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Oct 27

Gorillas and growing walking sticks in Uganda

Day: 200

KLMS: 30,389

They say that in Uganda, if you a plant a walking stick it will grow. I can believe that! Heading into Uganda across the South Western border with Rwanda, the scenery became even more sensational with the free-standing volcanic mountain peaks providing a dramatic backdrop. With every inch of every hillside packed tightly with crops and vegetables, we saw a green more vibrant than we’ve ever seen before –it was just beautiful. We headed straight for the small, one-horse town of Kisoro to investigate options for gorilla trekking. Kisoro sits at the foot of the Mgahinga National park, the smallest, but probably the most spectacular of parks in Uganda made up of 3 volcanic peaks, where one family of 11 habituated gorillas are resident. The volcanic peaks provide a natural border for 3 countries, Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. As the smaller, less-well known park we were hopeful that we would be able to book onto a trek within a few days, as tour operators within Rwanda and Bwindi, Uganda insist that bookings must be made months in advance. With only 8 people allowed to spend 1hour with a gorilla group each day, the demand is high. However, it was low season and when we arrived at the parks office we could not have been happier to hear that not only could we go the very next day, it would also just be the 2 of us! That night we excitedly packed up our supplies, we’d heard that depending on where the gorillas are you can be trekking for up to 8hours through steep, jungle terrain so we made sure we’d packed plenty of food and water. Then it was up early to head out to the park, trying to make sense of the very basic map the park ranger had drawn for us the previous day. Having woken with what we thought was plenty of time, we realised that we hadn’t actually checked if the time-zone had changed when we crossed the border. Yep, we were actually an hour ahead, so what should have been a slow drive down rough tracks became a mini Dakar rally to get to the park on time!

The volcanic crater of Mount Mgahinga

We were given a quick briefing and introduced to our guide and a ranger, who I was very pleased to see carrying a big gun. I wasn’t sure if this was for gorillas gone bad, stray elephants or considering that this was the DRC border, maybe a rebel or two? I thought it best not to ask, so we started our journey into the thick vegetation. We trekked for about an hour and half, the humidity was stifling, but at least the rain held off, it was already very wet and slippery underfoot and we both took a number of spills along the way. But then the guide’s radio crackled into life with the good news from the trackers ahead that they had found the gorillas. We picked up the pace, the guide following the instructions from the trackers to where they were waiting for us.

The start of the walk up

We were given a quick briefing, before taking the final couple of hundred meters to where the gorillas were feeding. As we approached the trackers began their grunting calls to the gorillas and within seconds the gorillas responded with grunts and yelps to tell the whole family of our approach. As we rounded the corner, there in front of us was a huge Silverback starring straight back at us. To see such a huge animal, only meters away, with no fence inbetween, was incredible. My heart was almost pounding out of my chest! The silverback looked unimpressed, realising it was only humans and nothing to worry about, he moved off slowly into the thick undergrowth, so the guide took us forward slowly to begin following them. As we got to where the Silverback had originally been standing, we looked around to see that the entire family were all feeding around us. We sat and watched as two females and their babies, one of which was only 2 days old, munched their way through the bamboo canes only feet away from us.

This female was tightly holding onto her 2day old baby – too tiny to see in the photo!

As they grazed, they kept moving, so the trackers had to begin to hack their way through the thick undergrowth with machetes to keep up with them. It was hard work! But fortunately the Silverback decided to stop again and sat down curiously looking back at us. We waited silently to see what he’d do next and deciding that we were still ok, he began to lie back and roll around on the floor, flattening out a nice grassy patch which he could nest in. He lay on his back, arm underneath his head, occasionally lolling his head over to stare at us with his beautiful big, black eyes. He was so human-like it was uncanny. In his relaxed state, we were able to gradually edge close, until we were sitting only feet away. He of course, still had to asset his dominance over the situation and when he suddenly jumped up to his feet and banged on his chest with his fists, we both got one hell of scare, it was a squeaky bottom moment, but the trackers reassured us he was just showing off so just to remain still and quiet. We spent the most wonderful hour, with what must be one of natures’ most magnificent animals, but it was over all too soon and as the time was up we had to say goodbye to the gorillas. At $500 each, it wasn’t cheap, but was it worth it? Yes, every dollar, I just wish I was rich enough to go everyday!

Rich and the trackers

Bonus Chameleon on our trek – Whassssssup!

After our amazing gorilla encounter we headed onto Lake Bunyoni, where the scenery just got more and more beautiful. The drive up to the lake has to be one of our favourite drives of the trip and we wound our way along the lake shore to a beautiful little campsite, Kalebask, set in a neatly manicured, flower-filled garden; mum and dad would definitely have approved!

The amazing drive, Mount Mgahinga in the distance

Drive along Lake Bunyoni

The jetty at Kalebask

The staff were so friendly, we were the only ones there, so could definitely have stayed at our ‘exclusive camp’ for longer. Moving on, we headed towards Kampala, where due to ‘imminent Westgate style attacks’ we decided to just drive through and stay out in Jinja. The traffic in Kampala is like nothing else on this planet! We were soon stuck in gridlock, with cars stretching for miles ahead. As we crawled along, cars, bikes, people were trying to force their way through the smallest gaps, the road was just a mess of cars at all angles, no regard for lanes or road rules! We joined in, our car being bigger than most we were willing to start using our bullbar to ram our way through! It took hours to cross Kampala and although we had plans to find somewhere lovely for lunch we couldn’t face the traffic any longer so continued towards Jinja and an amazing camp on the banks of our new friend, the Nile, who will be our constant companion as we travel north. The view from the camp was stunning, and the birdlife is unbelievable. Although not particularly birdy-people even we were impressed with the colourful array of feathered-beings that frequented the Nile’s shores. We have absolutely loved our time in Uganda, there is still so much more we want to see, but with park fees to Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls all in excess of $100 per day, they will have to wait until next time! Now we need to move onto Kenya!

Wonderful roadside stalls, yes they all sell the same thing!!

Oct 21

Photos page updated

Hi,

The Photos page has been updated with the hyperlinks to the Zimbabwe, Zambia and Milawi facebook albums. You should be able to access them without a facebook account. Please click the link above.

Oct 20

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The land of a thousand hills

Day: 193

KLMS: 29,601

In the last week we have experienced the most intense emotions from the opposite ends of the scale. From the heart-wrenching stories of the Rwandan genocide to the exhilaration of coming face to face with the mountain gorillas of Uganda, It’s been one hell of a week.

The transition from the open, golden plains of the Serengeti into the lush green mountains in Rwanda was spectacular, called the land of the thousand hills, Rwanda certainly lives up to its name. Every inch of every hillside is organised into neat little terraced farming plots and as plastic bags are illegal the beautifully clean countryside makes for a pleasant change from the litter-strewn villages we’ve seen previously. The landscape coupled with the warm smiles and big waves was a wonderful welcome to Rwanda. Surprisingly more developed than I’d realised, the roads are fantastic, although they drive on the right(!) and Kigali is the nicest city we’ve seen since Cape Town. It’s hard to believe that this beautiful, little country witnessed one of the most horrific world events only 20years ago.

: The neat terrace farms on every hillside

We managed to find a camping area at the Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel, where we set up camp in the grounds and had views overlooking the twinkling lights of the city. Urban camping is a strange experience after being out in the bush for so long, but we were very happy to make the most of their fast, free internet, something we haven’t had in a long time and quickly got to work updating all our apps, software, photos etc. The hostel is run by the British owned Aegis trust who also established the genocide museum; all proceeds go into supporting survivors. Sadly the genocide becomes a key focus of any visit to Rwanda.

The view of Kigali spread across several valleys

We went to the genocide museum the next day and began to learn about the true horrors of what had happened – a very confronting and emotional exhibition shows how the writing had been on the wall for many years before the official genocide began and despite the warnings, the International Community not only did nothing to prevent it, they also did nothing to intervene. The genocide itself was not just a random act of violence, but a pre-meditated massacre which had been years in the planning. ‘Death lists’ of Tutsis residents had already been prepared and when the command was finally given, within an hour, the military had set up road blocks and the Interhamwe were already on their way to begin the killings. The genocide lasted 100days and approximately 800,000 to 1million were killed. What made this event so horrific was that the killings were done one by one and in the most violent, sadistic ways. And it wasn’t just soldiers committing these atrocities either, doctors, teachers, priests turned on their own patients, students and congregations in ways which are just incomprehensible. The gardens around the museum also contain the mass graves of 250,000 people which are continually added to as they continue to find hidden graves all over Rwanda, many of whom will never be identified. The numbers are simply unfathomable and walking round the memorial gardens we both needed time to sit and reflect on what we’d seen. Although both aware of the events that took place here, we had not realised the scale of it, which makes it even harder to believe that this only happened 20years ago. Walking around the streets of Kigali, it’s hard not to look at people’s faces and wonder what their role was during that time. Were they a perpetrator or a survivor? Who did they kill or how did they escape? What was their story?

The view of Kigali from the genocide museum

The mass graves at the genocide museum

We decided to continue onto one of nearby memorials, Nyamata church, 30km south of Kigali, a place where over 10,000 people were killed after having sought refuge in a place where they thought they would be safe. Nothing could have prepared me for what we would see there. The church has remained untouched and although the bodies were removed, piles of their clothing and personal items remain, light pours through the holes in the ceiling made by bullets and grenades and the blood-stained altar cloth is still there. Our guide was Anita, who at the time of the massacre was 12 years old. I was also 12 years when this happened. On realising we were the same age, a huge lump appeared in my throat. When I was 12, I was in the full throws of early high-school years; horse-mad, girlie-sleepovers every weekend, first boy crushes, and wonderful family holidays. Anita was running for her life, hiding in the surrounding Papyrus marshes with her younger sister separated from the rest of her family who had chosen to seek refuge in the church – she never saw them again. Anita guided us slowly round the church, talking softly about what had happened, the calmness of voice made it even harder to comprehend some of the horrific things that she spoke of and it took all i had not to break down in front of her. But this was not my story to cry over. This was not my family, friends and community that had been massacred here. It was not my life that had been completely turned upside down. Anita then took us outside to the mass graves, where over 45,000 people are buried and amongst them are her family; she doesn’t know exactly which bones are theirs.

Nyamata church memorial

She took us down the steps into the graves, where rows and rows of skulls are neatly lined up and the piles of bones carefully stacked up underneath. I wasn’t expecting to be actually taken into the grave, but the sight of so many skulls was so surreal, too many to really comprehend that each one of these once belonged to a living breathing human. It was one of the most over-whelming things i’ve ever seen. Back in the church grounds, Anita thanked us for coming. Talking about things, is her way of coming to terms with what happened and more importantly they want the world to know their story with the aim of ensuring history is never repeated. In just 20years, the country has made astounding progress in restoring peace and encouraging forgiveness, so that Rwandans can live side by side once more – there are no longer Hutu or Tutsis. However, when I asked Anita how does she forgive those who did this, it is clear that the scars will run deep for generations to come.

Anita

Just a few of the many human remains in the mass grave

We wanted our visit to Rwanda to be about more than just the genocide, it is such a beautiful country and has so much to offer, but sadly we could only spend a few days here and our time here really did revolve around the genocide. We left with huge sadness in our hearts.

Oct 19

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Joining the great migration in the Serengeti

Day: 190

KLMS: 28,995

The Serengeti is a place i’ve dreamed of going, ever since I first saw David Attenborough’s documentaries when I was a little girl. To say I was excited about going is an understatement! We’d heard about the extortionate fees and bad roads, but nothing was going to stop us from going –how bad could it be? To access the Serengeti, you first need to go through the Ngorongoro crater Conservation Area – either $140 for the privilege of driving round the crater rim, or an additional $200 to go down into it. Facing a further fee of $220 per day to get into the Serengeti, we decided to just transit through and begrudgingly handed over the fee to just drive through. Having been completely spoilt with the parks further south, which are a fraction of the price, have great facilities, plenty of wildlife and fewer tourists the Ngorongoro experience was a far cry from this. We drove up to the lookout point, which although offering spectacular views of the crater, was completely mobbed with tourists and gave us very little for our $140!! We didn’t hang around for long and instead drove onto a picnic site, which although only showed a glimpse of the crater, we had the place to ourselves and had unspoilt visits from elephants, zebras and a huge black stork. Not to mention the thieving eagle which swooped down and stole my sandwich right of my hand. I didn’t even see him until the force of him knocked me backwards, scaring the living daylights out of me! I was left wing slapped and sandwich-less!

The view over the Ngorongoro crater

Black stork – they are huge!!

The drive onwards towards the Serengeti was one of the most spectacular sights we’ve ever seen. The dramatic mountains of the Nogorongoro opening up to the vast expanses of the Serengeti plains – it was just how I imagined it to be – the vast grassy plains stretching as far as the eye could see all underneath a bright blue sky filled with big white fluffy clouds. It was a vision. We also passed the many Masai who are allowed to graze their cattle here, their beautiful bright red cloaks stood out against the golden colour of the grasses. We pulled over at one point, to take a break from the road and as we cooled off under the shade of a nearby tree, a young Masai wondered over to also seek some respite from the burning sun. We all sat together under the tree, neither of us could speak the others language but we still managed to communicate, both just as intrigued with each other. Before we headed off, I asked if I could photograph him, which he agreed to very enthusiastically. As I showed him his photo on the screen, his face lit up and he asked me take more pictures. As a thank you, we offered him an apple, which he accepted but stood holding it a distance not sure what to do with it. He’d never seen an apple before. We gestured to him to just bite into it, which he did very cautiously, but as the sweetness hit his palette, he was soon munching into with gusto. It was a really special moment.

The view down onto the Serengeti

Our friendly Masai Warrior

One thing they don’t mention on all those wonderful wildlife documentaries is how bad the roads are. The corrugations were the worst we’ve encountered and as we drove on into the Serengeti the vibrations were unbearable and the car began to shake itself to pieces. Having just paid the princely sum of $580 for the privilege of 2 days in the park, it was a very bitter pill to swallow and we tried hard not to let it ruin the experience, but unfortunately it did take the shine off things. Sure enough, a few hours later, both rear shocks had gone and we limped into Seronera area where a lovely guy from the hot air balloon company took us to their workshop. Whilst I was on look-out duty for lions Rich set to work re-installing the old shocks which fortunately we’d kept as emergency spares. We left the workshop later that night and enjoyed a rare opportunity to do our own night safari up towards our campsite – driving slowly with the full beams on and me hanging out the window scanning the Maglite into the bush to find lots of pairs of red glowing eyes. We got to camp late, which was probably a good thing as the facilities are pretty poor and its best to spend the least amount of time possible there. Considering camping fees are $60 a night, you’d at least expect clean ablutions with hot water, but of course that would require some of the millions of dollars the park makes every year actually being invested properly rather than I suspect being siphoned off for personal holidays, fast jets and cars!

Hart Beast on his look out post

Running zebras across the plains

We spent the next 2 days driving around the park, taking in the wonderful vistas. The plains were full of zebras, elephants, antelopes of all kinds, lots of hyenas and birds of every shape and size. We also saw plenty of kitty-kat action (literally) as the lions seemed to be far too focused on their intense mating schedule to even notice the line of cars parked next to them. After watching a huge male lion pin down his lucky lady for the fourth time, we decided to leave them to it and continued our journey only to find a leopard sleeping in the tree just round the corner. Our closest view of a leopard yet, it was stunning. We then headed onto the ‘western corridor’ where the zebras and wilderbeast were beginning to return from the Mara on their great migration south.

Big male lion

Getting down to it..again and again and again!

Beautiful leopard makes sleeping in a tree look so comfortable!

Gradually the numbers out on the plains began to grow and grow until the plains were completely covered with them. Taking a side road to the Grumeti river, which when in full flood in June is one of the huge iconic wilderbeast river crossings, but even now with the water running low the wilderbeast still had to navigate past many huge crocodiles waiting for them in the shallows. As we drove along by the river, suddenly 1,000s of wilderbeast came charging past us – so we decided to join them – driving slowly at the rear of the heard we became part of the great migration! It was wonderful!

Following the migration!

The experience we had in the Serengeti, was definitely something we’ll never forget, it really is a magical place but the price of the park and the horrendous roads really did take the shine off things. It wasn’t just our complaint either, the road was littered with broken Landrovers and Toyotas – we even had to rescue one! (Yes, a Mitsubishi towing a Toyota!) and everyone we met in the campsites were having to spend time fixing things on their cars. We would definitely recommend taking a tour or leaving your car outside the park!

But here we are now, just outside Mwanza on Lake Victoria, in a fabulous place called Tunza beach lodge, where we are recovering from the Serengeti and getting the car fixed. The first day we were here, it was a public holiday (Muslim festival) so the lodge was extremely busy but It was amazing to see such a mixture of religions and races, all playing and celebrating together, regardless of whether they were Muslim or not. We met a lot of lovely people and with our camp right on the edge of the volleyball court we became a key attraction – everyone slightly bemused by our mobile house. That night we turned our roof lights on and played football and handball with the kids on the beach, finishing up with a disco at the car. The children were really keen to hear western music and so we put the ipod blaring out over the car speakers so everyone could dance. The next day the owner Jan, sorted us out with his mechanic and he showed us that the vibrations from the corrugations had caused one of the pipes in the engines to wear a hole through the radiator! The radiator had to be removed and taken away to be re-patched, but the whole thing was completed in a day! So fully fixed once more, it’s now time to head onto Rwanda!

Oct 10

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Jambo! We made it to Tanzania

Day: 183

KLMS: 27,935

Once more we were astounded by the change, as we crossed the imaginary line into Tanzania. Gone are the gentle sounds of the donkeys, the cow bells and the squeaking from un-oiled bicycles, everything on this side of the border seems to have an engine and it’s loud, fast and chaotic! Driving up into the southern highlands, the peaks were enveloped in thick cloud and at certain points the fog was so thick we could barely see the car of Rui and Jean in front. But as we began the descent into the valley below, we came out of the clouds and in front of us opened up the most beautiful green and luscious landscape filled with banana, coffee, cotton and tea plantations. It was absolutely stunning, the colours suddenly so much more vibrant than the previous countries. Our first stop was at a Coffee plantation, Utengule Lodge just outside Mbeya. Unfortunately it sounds a lot better than it was, as the lodge was not really interested in campers when its main clientele were business people arriving by helicopter to stay in its exclusive chalets. It was fine for one night though and the next day we headed in Mbeya to stock up on supplies and find sim cards etc. We had also awoken to a flat tyre, so needed to visit a garage to get it fixed. Considering we only wanted to get a few things, it took 4hours!! Fortunately the tyre didn’t have a puncture, just some dirt on the bead so once cleaned up and re-inflated we were good to go. We were glad to be out of Mbeya, but the drive up towards Dar Es Salaam was one of the craziest drives yet. We’d heard about the appalling Tanzanian bus drivers but seeing really was believing. The buses thrash along the roads, well over the speed limit, overtaking on blind corners, up hills and sometimes overtaking an already overtaking car so that there are 3, sometimes 4 vehicles across a 2 lane road. We also witnessed the legendary ‘sling shot’ overtaking manoeuvre where the first car pulls out to overtake and other cars pull out behind it, in the blind faith that the first guy has properly checked the road ahead or if he hasn’t, to use him as a shield. It is no surprise that car accidents kill more people than malaria in this part of the world!

Crazy Tanzanian traffic

Traffic!!!

Refreshment stop – love the food on long sticks to reach the windows

We also encountered the corrupt Tanzanian police a number of times, but if you’re able to laugh off their bullsh*t and treat it as a game, it can actually be quite fun. The first rule when stopped is to ask a question first. The distraction technique is incredibly effective as long as you can keep the questions firing at them first. We find pulling out the Swahili phrase book also throws their attention while they try and understand the gobble-de-gook you’re trying to say. The second rule, is that if they do insist that you were speeding and need to pay a fine, pull out an empty ‘stunt wallet’ and show that you have no cash. The officers realising that they are not going to get any money will then persist with requests for soda, cigarettes or biscuits, when we replied NO, they finally gave up and let us go. This has happened 3 times now and each time we have successfully gotten away without paying a fine or a bribe. Every village has a 50km/hr speed limit and the police are everywhere – never mind the suicidal bus drivers or the overloaded lorries, let’s just focus on the Muzungos!!!

Fortunately there is a fantastic little oasis on this crazy road, called Kisolanza, or the old farm house where we could camp and recover from the driving ordeal. We enjoyed a fantastic couple of ‘down days’ at the farm with Rui and Jean, as well as bumping into other overlanders Arno & Elize who we’d also be following. Nicki, the current owner, runs a very tight ship and we enjoyed one of the most fantastic meals at the farm restaurant which uses all its home grown produce from the farm and we indulged in fresh vegetables, meat and freshly baked bread and cakes. The quality of the meat has been getting more and more dubious so it was great to be able to enjoy some properly reared beef. We made sure to stock up on meat and vegetables before we left!

We said goodbye to Rui & Jean as they were heading onto Dar Es Salam and Zanzibar and we were heading north. Unfortunately, the additional time and money we’ve spent further south means we now need to be a little more disciplined and get a move on if we’re to be home by Christmas. Sadly we can’t see everything! So we headed to the coast just above Dar, to an amazing beach lodge called Peponi, just south of Tanga. It was amazing to reach the eastern coast, knowing that we’d now driven the width of the continent from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. The weather is incredibly hot and humid on this side, very much like Queensland but the water is a sweltering 27 °C! Taking a dip in the sea, was like being in a warm bath! We set up camp on the beach and had a couple of relaxing days watching the fisherman, swimming in the sea and seeing some of the most spectacular sunrises over the ocean.

: Beach camp at Peponi

Loved these little critters at Peponi

Dhow at sunrise from Peponi beach

From there it was north to Moshi which sits at the foot of Kilimanjaro to meet up with Taleah and Wynand who were travelling down to Cape Town from London. We arrived the day before them so decided to go to nearby Lake Chala, a deep crater lake which at 3,000m in some parts is one of the deepest in Africa. It was a blazing hot day and during our walk down to the lake we met a guide who was bringing some students to the lake for the first time. He asked us if we wanted to also see the nearby Meteorite crater which was only 10minutes walk away so we agreed. Never believe a Tanzanian when they say 10minutes! The short stroll turned into an hour and a half of Africa bush walking up the riverbeds and across the plains – we were still in our flip flops and with no water or sunscreen we felt very ill-prepared for our jaunt through the prickly and snake filled bush! Rich blew a flip-flop half way along, so the walk took even longer, while he had to try and fashion together a strap with his belt to hold his flip-flop on! We made it to the crater and from there could see the base of Kilimanjaro – at 5800m, it’s the highest freestanding mountain in Africa, but sadly she never revealed more than her bottom to us as the rest of the mountain remained covered in cloud. As we walked back, the clouds had begun to build and we could see a storm rolling in across the plains. We made a dash for it back to the car, hoping to leave before the rain started. We were too late. The heavens opened and once more the dusty top layer on the clay packed road became a slippery muddy mess. Rich struggled to keep the car on the road, sliding off into the side gullies a couple of times – we became very close to getting stranded once again as a very steep muddy hill became impossible to get up. Bizarrely enough, we also happened to right outside a school again, it felt like groundhog day and we began to think that we would be camping in a school again. But with some skilful driving, Rich managed to use the side gullies to help ricochet us up the slippery slope. My knuckles were white from hanging on, but it was such a relief to make it back onto the tarmac!

The view over Lake Chala – that’s Kenya on the otherside!

Bush walk with the pink ladies

Improvised thong strap!

Looking down into the meteorite crater, thats Kili in the distance

Wet and muddy we headed into Moshi, the driving rain continued and we were so thankful when we arrived at the Honey Badger camp to be told that the campsite was full and we’d need to take a room! Hot showers, flushing toilet and a big bed – luxury! We had a very boozy night with our new buddies (batterc2cpoint.wordpress.com) both excitedly swapping stories about the ‘otherside’. We were particularly keen to hear about their adventures shipping into Israel and driving down through Egypt, as they’d driven through at the height of the chaos. Fortunately it sounds as though there is an easy route through as long as you avoid the main towns and cities and they whizzed through in 3 days. It could be a plan! With plenty of notes and recommendations we said our goodbyes the next day and headed off in opposite directions – it was time to hit the Serengeti!