So it begins

Water and cell phones don't mix

Published Date : December 21, 2004

We have experienced some incredible thunderstorms over the last week or so.  The one last night topped them all.  With deafening thunder and spectacular lightning strikes, it was awe-inspiring.  It was the rain that was the most staggering though.  A torrent of water poured from the sky lasting for almost an hour.  It started and stopped so rapidly it was as though someone had turned a tap.  The sheer volume of water to hit the ground was nothing less than astonishing.

I was not surprised to wake up in a puddle of water this morning.  As sturdy as our tents are, I doubt anything could have survived the pounding they took last night without leaking.  Unfortunately for me, I had brought my CD player and cell phone into the tent with me last night. When I picked them up and water poured out of them I knew they were both toast.  Sigh.

After our soggy start to the day, we had another fairly long day on the road.  We stopped off briefly at Jinja again to pick up the white water rafting DVDs for our group, then continued on to Mount Elgon National Park.

Sipi

Published Date : December 22, 2004

The sun was shining once more for our last day in Uganda.  I’ve enjoyed our time here, but I’m also glad to be moving on.

Our camp was located on the hillside just a two-hour hike from Sipi Falls.  The cooler temperatures here were a nice reprieve from the constant heat and humidity in the rest of the country.  The path took us past lush green hills, coffee plantations and rocky cliffs. 

It was a beautiful area and I would have loved to spend more time here.  Alas, tomorrow we head back into Kenya.

Christmas Eve

Published Date : December 24, 2004

The border crossing back into Kenya yesterday was quick and painless. After a full day of driving we made camp in Eldoret for the night.

We had a very late start this morning because Tristan had his wallet stolen. So while he spent the morning filing a police report, the rest of us took the opportunity to run some errands in town. I managed to get my cell phone working again, but the battery is fried, so I can’t have it on for more than a few minutes at a time. I was hoping to get a chance to send off some emails in Eldoret. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. The internet connection was slow and unstable. It took 20 minutes just to bring up my inbox so I only had time to send off a quick message letting everyone know I was still alive.

My family have always been supportive of my desire to see the world, but they were less than thrilled about the prospect of my travels through Africa. They are a lot quicker to worry these days when I don’t check in on a regular basis. I’ve tried to explain to them that communication with the outside world is a luxury through Africa. Internet is not widely available, and where it can be found it’s slow and unreliable. Cell phone coverage is sporadic at best, and to call North America from a landline costs me from US$3-5 per minute. Not exactly cheap!!

While annoying, my family’s concern is understandable. Greg, on the other hand, should know better having travelled in Africa himself. I’ve been less than impressed with the last few messages I’ve gotten from him. It’s hard enough being apart without him chastising me for not staying in touch often enough *sigh*

After Tristan finally settled all of his legal affairs in Eldoret, we settled in for a long afternoon on the truck. We arrived at Lake Nakuru in the early evening. After another truck dinner, we wiled away the rest of the night with a raucous fancy dress party in the bar with another overland group. It certainly doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve.

A leopard for Christmas

Published Date : December 25, 2004

We were up with the sun this morning for our first real game drive of the trip.  Not five minutes after passing into Lake Nakuru National Park, we were gifted with a leopard sighting!  Merry Christmas to us!!  The enormous cat was completely indifferent to our presence, walking parallel to the road not 30ft away from us.  Gorgeous!  Now if only I had a camera that was capable of  focussing in low light conditions…

The “Big Five” are the five game animals in Africa that are the most dangerous to hunt: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.  The phrase has been adopted by safari companies and is widely used for marketing purposes.  With our leopard sighting, we have now successfully seen them all.

Being in predator territory, we were confined to our truck for most of the day.  By mid-morning, it was hot and hazy, but we were rewarded with a pride of lions in the distance.  We also saw endless herds of antelope, zebra, and buffalo.  We even saw another rhinoceros!

Heading to the shores of Lake Nakuru, the water was hardly visible beneath the sea of pink flamingoes.  Thousands upon thousands of the birds waded through the shallow waters.  Leaving the shoreline behind, we continued our drive around the lake before stopping at the Baboon Cliffs for a spectacular view of the entire lake.  With half a dozen other overland groups there, we didn’t stay long though.

We had been hoping to enjoy a swim at a nearby waterfall for some respite from the heat of the day.  Unfortunately, the water levels were so low that the falls were nothing more than a trickle and the pool at the base a stagnant swamp.  Instead, we made ourselves lunch and sat in the shade of some trees, while keeping a watchful eye on the baboons.

Baboons are usually not dangerous, but if they become threatened they can become very aggressive and violent.  They are clever animals and are not the type to pass up an easy meal.  Troops that are accustomed to humans are not at all shy about stealing food.  They have even been known to break into cars if they know there is food inside.  The troop resident to the waterfall area are very accustomed to people, but today they were more interested in avoiding the heat of the day than harassing us.

Returning to camp, we enjoyed a nice Christmas dinner in the lodge, then spent the rest of the evening in the bar.  I couldn’t resist the piano in the corner and stretched my fingers over a few Christmas carols and the odd song that I knew from memory.  After more than two years without a piano, it felt fantastic to play again.