Green Africa

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There was no need to put on the cult classic CD from the 90’s. The relaxing vibrations were all there to see and hear. The birds chirping followed by silence, a gentle rustling of the leaves. Blue sky ahead - Lush cultivated green hills surround me – Below is a greyish blue lake. I am in an opened air hut that I have paid $15 a night for. Seclusion could be no better.

Behind me dark clouds hover over, letting off warning sounds. The breeze picks up and the leaves start creating urgency. The light tapping of rain hits my hut. But I am cocooned under the covers of my bed, sheltered and gradually drifting off to sleep with the sounds of nature reverberating around my day. At last I have found a place in Africa to relax.
The next day I was told I would have to move huts because my hut was already pre-booked for that day… sorry.

Its one thing about my 5 Journeys so far that’s guaranteed when I travel to a place to relax. It either rains, it’s cloudy or I have to move rooms because of a staff members stuffed up. In Lake Bunyoni, Uganda I got all 3. But the set up was so nice it didn’t matter. I moved closer to the water with equally good views.

I started off my Uganda trip with Jinja East Africa’s adventure capital and went Kayaking - The alternative to rafting. I needed something different after rafting so many times. I was expecting it to be easy but it was the total opposite. All I remember from the morning’s session was that there were Eddying’s for safety from the currents.

I thought it would take no time to perfect but it took a lot longer. So I gave up - time and money were a factor. The rapids for beginners are a 3 at best whilst rafters are a consistent 5. But that will change come February 2011 when a revamp to the dam will take place. I asked the accommodation what plans they have to compensate because the first stage of the rapids will disappear. She said they will have a booze cruise everyday and the rafting will start further down the Nile River. That may change the quite set up its got going.

The capital Kampala is in the central south of the country and doesn’t do much to impress. It’s built on 7 hills but has expanded since then. The traffic is chaotic at times, which mean the moto taxis called boda bodas are the true highlight to any trip here. No helmet with these guys or if they do they don’t give you there’s. It had a very Cambodian feel to it. It seems to happen in a lot of places. Bad dictator or acts of genocide…Have moto taxi’s during the recovery period.

It is disappointing however as all the drivers are male. A homophobe would have no chance in this country as you nestle your arse close to the drivers crack. Why can’t it be women drivers? If ever there was a job an African women was meant to do it is having their big booty on a mototaxi ready to drive a muzongo (local word for white person) a ride.

I spent a bit of time in Kampala trying to get some visas. Comparing to Central Asia. Kampala is a good VISA stopover. First the Visa’s are cheaper than other places in Africa, second they are quicker to obtain and third you can get a Congo VISA no probs and a Sudan VISA.
But visa runs drag on when you want 3 so it was hard to entertain. In clear desperation me and an English guy decided to go to Simba Casino. Free drink is on offer when you play the tables and at $2 a bet can gambling get any sweater?

The women who deal and serve drinks are skimpily dressed (a bit like the Australian female basketball team) and they serve quality rum not that Captain Morgan crap. The idea was to lose around what I drank. I was doing pretty well early on but the dealers would change quite quickly and when it changed to Ernest things changed for the worst. I went from 80 000 shillings to a brand new gorilla on the table. That is 50 000 shillings. The animal on the note is actually a gorilla!

Because I was not losing that much and getting free drink I was taking the piss out of being a big shot player. Playing $4 a go, that’s two chips on the table per bet people! Whenever I got 21 I’d say, “That’s the way we play blackjack Ernest!” But when Ernest was dealing it was mostly. “What are you doing to me Ernest?” “Oh your killing me here Ernest!”

Eventually I got banned from drinking and after saying “Lets see what you’ve got” with my last 4 chips to lose with 19 it was time to leave. For some unknown reason we both decided to drunkenly ride together on a bodaboda. I’m not sure what happened but at a roundabout we both fell off the back. Fortunately the cars weren’t moving at the time. Joe wasn’t impressed but I gave the driver a tip 40c to congratulate him on his fantastic driving. Which again Joe was not impressed.

If you just base Uganda from the east than you are missing the best part. I caught a bus to Fort Portal or Port Fortal I could never get it right. There is no fort, no port and from my knowledge they don’t sell port either. I didn’t stay there and headed to Kibale NP. I was meant to trek for chimpanzees but didn’t, instead I just walked around the outskirts of the place. See Africa loves to add the hidden $30 or so on anything enjoyable. In this case trekking is $90 than add a park fee. I’m losing my patients on that.

I left the next day squeezing in a normal sedan car with 5 others in the back seat. I then connected with a bus to head to Kabale in Uganda’s south west. I’d take two mini buses to get there. Our row behind the driver would have 7 people. The only saving grace was the views of lush green valleys being worked on.

This was the beginning of my love affair with Uganda’s west. If it is not a national park than the land is being utilised by the locals. The land is so green, so fertile it’s fantastic to see. Tea plantations are easily the best looking crop for a tourist. The valley of tea leaves with leading lines to the distance.

I spoke to a local when I reached Kabale and he was talking about over population. He said that he was 1 of 12 children his parents had. He had his first child and a 2nd within the month. He said he only wants 3 because that is all he can afford, it’s this social change is what is needed. There is not enough land in agriculture to survive too many people. The old mentality that the more children you have gives a better chance to support the family is going.

Kabale is the main town to get to Lake Bunyuni. A short boda boda ride and you reach the market place to catch a wooden canoe to a small island about 45 minute canoe ride to. There are 29 islands and all are typically Ugandan. Green and cultivated. A real tranquil place, so tranquil I think you could get brain dead from just sitting around doing nothing.

The Lake is a tranquil place where the loudest noise is the birds chirping. My next plan was to get to Kisoro the last town before DR Congo. The main option is to take the main road with a taxi full of 8 other people losing blood supply to one part of your body. The other option is to spend an extra $6 and ask a boda boda driver to take you. It’s about 90 minutes where the first 45 is spent weaving up, down and around the hills whilst to the left is Lake Bunyuni.

You take on Queen Elizabeth status riding here. This is not a normal boda trip and the driver was enjoying it as much as me. Big smiles on their faces with screams of excitement “MASUNGOOOO!” The driver would beep the horn. I was told the locals saw it as a great day because Masongos don’t take boda’s around here they normally are in vans. So to see a white person in the flesh is a special day. I didn’t end up taking any photos because there were dark clouds looming and since it is rainy season Uganda every day has about 2 hours of hard-hitting rain.

7km away we see Kisoro and Congo in the distance. Congo is covered in rain looking clouds. The driver says I hope those clouds are the mist from the volcano. He wasn’t sure where I wanted to stay and as we zoomed past with the first drops of rain I yell out. “That’s it! Hotel Graceland’s!” We do a u-turn and I arrive thinking that right there was the best extra $6 I have spent in a very long time.

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Photos

Lake Bunyun
Morning view from room

Comments

[Globester]

ye!!!your journey was quite nice...hope you would have some wonderful memories...the photographs are very nice...thnx for sharing