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Published: June 22nd 2009
Well, I thought I was off to a good start with this travel blogging business, but Africa's limited internet was quite the obstacle.
Wow. Today is day 15 out of 73 days on this Oasis Overland Safari. I knew what I was getting into, but the reality is something that one must experience first hand.
It's great to meet people from all over the world. Our group currently consists of people from London, England, Scotland, Austrailia, New Zealand and Turkey. When I first met and spoke to them, I said "I wish I had an accent" and their reply is "YES, you do have one!" It has been an effort with understanding and communicating with locals in Africa AND the people on the truck. I've been learning new terminology each and every day.
The experience so far in Africa has been absolutely unbelievable. The scenery here is beautiful and the people are what make it so great. The locals are so open and friendly to the "Mzungus" (aka White people...which I guess i have been classified as since traveling with all Mzungus. The children of Africa are the best. When we drive on local roads, the kids run out into the street waving and smiling like crazy! Sometimes they even run after the truck as the dirt road dust covers them. other times they dance for you. My favorite is when they wave so hard they look like they will fall over and they shriek with so much excitement.
Driving through Africa is a great way to see the ways of life and landscape. The truck life is quite the adjustment for such a germaphobe like me. We have toilet stops on the side of the road and have to spray our hands with a disinfectant before we head back in (thank God). To find soap in a restroom is like finding gold. You take advantage and wash your hands 3 times....or until the dirt color stops. The roads here are so dusty that even when we're driving all day, my clothes look like I worked at a dirt factory.
So far we have been to Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. We made our way West to Rwanda, and now we are heading back to Kenya.
Events so far:
-Got a several kisses from a giraffe! When at a giraffe santuary in Kenya, the guide had me put food pellets in my mouth and this giraffe took them from me! Happy to report that I did not wake up the next day with a weird face rash
- Had a long bike ride through Hells Gate National Park. It was amazing to see wildlife right in front of you while we biked through such a beautiful park.
- crossed the equator. I thought it was a myth that water drains clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere. Also, we saw water being drained actually on the equator line and it goes straight down!
-It is difficult to find cold drinks around here. I miss cold milk! On the truck, we make up powdered milk with our room temp water. One time we got fresh milk straight from the cow. Although it was good, it was warm as warm can be.
-Saw the biggest traffic mess ever in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Traffic was at such a stand still, vendors are walking through the traffic mess selling stuff!
-I am in love with goats. Dont be surprised if I come home with one. They are everywhere here and they each have their own, funny, unique "Baah" which is probably why I like them. I found out that baby goats wag their tails when feeding milk from Mama Goat.
- Bush camping under the night sky is so unbelievable. You can see each and every star. I have never seen anything like that before. It looked like the Milky Way.
-GORLILLAS in the MIST! This was my absolute favorite experience yet. It was so worth the $600. We hiked in Rwanda and observed a family of gorillas (about 8 of them) for one hour. I was shocked how close we were to them. They were so close they brushed our legs. Gorillas are so human like, they play, eat, relax, scratch themselves just like us. We saw the silverback and a couple toddlers too.
-Rwanda, the Land of a Thousand Hills, was my favorite country so far. Not only because of the gorillas, but it is so scenic there, the people are genuinely nice even after the recent genocide. We visited the Genocide museum and that left me in a funk and speechless. I am glad to have learned about it, but it is so hard to believe that people could kill children (especially). We even had dinner at a Genocide Surivor's house and learned about the genocide from him as well.
- Today we are camping right on the Nile River in Uganda. It is so beautiful. From our camp, we can see the River, but knowing that it is only a fraction of a fraction of the huge river makes you feel small. Today, some of us volunteered for Soft Power Education. They build schools for local children. Visiting the kids in school was so rewarding. When we arrived, they flocked to us, grabbed our hands, hugged you, and fought for your attention. We introduced ourselves one by one. When you say your name, the kids yell in unison "WELCOME JEN!" and then bust out into a song and dance. They are so lively and truly kind. We sat in a classroom with them as well. They fought over who sat next to you...so much at times that kids would hit each other! They loved having us as visitors. More than that, they loved to get their picture taken. After the classroom, it was worktime for us. We drove about 20 minutes to another school and painted renovated classrooms. It was tiring, but rewarding to know that children will be learning there soon. As we were about to pile back in a back of an open cattle type of truck to head back to camp....it started to POUR! It rained and thundered for about 20 minutes! The roof was tin, so it sounded very very loud. I am glad I got a chance to spend time with children here. They are so pure, open and welcoming to outsiders with a non-prejudice mind...we can learn a lot from them.
Sorry no pictures. The computers here usually do not allow from camera/picture hookups. I will post soon!
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Eugene
non-member comment
"Baah"
Sounds like a wonderful, eye opening experience with the scenery, animals and school kids! Let's talk more about the goats...Did you get any goat kisses?, do they actually have long goatees?