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Diary - Uganda - Border to Kampala (21st Aug to 4th Sept)
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After getting harassed at the border by someone claiming our Insurance was not good enough we cruised across the border and into Uganda around midday. After grabbing some local cash we stopped at the next small village to grab a drink and something to eat to see us through our couple of hour journey towards Mount Elgon and Sipi Falls. It seems we are back to only buying drinks in glass bottles, which meant we had to loiter outside the shop and drink the drink, whilst everybody around stares at you! Standing on the dirt track by the little shop we were amazed that for the first time in ages we could drink coke without people coming up to us asking for things, it also gave us time to spy a street seller for a little snack. The small BBQ style vendor was preparing some tasty looking beef kebabs that looked much more appealing than the liver option.
With our order placed we were encouraged to take a seat next to a shop and chat to a local about various things. It turned out he was in charge of wells and bore holes in the area, describing that one well/bore hole provides water to 30 homes. Of course he did remind Steve about the multiple wife option they have and in fact he had two. Steve was quickly remaindered that this was not a viable option if he liked his man bits where they were. After a few minutes his four year old son appeared, like most children they seem to just have the freedom to wander around without adult supervision. On seeing us his expression changed to one of shock and confusion. His dad explained that he has never met a white person, just seen flashes as they drive past. He then introduced us and made the little boy shake our hands. He was so fascinated with the difference in our skin colours, holding our arms next to his gave a little grin. Steve even lifted his sleeve showing that he gets whiter and whiter making the grin turn into a smile and even a little giggle. With our orders ready we said our goodbyes and headed off. The Kebabs were tasty; the only oddity was they were made up of one cube meat, one cube fat, one cube meat and so one.
Sipi is known for a set of three water falls that cascade water from Mount Elgon down to the valley floor, through the almost jungle like appearance. The Crow’s Nest campsite has a lovely view across the hills and overlooks two of the three falls, a view that we have missed from other campsites recently. Out of a choice of tours, we opted for the ‘Short’ option, effectively taking us to the base of the biggest water fall. It turned out crucial to have a guide as you end up on muddy tracks that zig-zag through fields and steep descents. Half way down the hill the heavens opened and produced a mammoth down pour, causing us to have to shelter under a little hut for what seemed like an age. Of course this simply gave Katie time to have fun with the two little girls in ripped clothes that joined us out of the rain. Thankfully we went armed with our ponchos so continued slowly through the remnants of the shower. The walk was rewarded with a spectacular view of the falls, making them look fantastic as the water cascades over the edge, taking a leap of faith to the bottom.
With the ground saturated with water the previous path had turned into a mud slide, making the return journey a lot more difficult. Even with barefooted locals we slipped and slid about, proving that we need more practice. In fact it was another opportunity for Katie to demonstrate to Africans how badly coordinated and clumsy white people can be. The peak of Katie’s elegance was a big slip, with pirouette, culminating in splitting her trousers. We returned to camp looking like we had been to different places, with Katie covered in mud while Steve only had slightly muddy shoes. Of course during our great morning adventure we were shown how practice makes perfect with women flying past us whilst balancing things on their head. |
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After drying off from our walk we decided to head out again on a ‘Culture Walk’. Of course compared to the simple morning adventure this turned out a little bit disappointing. However some good bits came out of it, including finding out what coffee looks like before being man handled and getting to try the local brew. We ended up spending a couple of hours chatting to some locals whilst sharing a communal pot of beer. Not sure about the taste, especially as it is warm, but it is very social with the metre length straws. Though when an invitation was given for Steve to join next year’s circumcision festival, we made our excuses and made a hasty retreat. Katie felt a sigh of relief when informed it is now illegal for women.
We have spent a long time in Kampala, much longer than we had planned too but it has given us an interesting insight to this crazy bustling city. In Uganda everyone seems to be incredibly laid back with time being of no real importance. However as soon as they get on any form of vehicle something in their brain changes and they must get from A to B as quickly as they can, regardless of risking their life or passengers in the process. We have not been in as many grid lock situations anywhere else, as Cars will come from all directions with little thought or respect for others. Even when Police are guiding traffic, you will get people driving on the wrong side, through red lights and at whatever speed they like. Though saying they are all stupid is a mistake as most turn off their engines on down hill stretches to save fuel, regardless of not having brakes once they get to the bottom! Thankfully on one occasion when we did get clipped Gweneveer stood her ground (mainly because we were stationary), coming away un-scathed unlike the Mercedes back door!
It is now almost two weeks since our initial arrival to Kampala, originally greeted by the Dutch and a roll reversal as they had issues. However after the normal supply shopping and sort out we attempted to leave to go north, but having split from Roy and Sandy it was time to break down again! This time it was another wheel bearing but gave us more problems than before as we could not easily replace it. Instead we managed to gain some help from a couple of off duty mechanics who rallied around to get another bearing and somebody to get an angle grinder to clear the mess of metal from the axle. Of course this required borrowing electric from the Post Office we were parked next to, who charged us 5000Shillings (£1.60, though started at 15,000Shillings!). Whilst Steve was playing bush mechanic again, Katie spent most of the day surrounded by the local children looking at pictures and playing Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes! The result of the day found us limping back to Kampala instead of looking at Lions.
We managed to find a decent garage straight away and the White Kenyan owner, Christian, seemed to be sympathetic to our problems and has helped sort everything out for us, even lending us parts (whilst a faulty one was returned to Nairobi). He made us very welcome guests in Uganda and not only gave Steve a hair raising experience of going out in a 270Bhp Land Rover, rallying it down tiny dirt tracks, but also took us out for the afternoon onto Lake Victoria. Now when he mentioned that we would pop out and have a few sundowners, we did not expect the stealth like 550Bhp, pure fibreglass speed boat. Arriving at the mariner we were both lost for words when they stripped of the cover and lowered it into the lake, both looking at each other with total excitement. You can safely say that by the time we reached a little lagoon, surrounded by dozens of kingfishers, we had got our voices back but were completely overwhelmed by the speed and exhilaration. Our bodies hurt from being forced back into the seats so hard as Christian increased the speed. |
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As the weekend was upon us we had to sit about and wait till the new week began to sort out more bits. It is strange now being in a capital city in the middle of Africa and no longer having to worry about maps or GPS. It is a relaxing feeling and made even more surreal by going to the Cinema for a few hours. Thankfully it proved invaluable, being the perfect escape from our minds wanting to quit everything as it had us in stitches and laughing out loud, with only four people being in the cinema we weren’t worried how loud we laughed.
With a new lease of life and having to kill time until a new part arrived we headed back across the equator and into the warmer Southern hemisphere. Now if there was to be a more opposite place to camp compared to the city noise and chaos of the city, Lake Nabugabo was it. The campsite was tucked miles from anywhere, on the shoreline of another large lake, surrounded by a cacophony of birds and monkeys to keep your eyes alert (especially as the monkeys stole our baguette!). The feeling of calm and tranquillity was indescribable, even the lack of nibbles Steve was getting on his new rod could not dampen our spirits. We were so relaxed and content with staring at the water, the wildlife and reading that neither of us ventured more than 20 metres from the car on one day.
Having given up trying to catch a fish, we decided to buy one from the local fisherman using nets. Although Katie knew how to gut the fish, Steve was instructed to yank out the internals with his hands after she had sliced open the belly. The next problem was how to cook it as we are new to fish cooking, thankfully we were saved by Bob and Jackie turning up to not only share it but make sure we didn’t poison each other. The camp fire turned into a wonderful focal point as we sat, lit up by the full moon, drinking and chatting in the perfectly relaxing way outdoor living is intended to be.
As if things were getting to easy and normal we were about to be reassured that we would continue to have a strange amount of experiences to talk about. Having just come back to the Northen Hemisphere (something I think we need to stop doing), we were flagged down by the Police. Now in hindsight we should have ignored them like others do we will be definitely following suit in future. However being British we didn’t want to break the law, even though that was why Katie was then being shown a speed gun, 69Kmh in a 50Kmh. Confessing to her mistake we were taken to the Police station a stones throw away to complete the paper work and pay a fine. Of course communication didn’t seem to be high on the agenda and we were told we had to go to the court to pay. Like moral citizens we duly followed the other officer through town and were shown through a doorway that took us into the court room! Alarm bells started to ring but by the time Steve had gone back outside the officer had vanished. Five minutes later ‘Court’ was in session with the Judge summoning Katie to the pulpit to face him. After a confused set of steps that involved the Judge describing the crime and the prosecution then repeating word for word the same thing, his honour then described the same information back on a different piece of paper. Katie had a mixed looked about her, one similar to a rabbit caught in the head lights frozen in shock but almost laughing at the situation and the two men reading the same information back and fourth. The Judge then started to speak giving Katie a horrendous shock as he began with the worst being 2 years prison time, only to move swiftly to the lowest that Katie was to receive. The choice of punishment was either 300,000 Shillings (£100) or 6 months prison sentence, of course Steve quickly thought about the rest of the trip being nice and quite.
Looking back now we are several hours later it was a bizarre afternoon and set of circumstances that led us to be £100 lighter. But not something everybody experiences during an overland trip, especially when we proceeded to have a go at the Judge, Prosecution and then the Police Chief at why we didn’t just get given the 100,000 Shilling on the spot fine. Which we only found out after the sentence was delivered.
Africa, the more you try to understand, the more questions you have! |
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| For more photos please see the Gallery. |
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| Sipi Falls |
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| Poncho Clad |
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| Muddy Walk |
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| Colourful |
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| Local Brew |
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| Sunset From Sipi |
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| Bujagali Falls |
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| Roadside Repairs |
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| Tyre Toy |
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| Teacher Katie |
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| News Article |
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| Fishing |
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| Annoying Monkey |
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| Lake Naboguro |
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