A Year In Motion

The main reason we came to Uganda was to see the magnificent Mountain Gorillas who share 98.4% of DNA with us, humans. They are a critically endangered species due to poaching, victims of wars, human diseases, and loss of habitat. Much effort has been made to ensure their conservation. There are only about 800 gorillas of these species and they are all located in the border area between Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda. They were studied by Dian Fossey and then made famous in the movie “Gorillas in the Mist”. Because of her involvement in this cause she was later brutally murdered. She was not in favor of the gorillas being in contact with humans, but years later after her death the “Dian Fossey Foundation” changed its opinion on the matter. Nowadays for US $ 500 humans can spend one hour with these amazing creatures and that’s why we were in Uganda.

The baby, exactly like a teddy bear I had!

There are two places in Uganda where you can experience this close encounter. The most famous is Bwindi Impenetrable Park where six families of gorillas are habituated. Per family of gorillas, 8 humans are allowed to visit them, making 48 permits per day. That is the fact, the truth is that getting one of those permits is not an easy task for an independent traveler. Since many months ago we had been trying to get our hands on 2 permits. We had called and we had emailed the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) but there was never a reply. Once in Kampala we made our way to their headquarters and we were immediately told there were no permits available. After much begging, persuasion and a second visit to their office they “found” some permits available but for weeks ahead. They said that if we wanted it for anytime soon we should get a “package” from a travel agency. They even gave us the names of the agencies. The package includes the permit, accommodation and transport, and costs more than US $ 1000 per person. We really wanted to see the gorillas but not at that elevated price. They proceeded to explain to us that the travel agencies have the right to buy as many permits as they wish and they can do it 3 years in advance. We told them we thought it was outrageous and it was a monopoly, and incredibly the employee replied: “we have to protect Ugandan businesses”. Silly of us to think that the mission of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) was to protect the wildlife with the US $24000 they get daily from tourists who purchase the gorilla permits for Bwindi only. We both were angry and disappointed that we might not get a chance to see the gorillas after all. What a coincidence, previously in the day I had a glimpse at a local newspaper, and it had an article of the corruption regarding gorilla permits and how some employees and senior officials had just been suspended from their posts pending an investigation as they were favoring certain businesses. Before leaving the UWA I did not waste the opportunity to mention the news article to the employee.

Big silverback giving us his back

We were not giving up! We knew that there was another habituated gorilla group that we had a shot at visiting. They are located in the Virunga Mountains a chain of volcanoes in between the three countries of DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. In the Ugandan side the park is called Mgahinga National Park. Travel agencies rarely have an interest in this permit as there is a catch: this gorilla family, the Nyakagezis, moves freely through the three countries so there is no guarantee it will be in Uganda. If gorillas are not seen, then most of the money has to be refunded to the client. Uganda is not a big country for African standards, but Mgahinga is in a remote corner and not easily accessible. We called the park’s office directly and they were very nice. They told us that the gorillas were currently in Uganda and that there were two permits available for 5 days later and that we did not have to pay until the actual day. Woohoo! All we had to do was cross our fingers and hope the gorillas were not interested in crossing borders this week and get ourselves to South West Uganda, or as Winston Churchill called it “the Pearl of Africa”.

I was hanging from the bus door

First we had to get from Kampale to Kabale. This would be our last long bus ride in Africa, and probably our most memorable one. They told us it would only take six hours, we knew better. The bus was not so nice but it was the only daytime bus we could find. For some reason 95% of the long distance buses in Uganda travel by night. For obvious reasons we refuse to take night buses in Africa. Boarding the bus was chaotic, much pushing and shoving. I could understand the conductor telling everyone not to take seats 17 and 18, and something about muzungus (whites). Those were our seats. It turned out we were the only ones with seat numbers and a seat per person. I can only guess that it was because we paid more than the locals. In this case I did not mind because we got our own seat, not half a seat or a third of a seat. The bus was fully loaded people even with many people standing up in the aisle. Even as we pulled out of the station and had gone several blocks people kept getting on the bus. I could see from the window how they were hanging from the bus, and even like that more people kept trying to get on. It was our last long bus journey in Africa so I didn’t mind. Tony was in the aisle and people were almost on top of him but he would protest and since we were “VIP” the conductor would tell them to move.

Local cows in South West Uganda are very horny

We had not gone far when a motorized police officer stopped the bus. How could he not with people flying out from the door? He made about 30 people get off and minutes later he came on the bus. He made a speech and said that the Government of Uganda cares for the security of its people and will not let them die in any more bus accidents, that no people were allowed to travel standing up and more importantly that this bus had two damaged tyres and he had ordered the bus driver to go change them before we continued the journey and that the passengers should make sure he did that. I was impressed! But the Ugandans were unimpressed, they starting giving out to the police officer and telling him that he was delaying our journey… I couldn’t believe it! Once the driver started the bus again I honestly thought we were going to a station to change the tyres. We did go to a station but only to get gas, the tyres were never changed. I told Tony we should insist to the bus driver to change them, but he thought we should just go with the flow. I agreed, the Ugandans would probably kick us off the bus and we would have to say goodbye to our shot of seeing the gorillas. All left to do was bless ourselves and pray.

Tony at a stop

We did arrive, 3 hours later but alive. The road was not in the best condition either and we did see a couple of accidents. We stopped at several towns to unload passengers and load more and the bus would be overflowing through the door. I had to take a toilet break in one of the towns and when I came back I was unable to go back to our seat, I was one of the passengers hanging from the door for some minutes. After much negotiating and brute force Tony standing in our seat was able to pull me by the arms as I climbed over people. We got stopped by the police at least 8 more times but nobody was taken off the bus or was the driver obliged to change the tyres. I guess his negotiating skills are very good…What a ride!

Countryside villages

One of the observations we have made during our innumerable bus rides in Africa is about the beauty of African babies. About half of the women in the buses have babies with them, that is a lot of babies. In the Western world this would mean a nightmare trip, there is nothing worse than going on a long plane ride with a baby nearby. Well in Africa it’s not like that, all babies are so well behaved. We do not understand how but they are all very quiet and don’t cry. The only time we had baby trouble was when Tony gave his seat to a German woman with an infant who did not have a seat. Not only did he cry all the way, but he threw tantrums, started kicking me in the face and I had to give him my cookies as he started yelling when he saw me eating. African women are doing something right and they should teach it in the West.

The Pearl of Africa

We thought the worse was over but it was far from that. It was too late to travel to Kisoro, the gateway to Mhaginga. We were told the next bus was at 3 am. No thanks! It was only 75 km from Kabale so we had no concerns about time. At that point we did not know how remote in Uganda we were. Besides the big bus at 3 am, there are minibuses that travel to Kisoro and “special hire taxis”. We learned that there is only one minibus and it takes about five hours to fill up with passengers each time and it had just left. We also learned that the taxis take seven passengers where only four fit, so we were not willing to go with them. We tried hard to negotiate a private taxi but they wanted too much money from us. Really, we were not being tight, but we refuse to be ripped off by so much. For the 75 km ride they wanted about 50 Euros, in Africa, in a very old beaten car…No way! Next day we would have to pay $1000 for the gorilla permits so we could not afford to just give money away. So we started hitchhiking. We have never ever done that as we know the risks implied but we were left without a choice. Many trucks were willing to take us, except no one was going to Kisoro, as it appears to be an even more remote location.

Mgahinga mountain behind us

Just when we had given up and were heading back into the town centre a driver in a new car asked us if we were going into Kisoro. I had my doubts as we did not know how he knew we were going there, we had stopped hitching by that point. He told Tony that it was his hometown and he was going to a wedding. He did have a suit hanging in the backseat and shiny shoes so Tony told me to get in. He agreed to take us for about 15 Euros. Just in case, I was prepared to fulminate him with 100% DEET insect repellent spry, the only weapon I had. The road out of Kabale was excellent, in top condition. I thought we would be there in less than an hour. Halfway the road stopped, there were barely dirt tracks the rest of the way. We had a dose of very strong “African Massage” as they call it. The trip did take more than two hours. When cars came the other way we would have to stop as we would be under a big cloud of dust unable to see anything around us. Locals in Kisoro told Tony that they have been neglected by the government and they have been asking for this road for 30 years and only now they have started it. They said that the rest of Uganda calls them “Rwandans” as they are incommunicated from Uganda and closer to Rwanda. Bosco turned out to be a very nice and intelligent guy. He really was going to a wedding, when we arrived his whole family was waiting for him in their suits and gowns outside their house. He told him he had to take us first into town, he did, and he did not want to leave us until we found a hotel that was suitable. We insisted he go and get ready for his brother’s wedding. A suitable hotel we never found. But no problem, hakuna matata, tomorrow was gorilla day and that was all that mattered.

Hello big boy!

The next day we would drive 10 km to Mhaginga Park for our gorilla adventure. As expected we took 45 minutes for 10 km as the way was very bad and same conditions to the Rwandan border, which we went to after seeing the gorillas. The border at Cyanika is very quiet as there is not much traffic through there being so inaccessible. The South West of Uganda is astoundingly beautiful. Many lakes, hills, mountains, volcanoes, and crops in terraces make it a delight for the eyes.

We visited the Nyakagezi Gorilla Family along with 5 other tourists. Because it is so hard to get to Mhaginga and because of the uncertainty about the location of the gorillas not many venture there. Basically anyone that shows up in the Kisoro office can get a permit within the next few days. However it is always better to call in advance first to inquire if the gorillas are in Uganda.

There was a guide and two armed guards that led our trek. Two trackers armed with machetes to clear the way had left before us to locate the gorillas and radio us. About an hour later we were with the Nyakagezis. The trek was a bit uphill and not so easy for a few, but Tony and I had no problems, except with the occasional nettles poking my nose. Fortunately that day the gorillas were at the middle of the mountain as sometimes they can be at altitudes of over 4100 meters. Once we got close to the gorillas there was no trail except for what the trackers had cleared off with their machetes. They were not gorillas in the mist, they were gorillas in the clear! They were just adorable, big, tall and fluffy! We saw at least 9 members of the family including the chief silverback and the babies. It was a humbling experience to see these giants so similar to us from a few meters away.

I am glad I saw them but I think Dian Fossey was right, they should not be in contact with humans. I would not do it again. Tony and I both came to the conclusion that invading them was probably not right. Although they are very pacific beings it was obvious we do cause them much distress. We would go after one and then he would hide, then we would turn around and follow the tracker who would cut our way to get to the other one and then he would hide also, and so on… When they were sleeping we would all surround him and take pictures, then he would turn around to sleep on the other side, and then we would move to the other side, until he got tired and angry and would go hide. One got really angry and made a big noise like a loud bark and charged us, but not intending any harm. They could easily crush us if they wanted.

Gentle Giant

Imagine if a group of 8 strangers came daily to your house and followed every move of the family members for an hour. Would you like it? I certainly would not! I just witnessed one of the most amazing creatures on earth and agree that everything has to be done to ensure their conservation and contact with humans is not one of them, as they are very susceptible to human diseases. We should have been wearing face masks at least, I am guilty as charged. I only know all this now after having the briefing, seeing them and post research. Gorillas are incredible noble and intelligent creatures. We should all learn form them.

All the photos are uploaded here

The next day we travelled from Jinja to Kampala by minibus. Another reason to like Uganda is that there is no overloading of minibuses (at least around Kampala) – one person per seat. The journey was little more than an hour, and dropped us in the middle of crazy traffic in Kampala centre. There must be some organization to the chaos, but it’s not immediately evident. We got a hotel in the centre and set off exploring the city.

K-razy Kampala

Mosque on one of Kampala's many hills

Most of what I know about Kampala comes from the guidebook and the film, The Last King of Scotland. One of the things I liked from the latter was that country music is popular in Uganda, and although I didn’t manage to catch any live performances, it was still funny to walk down a street in an African city and hear different shops playing country music.

Breakfast in Kampala

Another thing about Kampala is that the cheapest and quickest form of public transport is the “boda boda” – the motorcycle taxi. Kampala is built on hills, and is very spread out, so we had to jump on a boda boda on several occasions. For a small fee, you can pay a complete stranger to take your life in his hands without any guarantee of arriving at your destination. No helmets, three people per bike, and a safety record that claims up to 5 people daily, it was careless, stupid, and a lot of fun. Boda bodas are part of the culture of Uganda, and it’s a great way to get chatting to the locals, once you agree on a price.

Clear Signage in Kampala

Busy rainy streets of Kampala

A lot of our time in Kampala went into seeking visas for our subsequent travel to Ethiopia. Ninfa cannot obtain a visa on arrival (being from Honduras) for some strange reason, and the Ethiopian Embassy would not arrange one for her either as she is not an East African resident. In fact the consul would not even come out of her office to discuss the matter with us, but advised her secretary to tell us that Ninfa had to travel to the USA to apply for her visa there. Standing in an Ethiopian Embassy in Uganda, it seemed the idiocy of the suggestion was evident to everyone but the Consul. Needless to say, we were annoyed.

Boda boda boys - only way to travel in Kampala

Given our new dilemma, we quickly gathered our thoughts and decided to rearrange our African itinerary. We had originally planned to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda. We were going to do that in Uganda, and therefore drop Rwanda. Also, when we were planning our trip in the comfort of our apartment in Dublin, we had intended being out of Africa by 1 September, including some time in Egypt. It was the 20th of August, and we were in Uganda, so 1 September was never going to happen.

As a result, we went into the Rwandan embassy (next door to the Ethiopian Embassy) and they advised us that we needed to apply online for our visa, but that we could both enter without a problem. So our new itinerary was decided. Ethiopia was off the agenda. Instead, we would spend a few days in Rwanda, and head to Egypt before leaving for South East Asia on schedule on the 1st of September.

Ninfa wanted a new bag in Kampala but couldn't decide

We spent the rest of our time in Kampala organizing our onward trips. We did have time to partake in a meal of traditional Ugandan food. Before visiting Africa, I was expecting loads of fruit and I don’t know what else. But one thing I didn’t expect was the abundance of root vegetables. We ate matooke (like a condensed turnip), sweet potato, cassava roots, pumpkin and best of all – Irish potatoes! They might not know a lot about Ireland in the middle of Africa, but they sure know that we like our potatoes!

We also got a chance to see some African music in concert. Every evening, a local band plays in the National Theatre along with traditional dancers. The crowd isn’t big, but it’s an enjoyable night, and you can’t come to Africa without indulging in one of its greatest riches – its music.

While we were in Kampala, it rained as well – probably the last thing we were expecting in August on the Equator. But seasons in Africa aren’t the same as our summer and winter. It’s wet or dry, and although officially it was dry, it rained. We took a walk through the muddy streets, dodging between porters bearing all sorts of loads, women selling bananas by the bunch (of 200!), and new friends eager to talk with a muzungu (Swahili for “white person”). We bought our tickets to the South at the old bus station, and prepared to depart to the famous south-west of Uganda, which is, as Winston Churchill famously described, the “pearl of Africa”.

Uganda and Tanzania both border the huge Lake Victoria, but there are no ferries operating the route, so the only option for us to make it from Arusha to Kampala was via Kenya. Travelling fast through Africa becomes a costly exercise, mainly in entrance visas. Kenya is quite cheap in comparison however, with the standard visa at $25 for three months, or a transit visa of up to a week for only $10. I’m fast running out of space on my passport though, so although our transit visa was cheap, it took up a full page of my passport. Only 9 full pages empty for the rest of our world tour – will I make it around the world?!

Home is a place called Tanzania

The bus ride from Arusha to Nairobi is along a road which is under complete reconstruction and through some of the driest land in East Africa. We had a complete African Spa experience – the traditional African Massage as the bus bumped and jostled all along the road caressing our muscles with all the tenderness of a bulldozer, and an African Hammam where we could sit sweating in a confined space inhaling clouds of dust instead of steam. We were filthy and tired by the time we got to Nairobi around 10pm. Nairobi has a reputation for being top of the charts of Africa’s most dangerous cities, along with other worthy contenders such as Johannesburg. But unlike other cities, it was still buzzing after dark. Nonetheless, as we had a connection to Kampala the next morning at 7am, we opted not to discover Nairobi by Night, but instead checked into the first hotel we saw which was right next door to the bus office. In Africa, almost all bus routes are run by private operators which means that most of the better companies do not depart from the central bus stations. We had booked with a trans-African operator, Kampala Coach, which offers a Royal Class service from Nairobi to Kampala with luxury armchairs (only three people to a row!), and we treated ourselves to a little transportation indulgence, well warranted after our day at the spa.

For all the Kenyan money we had - chips! - maybe Irish potatoes

The drive through Kenya was beautiful, with rolling hills, and lush verdant valleys. If it wasn’t for the banana trees, you’d be forgiven for thinking you weren’t in Africa at all – it certainly defies the stereotype. We passed through field upon field of tea plantation and it was great to see the land yielding its massive potential. The formalities at the border were completed without a hitch, and in the Ugandan immigration office they even had a TV showing the first day of the English Premier League. Add to that the fact that Irish people are the only non-Africans to be able to enter Uganda free of charge, and I felt at home right away. Ninfa had to pay $50 and there was no TV showing Sex and the City, so she didn’t feel quite as much at home but was still excited.

I can feel at home in Kenya too, if only for a night

We continued on our journey, and decided to disembark 100kms before Kampala in a town called Jinja. Jinja is famous for being at the source of the Victoria Nile (the Nile has many sources, and this one emanates from Lake Victoria), and being home to some of the best white-water rafting in the world. We thought we’d give it a go. Our first impressions of Uganda were good as well, as a minibus brought us from the bus stop on the main road into town free of charge, and a local girl called Anita was really kind and guided us to our hotel.

Fellow rafters

The next morning we set off to Nile River Explorers for our rendez-vous with our fellow rafters. At breakfast we met a New Zealand couple, Tim and Helen, who are volunteering in Uganda, and a Spanish couple travelling through Africa. When we arrived at the river, we decided to team up in a boat together. Each boat should have a crew of 8, one of which is the guide who steers and controls the raft. We were only 7, which meant a bit more rowing exercise for us boys.

Here we go!

The rafting takes us 30km along the Nile and starts at the foot of a dam. Over the first few kms, the water pushes the raft along nicely, and Henry, our skipper, took the opportunity to give us the safety drills and instructions on how to reach the other end still alive. Still not feeling confident, we hit our first rapid. It was a grade 3 and was no problem even for debutants. Rapids are graded according to their difficulty and force, with Grade 6 being similar to a rocky high-speed waterfall, and Grade 1 being something for all the family. It wasn’t long until we hit the Grade 4s, and the Grade 5s, and inevitably our first flip. Flips are fun as it involves holding on to the raft for dear life, only to be catapulted into the air, sink into the churning water, panic while you’re completely disoriented, only to somehow surface and have a safety kayaker waiting for you and pulling you to safety. Quite a buzz, and all this in a split second!

Survived the mighty Nile rapids!

After around 10 of the 15 or so rapids, we had lunch on the boat, and jumped into the water to cool down from the sun. The currents in the water are so strong, and rafting gives a new respect about the forces of nature, and the power of the great river, as you speed along without any effort at all. At times, however, the water is still as a lake, and you begin to realize what 30kms is when constantly rowing. All along the river, the villagers use the river as a fundamental life-source, for everything from clothes-washing to fishing to their daily bathing – we saw more than a few naked men drying off on the riverside, alas the ladies must have been in a more secluded area.

What a way to end the day!

Our final rapid was a combination of a Grade 6 and a Grade 5. We shored and walked around the Grade 6, but what a mighty sight it was. Our skipper Henry told us how dangerous Grade 6 can be, he himself having spent 45 seconds underwater when he last tried one. The fact that one of them is called the Dead Dutchman probably tells you all you need to know. We got back on the raft at the bottom of the Grade 6, and unanimously agreed to “paddle hard” (get the biggest thrill with the biggest risk of flipping) at this our final rapid. We got halfway down the ferocious rapid, and I have no idea what happened. By some freak of fortune, I was still in the boat with the Spanish couple, while Helen and Tim were being rescued by kayaks, and Ninfa was already 100m downriver bobbing right through the rapid followed by some floats which previously were part of our boat. Our crew was now reduced to a few, and we paddled like crazy into the middle of the rapid again, and crashed down into a spray of white water, and somehow came out the other side with the adrenaline rushing. It was crazy! We paid $125 each for the pleasure, which includes a barbecue and beers at a campsite overlooking the rapids. The bar was also showing the Arsenal game, in which they scored a last-minute equalizer against Liverpool – a great way to end to a great day. And oh, the next day on the drive out of Jinja, we saw our first crocodile in the Nile …