13th July Fiona's Perspective

This morning we were up early with a view of the lake from our tent window. We then had a cold shower, coffee and flapjacks made by the twins.

The last two days have been spent in a Tsetse fly area. They are persistent little buggers and fly up to 30km per hour, so out running them is not an option and on these roads driving is also often not an option either. They are attracted to dark colours and it seems only certain people. Gavin of course got bitten, everything bites him! They occasionally sat on me, but never bit me. I think they didn't like the smell of G&T's!!!

We set off at 8am for Entebbe via Kampala. We are anticipating big delays around Kampala with traffic being diverted and possible Police or army roadblocks after the Bombings on Sunday eve. We already went through a few smaller Police stops, which comprise of a sign in the middle of the road saying 'Police Stop' and 3 or 4 police standing around with AK47's.

There have been very few places where an armed guard is not present. The hotel in Entebbe had 2 guards with AK47's, Jane has an armed guard at her house at night and outside every bank/ATM you will find them. When Jane and I went to the local cafe, there was an armed Guard outside that too.
Military or Police Bakkies pass you on the road with a couple of guys in the back wearing uniform with rifles in full view.

We drove through villages for the first hour of the journey and handed out pens to school children on their way to school. The joy and excitement of receiving a gift as small as a pen was wonderful to watch. The smiles where huge and if one child managed to grab more than one pen, they would run away with a few others in hot pursuit.

We drove through the Budango forest this morning and stopped to get out and listen to the birds (as instructed by Paul). The wonderful sound of hundreds of birds was cut short by Alan yelling that something was on his foot and he could not get it off, as he was in the middle of a bush wee !!! A beetle/tick like insect had crawled between his toes and sunk 2 pincers into the soft skin. When I got hold of it and pulled, it did not come off easily at all. It seemed to have hooked itself into the skin. Africa is not for sissies.

Trucks and buses drive at high speeds, whether the roads are good, bad, dirt or a single track, so it is no surprise when the occasional burnt out bus is seen lying next to the road.

We stopped at Luwero, en route to Kampala for a Rolex from a roadside stall. This was Gavin & Jen's first roadside experience of Chapatti with an omlette inside. Jen thought we were taking her to a restaurant for Chapatti's and coffee. No coffee in sight, but she picked up a pineapple for R3.30 and Lunch for about R2.00

I think it would be hard to starve in this country as everywhere you look there are fruits & Vegetables for sale and if you have no money, there are bananas, melons etc growing wild alongside the road. The Ugandans are a slim nation and you very seldom see a fat person.

Arrived back in Entebbe. Alan & Gavin went off to Paul's workshop to see if they could sort out Gav's vehicle....

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11th - 12th July Fiona's perspective

We awakened to our curious Hippos and Jane and Paul boiling water for coffee. After coffee and crunchies, we packed up camp. The twins and Gareth are obviously seasoned campers and love the bush. No supervision was needed from Jane & Paul and before you could have a second cup of coffee, the tents were packed and the Goldrings were packed and ready to leave.

Today's plan was to game drive, cross over the Nile to the south, via the Car Ferry and head for the Falls.

Gavin seems to have a broken Air shock on his Cruiser, which doesn't surprise me after the roads we have traveled.
I think we might have to return to Entebbe for it to be fixed before we leave Uganda. He also seems to have been bitten by every type of bug, insect and mosquito in Uganda! Poor Gav! He even has heat rash.

In Uganda you have to iron all your clothes after washing as the Putsi fly lays its eggs in damp clothing and then when you wear them the heat of your body hatches the eggs and the worms burrow under your skin and hatch! The only way to kill them is to iron everything. I'm terrified of this happening, so I will wait for Kenya to wash my clothes.

After our camping excursion with Jane&Paul, Gavin and Jennifer are probably going to head for the Ngorogoro crater and we might head to the Masai Mara as the annual Migration is in full swing. We will then proceed through Malawi and then into Mozambique, where we will meet up again.

I intend meeting up with my Domestic workers sister and son in Malawi. Elizabeth prefers the Rice and Mielie meal from Malawi, so we will stop at the Tete border post going into Malawi and get some from her sister. Apparently the best Mielie meal is the one made at home, hence not buying from a shop. On the way to the border into Mozambique, we will travel via Blantyre where Patience, her son is in school at a little rural village outside town. We have kept some Soccer balls aside for the school and of course Patience.

By 12noon we had got to the Ferry in order to cross over to the south of the Nile. After crossing, we packed a cooler box with snacks and drinks and got onto one of Jane&Pauls boats. We went for an hours cruise along the river, viewing Hippo's by the dozen, Elephant and lots of buck along the waters edge.

Another 40min drive to the campsite along the raging banks of the Nile. Before setting up camp, we all put on costumes and walked down another little known path to a corner of the river just above the falls where a couple of metres away from the raging rapids a small calm tidal pool awaited the hot and thirsty travelers. Cold Nile beers and a swim in the Nile!! A perfect way to end the day.

We walked down to the falls, which are very impressive. The river narrows from about 500m wide to about 20m wide. The pure force of the water is unbelievable.

That eve dinner was a hurried affair, although Alan was braaing fillet and refused to rush the process!
Shortly after dinner all parties rushed off to the closest TV to watch the Soccer World cup final, a mere 45min drive. Alan and I chose to stay in camp, sit around the fire and have some quiet time!

We woke up to the news of the 2 bombs in Kampala! We are going back that way, but have decided to stay in Entebbe whilst Gav sorts out his vehicle.

So I suppose the drunk soldier had it half right about the Somali's coming...

We packed up camp once again and proceeded down the river to the last campsite on this leg of the journey.
We set up camp, had some lunch and then got onto another one of Jane&Pauls boats for a 3hr trip up to the falls and back before dinner. Accompanied by the occasional G&T. Have to keep the Mozzies away!!!

Food, boat ride, food, drink, sleep....hard life!!!

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10th July Fiona's Perspective

We saw Jess off at 5.30am this morning. 6kg over in her luggage allowance, but Jess negotiated away an excess charge of $60 per kg.

We set off at about 8am to Murchison Falls National Park with Jane, Paul, Sian, Amy and Gareth. The aim was to camp for 3 nights out in the middle of nowhere.

The first stop was for a mid morning snack. We found a stall along the road selling Chapatti's. This time we had a Rolex, omlette wrapped inside the Chapatti's (rolled eggs, hence the name). Delicious and only R2.50 or 600 Ugandan Shillings.

The next stop was a lodge that Jane wanted to view for future placement of clients. They are Tour operators and own a company called G&C Tours. Chobe lodge was situated on the Nile, with floor to ceiling glass frontage, giving you spectacular views from anywhere. Wetherlys style leather couches finished the chic look.

We then entered the park via a little used track, traveling for 90km, stopping occasionally to hold back branches and pull away fallen trees to allow for passing.

We had numerous sites of Buffalo, which seem to thrive in this environment as they are everywhere. Elephants, Giraffe, Topi, Cob, Water buck and Thomsons Gazelles were to be seen in great numbers too.

We met up with Jen and Gav at about 5.30 after a full day of driving. They met us at an Airstrip in the reserve, which was guarded by a drunk soldier who told me he was protecting us from the invading Somali's. I now feel much safer!!!

We carried on for another 40minutes until Paul turned off onto yet another little track which was not shown on the Garmin! This led us to a secluded spot next to Lake Albert. Our only company about 10 Hippo's. Thank goodness they chose to stay in the water and view us from a distance (50 m).
We set up camp before dark and enjoyed Jamesons and Waragi Gin whilst listening to the grunting and snorting of the Hippo's close by.

Paul set up a makeshift shower for us after dinner. It consisted of water from the lake, warmed in a metal bucket on coals on the fire. The bucket has a pipe put into it with a pump running off the car battery. The water pumps up through a pipe to a shower head affixed to the side of your car. So basically you are showering out in the open with nature as your shower curtain.

That night I went to sleep to the sounds of Hippo exiting the water in search of food.
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Photo's from Uganda - Fiona

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9th July Fiona's Perspective

After leaving Ndali lodge it was a 5 hour trek back to Kampala and then eventually Entebbe. The roads were great for about 3 hours after which they deteriorated back into dirt and potholes. It was heavy going as there were lots of trucks and buses on the road. I think this is the first country I have been to where buses overtake cars at high speed. Being stuck behind a fast moving bus means that you are driving in a red dust storm and cannot see a thing, including the road!!!

We passed through lots of villages en route and took in some weird and wonderful sights at the same time. Pool tables on the roadside covered by a thatch or tin roof advertising 'Pool table, Bar and fresh Dube'

Produce markets abound and can be found in every village. Grown around the country, Bananas, Avo's, Watermelon and Pineapples are in abundant supply and can be bought everywhere.

There are also butchers dotted around the village. These consist of a hut with meat hanging up outside, often the carcasses still have the tail attached, so that you can identify your meat of choice. The 'butcher' then hacks off some meat with a Panga or something closely resembling one. It's enough to put you off meat if you don't have a strong stomach.

The sale of Coffins is also common, painted in hues of Pink and Purple and stacked up along the road.

There are also stalls selling food, most common being Chicken on a stick (Kebabs) and Chapatti's (mix of Roti and Pancakes). We stopped at lunchtime to buy a Chapatti and Jess negotiated the Vendor down from 2 000shillings, which was the Mzungu's (white man) price to the local price of 200 shillings. Go girl.
The villagers clamber around you as you walk down the road, seeing an opportunity to sell something to the Mzungu's. I also had numerous requests to take a photo of them with Jess and then to view it afterwards. This caused fits of laughter from their freinds upon viewing the pics.

Police can also be seen intermittently standing alongside the road, their uniforms are white! Strange colour for such a dusty country.

Once we arrived in Kampala, we went in search of the local Craft market.
Jess and I bought a few knickknacks whilst Alan ate his Nando's which we had bought a few minutes earlier.
Jess and Alan, starved of Nandos for 6 weeks jumped at the opportunity to get take aways. Sadly, it did not live up to SA standards.

After a fish braai of delicious Talapia, we retired to bed as the next day was going to be a long day of traveling and also an early start as Jess flew back to JHB on a 7.30am flight.
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6th - 8th July. Fiona's perspective

We arrived at Ishasha Wilderness Camp, nestled on the banks of the Ishasha River in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Unfortunately a massive fire had swept through the area a few days earlier and so most of the area was black.

Ishasha Wilderness Camp is a fully tented Camp with 10 tents and a tented lounge and dining area.
The tents had double beds, shower and portable loo. I was relieved to find that they did have 2 flushing toilets, for the 3 tents that our group had at the far side of the camp. The shower was a plastic Jerry can filled with warm water outside the tent, strung up and attached to a pipe with a shower head. So when you wanted to shower you had to request one from the staff.

Lunch enabled me to finally taste Chapati's with a wonderful Avo salad. Afterwards G&T's were had by all whilst sitting down at the deck next to the river.

Our American freind Elizabeth happened to also transfer to Ishasha Wilderness Camp, so we touched base again and she offered Jess to join her and her Driver/Safari guide on a late afternoon game drive as Alan and I chose to stay in camp and chill.

Bad decision!! Jess, Elizabeth, Gavin and Jen all saw the Tree Climbing Lions of Ishasha!!! And they have pictures to prove it.

The following morning we set off for a game drive through the Queen Elizabeth National Park determined to see the Tree Climbing Lions! But we saw Herds of Buffalo, Topi, Ugandan Cob, Vultures, but no Lion. Defeated we returned to camp for breakfast and to say goodbye to Elizabeth and exchange numbers. I did the normal Fiona thing and offered to help her organise an SA holiday when her and her boyfreind decided to visit SA.

Determined to try again we made a date for a game drive in the late afternoon.

The late afternoon proved more fruitful after Gavin & Jen came across a Leopard sitting alongside the road. Lovely sighting. We then drove down to the river running between Uganda and the Congo and had some Sundowners whilst viewing the Hippos lying on an island in the middle of the river, no mans land!
We spent the last few daylight hours, sipping Whiskey out of crystal glasses feeling ever so colonial. Jess has learnt to drink Whiskey due to the lack of decent wine in some areas. Box wine just won't do!

Back to the lodge for a shower (by request) and dinner, which was followed by Ugandan coffee in front of a fire next to the river.

Breakfast was a leisurely affair and we finally left deciding on a game drive before exiting the park. Imagine our excitement at spotting the Lioness in a tree, 100m from the previous sighting. So finally, we had seen the Tree Climbing Lions of Ishasha!!!

We arrived in Fort Portal 4hrs later and finally at our new destination an hour later.

Ndali lodge is situated overlooking a Volcanic lake from which their water is sourced. What a magnificent view.
It is owned by Aubrey, apparently it has been in the family for many years. Aubrey is newly married to Claire, a native Ugandan who speaks the queens English.

We all had a long bath before dinner.
I think the first time anyone has had the chance to bath and not shower in weeks. When Alan and I visited Jess's room before dinner, I was asked to kill a 'tarantula' sized spider. I missed and it jumped at me, and in the dark we could not find it.

An early dinner and then bed.
But not before a quick detour to find the spider again and dispose of it! What would they do without me!

Tomorrow we are off to Kampala and then back to Jane & Paul's house.
Gavin & Jen are Chimp trekking and then overnighting en route to our rendezvous point at Murchison Falls, where we will be camping for 2 nights with Jane,Paul. Gareth and the twins.

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4th - 6th July. Fiona's perspective.

Well, it was a really long drive to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forests. The normal bad roads etc. Driving is tiring as you have to have even more concentration than normal as driving in a straight line is not possible. Potholes and ruts are the norm. But going over 20km/hr is not possible for long stretches of road, which is mostly dirt. Oncoming buses flash their lights to tell you to move over when they are straddling the middle of a single lane road!!! Lots of fun!!!

The country side becomes really picturesque at times with Tea plantations, banana plantations and rolling hills. It reminds me a bit of the Hazyview area.

We reached Bwindi and Buhoma lodge at 4PM. Richard, our Ugandan host was most pleasant and the staff were most accommodating and nothing was too much trouble.

We met an American lady also staying at the lodge, from LA. She is a Dentist and had just spent 10days in rural Uganda with a group of medical volunteers giving medical attention to Ugandans who have probably never seen a Dr of any kind, and probably will never again.
Elizabeth (the American Dentist) ended up joining us for all meals and drinks as she was traveling alone and really good company too.

The next morning we set off for the briefing before the Gorilla trekking. The group of habituated Gorillas that we would be seeing consisted of 18 females, males, babies and the great Silverback. The drive to the drop off point at the beginning of the hike was an hour into the mountains. Halfway down the road, the Belgium tourist and his driver had engine trouble, so we made space and had him, his guide, our guide and us all in the Cruiser, with one in the boot! I felt sorry for the poor bugger in the boot!

It seemed wherever you are in Africa, even the remotest parts, there were people walking, sitting, living....

The hike was 2 hours of intense hills, tracks through the forest, with high levels of humidity and narrow paths on the side of the very steep embankments. Thank goodness it did not rain as it would have been treacherous. Rain is common in this part of the world and can happen at a moments notice. The reward was an hour spent with the most awesome animals. The eyes are the windows to the soul and I think theirs are sweet and gentle. We sat amongst them without fear. The only time we smelt them was when the Silverback lifted his arms, and boy was that a ripe smell!!!!

The hike back was exhausting and tough on Alan's knee and Jen's Asthmatic chest, but perseverance and a strong will to overcome anything got us all back in one piece.
We discovered that evening that our group of Gorillas (there are about 4 groups) is by far the furtherest.

After a shower, Jess and Jen had a massage (hell in Africa again...) and we settled into a comfortable chair on the verandah waiting for supper so that we could all get to bed and rest the weary bodies.

The next morning we had a relaxed breakfast and set off for a short 3 hour drive to Ishasha Wilderness Camp in the Queen Elizabeth National Park....

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1st - 3rd July / Fiona's perspective...

The 4 hour flight to Uganda was uneventful and accompanied by Paul, who was flying back from a week of attending Soccer matches all over the country.

I was met by Alan and Jess, Jane, Sian, Amy and Gareth. It was so great to see them all again and to see Alan & Jess looking so clean... I think they wore the last clean outfit they had, because the next day was spent doing copious amounts of washing at Jane's.

Alan organised for us to be booked into a hotel for the two nights in Entebbe for a bit of alone time, whilst Jess stayed in Jane's spare room and Gav & Jen stayed in a luxurious tent set up in their garden, with double bed, shower and bush loo, as well as some solar lights!!!

Dinner at Jane's was preceded by Waragi Gin (Ugandan Gin) & tonic (to keep the mosquitoes away). When in Rome....
It was a great evening and was awesome to see Jane and Paul again.

After a day in Entebbe, luxuriating at the pool, Colonial style, we set off in Paul & Jane's car (as our vehicle has only the two front seats and there are now 3 Austin's on tour) for Lake Mburo.

It was a long 5 hour drive over roads that were treacherous due to oncoming buses, who straddle the middle of the road and cattle, goats and roadworks, which meant the main road suddenly became a gravel road or plain dirt road full of ruts and stones for kilometers....

We crossed the Equator at some point and stopped for the obligatory photos and a bit of retail therapy.

After that stop we were not on the road for very long when Jess and Alan decided that they were hungry and started to look for a road side stall making Chapati's. Not sure whether I was glad or not, but wherever we stopped, we were told that they were sold out! It was a Saturday morning after all!

We arrived at Mihingo Lodge in Lake Mburo National Park in time for lunch.
Food is always important when you spend hours on the road with no Engen Quick stop stores to be found!

The accommodation was great, with us getting the tent/chalet with a view and Jess, Gavin and Jen getting rooms down near the water hole, which meant climbing 101 steps for dinner and back. Jen commented in the morning that she had gotten her Gorilla trekking training all in one day!

Jess and I were soon lying at the pool with G&T's when Alan joined us for a swim and the news that he had organised us each a massage later.
It's hell in Africa!

After a wonderful massage, dinner and a sighting of Bushbaby's close up, we retired to bed for a good nights sleep.

Tomorrow we would be off to Bwindi to see the Gorillas!!!!! A 7 hour drive...

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Day 30 - Alan's Perspective

After a tasty dinner, the night was spent trying to sleep whilst listening
to Richard coughing in the room next door!! He said he has a post nasal
drip!!! I am afraid he was not wrong.

The next morning after breakfast Richard told us about a quiet, scenic
route that took you past Mt Elgon. So off we went, it was Gavin's turn to
lead and he disappeared into the distance. First we were on a tarred road
driving though the most amazing scenery, the mountain was covered in clouds
and looked absolutely amazing. The tall canopy thorn bushes were a sight to
see.

After travelling for a short while on dirt roads, in African terms (1
hour), we arrived at the Suam border post. What a surprise, here was a
little-used border post where officials were interested in where u were
from, where u were going etc. It was so quiet!!!!

We crossed over into Uganda and started to climb into the most beautiful
green hills, you get to drive through lots of villages with all the kids
shouting "mzungu"!! Locally they stop and stare at you as you are the
"mzungu tv".

We found virtually no traffic on the road and those trucks and motorbikes
that were around were travelling pretty slowly.

Down the pass we went!! All of a sudden Gavin's break lights come on and he
slows down to a crawl. The reason? The road was one BIG mud bath and he had
to engage 4x4!!!! Slip slide down the road he went!!! I looked at Jess and
said "oh well no wonder the road is so quiet". There after we slided,
skidded and bounced down the road. On some corners there were locals that
were either fixing or pretending to fix the road - definitely pretending as
they were not making a difference at all!! But they wanted money!!! Gavin
just drove through and so did I. I mean hey we did not need their help - we
drive Landcruiser's (that sometimes break down).

It felt as if the road would never end, never!! At some stage Gavin stopped
to get himself a beer but I decided against it (he should of as well
because the beer ended up all over the inside of his car. On and on went
the mud and sliding!!

The vegetation changed from farming fields to forests and with this the
road changed to a nice smooth dirt road for at least 5 km! Then back to the
fun stuff (and heart stopping as there was a pretty sheer drop on our
right).

Eventually, hours later we hit tarred road again. What a pleasure!! With
all the mud caked on the wheels it felt like the wheels needed balancing
but after a few pot holes we were back to normal.

We stopped over in a place called Mbale for the night. The mozzies just
about carried me away.

We set off fairly early for Jinja. After a few kms The Beast started to
lose power every so often. Overtaking became a issue as every time I
accelerated she would lose power. Before leaving SA the car had spent two
days at Toyota whilst they "fixed" the problem. It appeared to be back!!

We arrived in Jinja and drove to the Nile to have lunch and to book a river
rafting trip for Jess, Gavin and Jen. Lunch consisted of battered telapia
and crispy hot chips. Delicious!

Our camping spot was at Gavin and Jen's friends (Neville and Ina) who were
farming just outside Jinja. We were met by their son, Graham, who was going
to show us the way to the farm. Driving to the farm we encountered more mud
but the difference this time was the oncoming trucks. They hog the middle
of the road and expect you to drive on the shoulder where all the mud and
water is. Gavin and I were slipping sideways. Pretty lousy section of road.

The farm is located next to Lake Victoria and has stunning views of the
environment. Neville does fish farming on the lake. Pretty interesting
stuff.

Ina and Neville prepared battered kapenta, talapia and a fish curry for
dinner. Delicious!! We pitched our tents in their garden for the night,

Early the next morning we set off back to Jinja so that everyone could do
white water rafting.

Jess was extremely apprehensive at the thought of going down the Nile on a
raft.

Apprehension became excitement and off they went!! I had decided not to do
it because of my knee and shoulder and was to drive to the first rapid and
take pictures from the river side. I never got there!!

The Beast would not start at all so I spent the day taking both my petrol
tanks off and replacing both fuel pumps. With the help of Paulo and
Abdillah we managed to get the tanks off. Imagine this, I have this huge
200 litre tank full of petrol and no containers ti syphon it into. Well the
problem went away when empty buckets appeared and I saw the quality of the
fuel. I negotiated to pay for their help with petrol. The look of glee on
their faces was a sight to behold. Frankly, I paid too much but it was
worth it.

We eventually finished the job and it appears to be fixed. Today will tell!

I drove to meet the others who by now finished their adventure. Jess was
beaming from ear to ear, Jen looked happy to be back and Gavin was pale!
Gavin had nearly drowned when a rope from the raft wrapped around his leg
and he could not get it loose!! Hopefully he will write about his
experience.

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Au Revoir SA........

So, I arrive in Uganda in 3 days time. After reading the blog I am anticipating some rain, plenty of bad roads, lots of good food and lots of alcohol (and good company). I can live with that.

I am lucky my luggage allowance is 30kg as I have had numerous requests to bring STUFF!! The most important being Dry Wors from a specific butchery too!! So, minus 5kg from my luggage allowance, just for Dry Wors… I had to repack. I was then told to not worry about bringing too much luggage as all I really need is 4 pairs of pants/shorts… for 4 weeks??? I am starting to worry.

I have started to research places to stay in Mozambique, or rather one of my staff's father lives in Mozambique and has very kindly given me a lot of info on where to stay and where not to stay (more importantly). Where to go to swim with Manta rays and dolphins, best dive spots and places where we can stay and get Mates Rates …

After reading about some of the places they have had to stay in, I thought that a little preparation would get us hot showers and decent toilet facilities….

So, in just a few days time I get to view Silverback Gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forests National Park on the slopes of the volcanoes, Chimpanzee tracking in the Kibale forests and see the glorious Murchison Falls in Northern Uganda and MOST importantly I get to see Alan and Jess……….I don’t think any of us realised just how long a month is!!

Au Revoir…… SA, Soccer and all the Vuvuzelas

888888

This is code for Lake Nakuru!!!!! Later.

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Day 28 - Alan's Perspective

So the road to Kakamega Forest is, was and no doubt will always be abysmal,
to say the least!!!

Earlier on in the blog I did mention how we very quickly learned that when
you looked at a map and planned any days travel you could not take the
distance to be travelled and know how long it was going to take to get
there as the road conditions are just so unpredictable.

I have skipped a bit of our travel time!! Must be the whisky and beer we
are drinking!!!

Gavin and I had decided that we would leave Temba at 07h00 so that we
could do the border crossing fairly early on in the day - did I just say
another border!!! Yes a crossing into Kenya!!! I have to say that the
experience we had at this border post was the least stressful to date.
Everyone was so pleasant and happy to see the msungu's (white people). It
took us no longer than 35 minutes to get through. Awesome stuff.

I digress, so Jess and I are up with the sparrows and standing to attention
next to the car at 07h00 sharp, ready to go. Gavin and Jen stroll out at
about 07h55!!! Gavin had forgotten that we wanted to leave early!! Sadly we
are unable to have any coffee or breakfast before we left so we headed out
for the border post. For those of you that know Gavin and Jen well, they
need their coffee in the morning!!

So border post done and now off to find coffee and breakfast! The scenery
is breathtaking, green hills and fields of tea plantations. You expect to
drive around a corner and see a sign advertising tea and scones!! But that
was not to be. I stopped and asked a policeman where we could get a decent
cup of coffee and he said just up the road!!! An hour later still no coffee
or food!! We took a wrong turnoff and ended up on a beautiful road and
scenery, which Gavin and I have decided not to tell anyone about lest too
many cars use it and mess it up, on our way to Kakamega Forest. We stopped
at a golf course for coffee and lunch!! Not even Pecanwood members are
allowed at this golf club but we did get food!

Everyone was happy again!!

The distance to be travelled only 128 km. Ja right!!

The last 40 km of road was hell (and we did not even make our targeted
destination!!). We crossed the equator but did not take any pictures
because all we saw was a building that said New Equator Pub (Gavin saw the
right sign!!).
It was dark, pot holes were leaping out all over the road and it had
started to rain cats and dogs!!! I had to sms (radio was not working) Gavin
and tell that we were going to look for a place to sleep before it got too
late.

We spotted a hotel in the town of Kakamega and managed to get the last two
rooms. Phew!!! Because of the rain Dstv was not working so we could not
watch any soccer.

Slept well and then set off to the forest, Udo's camp via the bottom gate.
We were told that we could not reach the camp via the bottom gate as there
is a swamp in the middle of the forest so we decided to stay at the camp
site.

Washed clothes, everyone else went for a guided tour in the forest but I
decided to stay behind for some much needed quiet time. It rained again!!.

I put some lamb chops on the braai accompanied by butternut, toasted
sandwiches and baked onions. Had a great time around the fireplace then
went off the tent. In the early hours of the morning the heavens opened up
again!!!

Eventually we got up and sat around for a while watching the tent and
clothes dry!!

Back on the road through the stunning forest to Eldorette (George in
Zambia's recommendation) and then on to 888888 to see rhino!!

We stopped in Eldorette at Will's Pub for lunch. Gavin met a chap called
Raj, who ran the Naiberi Camp site, and it went down hill from there!!

The first night we had a pretty late night where copious amounts of Jim
Bean was consumed!!! Next day Gavin and I went into town to draw money and
charge my one battery up. It was Raj's birthday so he went out and bought a
ton of pork to braai, which is Nepalese chef prepared the Indian way. It
was very tasty!! I had a early night.

Sunday we set off for Kitale (opposite directions to the rhino!). By mutual
consent this tarred road is the worst we have travelled, 48 km in just over
two hours!!! We stopped in Kitale for coffee and a kidney bashing break!!

By this time Gavin and I were saying well if we attempt the next 164 km we
will miss the England vs Germany game so we opted to find somewhere to stay
that was reachable.

Just for the record, we are unable to post pictures at the moment because
the internet speeds are so slow.

We ended up at Siarikwa Safari Lodge, met Richard, talked about motorbikes,
looked at car engines, had a delicious dinner, roast chicken, beef olives,
roast potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut, bread sauce, gravy,
vegetable soup and steamed pudding and a bottle of Jameson's. Bed!!!

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more pics!

More pics!

From the wetlands of Kenya!

After crossing the border in to Kenya, we lunched at a dilapidated golf course and then arrived in Kakamega in the rain, thankfully we stayed in a hotel :) On the journey, i noticed a few interesting things

• the inhabitants love to burn things, anything...this creates a disgusting smell and wafts through the window as you pass the towns
• it is seriously populated ...i discovered this when I was desperate for a wee, very hard to find a deserted spot in these parts!
• A new light was shed onto car washing...drive your car into a shallow dam and start washing! This method can also be applied to bicycles and motorbikes!
• most people wear these cheap,brightly coloured slip slops, it reminds me of the Malibu advert! They definitly live the island life...well at that pace anyway!

After a good rest, we drove into the Kakmega Forest, WOW, so beautiful and instatnly calming. I was desperate for the loo again and was pointed in the direction of the toilet...a long drop...it was so bad, i called Jen to keep guard and went on the outskirts of the forest! hee hee

We went for a very interesting walk in the forest witha guide, Caroline. Jen and i had a 'bush manicure' - there is a 'sandpaper tree' that we used to buff and file our nails, when Caroline offered some nail polish (bright orange sap from a tree), we drew the line! Delicious dinner cooked by the master chef and his apprentice followed by smores :) (marshies and marie biscuits)

We are outside Eldoret now, thankfully in a chalet (it rained last night and all can say is that i am not that much of a water baby!) looks like we are expecting some rain ...

Awaiting the arrival of our final team mate...5 more sleeps and counting! Until next time.... kwaheri!

fun in the sun

Well it has certainly been a while! Internet connections are few and far between and when we do have them, none of us have any inclination to do any writing!

we camped next to Lake Victoria – still in Tanzania. Didn’t get much sleep – between the noisy pub next door and the howling wind, we were quite unsettled! It was very beautiful . There is a hillside overlooking the lake and it is covered with houses, it looks a bit like Greece covered in dust!

So a bit of insight into our journey since I last wrote…

After 3 relaxing nights at Kapishya Hot Springs (and some very entertaining evenings) we headed for the border. We spent over 2 hours there, being sent back and forwards until Jen and I had the best idea yet and went and sat in the car, with the aircon on, while the boys braved Tundoma border post and all the insanity that comes with it! Jen and I were bothered in the car for all of 2 minutes, Jen had had enough and put her window shield up to block out the irritating vendors. This resulted in a very dumbfounded look from one guy and a fit of laughter from one that was watching this. We headed for Utengule coffee farm – really pretty. The next morning we had a fruit platter for breakfast, Gav and I were trying to figure out what to do with a lemon looking orange, after about 5 minutes of prodding and tasting we ate it, upon asking Jen what she did, we discovered she had squeezed it all over her fruit! Just a little bit of confusion ;)The girls hit the craft shop in Iringa – I got myself some crazy pants (Jen’s influence) and some kikois. We then had to contend with a traffic jam, Gav radioed us in awe of the taxi drivers here…”Al, I was 2 inches from your back bumper and the next thing I knew, 2 taxis had got in!” It seems as though we cannot escape road construction, Dad’s new motto “adapt or die” came into play when he started to bully the buses and overtake the trucks in between the 100m beacons.We were both dehydrated and starving after that drive – I wasn’t prepared to let go of the door handle or unfasten my seatbelt to get refreshments! Scary stuff! Gav and Jen adopted a different mantra and took the drive at a leisurely pace, frequently stopping for wee breaks and to buy paw paws and bananas. 

We camped at the Old Farmhouse that night. After dinner we went to the bar, the boys had whiskey out of packets and I think it gave them a new meaning to ABF because we left the bar pretty soon after! The next night we spent at The new Acropol, Still trying to figure out what was new about it!

For a change of scenery, we stayed at Peponi beach camp. There I was, sitting on the loo and a scorpion surfaced from the shower curtain. I ran to tell dad (who ws watching the soccer) and who promptly told me, while sipping his Jameson, “I don’t do scorpions”. I had to persuade the barman to come kill it for me! On the road to Moshi, dad received a fine, Gav saved the day when he threw a soccer ball to the guard! We ate a delicious curry lunch in Moshi and then drove through to Arusha where we camped at the Masaai Camp. This is around the time where I lost faith in our guide book, it stated that this ws the best campsite in Tanzania…no comment.

Huge relief on the 18th when I received my marks!  We did some stocking up and then drove to Karatu where Jen negotiated a good rate for us to stay at the Octagon Lodge! Next day we drove through Ngorogoro Park, saw a glimpse of the crater –bad mist and then headed into the Serengeti national Park. After driving around in the dark, we finally arrived at Mbalageti Lodge (I think that’s it’s name) and stayed the night. We were supposed to camp at Dik Dik but got a little waylaid!

And that is how we got to Mwanza.  until the next internet connection!

Day 24 Alan's Perspective

The last time I wrote was from Morogoro - fixing toilet etc.

When u do use the rooftop tent and u get to stay in a hotel or lodge u
cannot believe the sort of beds u get to sleep in, sheets with holes in
them, beds that creek everytime u move, comfortable and yes uncomfortable
ones. New Acropol takes the prize for the worst bed ever!!

We set off after breakfast at our normal slow pace (consideration for The
Beast's fuel consumption!!) But before long we adapt to the new game - race
the buses!! U have never seen buses drive as fast as these local people do,
they overtake on solid lines, on corners and up hills - our taxi drivers in
SA could learn from these chaps!!

The road rules are very different here, if u r travelling behind another
vehicle and there is a solid line in the road but he puts his left
indicator on, u can overtake regardless of what u think might be travelling
towards u. If he puts his right indicator on u cannot overtake as either
there is a oncoming car or obstacle in the road or they r turning right.

It did not take Gavin and I long to adjust to this new way of driving. (Not
sure how the ladies feel about our driving-in fact Jen does not enjoy it -
not that I blame her after what she went through).

Just before Tanga Gavin got a $20 speeding fine (his second but the first
one he got off with a bit of help from a soccer ball).

We had lunch at the yacht club in Tanga and then set off for Peponi camp
site alongside the coast line for a one night stay.

The next day we were setting off for Arusha which is the gateway to the
Ngorogoro Crater and the Serengeti!! On the way we would also get to see
Kilimanjaro. How awesome is all that?

The road towards Arusha has spectacular scenery, some of the best I have
ever seen!!! Look the roads (or lack there of) do tend to take ur eyes off
the beauty of ur surroundings but u have to get to see this countryside.

I was stopped for a very "serious offence" - speeding! With the help of
lots of smiles and a soccer ball we were soon on our way!

Jess and I could not wait to get our first glimpse of the famous mountain.

As we approached Moshi, the starting point for the ascent up Kili, we only
got to see the mountain covered in clouds. What a anticlimax for us!!!

After lunch in Moshi we headed off for the camp site in Arusha (Masai Camp
Site).

The camp site was nicely grassed (ground cover variety), but situated on a
pretty noisy road and had pretty dismal shower facilities to boot. One
thing u do get used to on this trip, is cold showers. To have a hot shower
u had to go through the common bar, through the gents and into the so
called showers. Well at least the water was hot there, ur other option was
the ablution block in the camp site with cold water.

Interesting they have a armed guard looking after the camp (felt like
home).

After our delightful lunch we settled for smoked oysters on crackers
accompanied by a few Makers Mark's.

We all wondered off to the pub to watch a bit of soccer and sit around the
fire as it was pretty cold. Jen and Jess were engaged talking to a couple
of local ladies whilst Gavin and I had a few beers.
You do eventually get tired of all the chatter around u so we wondered off
to the tents.

Friday morning we woke up to the din of traffic and people (not to
mentioned dogs barking), packed up and headed out to look for the shops to
replenish some of the provisions. We found Shoprite and Jess and I bought
what was required to eat for the next few days. Once we had packed all the
goodies away I wondered off to the bookshop to see if I could find a map on
the Serengeti whilst Gavin strolled off to a Internet shop to try and
establish where the migration of wildebeest was at this stage.

I got chatting to two of the ladies that worked in the bookstore and asked
them where we should stay in the park. The advice was to stay in Karatu the
first night and then enter the park early the next morning.

We found a stunning place called The Octogon, run by a delightful lady
called Pamela. Initially we were not going to stay here but Jen chirped how
nice it would be if we were to spend the night. Let's face it the gardens
were to die for and the whole atmosphere was relaxing. A reasonable rate
was negotiated with Pamela. The comment that clinched the deal was her
saying " come on guys if I reduce the price any more I will have to decide
whether I cook with butter or margarine!". Enough said as she could
certainly cook! Pamela epitomises Tanzanian people for me, friendly, kind
and a sense of humour.

The next morning we set out for Ngorogoro Crater, arrived at the gate and
paid our $140 per vehicle!! This is just to travel through the reserve and
onto the Serengeti and not even to go to the crater itself.

The park was covered in a layer of mist that gave us a earie feeling.
Scenery to die for!

After driving through to the Serengeti gate and paying $240 per vehicle for
24 hours we set off for our hunt of the wildebeest. In the distance I saw
what looked like dust plumes. Wildebeest were near!!! The excitement levels
rose. As we got closer to the dust it became apparent that all I had seen
was in fact smoke from a bush fire. Not to be put off we drove towards the
camp site we had been allocated. If ever anyone goes to the Serengeti and
they put u in a camp called Dik Dik, rather turnaround. It is worst than
worst. Field mice all over the place, shabby. Ugh!!! It was decided that we
would come back when it was dark so that we could not see the place.

We ended up seeing massive herds of wildebeest and zebra on the plains. An
incredible sight! At some stage a few landrovers came flying past us and
Gavin and I decided that there had to be a kill up ahead so off we sped in
pursuit. Before we knew it we were miles away from our designated camp site
(shame) and had no chance of getting back there in time. But as luck would
have it there was a camp not far away. To cut a long story short it was a 5
star camp and thankfully it was full (at those prices) so we had to head
off once again in the dark to the next place which was 28km away (hour and
half). The trip was long and at some point we stopped for a Jamesons
(fisherman's drink) in the dark. We even contemplated just setting up a
bush camp but the thought of being caught by the officials was not
appealing. Eventually in the distance we saw lights!! Managed to organise
rooms for us. After our day Gavin and I headed straight off to the pub for
a Ardberg or two.

Good stay.

The following morning we saw great a sighting of crocodiles.

I cannot begin to explain the roads in the park, but they are the pits, you
would think that the officials would put some money back into their road
structures. Besides the dust and potholes the roads do not appear to be
looked after at all.

Once out if the park we headed for Mwanza which is situated next to Lake
Victoria.

We camped at the local yacht club for two days. The first night I cooked a
lamb casserole for dinner accompanied by Jess's great toasted sandwiches
and the second night I went on strike so we had dinner at a Indian place.

Monday 21st we washed (attempted) our cars and chilled the rest of the day.
Points to remember, cold showers, mozzies and a noisy singer in the early
hours of the morning.

Tuesday we packed up and after the ladies had been to a local market with a
expat we headed out for Musoma (we have travelled about 6600km now).

We stayed at the Temba Beach Hotel (do not be fooled by the name). It is a
place to avoid (cold showers).

Headed out for Kakamega Forest but did not quite make it do to bad roads
(really) and a heavy downpour....

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Day 21 Jen

Hi
We have decided to make lake victoria our base for a few days and
couldn't have had a better view of this part of the lake. It's been A
fairly .. Gentle experience winding down after some rough driving over
very corrugated bumpy roads in serengeti which in a wAy took it out of
us and that doesn't mean to say we never found it incredible to
literally see hundreds of thousands of collecting wildebeest and zebra
getting ready for the fabulous migration spectacle which we still
might see. Again we should have camped but after seeing lots of
collecting rats running riot over the camp site called dickdik ...
Don't go there ever! We strayed too far from the camp site to return.
We nearly got lucky by needing to book into an ' and beyond ' camp.
Only three grand for the night each! Lucky for gavins wallet there
was no room at that inn so had to downgrade to another first class
inn ... Shame ! Wonderful accomodation wonderful location. Called
bellamgete. The days viewing was not disapointing but we had a
helleva rush to exit the park by one o'clock. Should that time be
exceeded huge charges are applied which we didn't want . So off to
lake victoria. And here we Are! Lots of bird life here to keep
us entertained keeping your eyes on the still waters allows you to to
take deep breaths and relax. Which is what a holiday is all about.
Jen

Sent from my iPhone

Gavin Dunlop
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Day 16 - Alan's Perspective

I was told that my last posting was abrupt and it sounded if I was
irritable. Spot on!

On Sunday 13th we left Mark and Mel after a superb dinner cooked by Mel and
Alex. We started with chicken liver pate and home cooked bread and then the
main course consisted of chicken wraps, chilli concarne, paw paw salad and
potato salad!!! What a meal.

We left and headed for the border post Tunduma, a four hour drive away.
Once we reach the outskirts of the town we stopped for the usual wee stop
as the facilities are always questionable at border posts.

As we drove into the town I decide (and rue the decision) to use my last
kw50 000 on fuel. I was given 6 litre's for this vast amount of money! (My
car misfired for 80 km after due to water being in the fuel).

This was where I mentioned, very briefly, that Gavin and I had a sense of
humour failure. The actual issue was that there are so many people around
you and it appears as if there is NO organisation at all. In fact there is
organisation but because you are a mzungu everyone tries to take advantage
of you and your lack of understanding the processes.

So that is what happened to us, Gavin's agent was so eager to help him that
he grabbed his carne out of his hand (we had yet to use our carne's) and
gives it to the official who in turn starts to incorrectly fill it out (we
had entered Zambia using out CIP documents this should not have been done).
The upshot was that when we went to the Tanzanian side they gave Gavin
uphill because they wanted a Zambian stamp on the carne. Off we go walking
back to Zambia to get the stamp (left Jen and Jess in the cars) but Zambian
official says no way they cannot give Gavin a stamp. At this point we had
visions of sleeping at the border post as it was 16h30! Back to Tanzania
side where I walked to the back office (the supervisors were watching world
cup football) and asked for someone to help us as the gentleman in the
front was confused with our dilemma. Someone came to assist but it did take
a plea from myself that all they had to perhaps do was change and sign
where the doc was wrong and put their rubber stamp over it to make our
passage easier. We had agreement!!! 2 hours 15 minutes later left the
border post!!!

We drove like hell to get to the Utengule Coffee Plantation just before
Mbeya before dark. As we arrived at our destination we got to see the most
incredible African sunset. Jess took lots of pics.

Whilst unpacking the car I met a local chap called Lorian who joined us for
dinner (worst rump I have ever had)and he gave us advice on where to do
etc.
We watched abit of the Germany vs Australia game and then headed off to
bed.

Left after breakfast and headed for Old Farmhouse campsite. We arrived at
about 15h00 and were, for the first time, able set up a decent campsite.

That morning I had taken a piece of rump and boerewors out of the freezer
for dinner and had marinaded it for the day.

Jess prepared veggie parcels (potato, tomato, onion, garlic and sweetcorn
wrapped in tin foil to put in the fire) and sandwiches (cheese, garlic,
tomato and onion)) that were to be toasted. It was a pretty good meal.

Met a few people (22 of them) doing a overland trip to Cape Town. We went
to the pub for a night cap or two. Had a pretty good sleep in the rooftop
tent! Jess snores!!

Up early the next morning and we packed up everything pretty quickly.

We set off for Iringa, a small town about 50 km away. Our plan was to put
fuel in and find the local craft shop for the girls.
We did more than that, we had coffee and a Tanzanian doughnut! Go figure!

We found a decent fuel station and filled up and then set off for Mikumi
National Park. The first stretch of rode was awesome and then the wheels
fell off again. There are rode works (like in SA) that go down to one lane,
so the traffic flow is controlled by a gentleman and his flag. So imagine
this, all the cars, trucks and buses are parked in a single file waiting
for the man to give thw go ahead. The Beast drives straight to the head of
the queue and get allocated a spot in front of everyone (we were told to do
this by someone - promise)!! I am watching this other person chatting to
the controller and all of a sudden I see him raise his hand and wave to
someone. In my review mirror a see one of the infamous buses pull out and
start moving forward. Bugger this I think and just as he is getting closer
I pull out in front of him and go through first!! Gotcha!!!

After this episode (and other actions) Gavin and Jen reckon that I have
become a African driver. So be it!

The rest of the road trip was interesting!

The countryside is to die for, we travelled through the Valley of Baobabs
where all u see are these awesome trees (and baboons).

Jess and I arrived at Mikumi ahead of Gavin and Jen and waited for them to
catch up. We then headed off to Morogoro to find a place to camp but there
was nothing worthwhile at all!! We ended up in a B & B which looked ok but
that was about it!! The New Acropol Hotel could do with a bit of tlc. I had
to fix the toilet in our room as it was gushing water onto the floor, the
bed was awful. Food ok.

That is it for now, I will do the 16th post another time.

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Day 13 Alan's Perspective

I sort of cut short my comments on a few points. But here we go.

Andrew and George from Fringilla are a awesome father and son combo. Andrew
the P cat and George the stable one. No seriously, just the salt of the
earth people.

Onto young Mark (or not so) and Mel at Kapishya, Mark did not know what had
hit him!! The Jameson's (did you know that Jameson's is not a adventure
drink) team had come to town, Gavin and Alan!
I think that Mel is pretty happy we left after three days as Mark was
taking strain.

To say that we had a fun time with them is a understatement, they are
awesome people.

I mentioned the visit to Shiwa House, frankly whilst there is certainly
lots of history that surrounds the place and all the books say that you
must visit there, it is over priced for what it is. You get to see a
chapel, library, dining room and oh yes the lounge. All this for $20!
Whoopee.

So we left Kaposhya this morning and travelled to the border post. What can
I say but the fact that Zambian people are so great and now we have to move
beyond our border experience with Tanzania.

2 hours and 15 min it took to get through the process. You are hassled by
so called agents as they want to make a buck out of you, they do absolutely
nothing for their fee other than show you where to go.

Both Gavin and I got to tipping point. Enough is enough, who needs to be
hassled for nothing?

Eventually we got through but by this time tempers were on the cusp of a
reaction! Off to Utengule Coffee Lodge
for the night.

Arrived at lodge after dark. Checked in and had dinner. Had a early night.
Regards

Alan Austin
National General Manager Sales & Marketing

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