Actually first, a quick catch-up. Seeing as Kev has had so much cool stuff to write about over the last year or so, I've been a bit slack on the blog updates. Somehow I don't think my comparatively mundane European excursions would garner quite the same interest as Kev's adventures in the middle of the African continent! So first up a quick summary of the few trips I've made since I last contributed to the blog.
Living in the middle of Europe means there's no excuse not to head away any time there's a long weekend or some holidays available. Since the start of this year I've tried to make the most of this with some skiing in the French Alps (seeing as Frano and the Columbi were living down there), some spring skiing in Norway (with the ever-hospitable Magnus and Gry), a nice week in Scotland (with the newly engaged Graeme and Tamara), a massive boys trip to Berlin, a couple of trips to Poland and several trips around Sweden (for cross-country skiing, snowboarding, kayaking and camping). Rather than get into any detail, I think I'll just say it's been good times all round and here's a few photos.
Ok, on to the African adventures! In an effort to dispel any myths or stereotypes that may hold true for other parts of Africa, I'd like to start by saying that the Ugandan people as a whole were incredibly friendly and the country felt quite safe for the most part. Uganda has certainly had its fair share of unrest over the years, most notoriously perhaps during the Idi Amin years. Unfortunately, successive regimes proved to be no better off for several years following his downfall and subsequent departure to the safety of Saudi Arabia (who were only too happy to accept him for his contributions to the spreading off Islam through Uganda). Thankfully though, the last couple of decades, with Museveni as president, have seen Uganda make good steps towards stabilising and progressing.
So with this in mind (and with the opinions of several expat locals who have lived in the region for years), it was perhaps extremely unlucky that Gene, Kev and I got robbed at gun point less than an hour after I arrived in the country! We were having a quiet beer at a local outdoor restaurant when we heard shots being fired just the other side of a hedge in front of us. Initially we weren't sure if they were fireworks or bullets. It soon became obvious though. We jumped down onto a grassy slope/garden beside the outdoor seating area and stayed put. Before long we had a gunman in front of us. It was several seconds before we were sure this wasn't security coming to help. I think the gun pointed at my face was the giveaway. So of course he asked us to empty our pockets and hand it all over. As we had come straight from the airport, almost everything was still in my luggage in the car. All I had was my mp3 player and I wasn't about to hand that over. Desperate for something to give him that wasn't my mp3 player, I gave him my watch and then continued to pat my pockets in earnest. Kev meanwhile had his wallet out, which was basically just full of receipts. Luckily he dropped some of them so I picked those up and pretended I was giving the guy money since it was very dark. Kev did the same with his wad of paper. Gene actually had some cash so he handed that over too. And not long after that the three muggers disappeared off into the night and it was all over. I had just spent £3 putting a new battery in my 15 year old Casio and Kev dirtied the knees on his freshly laundered pants. So we were angry! Actually, our relative good fortune was somewhat overshadowed when we found out that the idiots had unfortunately shot a guy who later bled to death.
That little episode cleared out the bad luck though. After that it was only good luck from there on in! Starting with our adventure portion of the trip, in Jinja. We came here to visit the source of the mighty (White/Victoria) Nile River (at Lake Victoria) and then to raft some of the biggest rapids that can be commercially rafted in the world. Luckily the guy that runs the place is a Kiwi and Kev had met him last time he was there. So we got discounted rafting and free bungee jumps! The rafting was a fun-filled day of awesomeness with several Grade 5s ensuring that we spent plenty of time upside down. Check out the video below (that's us standing 25s in)!
After another game drive in the morning, we left the game park and hit the boats for an afternoon of fishing. On the way up the river we came across one of the strangest sights I've ever seen; a dead hippo, bloated and floating upside down, with crocs trying in vain to tear it apart. One of these crocs had recently gone a bit crazy and grabbed a ranger off the back of a boat so we didn't hang around for too long. An enjoyable afternoon was had by all (and again, at hook-up prices), especially Geno, who reeled in a 34kg Nile Perch!
Nice work Geno!!
The next couple of days were spent in the amazing spot Kev has called home for the last eight or nine months, Budongo Forest. And to keep the trend going, it was practically free. Here we relaxed in the beautiful jungle surrounds and did what people go there to do; chimpanzee tracking. For several weeks prior to our arrival, they had had a fairly poor hit rate with finding the chimps on the daily treks. However, we struck it lucky and after only 10-15 minutes we had come across a group of seven or eight in the treetops, eating jackfruit and just chilling out. The noises were amazing (as seemed to be the case with most of the animals we saw on this trip) and their antics and actions were so human-like it was unbelievable. Before long they climbed down and made their way deeper into the forest, but not before one stopped and posed for some photos on a nearby branch. Magic.
Unfortunately, Gene had to leave us and get back to work at this point. But the rest of us continued on down across the equator (where we did the water trick and watched it spin different ways just metres either side!) to Lake Bunyonyi, where we relaxed for a couple of days after the hectic schedule of the first half of the trip. This was an absolutely idyllic spot tucked away in the south of Uganda. We paddled around in dugout canoes, read and swam (luckily it's one of the few lakes in this area that doesn't have bilharzia).
The guide book says this lake is 43m deep.
The relaxation prepared us nicely for our next highlight as we continued south to climb Mt. Muhavura, a dormant volcano in the Virunga Mountains. After ascending 1800m in around four hours, we reached the summit at 4137m. The climb wasn't actually a particularly difficult one but we still felt the beers were well deserved that night.
After deciding that we didn't have enough time to warrant a trip into Rwanda, as originally planned, this was our turnaround point. So we headed back north in our trusty steed, on to Lake Mburo National Park (via another couple of days at Lake Bunyonyi). This park is renowned as the only place in Uganda to see zebra and impala and it didn't disappoint in this regard.
Three weeks, 2200kms and two sunburns later, we found ourselves back in Entebbe, just south of the capital, Kampala (where we also spent a few days here and there throughout the trip). I was extremely happy to finally have seen a bit of sub-Saharan Africa, especially in such good company. There is certainly a different way of life than we're used to in the middle of that enormous continent. Time doesn't really exist, at least not in the rigorous, predictable and constant concept that we are familiar with. Here you may find that 40 minutes after ordering your meal, they are actually out of fish that day. Or that an invite somewhere will tell you the day but not the time. Consistency is also an unfamiliar concept in these parts. During the four days spent at Lake Bunyonyi we ordered the same thing for breakfast each morning, from the same waiter. Yet each time, as he slowly wrote down our order, he looked at the menu as if it was the first time he had seen it! The expats living here have a saying that covers these daily occurrences; T.I.A. (This is Africa). The number of times this phrase applies is unreal! Luckily, this kind of thing is simply amusing and somewhat interesting when you're only there for three weeks. However, after several months it has been known to turn normally relaxed, tolerant and patient people into fits of rage when having to deal with it on a daily basis in everything they do!
Huge thanks to K for all the hookups and excellent tour-guiding and to all the boys for joining us on this magic trip into the Pearl of Africa...
