After a long wait to see whether we could get gorilla permits, the public holidays were finally over and Moses was all set to drive into town to see what he could sort out for us.
So we gave 5.5 million Ugandan Shillings in cash to someone we had only met two days before and watched him ride off on his motorbike. After he disappeared over the hill crest we stood watching the empty space for a few minutes biting our lips before turning to each other with big grins – Moses was someone we trusted completely and with any luck by the end of the day we would have our cherished gorilla permits in our hands.
To take our minds off the waiting we had decided to drive out to the Pangolin Rescue Centre about an hour and a half across the mountains on the other side of the national park
Pangolins are very rare and curious creatures and we had never expected to see one in our lives. This seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. The previous day Moses had called the centre for us to check they were open and had pangolins staying with them – they confirmed that had one and were due to feed and exercise him at 3pm each day.
So off we went. Henry´s throttle peddle was playing up again, possibly exacerbated by the height which never suits diesel vehicles, but more likely because it had been an old (and free!) replacement intended just to get us going until we could buy a new one. So it was slow going as we crawled along the beautiful mountains roads – plenty of time to appreciate the endlessly spectacular views
When we arrived it turned out to be a small affair, run by just a few very dedicated rangers and funded through private donations
They rescue pangolins who have been kidnapped by local villagers or who are found injured. They keep them only for as long as it takes to confirm they are healthy or nurse them back to health and then release them into the most appropriate national park. There are different types of pangolin and some need savannah whilst others need rain forests. Uganda has areas of both or sometimes they are sent to the rain forests in the Congo.
We chatted to the rangers who told us all about the centre and a bit about pangolins. Then it was time for the pangolin to be taken out of his temporary home and allowed to run around and eat
He was gorgeous, such a cute and unusual little thing
But despite being so close to him, he was very good at hiding himself away and therefore surprisingly difficult to photograph
We arrived back at the lodge late in the afternoon and were concerned to find that Moses was not back yet. We had arranged to have a three course meal with them that evening and it was delicious – the chef came round to present the menu to us and we had difficulty choosing between the options.
But having not been at all concerned about Moses all day, it was now 8:30pm and we still hadn´t heard from him. I spoke to the owner of the lodge who said she knew he had been sorting the permits as he had used her bank card in town. That didn´t reassure us at all but she seemed perfectly relaxed.
Finally at 9pm we got a text from him saying that he had only just secured the permits and politely asking that we try to organise things a bit more in advance next time! It seems that there had been so many people trying to book permits after the long week-end that the national park office had had to stay open until 9pm just to process them all.
So, having left the lodge at 8am that morning, poor Moses started riding the hour and a half back from town in the pitch black at 9pm that evening. We gave him a large tip when he arrived to make sure he knew just how much we appreciated his efforts.
It may have taken a few days and it may have been a difficult process but finally, finally, we had our gorilla permits and were going to trek through the rain forest to try and find them the very next day
Seeing gorillas is such an incredible experience that I have set aside a separate blog dedicated to our amazing day with them. I will post it next week, once I have worked my way through the volume of photos!
After five hours of trekking through the steep and dense mountains of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest we were elated but utterly exhausted. We had booked a river boat trip at the Queen Elizabeth national park for the next day so drove about two hours to a lodge which was half way.
By the time we arrived everything hurt, having stiffened up from the exertions of the trek. We were shown the camping facilities which were fine but nothing special so when the manager showed me a couple of chalets with ensuite bathrooms and large, comfortable beds, I didn´t need much persuading. And when I went back to James and told him the special deal we had been offered on the chalet – which included a three course dinner – I got absolutely no resistance whatsoever!
We slowly and painfully packed our overnight things into a bag and collapsed on the bed with groans of pleasure.
Although when all the lights went out later in the evening and the manager came round with a new battery for the solar system, inevitably James ended up installing it for him – it just seemed quicker!
We were up early the next morning to admire the view
Before driving the rest of the way to the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
This park is right on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and some of you may recall that two tourists were murdered there some years ago by the Islamist rebel group the ADF who came across the border to cause trouble. There have also been a number of other incidents in recent years with the ADF targeting locals. As such the UK´s foreign office advises against all but essential travel in this area.
For a few years this advice decimated Uganda´s tourist industry as the Queen Elizabeth is one of their premium national parks and suddenly no-one dared to visit. Things have improved since then as people started to realise that the incident with the tourists, whilst terrible for them and their families, was a one-off that could have happened anywhere. For us it was causing difficulties as our travel insurance would not cover us whilst we visited this part of the country. We were due to be in the ´danger´ area for about four days and during that time we would have no cover if anything were to happen.
We decided not mention anything about this to my Mum!
After a lovely drive following the border of the national park and looking out (unsuccessfully) for the famous tree-climbing lions, we arrived at the river and found our guide ready for the boat trip
It was a very relaxing morning gliding along the Kazinga Channel between Lake Edward and Lake George
We saw a number of elephants drinking at the river
Some buffalo, most of whom were the old ones cast out from the herd. These are the grumpy and dangerous ones but happily bobbing about in a boat I was more relaxed than I am when we meet them in Henry
There were so many hippos it was hard to move around them
I always promise myself I´ll stop taking photos of hippos but somehow they keep being so cute I can´t help myself!
Our captain spotted a monitor lizard in the bushes which was impressive given how hidden it was
And we watched a pair of Fish Eagles as they eyed up the neighbourhood. Apparently they mate for life, even after one has died the other never seeks another partner
But overall the enjoyment was more in a beautiful and peaceful ride rather than an animal extravaganza.
After returning to the shore we drove a few short minutes to a campsite on the edge of the park where they made us samosas for lunch. We had the key to the smallest chalet in the world to use the shower and toilet and the owner was very interesting to chat to.
At 4pm our guide arrived to collect us for our game drive around the park. When he asked what we were most interested in seeing and found out it was big cats, he took it a little too much to heart and we spent most of the afternoon tearing around the park hunting lions.
As we drove we saw a few lovely impala
Lots of waterbuck
And two grumpy buffalo who were far too close to us for my liking
We saw one lion through binoculars from a distance but other than that the trip was a bit of a wash-out.
He felt so disappointed for us that he met up with a colleague just before the end of the drive and the two of them took us and the guests in the other car off-road in the dusk desperately trying to find the lion we had seen earlier.
He was not technically allowed to take us off-road but it was exhilarating being on our own as the sun was going down searching the bush for predators.
We were in the south west of Uganda and our plan was broadly to head north a little way then east and finally exit into Kenya. Apart from gorillas, the biggest tourist attraction in Uganda is Murchison Falls where you take a boat trip to the bottom of the falls then hike up to the top. But Murchison Falls was a long way north, away from everything else we wanted to see, and we´d visited an awful lot of waterfalls recently so we decided not to go. One of those unorthodox decisions we had started to make more often these days.
Instead we planned to go only as far north as the Sampaya Hot Springs before heading back down again to the capital city, Kampala.
So off we went, excited to be marking a big milestone in our travels – we were about to cross the equator. Having spent over two years in the southern hemisphere we were going to be joining our family and friends back in the northern hemisphere again, at least for a short time.
There are many places where the equator is marked in this part of the world and our route up to the hot springs was to take us right past one of the monuments. We counted down the kilometers until we were at the spot only to find that the equator was closed for renovation!
Disappointed at the anti-climax we brushed ourselves down and carried on to the Rwenzori Founders Sculpture Gallery a few miles up the road.
This was a fascinating place full of bronze statues, many of which were beautifully displayed in the lovely gardens
I found this one fascinating – a depiction of corruption in the judiciary
And this one was close to our hearts after our time in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
But this chap was my favourite, such detail and a real sense of emotion
We had a tour of the workshop and foundry
And chatted to our craftsman guide who taught us all about how the moulds are made and fired
He showed us how they lift vats of liquid bronze weighing up to 90kg to pour it onto the moulds
After the tour we had a pot of tea and some simsim balls and chatted with them about life as a craftsman.
The whole area around here is full of volcanic craters and crater lakes and I was keen to see as many of them as possible. So we headed to the Bella Vista lodge, perched right on the edge of Lake Nyamiteza.
As always, we had to camp in the car park but there was a pretty garden right next to us where I could do my training
And the room we were given access to for the shower and toilet was great.
We wandered up to the restaurant area and looked out over the spectacular views from the second story viewing area
Even after opening a couple of the windows the room was stiflingly hot so after a short time of reading and admiring the views we were both sound asleep….
The great thing about this part of the world is that it may get very hot during the day but every evening the temperatures drops and it is surprisingly cool overnight. This night was no exception and we cooked a wonderful chicken curry for dinner and enjoyed a cool evening watching movies on our laptop outside.
I was greeted the next morning by a cute little cat who was keen to help me whilst I did my training. She was incredibly friendly and very nearly got hidden in the back of Henry as we drove off – one day I will find my travel cat!
More stunning mountain roads greeted us as we drove the rest of the way to the Sampaya Hot Springs – everywhere in this country was endlessly beautiful, no wonder Winston Churchill called it the Pearl of Africa
There are two hot springs at Sampaya – the female springs and the male springs. Named for the spirits who reside in each and nothing to do with who can visit.
We met our guide, another Jennifer, who made sure we had brought eggs and then took them and us to the female springs
She told us that the water in the fountains here is at 98.9 degrees
Whilst the rest of the pools only make it to 96 degrees
She found us a cooler corner near to the viewing platform and we placed our eggs under the water
As we waited we wandered around the pools and chatted to Jennifer who told us that she loves her job as the steam means she never has to pay to go to a spa!
10 minutes later lunch was ready and we scooped out our now hard boiled eggs and ate them with a splash of salt she had brought with her – lovely, if a touch too much sulphur…
It was a half hour, muddy walk through the forest to the male springs
These ones apparently getting as hot as 103 degrees
Less impressive to look at but you could feel the heat radiating off them
We walked back along the main road and it was scorchingly hot, we were very pleased to finally duck into the shade of the forest and back to the park headquarters.
These springs were also in the area where we were not supposed to be travelling but Jennifer said security was tight these days and there was never any trouble.
We drove back down south to The Top of the World – an area surrounded by three volcanic craters with spectacular views over the crater lakes. We decided against paying to go into the tourist viewpoint itself as reviews said it wasn´t worth the cost when there were so many other places to go for free with views just as good.
Instead we were going for lunch at the very upmarket Crater Safari Lodge. We hadn´t booked ahead as there didn´t seem any need but when we finally arrived we found that booking might have been a good idea…
The restaurant was closed for renovation – or rather a complete rebuild.
The staff and manager were lovely and wanted to avoid our disappointment. So they offered to put a table and chairs into the marquee in the grounds and serve us a three course lunch there.
We were thrilled
The grounds were beautiful
And the view over the lake was breath-taking
It was rather more expensive than we had anticipated but worth every penny just for the surroundings
We had struggled to decide which campsite to stay at around here as there were so many to choose from. In the end we had been persuaded by the owner of one place to stay with him because of the sheer number of photographs he had sent us and his persistence.
When we arrived we were not disappointed. The gardens were lovely, we were surrounded by tea plantations and if we craned our necks and stood in just the right place we could even see a crater lake!
Having spent many days engulfed in picturesque landscapes we were ready for a change of pace – next stop, the bustling capital city of Kampala. Renowned for being dirty, noisy and with mad traffic, we had needed the last few days of peace and calm to prepare ourselves for it.
At first the roads were good but after about four hours they descended into a pot-hole nightmare
At one point we were reminded of the roads in Guinea with thick, orange dust everywhere covering the trees and the houses
Then all of a sudden the dust turned white and we felt strangely as though we had taken a wrong turn into a Victorian Christmas scene
We stopped at a local market to buy passion fruit, pineapple and avocado, the abundance of Tanzania and Rwanda continuing in Uganda with fresh and delicious fruit and vegetables being available everywhere we looked.
Eventually we arrived in Kampala and it lived up to its reputation admirably. We had rarely seen such horrendous traffic – thousands of boda boda motorcycle taxis swarming the roads causing mayhem and grid lock everywhere
With no campsites in the city we had booked an AirBnB which seemed central and had good reviews. When we arrived it was so cramped that we could barely fit Henry inside the gates
But it was clean and comfortable – and they even had Netflix on a huge television. We plonked ourselves down on the sofa and fell asleep watching a movie on the biggest screen we had seen in months.
We had consulted with our AirBnB hosts on whether it would be better to leave Henry where he was and travel around the city on a boda boda because the traffic was so bad but in the end we decided to risk it. Whilst we never really regretted that decision, the city has officially won the enviable Jen and James award for ´Worst Traffic in Africa´.
We started our first day in the city at the Kabaka´s Palace. Kabaka means King and this palace was for the King of Buganda
This probably needs some explanation. Before Britain colonised the area, the country we were currently in was called Buganda. It had its own monarchy, well established administration structures and legal system. As a well run country it was one of the first that Britain targeted as it made their lives easier to use the existing systems. Over time Britain invaded and colonised other countries in the area and started to administer them all as a single entity. When they left, they drew a border around all the countries as one and named it Uganda – some Ugandans say the Brits simply got it wrong and forgot the ´B´!
So now, Uganda is a country with its own parliament and government as bequeathed by Britain but within Uganda is the Kingdom of Buganda which has its own separate parliament and King. The Bugandan King has power over most civil matters and is loved and respected by the people – apparently being one of the most loved monarchs in the world. By all accounts, the current king and most of his predecessors appear to be good and fair rulers, deserving of the praise.
Our tour of the palace was restricted to the grounds and the armoury – the palace itself is not open to the public. The palace is also not the permanent home of the King, rather he uses it only for meeting foreign officials. There is a good reason for the King not wanting to live here and that is down to a previous occupant and his infamous activities.
This palace used to be the home of the ´Last King of Scotland´ – the brutal despot, Idi Amin. During his time as President of Uganda in the 1970s, Idi Amin ruled as a military dictator, persecuted ethnic minorities and murdered up to half a million of his own people. He was finally ousted from power by the Tanzanian Army in 1979 but still managed to live a long and happy life in exile in Saudi Arabia where the royal family apparently paid him a generous allowance to stay out of politics!
Whilst the gardens were nice and the palace impressive, I have to admit that the main interest here was the legacy of Idi Amin.
We saw one of his canons
As well as his Bentley
Which was later converted into a plough
We were then taken to his armoury, which he quickly converted into a torture chamber
His victims were held in these rooms, originally built to house weapons. The area outside was then flooded with electrified water to make escape impossible.
It was a sobering visit, seeing the desperate messages scrawled onto the walls, this one saying ´you have killed me but what about my children´
Our guide was a very thoughtful man, well educated and knowledgeable. He showed us where the bark of fig trees had been stripped and hammered to make the canvas used for paintings
His collection of artwork was some of the most beautiful we have seen and I still regret not buying something from him
We walked past the barracks of the soldiers that guard the palace which are apparently considered a national disgrace and money is being found by the government to replace them
But the jack fruit trees were astonishing!
We took a quick detour to see the Kabala’s Lake, apparently the King himself joined in with the digging to create what was once a beautiful oasis in the city but is now rather neglected, the shores being used simply as markets and make-shift homes
There is a long, straight road that leads directly from the Kabala’s Palace to the Buganda Parliament
Along each side are statues depicting the creatures that the 56 tribes (or clans) of Buganda are named for
And there is a roundabout halfway up which everyone except the King himself has to drive around – the King has keys to the gates and is the only person who may drive straight across.
The Bugandan Parliament is a rather modern building having been constructed in the 1950s and is definitely of its era
With more depictions of the 56 clans on one of the walls in reception
We were shown around by a guide and were even allowed to go into the Parliament room itself
All around the walls were photographs of the King and his predecessors and we were given a brief history of each one – all of them having lived fascinating lives
Next up on our Kampala city tour was the Gaddafi Mosque – Uganda´s national mosque. It was built in 2006, commissioned by Colonel Gaddafi himself as a gift to the country for the benefit of the muslim population. It can hold over 16,000 people
We were both welcomed inside although I had to be wrapped up in traditional muslim dress
I was just pleased to be made to feel so welcome although the outfit was rather hot and made it difficult to walk up and down stairs
We wandered around inside soaking up the atmosphere
As we were wandering around it became time for the call to prayer. Our guide asked us to be quiet for a few minutes as the Muezzin came in and set up his microphone. We stood transfixed as his voice echoed around the mosque
It was an entrancing experience.
We finished our tour of the mosque with a long climb up 350 steps to the top of the tower – me fighting with my long dress!
At the top we had a fabulous view over the city
This city may have been choked with traffic but so far it was proving to be a fascinating insight into the workings of the country. We had seen so much already and we were only halfway through our first day, we had plenty to keep us occupied for some time yet…..
The Sidetracked Sagas 