So it begins

Forever red

Published Date : December 17, 2004

It rained overnight again.  Rather than try to drive through rivers of mud, we hung around Kisoro for the morning until things dried out a bit.  Retracing our path, we had a short drive back to Lake Bunyoni Overland Resort near Kabale. 

I did some laundry in the afternoon, but I don’t think I accomplished much.  Washing everything by hand in a small sink, it was never going to be a thorough clean.  My clothes still look filthy with everything tinged a faint rosy-brown from the dust and dirt. If nothing else, at least I managed to wash out the sweat and smell. 

After another truck dinner, I spent the evening chatting at the bar.

Sunshiny day

Published Date : December 18, 2004

Today was the ultimate lazy day.  Half of the group went on a tour of a nearby pygmy village.  I was not one of them.

After three days of rain, the sun finally made an appearance.  The day was hot and the skies were clear.  I slept in then spent the rest of the day reading, sunbathing and swimming in Lake Bunyoni.

“Bunyoni” translates to “place of many little birds” and it lived up to its name.  The great selling point for this lake though is not the wildlife though.  Lake Bunyoni is one of the few lakes in this part of the country that is safe to swim in.  Bilharzia, or Schistosomiasis, is a parasitic disease that’s rampant through this part of Uganda.

There are several small islands dotted throughout the lake and I briefly considered hiring a boat to take me out to one of them.  In the end, laziness ruled though.  That and the wicked sunburn that I managed to acquire.  Note to self: wear more sunscreen!!

Watching the sun disappear behind the clouds across the lake in a spectacular display of colour was a perfect end to the day.

Equatorial expert

Published Date : December 19, 2004

Today was another long, hot day in the truck making the return journey to Kampala. 

We stopped for lunch at the equator.  After eating we toured a local drum factory, then took the obligatory tourist photos at an equator monument.  So far on this trip, we have flown and driven back and forth across the equator three times.

Back in Kampala, we’re staying in the same camp as before.  I tried to call home, but couldn’t get through.  The internet connection was down as well.  Staying connected with the outside world is definitely proving challenging on this journey.

My sunburn was quite sore today so I called it an early night.  Cataloguing the rest of my injuries, I’m a bit of a mess at the moment. The bruise on my arm is healing well, turning to a lovely hue of purplish-green.  I’m still having issues with the bone in my foot popping in and out of joint and have taken to keeping it wrapped in the tensor bandage most of the time now.  On a positive note I’m happy to report that I’m completely over the gastrointestinal troubles from Syria.

As I was drifting off to sleep I heard the call to prayer faintly in the distance.  It seems a lifetime ago that I was in the Middle East.  Hard to believe that it has only been a couple of weeks!

Ngamba Island

Published Date : December 20, 2004

What a mission today was.  Several of us decided to make the journey out to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Lake Victoria.  Getting there took a 2-hour taxi trip to Entebbe, followed by a 2-hour boat trip out to the island.

Ngamba was established as a sanctuary in 1998.  The island is about 100 acres, most of it forested, and was developed as a place to house orphaned chimpanzees who were deemed incapable of returning to the wild.  On arrival we were given a brief history of the island and introduced to a couple of the resident chimpanzees.  Most of the animals here were rescued from poachers as infants, although some came to the sanctuary as adults.

After our introduction to the island, we had a couple of hours to explore at our leisure and watch the chimps frolic in the trees.  Watching the feeding was really entertaining.  It was a chance to really see the different personalities of all the animals.  Some were aggressive and quick to grab their share.  Others waited patiently for their turn.  There was one juvenile who even sat politely with his hand raised, as if waiting to be called by the teacher in class!

Most of the activity died down after the feeding as all the chimps retired to their hiding places to eat and nap.  There was one younger chimp who was keen to visit with us though.  Matt, one of the Australians in my group, sat on a rock resting his chin in his hand.  The young chimp immediately adopted the same pose.  And just like that the game began.  Matt would change position and the chimp would copy him.  The chimp would change position and Matt would copy him.  Back and forth it went until the chimp finally tired of the game and tumbled off to find a place to snooze.

Chimpanzees really are amazing creatures.

Leaving the island, we enjoyed a leisurely boat trip back to Entebbe.  We stopped briefly and enjoyed a swim in Lake Victoria along the equator.  That was two more journeys between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres today – this time by boat!  The traffic leaving Entebbe was much better than it had been this morning and it took only an hour to make the journey back to Kampala.

We stopped briefly in town to run some errands.  I changed some traveller’s cheques to US dollars while we were there.

I’m feeling a bit stressed about my financial situation.  If I want to continue my trip as planned, I’m going to need to break out the credit cards.  It took me a long time to finally clear myself of credit card debt when I first arrived in the UK, and I’m not too thrilled about the idea of living in the red again.  I don’t really want to, but I’m considering cutting my trip short.