Last week was my first ‘holiday’ in Uganda; I left Mbarara on the Saturday morning, via the local dairy to pick up some mozzarella for a friend in Kampala. Living in the sticks has its advantages, the area is known as ‘the land of milk & honey’, there’s cows aplenty so I get the milk bit but I haven’t seen a single bee in two months so am not too sure where this honey is coming from, but it’s cheap & tastes good so don’t care too much.
After about an hour on the road it became apparent that all was not well with my little vehicle, it was kangarooing all over the place, not good, especially on these roads where the rule is survival of the fittest & my car looked like it was needing some of specialist skills in terminal care. I spent the next few miles trying to decide whether it was best to turn back & find my trusty mechanic in Mbarara, pull in at the next town & try to find someone to have a look at it or push on to Kampala & hope it didn’t die en route. I wasn’t quite sure what the protocol was for break-downs here, there’s no AA or those nice little emergency telephones to put you through to a voice who sends a helpful man with overalls & a truck to the rescue. After much deliberation I went for the latter option & fortunately didn’t have to discover the break-down procedure as I limped into the outskirts of the city four hours later with much relief. Upon discussion with friends that evening I was reassured that a mzungu woman on the roadside would attract attention faster than the speed of light so I wouldn’t have to fret about how to summon help! The problem would be how to choose which mechanic to use & how to ensure I don’t pay a ridiculous premium. I left the car in the trusty hands of the Hospice drivers in Kampala to take to their preferred garage for some TLC.
I had quite a lovely & what I’m beginning to see as a typical Kampala week-end; BBQ on Saturday night with delicacies that we poor folk in Mbarara can only dream of – rocket, pesto, baby tomatoes, cous-cous, plums, Pimms, drinkable wine…it was heavenly. Sunday morning involved brunch at a friend’s house with yet another luxurious spread – muesli, bacon, eggs, sausages, hash browns, carrot cake…yup, heaven once again. Then we all headed off to the rather fabulous Speke Resort swimming pool, where the pool attendants all-but fan you for your comfort, for some quality sun-bathing, a few lengths & a lot of socializing. Sunday evening, for the benefit of some visitors from the UK we went to see a tribal music & dance troupe which was most impressive, the way they shake those big bottoms is amazing. Forget ballroom dancing, I want to learn how to do the eye-watering bottom-wiggling!
We had an early start the following morning; met our driver at half seven and left the driving rain and noisy traffic of Kampala, heading north-west to Murchison Falls, 300km away. It’s Uganda’s largest national park, covering 3,840km2. Five hours and two comfort stops later (it’s called either a “short call” or a “long call” here depending on…well I’m sure you can work it out for yourselves) we had arrived at our lodge & were being given face towels & fruit juice to help revive us. The place had a beautiful setting in the trees; everything was made from lovely dark wood, there was a little pool & sun terrace and a fleet of staff on hand to help with anything. Unfortunately we were the only people there as it’s currently low-season so it was somewhat lacking in atmosphere. Our bandas (huts) were basic but clean & secure (door with lock, windows, mozzy net, no big holes in the walls for beasties to get in) & even had an electric light which is something of a treat, although a rather limited electricity supply so we didn’t get to use it much! Following lunch we set of for the Falls and spent the afternoon exploring and marveling at the force & speed of the water rushing through.
Yet another early start the following day required an early bedtime that night, we were all tucked up by nine o’clock, listening to the grazing wart-hogs & wondering what might be watching, ready to pounce, if we needed a short-call during the night (needless to say I did & have lived to tell the tale). We were on the road for six the following morning, in order to get a ferry across the Nile at seven & begin our game drive - early enough to see animals before it became too hot & they disappeared in search of shade for a nap. The photos probably tell a better tale than I can, suffice to say we saw lots & it was a great morning. The only negative thing for me was seeing all of the safari groups drive off the tracks & go right up to the lion and the elephants in order for everyone to get a proper look/photo of them. The UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) states quite clearly that it is not permitted to go off the tracks but it was the UWA guides who were directing the route and when I asked our guide about this he just shrugged & said it’s what they all do to ensure the tourists have a good safari, otherwise some people would see lions & some would not & people would complain about that because they wouldn’t be happy. It seems that they are so desperate for tourism to be successful to generate income & jobs that the consequences of their behaviour for the animals are not even considered which is very sad, and will probably come back to bite them on the arse one day.
Following this we took a ‘cruise’ down the Nile – a real hippo & croc-fest, it was great. By eight that night we could barely keep our eyes open so had yet another early night as the following day was again a six o’clock departure. This time we were heading off chimp trekking in the Budongo Forest, it was fantastic! Hearing the calling, screeching and beating noises that they made to each other as we approached the group was something I will never forget. It’s up there with seeing my first leatherback turtle come up onto a beach to lay eggs, swimming with dolphins, going whale-watching & encountering a very inquisitive blue whale and her calf, seeing my first shark whilst diving and helping hatchling turtles make it down to the sea to take their first swim. Their noises went right though me, making the hairs on my neck stand up, it was somehow incredibly exciting and quite moving at the same time. We watched a group of four of them munch their way through breakfast in the canopy above us whilst listening to the rest of the group calling from other parts of the forest but not putting in an appearance. I can’t put my finger on why I enjoyed this encounter so much, possibly because we’re genetically so closely linked to these animals that they hold more fascination than your average simian, but it’s helped me decide that I definitely want to go gorilla trekking before I leave, despite the exorbitant cost.
And that was the end of our mini-safari trip, we arrived in Kampala to yet more driving rain & noisy traffic, all feeling fairly tired & dirty & in need of a long hot shower. The food hadn’t been so good at the lodge so to compensate we went out to one of the city’s best restaurants for a fabulous Indian meal, a bit extravagant but we felt that we deserved it after roughing-it for a few days, and when you live in a town like Mbarara you have to take these opportunities for indulgence whenever they crop up.
Before leaving Kampala I squeezed in a fair bit of shopping for life’s little essentials that one struggles to buy in Mbarara (plastic furniture to go outside, a cheese grater, a printer for my laptop, oven gloves etc), a meeting with my boss to discuss a few management issues that I needed guidance on & a further three meals out before heading back to my dusty old town and my modest wee flat. The car behaved perfectly for the return journey which was a great relief. So now I have to sit down & start planning my next trip...
