the shallows of the lake amongst pelicans who just seemed to be flying or waddling from one grassy patch to another and not doing much else.
Another flat tyre during the game drive and we had to get out while the driver changed it. What not to do when game driving...get out of your vehicle! So there we were staying very close to the van looking out for any animals that may take a fancy to us. Luckily this didn't happen and after what seemed like forever, a spare tyre was in place and off we went all safe and sound.
The next night we stayed in a small campsite called Silver Springs, near the Ugandan border. Very basic facilities but friendly and ok for a one nighter. Before dinner a few of us played some sort of knock out cricket type game that the Aussies knew and the truck rugby ball somehow got stuck up a very high tree, never to be brought back down to earth again. At least not while we were there.
On our next drive we crossed the border into Uganda. Here was more of an Africa I'm used to. Dusty, small stores lining the road and more colourful and traditional clothing. I loved the wildlife in Kenya but not somewhere I'd hurry back to really.
We stayed in The Red Chilli Hideaway in Kampala. A good campsite, geared for backpackers and overlanders. Free internet/wifi which was really slow now and then but ok for checking emails and facebook. Hot showers and decent toilets which I've been surprised at along the trip so far. Doesn't seem to be the 'roughing it' type of travel I was expecting. Although they may just be gently easing us into it and soon we'll be using bushes and pits. Bushes have been a neccessity for toilet stops on the drives though. Trying to hide away without any passers by getting a eyefull can be quite difficult.
That evening we went for a few bevvies at a local bar and onto a club. What can I say? Again similar to Ghana, the R&B/hip hop bump and grind dancing in full swing. I think a few of the others were a little taken aback and wondered what the hell was going on. A few others on the other hand got stuck in and had a laugh until whoever they were dancing with got a bit too friendly. A good night in all and not too late as we only stayed in the club about an hour.
The trip crew had arranged a guide to take us out. Seemed a bit handheld and I thought extortionate at $20 each (there's 12 of us), but at least we knew it would be safe and we wouldn't get lost late at night. The bar and club did seem to be in more of an industrial part of town with the driver seemingly driving round in circles. The cynical side of me thinks this may have been to make us believe they were miles away and difficult to get to when in fact they might have been only a 10 min walk.
The next day was chilled for me. A quick stop at a nearby internet cafe and some clothes washing. Stupidly I didn't have the sense to hand in a bag of washing the night before for the campsite to do. Duh!
Very early in the morning, around 5ish if my sleepy brain remembers correctly we headed towards Rwanda.
The scenery slowly changed from dusty flat fields to more forest/jungle type terrain. A quick pit stop at the equator for a few touristy pics and a cuppa at a cafe/store set up to help raise money for children with HIV/AIDS before reaching the border. Some of the craft items for sale there were beautiful, especially the paintings, but unfortunately I can't pick any up and carry them along or hope they'll reach home intact if I get them posted.
Border crossings over here haven't been too bad so far. About an hour roughly to exit one country and enter another. When leaving Uganda there was a huge queue of lorries waiting to leave. Must have been about 5 miles long and apparently it can take weeks for them to pass as the customs guys search through every single one until they are fed up and let a load through before stopping and starting the tedious checks again. Have no idea how the drivers cope with this, experience maybe, because that would just do my head in. City traffic over here and the odd delay on the roads is bad enough but having to wait around for weeks doesn't sound fun at all.
I've been wanting to come to Rwanda for years and I have to say it is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited. The mountainous scenery is stunning and the people friendly and curious even after the atrocity that happened in 1994. It has been hard to sit on the truck driving through the country with enough food, drink, clothes etc when many in the country have absolutely nothing and who knows what they experienced during the genocide.
Visiting the Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali was an emotional experience for all of us. I knew what had happened, but to see videos of survivors' experiences of witnessing their family members being massacred and how they could forgive the genocidaires if only they knew who they were was truely heart-rending.
Anger was another emotion I felt regarding how little the international community did to help or even try and stop what was an absolutely horrendous act of inhumanity even though it seems many knew what might be coming. Earlier in the week I had started reading 'Shake Hands with the Devil' by Romeo Dallaire, the UN Commander who's mission was to help with the peaceful emergence of a new government following the Peace Agreement signed in Arusha. His account of the UN and international beaurocratic crap and red-tape leading up to the genocide shows that the international community was not interested in Rwanda at all as there was no strategic or natural resource to benefit them. Not a surprise really and the same thing seems to happen today. 'Any oil? No? Then we're not bothered'.
After lunch we headed to Ruhengeri for two nights, staying in a Catholic hostel. We were staying in a large dorm, so bunkbeds, hot showers (most of the time) and a little jaunt down to the town for a bite to eat. Luxury!
Not much going on in terms of wildlife. Mozzies and flies as per the norm unfortunately and not much else thankfully. I wonder how the goats, chickens and sheep are doing in Akrofu?
ttfn
Sam xx
The first part of the trip is a 3 week drive through Kenya to Uganda and Rwanda before heading back to Nairobi to pick up others for the journey south.
The truck (Jozi) is comfy enough. A big yellow vehicle that you can spot a mile away. It is called a truck and if anyone calls it a bus or van (Tom seems to be doing this a lot) they have to buy the crew a drink. The seats all face inwards so everyone can chat on the drives and at the moment plenty of space for luggage. Although I think it's going to be a bit of a sqeeze when the rest of the passengers join and there's 22 of us. I can see a few arguements brewing.
The scenery was great as we were driving along. A quick photo stop looking down over the Great Rift Valley and a few hours before we reached camp. I don't do much camping these days so not sure how I'll be after 3 months of it. Fed up I expect. I'm already missing my bed.
Our first campsite was great. A field on a diary farm with hot showers and nice bar. We're in several cook groups and take it in turns to set up brekkie, lunch and dinner. Was all a bit daunting at first wondering how the hell could we cook for loads of people, but Ian has been helping and fair play the meals so far have been great. I'm the only veggie.
A few beers in the evening and a few stories from a very full-on South African guy who's leading a different truck tour and a bit more up market by the sounds of it. At the end of the night we ended up doing some sort of story/dance thing pretending to be springboks and downing a shot of mint stuff. All a bit bizzare but funny.
Up and out for 6am to go on a game drive in the Lake Nakuru National Park. We were delayed around 30 mins because one of the mini buses taking us round had a flat tyre on the way. African time kicks in a little again.
The park was completely different to the Masai Mara with a definite track which vehicles have to stick to. No off-roading to get a better look at the animals. Much of the same animals but in far lesser numbers. Soo glad I visited the Mara beforehand as it was alot more amazing.
One good spot was White and Black Rhinos. Fab. We didn't get to see any of these previously so was great to see them. One looked like it was thinking whether to charge at us or not but decided against it or couldn't be bothered and plodded off away from us. Our driver said that this particular rhino had charged his vehicle several times in the past so I think we were lucky. I'm all up for a bit of excitement but a rhino charging at me is not one adrenaline rush I'd like to experience.
Hundreds if not thousands of flamingos were good to see. All standing in the shallows of the lake amongst pelicans who just seemed to be flying or waddling from one grassy patch to another and not doing much else.
Another flat tyre during the game drive and we had to get out while the driver changed it. What not to do when game driving...get out of your vehicle! So there we were staying very close to the van looking out for any animals that may take a fancy to us. Luckily this didn't happen and after what seemed like forever, a spare tyre was in place and off we went all safe and sound.
The next night we stayed in a small campsite called Silver Springs, near the Ugandan border. Very basic facilities but friendly and ok for a one nighter. Before dinner a few of us played some sort of knock out cricket type game that the Aussies knew and the truck rugby ball somehow got stuck up a very high tree, never to be brought back down to earth again. At least not while we were there.
On our next drive we crossed the border into Uganda. Here was more of an Africa I'm used to. Dusty, small stores lining the road and more colourful and traditional clothing. I loved the wildlife in Kenya but not somewhere I'd hurry back to really.
We stayed in The Red Chilli Hideaway in Kampala. A good campsite, geared for backpackers and overlanders. Free internet/wifi which was really slow now and then but ok for checking emails and facebook. Hot showers and decent toilets which I've been surprised at along the trip so far. Doesn't seem to be the 'roughing it' type of travel I was expecting. Although they may just be gently easing us into it and soon we'll be using bushes and pits. Bushes have been a neccessity for toilet stops on the drives though. Trying to hide away without any passers by getting a eyefull can be quite difficult.
That evening we went for a few bevvies at a local bar and onto a club. What can I say? Again similar to Ghana, the R&B/hip hop bump and grind dancing in full swing. I think a few of the others were a little taken aback and wondered what the hell was going on. A few others on the other hand got stuck in and had a laugh until whoever they were dancing with got a bit too friendly. A good night in all and not too late as we only stayed in the club about an hour.
The trip crew had arranged a guide to take us out. Seemed a bit handheld and I thought extortionate at $20 each (there's 12 of us), but at least we knew it would be safe and we wouldn't get lost late at night. The bar and club did seem to be in more of an industrial part of town with the driver seemingly driving round in circles. The cynical side of me thinks this may have been to make us believe they were miles away and difficult to get to when in fact they might have been only a 10 min walk.
The next day was chilled for me. A quick stop at a nearby internet cafe and some clothes washing. Stupidly I didn't have the sense to hand in a bag of washing the night before for the campsite to do. Duh!
Very early in the morning, around 5ish if my sleepy brain remembers correctly we headed towards Rwanda.
The scenery slowly changed from dusty flat fields to more forest/jungle type terrain. A quick pit stop at the equator for a few touristy pics and a cuppa at a cafe/store set up to help raise money for children with HIV/AIDS before reaching the border. Some of the craft items for sale there were beautiful, especially the paintings, but unfortunately I can't pick any up and carry them along or hope they'll reach home intact if I get them posted.
Border crossings over here haven't been too bad so far. About an hour roughly to exit one country and enter another. When leaving Uganda there was a huge queue of lorries waiting to leave. Must have been about 5 miles long and apparently it can take weeks for them to pass as the customs guys search through every single one until they are fed up and let a load through before stopping and starting the tedious checks again. Have no idea how the drivers cope with this, experience maybe, because that would just do my head in. City traffic over here and the odd delay on the roads is bad enough but having to wait around for weeks doesn't sound fun at all.
I've been wanting to come to Rwanda for years and I have to say it is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited. The mountainous scenery is stunning and the people friendly and curious even after the atrocity that happened in 1994. It has been hard to sit on the truck driving through the country with enough food, drink, clothes etc when many in the country have absolutely nothing and who knows what they experienced during the genocide.
Visiting the Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali was an emotional experience for all of us. I knew what had happened, but to see videos of survivors' experiences of witnessing their family members being massacred and how they could forgive the genocidaires if only they knew who they were was truely heart-rending.
Anger was another emotion I felt regarding how little the international community did to help or even try and stop what was an absolutely horrendous act of inhumanity even though it seems many knew what might be coming. Earlier in the week I had started reading 'Shake Hands with the Devil' by Romeo Dallaire, the UN Commander who's mission was to help with the peaceful emergence of a new government following the Peace Agreement signed in Arusha. His account of the UN and international beaurocratic crap and red-tape leading up to the genocide shows that the international community was not interested in Rwanda at all as there was no strategic or natural resource to benefit them. Not a surprise really and the same thing seems to happen today. 'Any oil? No? Then we're not bothered'.
After lunch we headed to Ruhengeri for two nights, staying in a Catholic hostel. We were staying in a large dorm, so bunkbeds, hot showers (most of the time) and a little jaunt down to the town for a bite to eat. Luxury!
Not much going on in terms of wildlife. Mozzies and flies as per the norm unfortunately and not much else thankfully. I wonder how the goats, chickens and sheep are doing in Akrofu?
ttfn
Sam xx
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