Uganda
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2006
1
4
11
Trip End
Jun 29, 2007
Kampala,
Uganda
Sunday, December 3, 2006
One first afternoon in the bar we were convinced somehow, to buy a printed t-shirt which has "Mzungu in the Mist" emblazed on it. I'm still not sure why I thought this a good idea. I think it was more entertainment than anything - I laughed so hard I cried when we received them - one of those little moments you probably have to be there for! Don't Mel and I look great in them though?
Buffalo at Murchison Falls National Park
! (see photos)We spent our days dodging the rain clouds one minute whilst running for the sun in our swimsuits the next. It wasn't quite the weather for swimming but we did take a day trip on a small boat to the local market at Kyuvu. Mr Livingston our driver, kindly chaperoned us around the market to ensure we were not overcharged and helped with our negotiations. We purchased a couple of kangas for Melissa (she had been admiring mine for weeks now!) and I bought a scarf (only to give it to Mel a week later when I realised I would never wear it!) That makes two impromptu purchases - must be something in the air there! We spent most of our time at the market observing the locals although I have a hunch they had more fun observing us!
The other great pastime on Lake Bunyoni, (given that the name means 'the place of many little birds'), is of course bird watching. There is a magnificent variety of small, brightly coloured birds in the area. I spent hours just observing them from our little cottage balcony.
It would have been too easy to spend longer in this little paradise but instead we headed for the big smoke - Kampala - for a celebratory weekend to see Craig off back to the autumn skies of England
Buggala Island
.Our bus ride there was a comfortable 6 hours although the 2 hours spent waiting for the bus to leave were painfully slow! I had an interesting conversation with my neighbor a young Somalian girl and her mother who suggested I might like to sponsor her given that they were living in a refugee camp in the south. I confess though, I lost interest in the conversation about the time we started discussing which mobile phone she wanted to upgrade to. Given that;
1.Both mother and daughter had a phone
2.They traveled to Kampala at least fortnightly to see her sister who is working there
I decided that my money could possibly be utilised more effectively elsewhere.
Upon arriving in Kampala and taking my first step off the bus, my pockets were fleeced by 2 eager sets of hands (only to come up with nothing). After announcing to the crowd in a loud voice that there was nothing in my pockets of interest, they left me to it. Next was our negotiation for a taxi to our hotel
Bujagali Falls
. We never quite managed to agree on a price before a driver I had been talking to, gallantly picked up my bag from the luggage hold for me and headed off down the street. At this point it was all Mel and I could do to scuffle after him as he was slowly being swallowed into the crowd :) Now that we were at the taxi, our leverage for negotiation disappeared so it wasn't long before we were inching our way through the Kampala traffic to the safe haven of the 'Blue Mango'.The Blue Mango is essentially an overpriced guest house in the suburbs of Kampala. Its draw card is its chilled gardens, centered around a swimming pool and a well stocked bar. I was to spend almost 2 weeks at the Blue Mango before I freed myself from its clutches ;)
Anyone who has been to Kampala knows how hectic the streets can be here. People jostle continuously along the sidewalks and on the streets. Boda-bodas (motorbike taxis) swerve constantly through the thong of taxis (shared mini-buses that are also called matatus), that fill the streets around the clock. It is absolute chaos but it works! Amongst this add the street vendors, the beggars, the street markets and HUGE potholes (they call Uganda the land of potholes), and you have an incredibly rich fusion of sights and sounds to stimulate your mind
Business in Kampala
. The city has a fantastic buzz. It is one of the only places I have been where I am not referred to commonly as Mzungu and one can comfortably walk the streets like any other resident without being stared at.I spent the entire first week or so in Kampala hanging out with new friends and together checking out a number of restaurants serving international cuisine of which there are many. I had introduced Mel and Craig to Ethiopian Cuisine in Kigali so it was only fitting that I carry on the tradition in Kampala. We took a number of Ethiopian virgins, one being a young Essex girl who flatly refused to try anything. (thank goodness she was on an overland tour the next day! Her staple diet was pasta and salad(i.e that is all she ate),we were unsure how she would survive in Africa! Everyone else of course was suitably impressed with the food. It was still not as good as Gold's but it is hard to beat the best!
Through mutual friends, I met some local residents namely Debra & Heath and Comfort. Comfort kindly arranged for a group of us to see the sites of Kampala from the roof top of the Sheraton Hotel at sunset where we could observe the hustle and bustle below, including the President and his entourage returning home in the evening. Quite a show! We also spent an interesting evening at the local bowling alley which doubles as a karaoke bar. I've never played such a terrible game of ten-pin bowling however I quite happily blamed it on the exceptionally bad singing ;)
After a week or so most of my new friends went their separate ways and I headed out west to a place called Fort Portal near the Rwenzori Mountains
Femi's Nursery Show
. My first 2 nights I spent in a wonderful UCOTA (Uganda Community Tourism Assocation) run establishment at a place called Lake Nkuruba. The area is home to many beautiful crater lakes of varying sizes. For my first day I arranged a hike to a nearby waterfall. A 3-4 hour hike ahead, I set off with a couple of Greek women and a guide, walking through villages and schools to our destination - the Mahoma waterfall. On the way we were treated to a singing and dancing welcome by the students of the local school in the area which was beautiful to watch ;) We felt very privileged to be treated to such a display. The walk was slightly longer than planned - 20 km later we finally arrived back at camp. The beer was amazing at the end of the that day! After lunch the following day, I mustered up enough strength to walk an hour along dirt tracks to the main road where the plan was to pick up a matatu and stay the night in Kibale National Park. I never quite made it that far as no sooner had I gone 10 minutes from the camp a huge storm swept over and before long I was walking (or sliding somewhat), in the mud, trying my best not to slip over. Attempting my best impression of "Singing in the Rain", I made it to the main road. Solidly drenched to the bone (including everything in my bag), I was now on the other side of the thunderstorm only to find no transport! In the end I waded up to a local hotel just off the road whose manager took pity on me and gave me a room at a highly discounted rate. The sun came out and I was able to place all my possessions out to dry. It was not to be my last soaking this journey!
I set off early the next morning for the forest and enjoyed a 4 hour guided tour of the national park popular mainly for its primates and forest elephants but unfortunately I did not get to see any elephants
Fishermen at Murchison Falls National Park
. In the afternoon I planned to visit the wetland sanctuary 5kms down the road. No sooner had I set out on the back of a boda-boda than a huge rainstorm descended upon us and in 5 minutes I was again drenched through! The wetland walk took on an entirely different meaning about then! The rain did not stop for another 7 hours in which I spend 2 and a half standing at the wetland centre watching it fall, before hitching a ride back to the forest. The other 4 and a half, I camped next to a charcoal stove trying to dry off as I had no change of clothes! A group of Danes joined me for dinner that evening. Other than us, there were no other guests staying in the forest so we settled in with a few beers and Danish schnapps to stay warm. It was a great evening and to top it off I was offered a lift back to Kampala the following day which I eagerly accepted.
On our way back we amused ourselves with a competition on who could capture on film the most unusual cargo/load carried by a boda-boda. I've seen some good ones along my travels! Off the top of my head I've spotted loads of sugarcane, steel rods, sacks of charcoal, 20 or so chickens strung over the bars, a pig, a door, a set of table and chairs, a car windscreen and even a fridge!
Flash Floods in Kampala
Once back in Kampala I set about looking for some voluntary work for a couple of weeks. This proved to be a little harder than expected given the limited time I had to work with but as it happened, I found I could assist my friend Debra with a small project in Kampala. I'd had enough of the Blue Mango by now and as we would be working together for the next week or so, Debra and Heath asked if I would like to stay at their home in Bunga. I jumped at the chance as it allowed me my own space, access to a kitchen and an opportunity to exercise by the shores of Lake Victoria, which has been fantastic ;)
The project we are working on is to raise awareness of women in Luzira prison in Kampala, most of which are on death row and many are HIV Positive. They are all victims of domestic violence and their representation in the courts and the evidence against them has been questionable. Their story was originally told on a television programme named "The Untold Story", which is run by a non governmental organisation who offers counseling to these women, amongst many others. The director of this is a woman called Betty Tibaleka and it was with her that we worked. (Betty visits the prisoners once a week for counseling).
The women make wonderful crafts in prison but have no access to markets
Heath, Debs and Nat, Kampala
. What we are trying to do is bring these crafts to the market where we sell on their behalf so that they can pay for their children to go to school. The children come to the prison for money - some even live there. Debs and I painted banners, typed up and information pamphlet and set up a stall at the EASSI Women's conference which was a great success. We sold almost everything on the stall :)
EASSI stands for Eastern African Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women. It is a collaboration between individuals, NGO's, coalitions and networks committed to the advancement of women. It monitors the implementation of commitments to the 'Platforms for Action', emanating from the World Conference for Women in 1995.
At the end of the two days the conference closed with a cocktail party around the hotel pool. The women let their hair down and everyone got "jiggy with it"! I had a fabulous time learning from the masters how to wiggle my butt like only African women know how ;) With the EASSI event over, I focused my attention once again on seeing this fantastic country.
Hippos
Betty and Debra will be working together on future prospects moving forward.
Debs and I took a 3 day trip to Jinja and Mbale taking in the beautiful Sipi Falls. These are on the edge of the Mt Elgon National Park which is the border between Kenya and Uganda. I took a 5 hour hike to see each of the falls as they cascade over three different hills, and a cave filled with bats which my guide and I went hunting for crystals in :) Debs went to interview some women in a local village nearby. It was wonderful to be out in the fresh air after Kampala and I enjoyed the journey as I watched the colourful images slip past my window.
We stopped on the way back to Kampala at Jinja for the afternoon to see the Bujagali Falls - I am sure this would best be seen from the water! There are a number of companies that run white water rafting down the Nile but alas my budget is not stretching to activities such as this. Instead we enjoyed watching men with nothing more that a jerry can to keep them afloat, rushing down the huge and powerful rapids - very gutsy!!
The following week I booked myself on a 3 day tour to Murchison Falls National Park in the north-west of Uganda
Lake Bunyoni
. Day 1 and 3 are generally spent driving to and from the camp which certainly didn't worry us on the way, as it rained until the moment we arrived - the entire 6 hours! On arrival we were amazed at the wart-hogs that calmly cruise around camp (although it is best not to get too close!), and at night were awakened in our tents by the sound of hippos munching the new grass roots around our tent. (It sounds like someone walking around in a pair of water filled wellies!!). My roommate Sjacco and I made a daring run to the ablution blocks, dodging hippos on the way (we just couldn't hold on any longer!), then woke up the rest of camp with our laughing once we had made it safely back to the tent. Very funny!The following day we spent the morning on a game drive and after lunch a boat took us 2 hours up the river to the Murchison Falls, along the way being treated to some magnificent sights of hippos, crocodiles, kingfishers, waterbucks and elephants. What makes or breaks a tour like this are the people you are touring with. Luckily we had a very light hearted and fun group which made the whole journey very enjoyable :)
My last stop in Uganda was the Sesse Islands in Lake Victoria. Sjacco, my buddy from the Murchison Falls tour, was also heading that way so we met up on the ferry from Entebbe to visit the largest of the islands, Buggala Island
Me at Sipi Falls
. The place is definitely not a party town but is a fantastic spot for rest and relaxation (not that I need it terribly!). It was an enjoyable place to write my blog on Uganda and reflect on a fantastic 2 months. The forest meets the lake here and nature abounds.My stay at Hornbill Campsite was magical. I had a cosy little bungalow that I shared with geckos, frogs, wasps and termites and from where I would listen to the nightly thunderstorms sweeping over the island. The breakfast table was set amongst trees that housed over 60 weaver birds who kept me constantly mesmerized with their song and at dusk the air was filled with the sounds of hundreds of frogs and swarming lake flies. Most afternoons were beautifully sunny so Sjacco and I frequented the sun beds by the lake and watched the fishermen bring in their catch for the day. I would then stroll back to have an open air shower in the rainforest at camp ;)
The weekend brought in a number of visitors to the island but by mid-week there was but a handful of people up and down the beach. I was the exclusive guest at Hornbill for most of the week :) All too quickly though my stay was over, a day earlier than planned due to the ferry service being suspended for 2 days for servicing. I was lucky to get off the island in time as there was no prior notice - just by chance did I hear I needed to leave early
Murchison Falls
!So for the final time, I'm back in Kampala to say goodbye to all the great people I have met. My stay in Uganda has been fantastic. I have learnt a load about myself, the people I've met and the places I have been and I hope that through this blog I have opened a little part of your mind that may:
a) help you decide to visit this wonderful country
b) prompt you to help in its development in some way
I have decided to run a note at the bottom of this page titled "What Can You Do?". I think this is pretty self explanatory but for anyone who would like to make a difference in some way, you may find a little inspiration in one of these. It is purely a list of people or organisations that I have come across along my travels that you may be able to offer your skills or information to. It's all up to you!
I have one more stop before Australia for Christmas - Cape Town!.....................
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
If you would like to know anything further about how you can help with any of the projects/community programmes I have mentioned, I have listed some contacts below. These are all small scale organisations which to me are more effective than the big giants (& without the hemouraging from foreign paycheques!)
Lake Bunyoni
Both of these organisations run cultural tourism / volunteer programmes
1
My little hut - Sesse Islands
. EDIRISA www.edirisa.org2. Byoona Amagora Island Retreat - www.lakebunyoni.net
Kampala
1. EASSI - www.eassi.org
2. The Untold Story - www.theuntoldstory.org
Contact Betty Tibaleka - +256 (0) 7722 311 763
Sesse Islands
Help For Children Uganda - www.helpuganda.info
I met this woman (Liz). She is a one man band on the ground and support 9 orphans herself and feeds about 110 throught the islands. If you always wanted to sponsor a child but did not want to give to a large organisation you may like to check this out.
