It was the end of the road from for one of our passengers in the city of Nairobi so we went to the highly rated Carnivore restaurant. The BBQ that they cooked on was huge and they had all kinds of meats, including crocodile. It was a good feed though the service was terrible and certainly didn't live up to their reputation. We had a free day to explore the sprawling traffic riddled city so we took a taxi across town to the museum which had the most amazing collection of stuffed birds as well as some of the earliest hominid skeletons from the Great Rift Valley. Luckily for us our camp had wifi so we tuned in just in time to witness Team NZ once again winning the Americas Cup, though no one else was nearly as excited as Nick.
Nairobi sits at almost 1900m and only 1 degree from the equator and as we departed for Uganda we climbed to just over 2200m altitude which dramatically lowered the temperature and changed the vegetation with lots of plantations forests. Now with Overlanding there are always unexpected mishaps and obstacles to overcome and this morning it was refuelling the truck where a slight issue occurred. We have 3 tanks to give us a huge range and while filling one of these tanks the bowser jammed on overflowing the tank and sent diesel pouring through our kitchen and utensils locker below. Luckily it didn't go right through all the crates but still created a big mess to be cleaned up.
After camping on the lushest lawn of our trip to date we were up very early to get to the Ugandan boarder and its chaotic capital Kampala before the evening traffic nightmare which it’s famous for. After having to remain seated with belts fastened in Tanzania it was great to be able to hang out the windows and meerkat out the top again. On route we passed a couple of huge geographic landmarks, the Equator, Lake Victoria and the White Nile River as well as plenty of smiling waving children and lush green hillsides covered in all manner of crops, we even managed to miss all the snarling traffic. A group vote meant we were only stopping for a night in Kampala as the other option was to head towards the Congo jungle and go trekking with chimpanzees.
After a well deserved sleep in we went up hills and down dales on good roads full of little villages enthusiastically selling BBQ meat on a stick and cold drinks and all with a good sense of humour. We had left behind a few of the group so with the extra room it was decided to have a truck party to fill in the time as trying to take photos of trucks loaded with cows with the longest horns ever had worn off. We also crossed the equator again and this time stopped for a photo and a cheeky demonstration of how water flows the opposite way each side of the equator…
Once again we were up well before sunrise as we breakfasted and prepared for an early morning trek into the jungle in search of our closest relatives. The jungle floor was relatively dry and open and it was a perfect temperature as we searched high and low. Loud howling and screeching gave the chimps away and it wasn't long before we saw 4 high in the trees feeding. They weren't at all bothered by us and when they decided they had had enough they swung quickly down to the ground and disappeared very fast. We did witness one expertly grab the top of a small tree and bend it to slowly lower him to the ground before he ran off thumping the ground. We also caught up to one chap sitting happily on a log looking around and watching the world go by but when they want to move they are impossible to follow. It was a great experience and a good warm up for the next big activity on everyones's bucket list, trekking to see the gorillas.
We were based in Kabali for the next couple of days and as we were in the second group to go to see the gorillas we had a chance to watch the dismal AB’s, have a big cooked breakfast and then a very enjoyable afternoon at Lake Bunyonyi. We both piled on the back of a motorbike taxi and climbed up an incredibly steep terraced hill to the crater lake. The lake is full of islands so we hired a huge dug out canoe that was nearly impossible to keep straight and set off for a relaxing afternoon of paddling and swimming. We managed to keep the excited group of gorilla trekkers from spilling too many beans as we all sat around and enjoyed a truck favourite dinner of fried chicken.
It was an early start and a quick breakfast and then a speedy drive (our driver was late) over the countless bone jarring speed bumps Uganda is famous for to the park entrance where we met all the other tourists and had a briefing and found out which troop we would be seeing. We then had another 40 minute drive up the intensively cropped, nearly verticals hillsides until we reached the edge of the forest. The forest was much drier and more open than we expected and it was a good undulating trek on a very well made tracks for the first hour and a half. We then split off through thick vines and undergrowth for 10 minutes or so before we saw a little baby gorilla swinging happily high in a tree. We had just over an hour with the 16 gorillas which when we first arrived were happily resting before moving off to feed. We spent most of our time very close to the huge dominant male who gave us a real show when he mock charged us and slapped his chest though he settled down quickly when the guides gave him a couple of soothing grunts. Their strength is incredible but they also look and act so human like especially the youngsters who happily play and roll through the undergrowth. Looking into their eyes you can witness their intelligence and see their facial expressions. Their strength is also pretty impressive especially seeing them climbing trees with ease to feed.
It was pleasing to learn that the numbers in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are slowly increasing with around 400 at last count but at next count this is estimated to increase to around 500. The forest has the potential to hold upwards of 2000 so there is plenty of room for the population to expand and with the huge revenue it generates it must benefit both the local people and wider economy of Uganda. We were all buzzing as we returned from the expedition and posed for a few photos with our awesome guides before our long winding drive back through the intensively farmed hills.
The tour has been action packed lately and we had to depart Uganda for the time being and head into Rwanda. First stop was Kigali the capital and the drive through the “land of a thousand hills” was stunning. Once again the people were all so happy and would stop work in the fields to shout and wave. Arriving in the big city the first thing you notice is just how clean and tidy everything is. Rwanda was maybe the first country in the world to ban plastic bags entirely and man what a difference it makes. We probably counted no more than a dozen pieces of rubbish on the road the whole time we were there, not only this but the last Saturday of the month everybody in the whole country has to spend the morning cleaning and tidying their community.
After our first pleasant experience in Rwanda the next was anything but. We visited the Rwandan genocide museum… In just a hundred days the rebel Hutus killed an estimated 1 million Tutsis mostly by brute force and bludgeoning, nowhere was safe including churches where huge numbers sort refuge only to be betrayed by the priests and nuns. The craziest thing to learn was the it was the Belgians who created the two distinct ethnic groups primarily on how many cows one owned and when the tension between these two factitious groups started to boil they along with the UN bailed and just let the bloodshed happen.
It was a very quiet drive to Musanza as we digested the horror stories we had just read though the cheerful people striving to recreate an all inclusive Rwanda where English is now taught instead of the colonial French put a smile on our dials. We were staying at a huge religious centre which had everything from a church, campground, hotel, bar and conference facility. We had a couple of people's birthdays to celebrate so we headed to a local restaurant where we had a great steak and chips and a couple of beers before the live band across the road entertained us into the night.
We had planned to climb one of the spectacular volcanic peaks in Varunga National Park that overlook the town and boarder the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) but the $75 entrance fee and regimented hiking put us off. Instead we opted to join Yannik a member of the Rwandan cycling team for a tour of the local area. If you haven't seen it “rising from the ashes” is a fantastic doco about cycling in Rwanda and it was awesome to spend a day with one of them. Bikes are everywhere and not only used as taxis but also as carts to transports good, often water or potatoes which must weigh at least 120kgs.
It was a public holiday so there were children everywhere all yelling good morning and wanting high fives as we peddled through the villages to the twin lakes, Lake Ruhondo and Lake Burera. The heavens began to open so we sort shelter under the local market roof while lunch of fresh dough balls, BBQ meat sticks and fried potato was whipped up. Once the rain had cleared we headed back down the hill to the lake where a boat was waiting to take us on a 40min trip across the other side from where we peddled our way through more stunning hillsides intricately terraced to our accommodation.
Reentering Uganda two things became strikingly obvious firstly the usual plastic rubbish adorned every possible waterway and roadside ditch and secondly, unlike Zimbabwe where it was real police man slowing progress here in Uganda it was the nasty sleeping policeman (speed bumps) doing the damage. The primitive boarder also provided some excitement. Being early in the morning many people were crossing for work so the line we huge. We did our best to stop people jumping in front of us but when a second kiosk opened all hell broke loose as people young and old surged forward pushing and shoving. Once order had resumed we got stamped through fairly fast and headed slowly along the good but speed bump riddled roads towards the source of the Nile Jinja.
We were staying at the Nile Explorers camp which has an epic view out over a big bend in the river. After a 5am start and a good hour so in Kampala traffic (think Auckland) it was good to arrive with enough light for a quick dip in the river before a cold beer and beef and rice from the side of the road for dinner. It was crazy to sit there and think that it's going to takes us nearly 2 months to reach the other end of this mighty river and that we probably won't be swimming in it by then as it will become the local sewer.
Grabbing kayaks and hitting up some whitewater became a bit of a mission as we didn't have much time and paddling flat moving water didn't appeal. Instead Lucy headed off for a western breakfast while Nick opted for a long run through the picturesque villages and fields and received plenty of encouragement from the locals. The bar swelled with expats for the final Lions test and all the British claimed a draw as good as a win. The easiest way to get the short distance into town was on the back of a motorbike and Nick lucked out on his way back when the driver happily rode passenger while he drove home much to the delight of the villagers. A flying fox into the river kept the afternoon heat at bay.
It's time to leave the lush green hills of Uganda and Rwanda and head back to the hot dry dusty plains of Kenya as we continue to make our way north towards Cairo. But before that we had time to spend the night at tea plantation. Set amongst rolling hill on a lush green lawn it was a really nice place to spend the night. Our drive day and boarder crossing was relatively uneventful and pretty quiet especially as most people were suffering a bit from the night before. Again we had a short drive to Nakuru where we loaded up on supplies for the next few days then headed to our stunning camp on a dairy farm. We went for a quick afternoon tour and saw a few calves and milking cows and visited a community knitting project which employs over 500 woman who knit mainly cuddly toys and the odd jumper. It has taken Nick a long time but finally he found a chameleon in a hedge and he had a lot of fun playing with this crazy coloured google eyed fellow. The group also had a welcomed night off cooking and we were treated to an epic three course farmer feed with soup and fresh bread followed by steaks and salads from the farm and an amazing sticky toffee pudding.
We had a very early start as we were off on a days game drive through Nakuru Lake National Park. This was once famous for its millions of pink flamingos but for unexplained reason the lake has risen significantly over the last four or five years flooding heaps of forest and forcing these birds elsewhere. We did see a fair few however as well as plenty of huge buffalo, warthog, zebra, baboons and even a couple of rhino though they were pretty far away. Nakuru is also home to Rothschild giraffe which only number around 800 left in the wild, we saw a herd of 17! The crested crane is up there with the most graceful bird in Africa and you can see why it is on Ugandas emblem and flag.
We were dropped off in Lake Nakuru where we would be based for the next 4 nights. A few of the group paid the big bucks and headed to the Maasai Mara game for a couple of nights while yet more snuck off early to Ethiopia. Five of us remained and it was very relaxing to hang out together and do our own thing. Our camp had good bikes at bargain prices so we hired them for the three days. After a lazy admin morning (lucky mum got a phone call) we set off to Joy Adamson’s old homestead Elsamere. We watched a documentary on this extraordinary woman who was as tough as nails (she had three husbands) and not only a very successful writer (Born Free) but also an amazing painter who painted hundreds of flowers for botanical records and 700 portraits of local tribal people from across Kenya. The afternoon tea on the lakeside lawn was equally nice and we finally saw some Colobus Monkeys. These guys have a cool white fluffy skirt and pom-pom tail which compliments their jet black coat. As we were watching them scramble through the trees we wondered if they ever fall out, sure enough two scrapers proceeded to fall from about 15m. The landed with a huge thud and we expected to see two broken monkeys but nope they raced off up the nearest tree. We treated ourself to a BBQ dinner of kebabs, fried kumara and coleslaw.
Hells Gate National Park was our next destination on our bikes. It is the only national park you can bike through. Here is a big gorge made famous by the lion king full of undulates before a very narrow slot canyon that we scrambled through with a Maasai guide who showed us the small gushing thermal water. We managed to get back to camp just before the heavens opened and we were treated to our first real African thunderstorm. Once this subsided we settled in front of the fire at the bar and had a good pizza for dinner followed by a long evening of “my carrots are cooked” the card game played almost religiously on the truck now.
Our final day of peace before the masses arrived back was spent biking the 15km or so to Crater Lake Game Reserve. Along the way we saw plenty of zebra and gazelle and the massive eland (the biggest of the antelope) as well as a family of Maasai Giraffe right on the road side. After a confusing conversation with the gate guard we finally worked out that if we paid for the three course lunch we could enter for free. The cost of the lunch was the same as the entry fee, $20 so we had a great walk around a rough path on the crater rim. There was a small lake inside the crater and plenty of bird life and monkeys. After a huge breakfast of pancakes neither of us was starving for lunch but we sat down on the lakeside and easily put away the soup, salad, fish rice, fruit salad and tea before crashing on the grass digest it all. It was a slow steady ride back to camp and the afternoon thunderstorms held off.
With our reduced numbers we set off north towards Ethiopia in our newly refurbished truck. There had been a few clunks and bangs slowly growing louder from the rear axles so they had been dissected while we were parked up in Navasha. Our trusty old driver only needed two days to completely rebuild the dif so it will hopefully be plain sailing from here on up. Stay tuned, we are headed into some rather remote untravelled areas to experience some of the oldest cultures in the world.
