Blogs from Uganda, Africa - page 6

Had an early morning start, since I had to get to the backpackers hostel before 8:30 for a safari to Murchison Falls. Got there and found there was no trip today. Bummer. I didn't confirm yesterday, because of the all day rafting. Now I have to wait at least another day, but most likely two. But hey! They have wifi. Slow, but it kind of works, though uploading photos is slow. So, it's a good time to update the travel blog. Went back to the booking office and to make a long story short ... there was a cancellation for Gorilla Tracking tomorrow. So, I took the opportunity and paid up. It's Expensive! The governments of Uganda and Rwanda charge $500 park fees per person, and the safari companies add enormous accomodation and transportation charges on ... read more

Spent all day with Adrift, the original Nile rafting company, whitewater running the Victoria Nile starting from near its source in Jinja at Lake Victoria downstream (Northwards) roughly 45 km. It was loads of fun and got to meet some pretty interesting people. But, it was exhausting and took all day. I left the hotel at 07:30 and got back at 20:30. The company was very professional, and delivered on everything they promised. From excellent guides, to breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a very safe but adventure packed day. The bus came pretty well at the promised time for the 7:30 AM pickup. They had an ipad app for registration. Everyone registered while riding in the bus. No paper work! No messy hand writing to decipher. Don't know why I filled in marketing/anti-privacy fields such as ... read more

Jambo rafikis, Well we are here! We arrived n Entebbe (the airport city) about 7:30 this morning. It was amazing to fly in right over Lake Victoria and to see the trees and landscape, it really is quite breathtaking. We snagged our visas and then proceeded to wait for all 18 of our suitcases to come off the baggage carousel. 6 women, 18 checked bags, 6 carry-ons (and I use that term lightly)...it was quite the show. We were joking with people that you should see what we pack when we are gone longer than a weekend! ;O) Our driver, Bob, then proceeded to take half an hour masterfully arranging our nags in to the back, sides, and front of the matata or van. It took several attempts but he made it so we all fit ... read more

Death is hard to ignore in Uganda. It is everywhere. Differences in the way people view death first became apparent to me as I watched people testing for HIV/AIDS. How could people, who had a good chance of being told that they had a terminal disease, breeze through like they were going for a regular check-up? Having tested, I could feel the sweat on my palms as I awaited the results, despite being almost certain that I was negative. “I don’t know how they do it.” I observed to my friend Junior. “Ah for us it is not important; if it is not AIDS then something else will get you.” …and ‘something else’ usually does. When you ask where someone is, a common response is “they have to go to the village, they have lost someone.” ... read more

It's finally here, the day we leave for Uganda! I'm in New West, chillin' at Tracy and Jack's, just waiting for 1:30 to arrive so we can start picking up everyone and allllll their stuff! 6 girls, 18 suitcases...oh my. Our flight has been delayed from a 6pm departure to 7pm....fine by me, hello Milestones. I will sleep etter with a bellini or two in my system. :O) This travel blog stuff is new to me so forgive me if it just smacks of travel rookie. We are supposed to have half decent internet access in Kasese so I hope to update every few days. Until then matumaini ndoto kuamini - hope dream believe... read more

Aye, so a canny bit has happened since the last time I was on here. The majority of the other volunteers have arrived, only two more to go. Meeting everyone was great, everyone is a good laugh, very cool to talk to, cannot wait to get started with everyone. Group bonding so far has been a little interesting though. The local drink has helped a lot, but I have also experienced drink outside the NRC (Nile River Camp) where we are staying. Clubbing in Uganda is something to experience, everyone is still very very friendly, but the dance offs are a nightmare! Very intense stuff trying to keep up with their moves, huge fun though. And the Guinness here is much stronger than back home, about 8%! But don’t worry, all is safe and I’m not ... read more