Almost immediately after crossing the border from Rwanda to Uganda, it felt like we were "back in Africa". On my first day in Uganda I bought bbq goat meat on a stick through the window of a matatu (mini-bus) and had to fight with a goat on another for the precious amount a leg room available to me (I was winning for a while, but once the goat learned to use its horns against my shins I had to admit defeat). This morning while I was eating breakfast at the Red Chilli Backpackers (Kampala, Uganda), a chicken came along, hopped on an empty chair at the table next to me, and proceeded to lay an egg on the cushion while skwaking loudly. I think the chicken enjoyed having an audience of four mzungus while she did her thing. Ahhhhh Africa. Somehow I actually feel more comfortable among the chaos and nonsensical order to things.
If you think I may be escaping the Michael Jackson craziness you are mistaken. Even here in Africa there is no other news. I flipped through a Ugandan news paper today with dozens of articles about mj, and only a handful on other topics. Is there really no other news??? Really???
Our first destination was in Uganda was Lake Bunyonyi - a nice getaway not too far from the Rwanda border. We stayed in a "tree tent" - a furnished tent on a platform high up in the trees. The Lake was beautiful and the accomodation spectacular - but it was quite cold. Too cold to swim most of the time - and almost right on the Equator! This is where we started running into large "overland trips" (which are everywhere in Uganda). These involve massive trucks taking tourists from point to point. They are quite funny -they have a look of shock and awe in their eyes when we tell them we are backpacking on our own - as if its impossible to get around on public transport and make your own arrangements. They also seem to be strangely adverse to getting dirty - one truck even layed out a plastic tarp for their bags to be put on when they came of the truck. We burst out laughing when we saw this. But then again, they may have burst out laughing when they saw how dirty us and all of our stuff is:) It still amazes me just how dirty you can get in Africa just doing ordinary things.
Our next destination was a nature reserve on Lake Nkuruba near Fort Portal. The area was absolutely beautiful with stunning crater lakes, a quaint town and plenty of monkeys hanging around. We went on a "crater lakes exploration" one day which involved a six hour hike by 6 crater lakes and a waterfall. Our guide's name was Christine - and she showed up in the morning wearing black tight jeans, a fitted tank top and a baseball cap. She was carrying nothing. And then there was us - sporting socks and gortex shoes, quick dry travelling pants, moisture wicking and breathable t-shirts, hats and sunglasses, with a camel back tubes slung over over shoulders and backpacks containing extra water, water purification tabs in case we ran out of water, lunch, snacks, bathing suits, sunscreen, sarongs, bio-degradable soap, and of course, our cameras. No wonder people laugh at us so much:) The waterfall was incredible and this is where the first of the "unforgettable showers" occurred. You could get right under the rushing falls for nature's best power shower. It was simply glorious.
Next we headed to Jinja, Uganda. This is where the Lake Victoria pours into the Nile River, making it the major source of the Nile. And it makes for some fantastic grade 5 rapids. We went whitewater rafter, quad biking (four-wheeling) and made a bad attempt at whitewater kayaking. Neither of us could manage to roll over in the kayak - so we ended up just paddling up an down the river for a while, completely avoiding the rapids. We stayed at the Nile River Explores backpackers. This was an average place in general, with anything but average showers. The second "unforgettable shower" was set into a very steep hill over looking the Victoria Nile rapids. On the side facing the view it was completely open - floor to ceiling. Again, simply glorious.
We are now in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Ugandans are very friendly people, and although you have to be aware of the dangers and annoyances of any large city, it is very tourist friendly. Today is a day of chores - banking, shopping for replacement toiletries and clothes, copying photos to CDs, laundry etc. Speaking of photos - I'm sure you've guessed already that there will be no photos on this blog until I get back (unless I all of a sudden have lots of extra time and money that I want to spend waiting for photos to upload in a dreary internet cafe - not likely).
Next on the agenda is a trip to Murchison Falls in north western uganda. We will do some more safari-ing and maybe make another attempt at chimp trekking. Then on to Kenya. For the second half of the trip we have no set plans whatsoever so we are just taking it day-by-day. Which of course is quite fun:)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
You know you've had an interesting day when you end up covered in volcano ash
Before heading to Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we asked around to ensure that it was safe to do so. One very telling response was "Safe for you? Yes. Safe for me? No.". We hired a guide, Shakira, to take us on a short day tour. She is a Rwandan who lives in Gisenyi while attending university in Goma. Shakira crosses the border every day on her two hour walk to and from school. We had no trouble at the border - even though we had been told to expect to be solicited for a bribe and to stand firm. We just paid $35 for a short term visa which was processed without a hitch. The Congo was immediately a sight for sore eyes (and the contrast from Rwanda just a few hundred yards away caused another round of culture shock). Rocky dirt road with endless barbed wire and sheet metal fencing. There was one nice hotel right on the border - presumably for UN and aid workers. Armed guards perched in surveillance towers - often blue helmets - overlooked the city with their weapons ready. We hired "motos" (motorcycle taxis) to take us to the foothills of the Nyiragongo Volcano (motos are scary enough in themselves - and in the Congo they don't where helmets like they do in Rwanda). The entire town is covered in ash and rock from the still active volcano that erupted on January 17, 2002. The city, and its hundreds of thousands of refugees, were evacuated and there were very few casualties. The city is still being rebuilt right on top of the lava fields, using the rock to build many of the structures. This amounts to a very dirty and dusty city. Our faces were covered in soot - almost black. Shakira says "Now you look like me".
We then visited a UN refugee camp. This is the first time I gave money during this trip - the scene was overwhelming. Tiny tiny homes made of mud bricks and white plastic sheeting. It seemed as though many of the children were probably born in the camp - and none of them looked healthy.
Sharkira is a student of Informatics and we went to visit her school. A tiny facility with just a few rooms and about 15 computers for 1500 students. We walked around the town and the market. It was very peaceful and people welcomed us. Although it was clear that people assumed we were either UN or aid workers. Tourists are just starting venture in.
The following morning we got an early bus travelling south down Kivu Lake to Kibuye. The road is not in the best condition (rare for Rwanda) and it took 5 1/2 hours to travel about 120km. The Kibuye area was one of the hardest hit during the genocide. Approximately 90% of Tutsis were killed. We are staying at church run place called Home Saint Jean. It is on the same hill as a church that now stands as a genocide memorial. On April 17th, 1994, 11,400 people were massacred by throwing a grenade into the packed church, then going in a murdering the survivors with machetes. The bodies were reburied the following year in mass graves with a burial ceremony. A small glass case contains child size skulls overlooking the grave.
This hill has one of the most peaceful and tranquil landscapes I have ever seen (ironically). The water of Lake Kivu is a dense turquoise colour with endless green hills rolling in the horizon. Understandably, the tourism industry is starting to boom here.
We then visited a UN refugee camp. This is the first time I gave money during this trip - the scene was overwhelming. Tiny tiny homes made of mud bricks and white plastic sheeting. It seemed as though many of the children were probably born in the camp - and none of them looked healthy.
Sharkira is a student of Informatics and we went to visit her school. A tiny facility with just a few rooms and about 15 computers for 1500 students. We walked around the town and the market. It was very peaceful and people welcomed us. Although it was clear that people assumed we were either UN or aid workers. Tourists are just starting venture in.
The following morning we got an early bus travelling south down Kivu Lake to Kibuye. The road is not in the best condition (rare for Rwanda) and it took 5 1/2 hours to travel about 120km. The Kibuye area was one of the hardest hit during the genocide. Approximately 90% of Tutsis were killed. We are staying at church run place called Home Saint Jean. It is on the same hill as a church that now stands as a genocide memorial. On April 17th, 1994, 11,400 people were massacred by throwing a grenade into the packed church, then going in a murdering the survivors with machetes. The bodies were reburied the following year in mass graves with a burial ceremony. A small glass case contains child size skulls overlooking the grave.
This hill has one of the most peaceful and tranquil landscapes I have ever seen (ironically). The water of Lake Kivu is a dense turquoise colour with endless green hills rolling in the horizon. Understandably, the tourism industry is starting to boom here.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Reverse Culture Shock
One thing that I wasn't expecting to experience in Africa is 'reverse cultuture shock'. Rwanda has made such an incredible turnaround since the genocide of 1994. It is truly a testament to the resilience of the human condition. Rwanda is the most developed and most modern society we have encountered - experiencing the familiar patterns we were used to at home caused the reverse culture shock. A few things we have noticed that were shocking: roads are paved; everyone wears shoes; women carry their bags over their shoulders (rather than on their heads); people are wearing jeans and other western clothing; there are crosswalks and lines on the roads with streetlights and predictable traffic patterns; there are no street vendors; children are taught through public advertising campaigns that begging for money is shameful; buses run on time and even leave if they aren't full; people are mild mannered - there is no yelling at us on the street; motorcycle taxi drivers wear helmuts and must carry helmuts for their passengers; it is incrediby clean, and of course - there are no plastic bags and a noticeable environmental movement. There are some anomoly's (as always in Africa). For the most advanced society so far - we were surprised to find out that there are no ATMs that accept international cards, and the cell phone networks are incompatible with the surrounding countries. Our first afternoon we spent hours in the bank trying to get cash. This is the first time we have had any problem getting money from ATMs.
In Kigali we had lunch at the Hotel Milles de Collines - the famous "Hotel Rwanda". It is currently under construction - probably to captialize on its new found international fame that the blockbuster movie brought (filmed in South Africa). We also visited the largest genocide memorial in the country - and intend to visit a few more. Our first night we stayed at a place called the "One Love Club". It is a non-profit organizaiton run by a Rastafarian man and his Japanese wife. All of the proceeds from the guesthouse, restaurant and shop go to making prosthetics for the the many amputees in Rwanda who often have to use sticks because there aren't enough prosthetic legs. The is also a workshop on the grounds where they are made. This was a very nice place - but too expensive for our budget. We went in search for something cheaper and quickly found out that price we paid was about the going rate. It was then that we decided to try "couchsurfing". Couchsurfing is an online international travellers network where people who have extra space offer it to travelers free of charge. We stayed for two nights in a great place right in the centre of Kigali with a Belgian guy who had a three bedroom house. All went well, except for the fact that he was crazy - and impossible to have a conversation with. C'est la vie.
From Kigali we went on to Volcanoes National Park where Mckinley saw the mountain gorillas. We are now in a beach/resort town called Gisenyi on Lake Kivu. We are a stones throw away from the Congo border and are trying to arrange a day trip to Goma.
There are two books on the genocide that I highly recommend: "A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali" and "We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with our Families". The former is a fiction novel but largely based on the actual experience of those who stayed in Kigali during the genocide and sought refuge at the Hotel de Milles Collines. The latter is written by a journalist who compiled stories from survivors from all walks of life in Rwanda. The title is a direct quote from a letter written by terrified priests who were informed that they and the thousands of people seeking refuge in a church compound would be massacred the following morning.
The anguish and despair one might expect to see are invisible to the common tourist - but you know that it's there (one would be a fool to believe that the wounds have healed). Faces are bright and smiling - welcoming visitors with open arms. Welcoming international visitors is especially impressive - given the international community bears some significant responsibility for the atrocities before, during and after the genocide. It is arguable that it would not have happened if not for the interference and subsequent abandonement on the part of western countries.
In Kigali we had lunch at the Hotel Milles de Collines - the famous "Hotel Rwanda". It is currently under construction - probably to captialize on its new found international fame that the blockbuster movie brought (filmed in South Africa). We also visited the largest genocide memorial in the country - and intend to visit a few more. Our first night we stayed at a place called the "One Love Club". It is a non-profit organizaiton run by a Rastafarian man and his Japanese wife. All of the proceeds from the guesthouse, restaurant and shop go to making prosthetics for the the many amputees in Rwanda who often have to use sticks because there aren't enough prosthetic legs. The is also a workshop on the grounds where they are made. This was a very nice place - but too expensive for our budget. We went in search for something cheaper and quickly found out that price we paid was about the going rate. It was then that we decided to try "couchsurfing". Couchsurfing is an online international travellers network where people who have extra space offer it to travelers free of charge. We stayed for two nights in a great place right in the centre of Kigali with a Belgian guy who had a three bedroom house. All went well, except for the fact that he was crazy - and impossible to have a conversation with. C'est la vie.
From Kigali we went on to Volcanoes National Park where Mckinley saw the mountain gorillas. We are now in a beach/resort town called Gisenyi on Lake Kivu. We are a stones throw away from the Congo border and are trying to arrange a day trip to Goma.
There are two books on the genocide that I highly recommend: "A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali" and "We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with our Families". The former is a fiction novel but largely based on the actual experience of those who stayed in Kigali during the genocide and sought refuge at the Hotel de Milles Collines. The latter is written by a journalist who compiled stories from survivors from all walks of life in Rwanda. The title is a direct quote from a letter written by terrified priests who were informed that they and the thousands of people seeking refuge in a church compound would be massacred the following morning.
The anguish and despair one might expect to see are invisible to the common tourist - but you know that it's there (one would be a fool to believe that the wounds have healed). Faces are bright and smiling - welcoming visitors with open arms. Welcoming international visitors is especially impressive - given the international community bears some significant responsibility for the atrocities before, during and after the genocide. It is arguable that it would not have happened if not for the interference and subsequent abandonement on the part of western countries.
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