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02/04/2009

The storm damage is quite bad. The hotel have lost 3 big trees of which 1 have fallen across the main road in front, and the other across the access road we have to use to get out. Luckily both the roads are cleared by the time we leave.

The drive to Kampala is without incident although time consuming. As I am quite partial to a Guiness we try out O’Leary’s Irish Pub in Kampala which advertises free internet. Well, probably on each and every day except the day that we visit. So no Guiness, no Irish grub and off we go back to Kampala backpackers.

No internet here either and also no food it seems. After taking our food order we wait more than an hour for it and on enquiring are met with the kind of look that says ‘sorry we forgot about your order’.

That was not what we needed after 8-hours on the road but eventually we all go to bed with a full stomach.

01/04/2009

First thing in the morning and the car won’t start. There is still something wrong because the car won’t even start with the assistance of the auxiliary batteries. Luckily Andre is there and we can jumpstart the car.

Now there are more issues because the staff insist that the cottage is sold per person and therefore we have to pay $20 per person because we spent the night in the cottage. We obviously don’t want to pay because we would have happily camped out. After long arguments we pay what we would have paid had we camped, and Andre kindly pay the difference. We really feel bad that he has to pay but he insists we were his guests. As he is also off to the falls we offer to invite them for a good meal once we get there.

To view the Rhino’s it costs $15 dollar per person plus $15 for a guide. If you use one of their vehicles it costs another $20. We are happy using our own vehicle but as we are about to go, one of the guides, Godfrey, suggest that we might find the going difficulty with our vehicle as there are overhanging trees and the road is really rough. He phones Angie, the director, and she shows us the second act of kindness of the day, by allowing Godfrey to take us rhino viewing with their vehicle, at no additional cost.

In the end we are really happy about this. Although we could probably have done most of the route, the risk would have been high and it would have taken us at least twice as long to complete the trip. Godfrey knows exactly where to go, and he takes us to within 200 meters of the rhino from where we walk to within 30 meters from them. The rhinos are impressive this close and they are very placid.

After about an hour of rhino viewing we are on the road again. In Masindi it is time for quick maintenance because the brackets on the leaf springs are a bit loose and are rattling. Maybe somebody can let us know whether we should be concerned about this because there is no risk of the leaf springs falling out but the brackets becomes loose because of the movement of the springs.

From Masindi there is a 90km dirt road to get to the campsite at Murchison falls. It is about 30km to the gate and from there you cross the Warringo river in a ferry and then continue with the dirt road.

Although all the prices for the national parks are published on the internet it is still a shock once you get to the point of paying. For Murchison falls the cost will amount to $380 for entrance into the park, the ferry crossing, one night’s camping accommodation and the boat trip to the falls. This is for 24-hour access only. This does not include viewing of the chimps which is additional at $40 per person.

After a long deliberation between all of us we decide to forego the falls. I know some of you might say this is a once in a lifetime trip and we should rather close our eyes, pay-up and see the sights, but we just cannot do it. The last thing we want is to return home in a year’s time with a big overdraft. Unfortunately we have to make some choices and if it is between having a few good meals or seeing the falls we rather pick the meals. The children are obviously very disappointed and there are some harsh words spoken about my poor lineage, my obviously insufficient earning capacity and bad parenting but luckily I have a thick skin and will survive to fight another day.

We head all the way back to Masindi and here we discover the Masindi hotel. It was build in 1923 and it is a hotel in the grand old tradition. It is sad to see that we are the only people making use of their camping ground and there are about 8 other guests in the hotel. The likes of Katherine Hepburn and Ernest Hemmingway used to stay in the hotel and the bar is called The Hemmingway.

If you do get a chance to pass through Masindi you must stop over. It is worth it just to look at the original wood carvings decorating the hotel. The staff are very friendly, the bar well stocked and the food excellent.

A short while after arriving we are treated to a Katrina like tropical storm. Ok, maybe not quite like Katrina but definitely like a Zelda on a bad day. Now we are glad we did not enter the park because we would not have been able to see the chimps today and nobody can predict what the dirt roads will be like after this rain.

We survive the wind and the rain and as the tent is flooded the kids sleep inside tonight.

31/03/2009

Refer to yesterday’s posting for the definition of the word Mzungu. Well that is definitely true about us because it started raining overnight and we decide that instead of going to the island we are rather travelling north to Murchison Falls.

Before leaving Kampala there are a few things to buy at Shoprite. The traffic is bad and I decide to take a quick right and then a left. Now I am in even worse traffic and the road is one big mud pool and on only a few sections is two way traffic possible. I think we are going to be stuck here for a few hours because at some point I have to reverse along my path to allow a truck and few other vehicles to pass.

As soon as you leave a hint of a space there is a car or two to fill it. Zelda and Zante decide to walk the 800m to Shoprite and they slip and slide through the mud. There is no discernable system that allows the traffic to flow and we just wait for a clearance.

At last, 30 minutes later we can get into the road again. Now it is our turn to slip and slide through the mud and go through pot holes you can hide a taxi in. We manage to get through and arrive and Shoprite just in time to load the goods in the car.

Now out of town which takes another hour and we have to do another quick stop to try and fix an exhaust bracket that came loose. A temporary repair job is done and we are on our way.

The road to Nakasongola is in good condition but do not make the mistake of turning off to visit Nakasongola. There is nothing besides a prison, a school and a Shell garage with the most vile pit latrine imaginable to man.

On our way to Murchison Falls we intend visiting the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which is located about 10km off the road at the town of Nakitoma. This is the only place where you will find rhinos in Uganda and, as we met the director in Jinja, we decide to visit the place.

Just before you arrive in Nakitoma there are a section with about 90 speed humps, spaced about 50 meter apart. This is a brand new road so the speed humps are created to slow down traffic and allow the road to “settle”. We find out later that the speed humps used to cover a distance of 30km and we sure are glad that we missed this!

Arriving at the rhino sanctuary we meet another South African, Andre and his 2 kids visiting from home. We have a beer together and he suggests we share their cottage as it has sleeping room for 9 and it is already paid for. So we spend a pleasant evening watching a movie and sleeping on a ginormous bed.

30/03/2009

I have a lot of work to do and Zelda continues with the schooling. We are travelling slower and slower it seems but it does not detract from the enjoyment.

At midday we decide to go into Kampala and we take one of the local matatu taxis. The first problem is to find one with space for 4 because they are all full. Eventually, for 500Ush each, we are on our way. I don’t know why I ever worry about strange sounds coming from our vehicle because this matatu sounds as if it is going to fall apart at any moments and you can feel parts of the vehicle knocking at your feet, trying to get in.

In downtown Kampala we make our way to Debonairs and Nando’s for a taste from home. Zante and Ivan go for Debonairs and they are not disappointed. I opt for Nando’s but the chicken is dry and tasteless. Zelda is happy with her pita.

The national bird of Uganda is the Crowned Crane but the city of Kampala is inhabited by flocks of Maribu Storks. There are hundreds of them and they are huge. You see them perched on every building and when they fly it looks like small hang gliders going overhead.

The streets are busy with traffic and pedestrians and you can find shops selling any and everything. When it is time to head back to Backpackers Lodge we have to find the taxi rank and a taxi going our way. We are guided through a maze of informal stalls to the taxi rank and we have to strain through a mass of people. It takes an effort to stay together. We find a taxi going our way and the price is now 1000Ush each. We object and get the price down to 800Ush. Now you get into the taxi and wait for it to fill up because there is space for 16 passengers.

In the mean time there are street sellers selling everything from shavers, to torches, herbal remedies and much, much more visiting the taxi trying to sell their goods. Luckily it only takes about 15 minutes to get the required number of passengers and off we go. This matatu sounds even worse and with the afternoon traffic it makes for an interesting trip through the shanty town of informal traders.

On the way we see that all the other passengers are paying 1000Ush for the trip out of town so the taxi driver was not trying to take advantage of us. In any case we only pay the agreed price.

All over East Africa the white travellers are called Mzungu. There are even T-shirts printed with the word on it and the literal translation means ‘white person wandering around aimlessly.’ Well the description is probably true and certainly in our case it sometimes feels like it. We have decided to visit the Sessese islands in Lake Victoria. It is a 3-hour ferry ride into the Lake and tomorrow I should be able to tell you more about it.

29/03/2009

The tourism industry in Uganda is taking a big knock at the moment. At Eden Rock there are less than 20 people and nobody is eating or drinking in the bar/restaurant. At the other campsites we visit it is as quite.

Jinja town is deserted and I’m not sure that it is because it is Sunday. The Jinja sailing club is supposed to be a popular venue for Sunday lunches but it is completely closed. There are a few restaurants open in the main street but we only encounter 2 other travellers at the one we visit.

From here on it is only 80km to Uganda and Zelda drives while I have a quick nap. The first stop is Red Chilli camp where the price is 7000Ush per person including the children. We decide to move on to Kampala Backpackers where we get accommodation at 6000Tsh for the adults and the children stay for free. That’s R60 per night for all of us.

This is supposedly the busiest overnight spot in Kampala and even here there are only a handful of people. It does not detract from the pleasant atmosphere.

As a family we have started our own challenge to see who can buy the best, or most, of anything with $1. At this stage everybody is still playing a strategic game of waiting to see what the other guys are going to buy.

We have also met some really nice people from Europe that has said to come visit them once we reach Europe so we decided to extend our One Dollar Challenge to any person, group or company that feel like making a contribution to our trip.

It basically works like this. You offer us anything you want for $1. We decide whether we want to accept it and if we do then once we meet up we will give you $1 in exchange for whatever you offered.

Example: You offer to buy us a beer when we reach Paris. When we reach Paris and contact you we will exchange you our $1 for a beer.

Of course you can offer anything. Maybe a room for a night, a meal, a guided tour or whatever you are prepared to exchange for $1. Once we take you up on your offer we pay you $1.

If you have something to offer us please e-mail us on ericus@north-bound.co.za Keep in mind we are 2 adults and 2 children.

You can enter your own offer here. Just remember to send us your contact details as well.

We will display everything that anybody has offered us on this page and our heartfelt thanks to everybody that has taken the time and trouble to respond.

Play along. It can be fun.