I put up some of the best pictures from my safari. Check them out in the pictures section.

With Easter giving me an extra two days off of work it meant that I would get to spend another weekend out exploring parts of Uganda I had yet to see. Thus on Good Friday Charles and myself departed for Queen Elizabeth National Park with our driver Steven who we had hired. Our plan was to visit the national park and see as many animals as we could. After almost 11 months in Africa it probably was about time I did see some animals anyway.

The six-hour ride to the park went by relatively quickly, and as we approached the park entrance we got our first taste of animal life as a group of baboons pranced around on the highway. At the park gates we were told that most accommodations were filled due to the long weekend, yet this failed to deter us from entering the park. On our way up to the lodges we passed by an elephant, a group of monkeys and a whole bunch of wart hogs. We went straight to the hostel and checked to see if there was any type of accommodation available. We were told the hostel was full, and that our only other alternatives would be to stay at the lodge (65 USD per night) or at the student center dorm rooms (2.50 USD per night). Oddly enough we opted for the latter of the two choices and found a nice dorm room to accommodate Charles and me. Waiting outside our dorm room was also a big fat hippo gleefully grazing on the high grass. After settling into our room we booked ourselves two game drives and a boat trip to take care of our Saturday and Sunday. That night we had a few beers at the lodge then a few more at a canteen by the dorms. When at the canteen I noticed that a group of people sitting beside us was talking German. Upon closer inspection I noticed that they were playing Douplekopf and Kniffle (Yatzee). How easily this group could have been my own family. Regardless I never found the nerve to go join them and ended the night in my cold dorm room.

The next morning it was early to rise to go on the boat trip. The boat would take us up the Kazinga channel (connects lake Edward with lake George) and hopefully let us see some animals. The two-hour boat ride let us see hippos hippos and more hippos. In addition to the hippo’s we did see a water buffalo, a crocodile, a monitor lizard, some local fishermen, and probably over 20 different species of birds. Another Canadian (from BC) was on this boat trip (actually Charles had met her once before a few weeks back) with us, she stays in Mbarara working with Refuges. Her name was Chinook apparently after the wind NOT the salmon, nor the helicopter. Anyway after the boat trip we had a bit of time to rest up before heading out on our first game drive.

We passed the time between the boat trip and our afternoon game drive by singing lion king songs and by seeing who could ride the hippo the longest. Finally 4pm came around and we drove off to find ourselves some more animals. After seeing a extensive amount of Ugandan Kobe (look like deer to me despite the horns) we finally got to see something exciting, a herd of elephants! Our guide got Steven to drive off the main track right up towards the herd. As we approached you could feel a slight unease come over the elephants, as well as our group. Sitting in the box of a pickup truck with a herd of elephant’s maybe 20 meters away is almost as fearful as climbing off a 100-meter cliff. It was amazing to see the herd however, how the queen dictated when and where they would move. At one point after being a little too loud on the back of the truck the queen was preparing to charge the truck. She flapped out her ears and started to stomp the ground in preparation. This was our cue to continue forward and get out of her way.

We continued on our trek to find animals. We saw a few more deer like animals such as the waterbuck and antelope, and eventually came across an elusive lion. The lion however was enjoying her dinner hiding in a big thicket bush. Although we didn’t have a great view we did get to hear as she crushed bones with her teeth. Eventually after getting tired of the eating noises we left the lioness to her dinner and headed back to the camp. That night we treated ourselves to a grand dinner at the lodge with was grossly overpriced and not overly tasty. While eating I noticed the German group had also opted for an expensive meal at the lodge and even received a gleaming smile from one of the daughters. Later that night we retired to a few beers at the canteen where we met up with the German crew once again who were back at the Doppelkopf and Kniffle. Eventually we headed off to bed as we had an early morning game drive the next day.

Sunday morning, 6:30 am we drove off with our guide in search of one creature, a lion. We returned to the similar area that we scoured the day before, yet this time all we could see were loads of Kobe. We searched and searched and searched until our guide got bored and told us we needed to go back. On our way back we ran into another group who told us where the lion was. The guide however told us we couldn’t go because it was off the track and in a very muddy place. Realizing that we couldn’t make the guide do what he didn’t want to do we headed back to the camp disappointed with the missed lion.

Back at camp we decided that we had had enough of QE and were going to trek back towards Kampala and explore a closer national park called Lake Mburo National Park. It took us a little over 3-hours to get to Lake Mburo and upon arrival we were faced with the same problem we had at the previous park, full accommodations. We entered the park regardless and wished for the best. As it turned out the only full accommodations were the bandas and some lovely student hostels were very vacant for us to stay in.

Lake Mburo provided us with a nice relaxing spot to rest over on our trek back home. It also provided us a chance to see some of its large population of zebras and antelopes. We also got to see a viper chase two crested cranes, definitely an interesting site.

Monday came around quicker than expected which meant it was time to go home. After one last exploration to a lookout in the park we headed home only to be greeted by big storm clouds. Overall a wonderful Easter weekend in which I was able to not only see a bunch of the animals Uganda has to offer but also it gave me a chance to get my mind off work and relax a bit.

With my departure looming over me like a big black cloud I have been actively trying to go and see everything I had set out to see in Uganda. Last weekend I traveled with JP his sister Clair and Charles to Eastern Uganda to the third largest city (if you can call it a city) in Uganda called Mbale. We arrived around lunchtime on Saturday the 12th. This was my first time to Eastern Uganda, which is much drier than the rest of Uganda, also much more hot. After finding a hotel to stay at, and a bite to eat to satisfy our hungry stomachs we found ourselves a special hire to take us up to Sipi Falls; the main reason for going out East. After the hour-long taxi drive that seemed much too cheap we finally arrived at the falls.

Upon arrival we decided we weren’t going to just look at the falls but rather abseil them. We hired a local guide who was apparently trained by Italian climbers a year back. He now runs a business called Rob’s Rolling Rock (funny enough his name is Rob). Anyway the way things were going to proceed was that we would tie a 100M rope onto our harnesses. This rope would then be thread through a metal loop drilled into the rock above the waterfall. We would then walk out over the edge of the falls and walk our way down while Rob would hold onto the rope letting us slack to allow us to climb down. Seemed easy enough, and after one of Rob’s guides showed us how it was done it was up to JP to be the big man and do the first run. JP’s run was quick, too quick seeing as I was the next person up to go down.

After having my harness tied tightly to the rope it was time for me to take the plunge and walk over the edge of a 100M cliff. Despite my immense fear of heights I was already at the edge, and with a girl watching, no trade backs. I started by inching my way down, baby steps. Anyway after an initial bit of getting into the groove I found that it actually wasn’t too bad. I continued down until I reached an area where Rob told me to stop walking and now start jump side to side. Like you see in movies I launched myself from one side of the cliff to another bouncing gleefully. All the while I had yet to actually look down. Finally the cliff wall came to an end and I really didn’t know what to do. I was now fully in the hands of Rob to lower me to safety. At this point I finally got the nerve to look down and out at the amazing view. If I was to tell you I was not afraid I would be lying to you beyond believe. Hanging by a rope at roughly 60M above a rocky ground really isn’t my ideal good time, but what can I say I had one hell of a view into the valley below and of the falls to my right. After a few loud bellows to the spirit of Sipi and the locals who were perched along the hills watching I finally reached the ground.

What a terrifying yet rewarding experience that was, one, which I am so glad, I did. Anyway after watching Clair get soaked by the waterfall (seems the winds picked up) and Charles bounce his way down we started on our trek back up the 100M we so quickly abseiled. As we reached the top of the hill our guide asked us if we could pay him now rather than at the campsite. We told him we could but enquired why. He gave us some story about the locals knowing when money is around etc. Anyway he also wanted us to pay 20,000 USH more than we were told the abseil would cost. Regardless we paid him so that we could move on but once back at the campsite we brought up the issue with Rob. Rob was shocked that his guide had tried to take our money and quickly returned the extra 20,000 to each person. It was really refreshing to have Rob sort things out, especially since we were beginning to get quite bitter at what had happened.

That night back in Mbale we treated ourselves to some delicious pizza at a restaurant below our hotel then set off for bed. The next day on our way out of the hotel we noticed that on the balcony of one of our rooms the flowerpot had some interesting plants growing in them. We decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea if we helped management with the weeding and left instead. On our way back we stopped over in Jinja to relax a bit before heading back to Kampala for another week of work. We hung out at the Jinja Sailing Club while sipping the latest beer from Uganda called Eagle lager, which is a sorghum based beer in which all the sorghum is locally grown in Uganda. After a few beers and slices of leftover pizza we finally departed back home.

I think since being in Uganda I have done more extreme things than I have ever done. My latest adventure over the weekend had me abseiling 100 M down Sipi Falls. Check out pictures from this and other stuff.

Most of my entries found on this site are usually just stories of things I have done in Uganda (or area). Since time is coming to a close here in Uganda and I really haven’t done anything exciting enough to write about (WOW I went to Nairobi again) I thought I would share a few things I have been thinking about of late.

I have realized how common I have become here in Uganda. In certain areas of town I am bound to run into someone (if not many someone’s) who I know, or more so, people who know me. Few days ago while eating at an Ethiopian restaurant a waitress recognized me from Church. In some ways its nice having so many people know who you are, as you tend to get better deals/service on things, as well as they know what you want (like when I go to restaurants). It also has its downfalls, as I am becoming common to those people who want to take advantage of me, or use me for money, jobs, etc. Even though I am pretty good at determining people’s true intentions and am pretty careful it still begins to turn into a nuisance.

Lately little things are beginning to eat at me. Things like having a minibus driver try to cheat me out of 100 USH (roughly 7 cents Canadian) by charging me more than everyone else on the taxi. It isn’t the money that makes me angry it’s just the fact they are trying to cheat me, and no one likes to be cheated. When I first arrived I was too afraid to say anything to people trying to cheat me, but now I tend to fight them. Just the other day when JP (who is back from the UK) and me where coming back from town it was another case of a taxi driver trying to get more money from the whites. This time however we had taken the taxi where it had its price marked, thus after getting out of the taxi I refused to remove my hand from the seat until I was given my rightful change. Often times though I now just give up, I give in, stop fighting. Other things that eat at me is when people assume things about you just because your white (used to be “Hey Muzungu Bin Laden is over here” now its “Hey Muzungu Sadam is over there”). It really gets to me though, and at times you can really start to thinking all Ugandans are out to get something from you, which is the greatest shame of all. The best cure is to think of all the good friends in country I have.

With all that said I think I do OK for myself these days. My understanding of the language is at a level where if I really took it seriously I could start to be dangerous. I feel I understand the culture here quite well also, and I think most of my friends will tell you I fit in quite well.

Anyway its about 35 days until my departure from Africa. 35 days till I return to reality (what is my reality, maybe Africa is my true reality ;) ), or rather the western world. It is a bittersweet feeling I have towards leaving. Uganda has truly treated me well, but it has also left me a year away from those that I love, and my life in general. Anyway this day had to come, actually it came once in December and I decided I wasn’t going to have it, but now I have to come back (The incentive of seeing a certain band might be one cause of this!) and I am truly looking forward to it.

The world has changed a lot in the past year; I have changed a lot (even skinnier haha) in the past year. I think life will be a lot different on return, at least from my standpoint, as for everyone else who knows. To quote Pearl Jam “driftin’ driftin’ driftin’ along, feel like going back there but never for very long, sometimes I wonder if they know that I’m gone, I’m just driftin’ driftin’ along”.

As for the future who knows, I will take life one step at a time like I have always done. And well right now I have a few steps to do first. Uganda, Germany, Southern Western USA, and most importantly a little place I like to call home…

Just so you don't worry. Will be back Saturday...