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28/03/2009

Jinja is probably the tourist capital of Uganda and is very similar to Linvingston in Zambia. There is white water rafting, kayaking, quad biking and various other activities that you can participate in. It is also the source of the Nile river. It is claimed that the water takes about 3-monhts to reach the ocean from Jinja and I hope we will get to the Mediterranean before then.

The Bujagali falls are just a short walk from our campsite and we spend some time watching the white water rafters coming down the rapids.

The rest of the day is spend cleaning the camper, doing laundry and whatever is left over of the day relaxing at the campground.

27/03/2009

Off to the workshop we go and it turns out that there is a problem with the dual battery system. We are now bypassing the dual battery system completely and the car battery and auxiliary batteries are now directly linked to the alternator. I don’t know whether this will cause a problem later on but everything is working.

Before leaving Eldoret we visit the cheese factory Doinyo Lessos Cremeries which is situated in town. The stock a variety of cheeses, milk, yoghurts and cream and all at reasonable prices. You can even taste the cheeses before purchasing. It is slightly hidden away in town but worth a visit.

The traffic in Eldoret is hectic, and even more so today because the president is arriving today for some military passing out parade. We manage to get ouf of town before he arrives and continue to the Uganda border.

Arriving at the Kenya/Uganda border you are surrounded by “helpers” that want to assist you across. We try and ignore all of them and do our own paper work. First we want to get assurance that we can re-enter Kenya without a carnet else it is not worth crossing the border. We get some official’s assurance but we won’t know how reliable this will be when we return.

Crossing the border on the Ugandan side is relatively easy. Once we show them the paperwork we did in Kenya for the motor vehicle we complete the same documents on their side. The visas costs $50 per person and we think this is excessive.

By now it is already late in the day and we reach the town of Jinja by 18h00 at head for Eden Rock campsite which is located on the Nile.

We are able to watch the pro 20 game between South Africa and Australia, which I’m happy to say, was won by South Africa.

26/03/2009

There is no power at the campsite and in the morning we realise that our auxiliary batteries are not fully charged and the fridge is not coping with the heat. Even after starting the car the batteries are not being charged so it seems as if there is either a problem with the alternator or the dual battery system. We decide to pack up and head for Uganda.

Lake Baringo is at about 1200m above sea level and from Marigat you start climbing to a height of 2500m at the village of Kabernet. From there it is all the way down again to the bottom of the valley and then another climb to 2500m to the town of Eldoret. The road is beautiful and everytime we think we have reached the summit there is another turn and another steep climb. The car handles the hills well and does not overheat at all.

There is nothing like listening to the Killers playing in the background, the car in second gear climbing these steep hills and the one view after another of the valleys below.

We reach Eldoret at 16h00. A 145km drive which took us about 6.5 hours. It was worth it and we will all go back anyday to redo this part of the trip.

Eldoret is quite a big town and while trying to find an auto electrician we are approached by Raj Shah, the owner of Naiberi Rivercampsite & Resort. He is also a director at the local cotton mills and after hearing about our problems with the batteries, insists that we spend the night at Naiberi and return the next day so that his mechanic at the mills can take a look at it.

Off we go to Naibeir which is about 18km out of town but well worth a visit. The facilities are excellent. The best showers we have encountered so far, a most fantastic restaurant and bar with a Nepalese chef that serves excellent meals.

There is a huge swimming pool and although the water was freezing cold it was a welcome relief after the days driving.

Although the gps co-ordinates only showed N00®26®862 it was freezing cold the evening. We could not believe that it could get this cold on the equator.

25/03/2009

At just pass 06h00 we all go down to the water edge to watch sunrise and the birds. It looks like the birds get up a bit later here. By 08h30 we leave to go and look at Crater Lake. Just 18km down the road and apparently there are flamingos there.

We are offered the services of a guide but we feel confident that we can spot a flamingo so off we go. We find the lake and there are thousands of flamingos lining the lake edge. Apparently the flamingos move between Lake Nakuru and Crater Lake. The beauty is that Crater lake is not situated in a national park so the viewing is for free.

From Lake Naivasha just follow the road around the lake until you see a sign for an army camp to your right. Drive in there and you are just next to the army camp and can walk right to the edge of the lake, to within 20 metres of the flamingos. It is a fantastic site.

We spend about an hour there and have some coffee and a light breakfast. Then we hit the road to Roberts camp on Lake Baringo. It is not quite on the road to Kampala but we heard it is worth the detour.

On the way we cross the equator. At last. We have been watching the GPS for days as we moved closer to the equator and now we have done. We will cross it a few times in the next few days as we move to Kampala and then back to Nairobi and Ethiopia.

The weather is not tropical at all. It is hot but not humid. In fact the country side is very dry and rain is badly needed. We are hoping the rain stays away for a few more days else some of the roads we need to travel become impassable. The fact that we crossed the equator is a major milestone for us and is treated with all the formalities of photographs and drinks.

The road from Naivasha to Lake Boringo is not bad but once again, the speed bumps make drinking and driving a real challenge! Despite the fact that the speed bumps are well camouflaged with no warning signs and no paint we manage to cross them with no major damage. What is even more astounding is that once you are through a village and all the speed bumps you will find a sign that says ‘Warning – Children crossing’. That is just a tad too late.

We hit the bustling town of Nakuru at about lunchtime and want to go and look at the flamingos at Lake Nakuru. Unfortunately this lake is situated in a national park and the entrance fee is $60 per person. Ridiculous. Apparently the Kenyan government decides, in their wisdom, that because tourism figures are down by 50% they must double the entrance fees to the parks to get the same revenue as the previous year. Well, they are going to get some nasty suprises in the next year or two because from observation the tourist numbers are drastically down.

The price of $60 is for one park only. Imagine you wanted to visit a few parks. We are saving our money for Masai Mara, depending on the rate when we get there.

By 17h30 we are at Roberts Camp on the edge of Lake Baringo. It is beautiful with 5 hippos right on our doorstep, about 20 meter in the water. We decide we will stay here tomorrow as well. The temperature at this time, in the shade, inside the camper is 34 degrees celcius.

Tonight it is peri-peri chicken and home baked bread. At this stage we do not know when we will reach Kampala.

24/03/2009

I awake early and take a walk down to the lake. At sunrise the camp is so tranquil and beautiful and I would not mind staying here for a few days. At the water’s edge there are hundreds of different birds but the Maribu storks are the most fascinating with their way of strolling around, like nutty professors with their hands behind their back.

It is possible to rent bicycles and explore the lake area by bicycle but Zelda is not yet feeling well enough for this. The Lake Naivasha area has so much to offer that you can easily spend a week or more here. There are huge hothouses in the area where export flowers are grown, the Hell’s gate national park is here where you can apparently find hot springs but we cannot visit all the national parks as the prices are too high for our budget, and you can also rent a boat to go for a boat cruise.

Eventually we decide to stay another day. Zelda is not feeling well and the hopefully another quite day will help. We have supper at Fisherman’s but in our opinion it is too expensive.

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.