TravelStream™ news feed for member pugsly2002 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/pugsly2002 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:13:30 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1194966540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1194966540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1194966540/tpod.html Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:13:30 -0500 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Austin, Texas, United States

This is the last entry for this trip. When leaving London early in the morning I managed to leave my camera ont he bed of my hostel... never to be seen again... at least not by me. This means the pictures on it and the ability to take more pictures was gone!After I got over the original sadness of that, I enjoyed my time in Scotland. The last two weeks I spent in Ireland and had a fantastic time. I returned home on the 13th excited to see family and friends but sad to end the trip. It really was a fantastic trip that I will alwyas cherish. Now home I'm doing my best to get back in the groove of things and looking for work again.Bye for now,- Jason
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1191081180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1191081180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1191081180/tpod.html Thu, 25 Oct 2007 05:28:20 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Himalayas, Nepal

Well, I arrived at my last "new" country to go to. After this its only countries I've been to before while on my three week detoured trip back home. While flying into Kathmandu in the distance above the clouds you could see Mt. Everest. The world's highest peak sat there looming aboving the clouds almost mock the planes altitude as we descended into Kathmandu. It was the first flight I've ever been on where almost everybody got out of their seats to look out one side of the plane. After arrive I settled into my hotel and started trying to plan my time there. First on the list was the Annapurna circuit, that was the main reason I was there. I got my entry permit and bus ticket and headed off.The first day was all travel by bus. The main part was from Kathmandu to Besi Sharha and then from there in a four wheel drive bus on a jeep track to the starting point. The next day I was off. The trek was epic. So much diversity and so many beautiful mountain views. On this trek you can see the world's 7,8 & 10th highest peaks. Altogether, it covers over 120 miles and ascends to 17,764 ft go over the Throng La Pass, supposedly the world's highest foot pass. The surrounds changed from tropical rainforest with innumerable waterfalls to arid alpine. The trail ran along river after river through deep valleys and gorges and then up over the pass and then down through the mystical and revered Mustang district. Each night I stayed in "tea houses" which are make shift mountain hotels that are basic but accomidating (besdies a bed, what do the really need?). The food was basic and increased in price along with altitude. There was a strong Tibetan influence in a number of the villages. The best part had to be the suspension bridges. Since you had to cross and re-cross all the rivers and gorges you used suspension bridges. Not quite the Indiana Jones style, some were builts by the Swiss and most were steel. Towards the end some of them were wooden planks with vegitation starting to over take it but I felt comforatble crossing it after watching donkey trains go over.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1190735160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1190735160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1190735160/tpod.html Thu, 25 Oct 2007 04:57:13 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

From Nairobi I flew to Dubai for a 1 day layover to see the city. I decided between Africa and Nepal I should splurge alittle and treat myself to 5 star comfort and Dubai was just the place to do that. My room was nice with a huge king size bed that had a down conforter on it. The TV worked and even had cable. The internet was fast. There was air-conditioning and the power never shut off unexpectedly.... this was a life style I was not used to but enjoyed. The little I saw of the city I was impressed with the buildings. They're building a massive city there at an amazingly fast rate. The buildings, aside from being huge, are attractive as well. In all places, in the middle of the Middle East, Dubai has an indoor skiing hill where you can go skiing if you want to. Flying out the next day I got a glimpse of the Palms, the neighborhood they're building on lands they erected from the ocean.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1189609140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1189609140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1189609140/tpod.html Thu, 25 Oct 2007 04:41:18 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Moshi, Tanzania

After completing the Rwenzori trek I decided it was time to summit a mountain and what better mountain than Kilimanjaro, the world's highest volcano and Africa's highest mountain. Also, with the glaciers melting at such a fast rate, this might be my only chance to see the "snows of Kilimanjaro".I elected to do the Machame route because it was longer, offered more scenery and has a higher success rate for the summit than the Maranga route, mainly because the longer route gives you more days to acclimatize.The first day started from Moshi and had an hour drive to the park entrance with my team (the guide, the cook and two porters). When we arrived the park entrance was swarming with people all waiting to get started. I filled out all the paperwork and then we were off. The hiking was fairly easy and only took us about 4 hours that day (just 10km). The first nights camp as at Machame hut (9840 ft). We pitched our tents next to two Dutch climbers that had started that day as well. Since everybody stay at the same camps for at least the first four nights, you begin to recognize most climbers, even though they're all using different companies. I chatted with these guys for bit that night and would see them the next two nights as well. The next morning was going from Machame hut to Shira hut (12,464 ft). The camp ground here was a massive plateau that over looked the lower part of the mountain. Here we were firmly in the alpine zone so the vegetation had transformed from rain forest and huge heather zones to rocky and arid terrain. I was already at camp when the two dutch guy made it there, walking slowly and complaining of massive headaches. The weather was fickle, at best. In the early afternoon massive fog would roll in and obscure the views in all directions. In the mornings and in the early evening as the sun was setting it would clear up. This evening was the first time I had a clear glimpse of the glaciers above. The peak view was obscure from here.The following morning was Shira hut to Barranco hut (12,923 ft). From Shira hut we climbed steadily approaching the base of Lava tower (14760 ft). the climb today was just for acclimatization. After setting at the base for a while we descended down the rest of the way to Barranco hut for the night. When I arrived at the camp site the fog was so heavy that you had about 5 feet of visibility. The campsite are fairly wide and flat and finding our porters when we arrived was nothing short of comical. Lots of yelling at the Swahili version of "follow my voice" before we all found each other. That afternoon the two dutch guys finally made to camp, one of whom fell straight to his hands and knees when they arrived. They both had AMS and would not be able to go any further up... although, from there, I'm not sure how they made it out of the park without completely retracing their path. That was the last I saw of them. As evening approached this night the peak came into view with all it's glory. It was that point when I first said "We're going up to there?" in a more fearful than excited manner.The next morning started of with a bang. After breaking camp we headed down into the Barranco valley and then up the Barranco wall. The Barranco wall was one of the more strenuous section as of yet with about 45 minutes of steep ascent, sometimes with all fours. After passing the wall is was another 2 hours before reaching the Karanga Valley. It was another descent and then climb up through the valley. The descent was the hardest part because at this point the rain had started and converter the trail from a path to a stream which made descending and not slipping hard work. Once at the top we stopped for lunch and a much needed break. Afterwords we started heading up again climbing less steeply than before but still steadily. As we ascended further up and started approaching Barafu Hut (15,088 ft)  the rain turned to a snow/ice mixture. By the time we arrived at the camp the ground was becoming frosted and white and the temperature had dropped substantially. That afternoon I took a long nap and then had dinner. After dinner I managed to go back to sleep shortly before waking at 11:30pm. The summit was to start at midnight.Up to this point I had been fine with the altitude. Before going to sleep after dinner I only had the slightest signs of a headache. When I awoke at that night for the climb my body was completely struck by the altitude. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep or the altitude but when I woke up my body was saying "Hell No!". Fortunately it only took about 30 minutes into the hike for the exhaustion to take over everything and that was all I felt. In the pitch black snow-covered climb up I had to stop to rest every 20 minutes in the bitter cold for the first 6 hours of the climb. When we finally reach Stella point (on the rim and climbing clockwise now toward the summit) the wind struck me like a brick wall. We kept going, slowly, walking along the rim. The snow and ice formations on the ground we strange and the view of the glaciers were tremendous. After another hour I could see the sign in the distance and then finally, I was standing on Uhuru Peak (19,339 ft), exhausted and freezing cold I couldn't help rejoice finishing that incredibly difficult summit (it was for me at least). After enjoying the scenery for a while it was time to head down before the frostbite sunk into my toes. During the Rwenzori trek my faithful hiking boots experienced a small blow out on the right sole. Since it was only the back half of the shoe I thought for sure I could do Kilimanjaro using mainly the front part; this was a mistake. One the first day the rest of the shoe blew out and I had hike the first four days with virtually no traction or support on my right foot. My cook, graciously, offered me his shoes for the summit. I tried them on and they were a bit small but I didn't have much choice. By the time I was standing on the summit I realized his shoes where seriously uncomfortable and killing my feet but more importantly offered almost no thermal insulation what so ever and my toes were going to fall off so it was time to head down.Obviously the trip down was easier than the climb and in about two hours we were back at camp. I slept for an hour, had some breakfast, traded shoes back with the cook and then we headed down for the last camp. As we approached I decided the call of a hot shower and a bed that night were too strong to ignore and wanted to go all the way down that day. We switched it into high gear and hauled as down the mountain. We were out of the park gates by 6:00pm that night. We caught a mini-van back to town and I got to enjoy a nice long hot shower and a real bed that night!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1189262640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1189262640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1189262640/tpod.html Thu, 25 Oct 2007 04:40:07 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ruhengeri, Rwanda

With much hassle and cost I set out in the footstep of Diane Fossey to see the rare and endangered mountain gorillas. We left in the morning to the entrance of the Parc National des Volcans to receive our breifing and be split into small groups. I was told the gorillas group I'd be seeing was creatively called "Group 13". It turned out this was a good group since it had 21 members and very picky females. About 3 years earlier, so I was told, the silverback of the group died. The females rejected 2 other silverbacks before accepting the current silverback that leads the group. After the briefing we headed into the park to the area where our gorillas were to be found. Over an incrediably bumpy road we ended up in a small village and then started the hike into the forest. First through terraced crops and then over a rock wall and into the pristine forest. The actual trekking was fairly easy and only a little muddy. After about an hour we found ourselves perched on the side of a mountain the guide ahead of us squatting and wispering. I couldn't hear what he was saying and didn't know why we were stopped and then I looked up to right in front of us crossing our path was a huge female gorilla who could care less that we were there. After she crossed we went a little higher and then the whole family came into view. The silver back looked at us briefly in the beginning and then decided to head further down the mountain side and out of view in search for better food. The females and babies on the other hand were perfectly content lounging and playing right in front of us. You're only allowed an hour to see the gorillas and then they have to be left alone for the rest of the day. The hour went by fairly quick as we watched the creatures just hanging out in the wild right in front of us. The babies would wrestle, the females would eat and chill out, occasionally looking at us and occasionally looking at the kids. It was really a majestic sight, one that I won't soon forget.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1188916260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1188916260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1188916260/tpod.html Thu, 25 Oct 2007 03:47:25 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Entebbe, Uganda

Today was a day trip from Kampala to visit Chimp island. The island was set up as a sanctuary for chimps injured in the wild or released from captivity. The entire island is as eco-friendly as you can get. It is supported by locals on nearby islands. The island is 100 acres, 93 of which are entirely for the chimps and is pure rain forest.Getting to the island was half the adventure. First I left Kampala (with British travelers I met the night before) using the local matatus (mini-buses). We left from the taxi park which is the biggest example of organized chaos you're likely to see. We sat int he back of the van until enough passengers filled it, paid the $1.50 and were off on a bumpy 1 1/2 drive down to Entebbe. Once there we headed over to the lake's edge and waited for the boat to take us to the island. The 45 minute boat ride took us across the equator. When we arrived we had coffee and got a quick introduction to the island's activities and purpose. Then it was time to feed the chimps. We walked up to an observation deck as the chimps were going crazy for the upcoming meal. In the choas some of them actually started throwing rocks at us. To get some food that had fallen on the other side of the electric fence (seperating us from them) I actually saw a chimp using a stick as a tool to get pull the food under the fence so he could eat it. Yet another sign of thier obvious intellegence.After the feeding we headed back to the mainland and then onwards towards Kampala. The sanctuary maintains a wedsite with more information if you're interested.http://www.ngambaisland.org/
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1193155980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1193155980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1193155980/tpod.html Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:15:55 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

London, United Kingdom

Well, I'm now heading in a westerly direction and ended up in London. After a long flight with a layover in Qatar I've arrived. No real plans for sightseeing here since I've been here before. I did manage to go through the Tate Modern and the British Museum which were both incredible. The British museum has to be the most comprehensive collection of human history anywhere. Other than that I'm here to meet up with a few friends and just enjoy being in the city, since I do rather enjoy London.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1192637220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1192637220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1192637220/tpod.html Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:12:18 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Pokhara, Nepal

When you finish the Annapurna trek Pokhara is the closest town. Its fairly big and set in a beautiful green valley and next to a lake. The tourist section is well developed and has great restaurants and shopping. After I felt I was sufficiently rested and recovered from the trek I opted for a white water rafting trip and paragliding. The rafting was ok, as always in Nepal the country side was stunning. The actually rafting was fairly tame relative to the Nile so I can't say it really got my heart pumping. The next did I tried my hand at paragliding. The views of the valley were great from up high but it didn't really hit my adrenaline button like I had hoped it would... still though, it was a peaceful 25 minute trip to the ground.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1188208320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1188208320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1188208320/tpod.html Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:07:41 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda

The Rwenzori Mountains in Southwest Uganda is where I decided to spenda week hiking the central Bujuku-Mubuku circuit. The range isnick-named the "Mountains of the Moon" because they are so rarely scenedue to almost constantly being covered in thick mist. The first to spotthe mountains was Henry Stanley in 1888. It wasn't until the Duke ofAbruzzi 1906 expedition completed there survey that the range wasactually explored, making it the last mountain range in Africa to beexplored be westerners. I set off from Kampala to Kasese (theaccess town) the day before the trek started. Not much to say aboutKasese other than it is less than a one horse town but served itspurposes nonetheless. I left the next morning to head to the RMS(Rwenzori Mountaining Services) office at the base of the national parkin Nyakalengija. Here I was given a short briefing, introduced to myguide and had my bags weighed for the porters. RMS is the only companyservicingthe mountains and when you pay the ridiculously high fees you get themandatory guide and two porters thrown into the deal. I decided to belazy and higher a cookfor the journey as well (which turned out tobe a fantastic idea that was worth every penny). After everything wassorted out we started the hike. Day 1:Nyakalengija to Nyabitaba Hut. Today was the firstintroduction to the Rwenzori hiking. It only took 4 hours to completethe first leg which covered 10km and climbed 1000m (from 1650m to2650m). After arriving at the camp site and having time to cool offfrom the hike I realized it was already cold at this altitude and Ipondered whether or not I brought sufficient warm clothes.Day 2:Nyabitaba Hut to John Matte Hut. 7km. 700m ascent. Today was my firstintroduction to the mud of the Rwenzori mountains. I managed to go downto about mid-shin on some of the trails. Today it was novel and I eventook a picture of my legs after I finished the days trek. The noveltyquickly wore off on the ensuing days as the mud only intensified andwent from shin deep to knee deep. As we climbed higher today I knew itwas getting colder but my body was so hot from the work of hiking Ididn't notice. When we would stop for short breaks to catch our breathI could see steam coming off of my upper body which was interesting tosay the least. Again, the cold at altitude was getting worse.Day3: John Matte Hut to Bujuku Hut. 6km. 630m ascent. Today was a veryrough day of hiking. We climbed from 11,000ft to 13,000ft through theworst mud and bog I've ever scene. Two sections of bog were actuallybridged... sort of. The first section, the lower Bigo bog had a nicenew bridge over it that made it very easy to cross. The upper Bigo boghada bridge but was older and the bog has pretty much "eaten" the remainsof the bridge. It was during the crossing of the upper bigo bog that myguide actually fell ass first into the bog soaking him in mud. The lasthour of the trek we skirted along the edge of Lake Bujukuwhich is abeautifully set mountain lake. The great scenery was quickly ignoredonce I realized the last hour along the side of the lake was entirelydeep bog and extremely rough going. Finally arriving at Bujuku hut,exhausted and muddy, I was finally able to enjoy the view looking downon the narrowing Bujuku valley. This was close to as far west as thetrek would go since the Congo border was about 1 km more west. Fromhere we have to go south before turning back to the beginning.  Day4: Bujuku Hut to Kitandara Hut. 6km. 825m ascent, 740m descent. Todaywas another long day but with a great reward. Leaving Bujuku hut in themorning we slogged through the bog again as were skirted around theother side of the lake and then made an almost straight vertical ascentup a narrow pass to the top of the ridge overlook the valley. From herewe took the route to Elena Hut. Elena hut is a small hut used byclimbers making a summit on Mt. Stanely. The hut sits at 15,000ft. Thegreat part about this is the last 1,00ft of climbing was in the alpinezone which meant there was no more vegetation and more importantly,no more mud!!! The climb was slow going and at the top is was indeedvery cold. Unfortunately, as we approached the hut a massive sheet offog and mist rolled in completely obstructing any views of thesurrounding peaks. After having lunch at the hut we started out descentdown to the Scott-Elliot Pass and then onwards to Kitandara hut. Thedescent went quickly as the surrounds changed from arid alpine zone backinto the lush green forest and mud covered trails I had come to know.There were a few up and downs over various ridges was we made our wayto the hut. When we finally arrived, again exhausted and muddy, I wasthrilled at the location. The hut where'd I'd be sleeping was right onthe edge of a gorgeous mountain lake. It was also at this hut that Irealized I could no longer take the boredom of not hiking in theafternoon. In spite of being tired and beat up from a long stretch ofhiking the remainder of the afternoons in the hut were really boring.Since I was keeping my pack light for the trek I had absolutely noentertainment and the porters and guide kept to themselves in their ownhut. I ran into virtually no other travelers on the trip so I hadnothing to do in the afternoon and evenings. After four days of this Iwas ready for a change. I talked my guide into doing to segments of thetrek the next day so the entire day would be spent hiking and I'd havelimited time to myself (i.e. being bored).Day 5: Kitandara Hut to Nyabitaba Hut. 11km. 10 hrs. Today we startedearly leaving the beautiful set Kitandara hut and headed straight up tothe Freshfeild pass. This was a grueling climb but offered nice viewsonce we completed the ascent. From there... it was literally alldownhill. Only, it didn't get any easier. The morning section involveda long descent through mud and boulders and slogging through more bog.The afternoon section involved an even steeper descent down a long wetrock face where I spent more time on my ass than on my feet (most ofthe time on purpose). The hike continued into the early evening throughdense bamboo forest with howling blue monkeys around us. We made it tocamp right as the darkness was falling over the forest. This night Islept very well!!!!Day 6: Today was a short 3 hour hike, down 1000m, to cross the last10km to the Nyakalengija RMS base. Here I said good bye to my portersand guide and took the 30 minute ride back into Kasese where I checkedinto my hotel and took a VERY long much needed shower. This would bethe first of three showers it would take to get all the mud off of me.I'm still working on getting the mud out of my clothes.All said and done the trek was 50km that took me up to 15,000ft. I'mglad I did it and certainly look back on it with fond memories inretrospect... but there were times when I was slogging through kneedeep mud and bog that I was none too happy. The Rwenzori mountainsreally were a place out of this world. It is so wet that plants grow toabnormally huge sizes. Its so remote and isolated you really feel likeyou're on another planet.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1187946180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1187946180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pugsly2002/rtw_2007-2008/1187946180/tpod.html Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:39:37 -0400 To Antartica and beyond, one man´s adventures abroad.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Jinja, Uganda

Rafting ont he Nile? Why not! The heart of the Nile is in Uganda andthe rapids at the beginning of the worlds longest river do notdissappoint. The day started with an early pick up in Kampala and a 2hr drive east through the country side to a little town called Jinja.Here, just below the damn is the start of the 31km rafting journey. Igot on my raft with 9 strangers and a Canadian guide and we headed off.First was practicing a few skills (paddling, holding on for dear life,gettingback in the boat when it flips, etc...). All said and done, we hit 12rapids. 7 in the morning and 5 after lunch. There were 2 grade 5s,mostly grade 4s and a few grade 3s. Oddly enough, we made it throughthe first grade 5 and all of the grade 4's without flipping but somehow managed to flip on a relatively simple grade 3 early in the day.There were plenty of opportunities to go swimming during the longstreched of calm parts. The highlight of the day was the last rapid.Its actually multiple rapids. At the top are 3 grade 6 rapids that allmerge into 1 grade 5 at the lower section. The upper part, the grade 6,is considered un-runnable by raft so we had to walk around it whileporters carried our boat to the beginning of the grade 5. The groupagreed to head directly for the worst part of the rapid called Itanda(meaning "the bad place"). We hit directly in the middle of it andflipped almost instantly. After that it was under water for me takingin more water than air. After about 5 second sI popped back to tehsurface in time for another breath as I floated into another huge wallof water and was submerged again. After repeating this cycle once morei was out of the rough white water and floating into a small eddy untilthe boat could be flipped back upright and the lost passengersrecovered. This was the end of the day. We paddle a bit further downriver to the exit point where we loaded into the van for the trip backto Kampala.
]]>