I'm happy to say that my trip is ending on a good note---my time in Uganda has been drastically different from my time in Rwanda, and I am thankful for that. Languidity has been replaced by activity. Since my last post just over one week ago, I have been busy pretty much non-stop.
On Sunday Brian and I were up before dawn and sitting on a bus to Kampala in the dark. We didn't leave for quite some time, though, and by noon we were in the big, bustling city of Kampala. We didn't see much because after getting off of our bus, we immediately got on a bus to Masindi via Hoima. Twelve hours after leaving our guesthouse in Fort Portal, we arrived in Masindi, a tiny insignificant town in the north of the country. Masindi's only real draw is that it is the closest town to Murchison Falls, a destination I'd been looking forward to visiting for quite some time.
We arranged a lift into the park that evening, and early the next morning (as usual, we were up before dawn) we left for the park. Our first stop was the Kaniyo Pabidi Forest, inside the Murchsion Falls Conservation Park boundaries. Pabidi is a very large, beautiful rainforest, and is also the cheapest place in Uganda to track chimpanzees. That was the real reason for our stop in the forest---chimps. Brian and I decided that instead of doing a brief chimpanzee tracking walk, we would spend the entire day doing what is known as "chimpanzee habituation"---that is, spending the entire day in the presence of the chimpanzees to habituate them to human contact. While this was also offered at the more famous Kibale NP, which we had biked through just a few days earlier, doing it at Kibale would have been more than twice as expensive as at Pabidi.
We arrived at the park visitor center, and within a few minutes we were off with two guides and one chimpanzee researcher. After only a few minutes of walking through the forest, we began to hear the unmistakable pant-hoot calls of chimpanzees, far up in the trees. Moments later, we were under a canopy of trees as a small group of 4 chimpanzees sat far above us, eating figs from tree branches. After a few moments of this, the chimps, in a flurry of hoots, moved on. After a few moments, we started following.
We arranged a lift into the park that evening, and early the next morning (as usual, we were up before dawn) we left for the park. Our first stop was the Kaniyo Pabidi Forest, inside the Murchsion Falls Conservation Park boundaries. Pabidi is a very large, beautiful rainforest, and is also the cheapest place in Uganda to track chimpanzees. That was the real reason for our stop in the forest---chimps. Brian and I decided that instead of doing a brief chimpanzee tracking walk, we would spend the entire day doing what is known as "chimpanzee habituation"---that is, spending the entire day in the presence of the chimpanzees to habituate them to human contact. While this was also offered at the more famous Kibale NP, which we had biked through just a few days earlier, doing it at Kibale would have been more than twice as expensive as at Pabidi.
We arrived at the park visitor center, and within a few minutes we were off with two guides and one chimpanzee researcher. After only a few minutes of walking through the forest, we began to hear the unmistakable pant-hoot calls of chimpanzees, far up in the trees. Moments later, we were under a canopy of trees as a small group of 4 chimpanzees sat far above us, eating figs from tree branches. After a few moments of this, the chimps, in a flurry of hoots, moved on. After a few moments, we started following.
We were walking along the trail through the forest, looking around us at the beauty of our surroundings, a guide in the lead and me directly behind him, when he stopped dead in his tracks and put his arm out to stop me from going forward.
"Python!" he whispered.
I looked at the ground and there, on our trail, only a few meters in front of us, was the biggest snake I had ever seen. The giant python, which the guides estimated as being around 4 meters long (about 12-13 feet), was lying there in the grass, slithering along, its beady eyes looking around, its forked tongue flicking back and forth. We stayed there looking at this beast of a snake for about 20 minutes, taking pictures. It was fascinating; once the snake had heard us coming, it had stopped and was lying still in the grass, directly in our pathway. We couldn't continue that way to follow the chimps, so eventually (after a brief scare where the python suddenly coiled up, facing us, seemingly about to strike--at which point we all turned and ran away from it until we were out of strike range) we turned around and took a different path through the forest.
It was about an hour of walking through the maze-like paths in the forest, up and down hills, across wooden branches that served as "bridges". Eventually, though, we entered into another clearing, with some huge fig trees rising far above us. Up in the trees, we observed anywhere from between 15 to 20 chimpanzees, including some infants (I never was able to get a fixed count).
We set up shop; we put down our bags and sat down to observe. Unlike the mountain gorilla-trek, we were not interacting with the chimpanzees. We weren't anywhere near close enough to interact with them; we were on the ground, and they were in the trees. We also weren't close enough to take any quality pictures---perhaps with a camera with an extremely strong zoom, I could have gotten some quality pictures of chimps. And although that might sound very uninspiring, compared with the breathtaking experience of gorilla-tracking, it was wonderful. Sitting on the forest floor, or lying in a pile of leaves looking up into the trees, for hours, watching the interactions between these chimps, was a perfect way to spend a day. Their eating, their playing, their grooming and conflicts and their frequent hooting and shouting frenzies, their swinging from tree-to-tree, we just sat there watching it all. We watched these interactions until 4pm---8 hours after we had set out in the morning. Then, finally, we started the walk back through the forest to the visitor center. It took almost an hour, and thankfully we did not see any pythons on that return walk.
Our driver had been waiting for us, and from the visitor center we continued to the Red Chilli Restcamp, in the middle of Murchison Falls NP. He dropped us off there, and we walked past the marabou storks standing in the grass, watching us, and the warthogs grazing a few feet away, to our banda for the night. We had planned on taking a boat launch up the Nile River the following morning, and then hiking up to the falls, and then taking the afternoon boat back. Then, however, we discovered that there would be no boat launch in the morning; only in the afternoon. We spent some time discussing options and figuring out what to do----some late-night planning that is common when arranging things on your own.
Eventually we figured out and arranged a plan, and at 8am the next morning (thankfully, we did not have to wake up before dawn) a driver picked us up from the restcamp and drove us along a dirt road to the top of the falls. To give you a brief description of Murchison Falls: they are a 43-meter tall waterfall, where practically the entire Victoria Nile River, flowing from its source in Lake Victoria, is driven through a narrowing passage until it reaches only 6-meters wide; at that point, it plummets down. Because the water is narrowed so much (the Nile is a very wide river, and pushing all of that water into so narrow a space gives it a lot of surging energy), the Murchison Falls are the most powerful surge of water to be found anywhere in the world. The roar of the waterfall is extremely loud, and its spray rises up violently. It's an incredible sight, even moreso because it is not heavily touristed; when we went, it was just Brian and I, with no one else around, looking at the most powerful surge of water in the world.
We stayed there for a while, walking around, and then taking a hiking trail to some amazing viewpoints. After a few hours, when we had seen everything there was to see, and had stared transfixed at the roaring water until our hearts' content, we left. We drove back to the restcamp and, after a small lunch, boarded a boat along with other travelers and did the afternoon boat trip up the Nile to the falls. The 3-hour trip was notable not so much for the view of the falls that it afforded us (nowhere near as awesome as the view from the top), but for the huge amount of wildlife that we saw on the riverbank as we floated along. We passed more hippos than I had ever seen before, numerous crocodiles in the water and sunning themselves on the shore, waterbucks, elephants, and some very rare birds. I had thought the sunset cruise I'd taken on the Zambezi in December was rewarding, but that paled in comparison with the amount of wildlife I saw on the Nile.
After the conclusion of the boat trip, our driver was waiting for us, and we hopped back into the car. It was a long trip out of the park, and it was starting to get dark. We were driving fairly quickly, scaring baboons off of the road and sending colobus monkeys scurrying through the trees. Then our tire went flat, and our driver told us that we didn't have a spare. Thankfully another car was a few minutes behind us, and after some haggling between our driver and the passengers in the other car, Brian and I were squished into the other car along with our bags and the car's passengers, and we set off, leaving our driver behind.
Again, we didn't stay in Kampala---Brian and I put on our bags and then walked from the post office to the "Old Taxi Park", which is possibly the biggest, craziest, most chaotic taxi park I have ever seen. It was ordered chaos in which I could not see the order. More than once, Brian and I would be walking through a narrow space between two matatus and would find that they merge into one lane, blocking any walkway. So we would have to turn around and retrace our steps. Ordinarily that would be fine, but with large bags, it was an ordeal. After a while of wandering around the maze of the taxi park and getting lost a few times, we found an omnibus (coaster) going to Jinja. We got on the bus, and soon the bus started moving---but it took quite some time for us to navigate the lanes through the taxi park, with people jumping out of our way and numerous other taxis coming precariously close to hitting us.
Eventually we left the city and were driving along the highway to Jinja. I was surprised to find that this heavily-trafficked route, connecting two very large towns, and the only way to get from Kampala to Nairobi, was only one lane in each direction. This is mind-boggling, especially considering that it is the main shipping lane for all goods coming from overseas to anywhere in Uganda or Rwanda (or even the eastern DRC). Imagine if the I-95 between New York and DC was only one lane, or if the 405 in Los Angeles was only one lane, and you have some idea of what this road was like. There were some hair-raising moments, when our coaster would try to pass a slow-moving vehicle and would have to quickly squeeze back into the lane seconds before
an oncoming car would pass us. Sitting on the coaster, I wondered how many accidents happen on that road, and I realized that I didn't want to know.
We eventually arrived in Jinja, and got into a car heading up to Bujugali Falls, our final destination for the day. The Explorers Campsite, where Brian and I stayed that night and the following night, was the first "backpackers" that we had stayed at since December, and it was nice to be around other travelers again. We were all there for one reason: white-water rafting. That's the reason why so many people travel to Bujugali Falls---to raft the source of the Nile. In the morning we set off for our full-day of rafting. I vividly remembered the insanity of the Zambezi when we rafted it, and I was prepared for the another crazy, adrenaline-filled day.
The first thing I noticed when we got into the water was the warmth of the river---the Nile is refreshingly nice to swim in, like a nice cool bath. The second was the scenery: while the Zambezi flows through the narrow, imposing Victoria Falls Gorge, the Nile is surrounded on all sides by green grass and bird-filled trees. Villagers washed their clothes in the water at the banks of the river as we floated by. On our raft, in addition to Brian and myself, were three Brits and two other Americans, Marcus and Jeff. Our guide, Paolo, is one of the best rafters in all of Uganda, and is a member of the Ugandan National Team---that was very reassuring.
We did a full day of rafting, and I really enjoyed it. Whereas the Zambezi was densely packed with 23 rapids, the Nile only has 12---this gave us more calm stretches inbetween rapids to relax or to float down the river. Quite a few of the rapids were Grade 5, and some of the other rafters were a bit apprehensive as we approached them, but Brian and I weren't. The Nile is not nearly as intense or as challenging as the Zambezi, and the steering is much less technical. Unlike the Zambezi, I never once felt in physical danger on the Nile. Perhaps that was a sense of over-confidence. We flipped our raft 3 times, as opposed to only once on the Zambezi. And although the rafting was not nearly as challenging (considering that the Nile is considered an intense, top-notch rafting destination, it's easy to see why the Zambezi is considered the biggest, most challenging rafting in the world), I have to say that I enjoyed my day on the Nile more than my day on the Zambezi.
The following morning, Marcus, Jeff, Brian, and I left Bujugali Falls and went to Kampala. This time, for once, we didn't continue onwards from Kampala, but stayed. I have been in Kampala since Friday---my final destination on this African journey. On Friday night, I went out to a local nightclub with Marcus and Jeff---we were thankfully the only muzungus in the entire place, and we spent the night dancing with the locals to Ugandan music and the occasional Western Hit---we were happy to hear TWO songs by Rihanna, and surprisingly not even one by Akon (the first time that's ever happened to me in Africa).
Marcus and Jeff left the following morning, but Brian and I stayed, and since then we've spent the days walking around, soaking up the city, eating delicious food and enjoying the atmosphere. I think that Kampala is my favorite African city among those that I've visited on these travels---it's huge and crazy and lively. The people are incredibly friendly. The matatus are comfortable---they only allow 3 people per row here!
The city is well-situated, set on hills and valleys, almost like Kigali but much much bigger and livelier. At the bottom of the main hill in the city center are the bus park and the taxi parks, and the huge markets (like the Owino Market which we visited----more like a market city than anything else)---a chaotic African city. But walking up the hill, past Kampala Road, the city changes and there are wide avenues, huge gated houses, and parks. It's all very clean and modern. There's even a shopping mall with a movie theater in Kampala (where Brian and I saw the movie "Cloverfield"). Kampala, in short, is almost like South Africa, but without the constant threat of danger.
Yesterday, Brian and I took a half-day trip to the Equator. Uganda is one of only 10 countries in the world that the equator passes through, and it's a 2-hour drive from the city center. We took matatus there and back. At the equator are two circular monuments marking the boundary between North and South, some overpriced craft shops, and some bowls of water where an employee demonstrates the Coreolis Effect (which, having seen the demonstration, seems actually true).
On the matatu heading back to Kampala, I realized that I was on my last long-distance matatu trip in Africa. Part of me was glad that I wouldn't have to worry about squeezing into tight seats for a while, it also hit me that my time in Africa was coming to an end, andl I wished that I could find some way to prolong my journey. At least the matatu trip wasn't boring, though. I was sitting in the back row, in the middle. A few minutes after I got on the matatu, we stopped to pick up some more passengers. One guy had a large sack, which the driver and conductor squeezed into the back, directly behind me. I immediately realized that the sack was full of fish, due to the unmistakable smell. Soon, we left, and immediately the matatu was filled with the intense, pungent odor of fish, like a fish-shop when the power goes out. It was very unpleasant, especially considering that the fish were directly behind my head.
After a few minutes of enduring this, the matatu pulled over. There was nobody on the side of the road, so I wondered why we had stopped. Immediately, the conductor slid open the door and jumped out. He ran into a field of bushes, grabbed handfuls of plants, and stuffed them into the back of the matatu, around the bag of fish. He was trying to mask the smell, and soon enough the matatu was filled with the aroma of the plants. For the rest of the trip back to Kampala, the matatu smelled like a lovely, fragrant garden.....full of rotting fish.
Brian left this morning. We have been traveling together for months, since Mozambique, but here is where our paths diverge. I'm heading to London and New York; he's heading to Istanbul. Today is my last full day in Africa; tomorrow I fly out of Entebbe Airport. I'm going to really enjoy the day, and to savor it. I will truly miss Africa----of course I will miss those unforgettable moments like lying on the forest floor surrounded by the hooting calls of chimpanzees, or of floating down the Nile River, but I will also miss the rotting-fish-garden matatu trips. I'll miss it all.
We eventually arrived in Jinja, and got into a car heading up to Bujugali Falls, our final destination for the day. The Explorers Campsite, where Brian and I stayed that night and the following night, was the first "backpackers" that we had stayed at since December, and it was nice to be around other travelers again. We were all there for one reason: white-water rafting. That's the reason why so many people travel to Bujugali Falls---to raft the source of the Nile. In the morning we set off for our full-day of rafting. I vividly remembered the insanity of the Zambezi when we rafted it, and I was prepared for the another crazy, adrenaline-filled day.
The first thing I noticed when we got into the water was the warmth of the river---the Nile is refreshingly nice to swim in, like a nice cool bath. The second was the scenery: while the Zambezi flows through the narrow, imposing Victoria Falls Gorge, the Nile is surrounded on all sides by green grass and bird-filled trees. Villagers washed their clothes in the water at the banks of the river as we floated by. On our raft, in addition to Brian and myself, were three Brits and two other Americans, Marcus and Jeff. Our guide, Paolo, is one of the best rafters in all of Uganda, and is a member of the Ugandan National Team---that was very reassuring.
We did a full day of rafting, and I really enjoyed it. Whereas the Zambezi was densely packed with 23 rapids, the Nile only has 12---this gave us more calm stretches inbetween rapids to relax or to float down the river. Quite a few of the rapids were Grade 5, and some of the other rafters were a bit apprehensive as we approached them, but Brian and I weren't. The Nile is not nearly as intense or as challenging as the Zambezi, and the steering is much less technical. Unlike the Zambezi, I never once felt in physical danger on the Nile. Perhaps that was a sense of over-confidence. We flipped our raft 3 times, as opposed to only once on the Zambezi. And although the rafting was not nearly as challenging (considering that the Nile is considered an intense, top-notch rafting destination, it's easy to see why the Zambezi is considered the biggest, most challenging rafting in the world), I have to say that I enjoyed my day on the Nile more than my day on the Zambezi.
The following morning, Marcus, Jeff, Brian, and I left Bujugali Falls and went to Kampala. This time, for once, we didn't continue onwards from Kampala, but stayed. I have been in Kampala since Friday---my final destination on this African journey. On Friday night, I went out to a local nightclub with Marcus and Jeff---we were thankfully the only muzungus in the entire place, and we spent the night dancing with the locals to Ugandan music and the occasional Western Hit---we were happy to hear TWO songs by Rihanna, and surprisingly not even one by Akon (the first time that's ever happened to me in Africa).
Marcus and Jeff left the following morning, but Brian and I stayed, and since then we've spent the days walking around, soaking up the city, eating delicious food and enjoying the atmosphere. I think that Kampala is my favorite African city among those that I've visited on these travels---it's huge and crazy and lively. The people are incredibly friendly. The matatus are comfortable---they only allow 3 people per row here!
The city is well-situated, set on hills and valleys, almost like Kigali but much much bigger and livelier. At the bottom of the main hill in the city center are the bus park and the taxi parks, and the huge markets (like the Owino Market which we visited----more like a market city than anything else)---a chaotic African city. But walking up the hill, past Kampala Road, the city changes and there are wide avenues, huge gated houses, and parks. It's all very clean and modern. There's even a shopping mall with a movie theater in Kampala (where Brian and I saw the movie "Cloverfield"). Kampala, in short, is almost like South Africa, but without the constant threat of danger.
Yesterday, Brian and I took a half-day trip to the Equator. Uganda is one of only 10 countries in the world that the equator passes through, and it's a 2-hour drive from the city center. We took matatus there and back. At the equator are two circular monuments marking the boundary between North and South, some overpriced craft shops, and some bowls of water where an employee demonstrates the Coreolis Effect (which, having seen the demonstration, seems actually true).
On the matatu heading back to Kampala, I realized that I was on my last long-distance matatu trip in Africa. Part of me was glad that I wouldn't have to worry about squeezing into tight seats for a while, it also hit me that my time in Africa was coming to an end, andl I wished that I could find some way to prolong my journey. At least the matatu trip wasn't boring, though. I was sitting in the back row, in the middle. A few minutes after I got on the matatu, we stopped to pick up some more passengers. One guy had a large sack, which the driver and conductor squeezed into the back, directly behind me. I immediately realized that the sack was full of fish, due to the unmistakable smell. Soon, we left, and immediately the matatu was filled with the intense, pungent odor of fish, like a fish-shop when the power goes out. It was very unpleasant, especially considering that the fish were directly behind my head.
After a few minutes of enduring this, the matatu pulled over. There was nobody on the side of the road, so I wondered why we had stopped. Immediately, the conductor slid open the door and jumped out. He ran into a field of bushes, grabbed handfuls of plants, and stuffed them into the back of the matatu, around the bag of fish. He was trying to mask the smell, and soon enough the matatu was filled with the aroma of the plants. For the rest of the trip back to Kampala, the matatu smelled like a lovely, fragrant garden.....full of rotting fish.
Brian left this morning. We have been traveling together for months, since Mozambique, but here is where our paths diverge. I'm heading to London and New York; he's heading to Istanbul. Today is my last full day in Africa; tomorrow I fly out of Entebbe Airport. I'm going to really enjoy the day, and to savor it. I will truly miss Africa----of course I will miss those unforgettable moments like lying on the forest floor surrounded by the hooting calls of chimpanzees, or of floating down the Nile River, but I will also miss the rotting-fish-garden matatu trips. I'll miss it all.
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