July 30, 2012 - Approaching our departure to Uganda

Now we are approaching our departure to Uganda. We are leaving Thursday August 2 at 7.30 from Nice airport to Heathrow and  then to Nairobi to  arrive in Entebbe in Uganda where we are arriving late evening.

Last week  and this week until yesterday we had visit of the nephew of Anne - Christian -  and his family - Ksenia and the 2 boys - Thorkild who is 5 years an Marcus who is 2 years

Marcus, Christian and Thorkild

August 3, Entebbe in Uganda

Bettina & Sofia and Sara came to Mouans-Sartoux Friday July 27 and Monday July 30 Thomas, Mette and their 2 boys (Christian who is 5 and Nicolai who is 2) came for the day:

 

Thursday August2 we left Nice airport at 7.30 - Thomas drove us to the airport. Later Thursday Thomas and co. and a good friend of Bettina and his 2 boys came to stay in Les Puits des Olivies.

 

We were in a complete full flight to Heathrow and had 1 hour there before we continued our trip to Nairobi with British Airwas. We were very lucky to be upgraded to First Class - and we can tell you that is something you easily can get used to :-).

 

We arrived in Nairobi Airport - absolutely not the most "sexi" airport - after 8 1/2  hours flight and went with Kenya Airways after 1 1/2 hour to Entebbe .



  

We were picked up in the airport by "The Boma" - our small guest house in Entebbe and were at the guest house around midnight.  

 Anne in front of the swimming at The Boma

Today - Friday august 3 we had a  1/2 hours walk to the house where the nephew of Anne (Christian) and his wife (Ksenia) lived when they were in Uganda some years ago.

   

The view from the house of Christian & Ksenia

On the way back we had a beer and a coca cola on "the fine" and old  hotel in Entebbe - Lake Victoria Hotel - but we are happy, that we are staying at The Boma which have much more charm.

August 5, 2012 - Kabale National Park, Uganda

 Where is Uganda?

   

We have rented our car Toyota Landcruiser with driver Becki at Adventure Trails, which also helped with permissions to enter the National Parks where the chimpanses and Gorillas are.
We left The Boma Saturday August 4, tanked the car which was only half full, we paid 280.000 UGS cash like we did in Zambia. No creditcards. And that goes for almost everything in Uganda and Rhwanda!
We should eastward 350 km cross Uganda to Fort Portal and afterwards to Kabala National Park where we should trek chimpanzees. 

We left the Boma at 8 on the two lane highway heading via the capital Kampala, when we were “pushed aside” by fast police motor cycles, and a large convoy passed us, driving Hillary Clinton to the airport after her 2 days visit to show the US support Uganda, and during which she also visited the village with Ebola outbreak.

  

There was heavy traffic, we took a little detour to avoid the center of town, and after an hour we had a more smooth gliding traffic through the beautiful landscape. There are so many small villages on the way, all mainly with agricultural production, and that slows the journey. When we got closer to our goal, the landscape changed to large hills softly swinging their hills with tea fields along the road. After 7 hours we arrived.

The Chimpanzee Guest House is a simple black owned B & B. We got a big room, with a terrace with a chair and a sofa and a table – and a beautiful view. There were 2 double beds and a small table and one electric light in the roof.   A toilet/shower with 1 bulb, but no shelves to put things. The warm water comes from a steel barrel mounted over a fireplace. You order your bath, and they light the fire at the time requested – if they remember it. We have seen it before, very effective and cheep.

View from our bedroom

 

   View from the dining area

We are in Uganda. The food is well made, primitive but ok. The staff friendly but not experienced. We do not dislike it; it is just different from what we have experienced before but also very much cheaper.
For instance, in the bar all they have cooled down is beer and soft drinks. The white wine is sweet; the only dry was a 3 liter jar. And all the wine was just standing in the open bar in 28 degrees! They did not know white wine should be served cool. And so it goes on, BUT with a smile!

Next morning we went out on chimpanzee tracking. We walked in the rain forest, fantastic. The bottom was moist, covered with small plants with leaves. Then the medium high trees with leaves and the 3^rd layer the very high fig trees with big leaves shading the other plants. Here they live. 

   The rain forest is very thick

We found some. The weather was clouded, not the hot burning sun, so the chimpanzees stayed up in the highest trees. We saw around 10, got some photos, but 30 to 40 m. up, and through the leaves are very difficult. 
  

 We were patient, so we saw two come down, the first had a string on its right hand – from a snare set up by poachers, we followed the other, and they are big and fast. Following it we suddenly heard big cries, the family called him back. We had to leave him, not to disturb too much. But mind you they are big, and exiting to see in the wild. 
   

August 8, 2012 - Kisoro, Uganda

The next day - August 6 -  we left early for Queen Elisabeth National Park. We crossed an endless amount of bumps on the road. Please do not send public servants, they might get ideas - but admitted, there is a huge population along the road. This is a “rich” area compared to the northern part of Uganda. New houses, real houses, not huts or sheds. Everything was cultivated. Fruits and vegetables everywhere. Cows are grassing along the road. So different from what you normally see and expect.

After some time we crossed a river, and it all changed. Now it was sandy soil. Less people, poorer, and thinner cows. And it changed as fast as a snap with the fingers. And fewer bumps.
  

  We crossed Equator

We arrived at our hotel after having been searched at the park entrance. At hotel MweyaSafari Lodge we found out why - the president of Uganda Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni  68 years president since 1986 stayed at the hotel, and we were placed as neighbours.  Well protected by soldiers.
  

It’s a nice hotel with a fantastic view over the channel between Lake Edward and Lake George and the national park. On the other shore of the channels we saw plenty of buffaloes and hippos, 4 elephants and some water bucks.

 The entrance

  

The lobby
  

 Our "tent"

and the "tent" of the president - we stayed in no 52

  

Next morning up at 5AM - it was dark and wee went right into a soldier on a chair guarding the president. We just could not see him, black in camouflage!

We had a cup of coffee, and drove of to be in the middle of the park when the sun got up a little before 7. We saw a huge number of dears, 4 lions, and some big elephants, buffaloes and hippos. A nice drive with our own chauffeur. And we found out he was an educated guide incl. wildlife experience.
  

And why do we have our own chauffeur? It was cheaper to hire the Toyota Land cruiser with driver, than having it picked up in Rwanda and taken back to Uganda. And you need a 4x4 on some of the roads, especially if you get rain. Until now it has just been dusty to drive.

We decided to take the boat safari in the afternoon. The Edward lake is enormous. We only sailed in the the Kazinga Channel and fast found crocodile, buffalo, hippo and many birds. The animals featured by doing nothing - just lying in the water or on the banks. 

  

Then we saw a body up in a tree. It proved to be a killed baby hippo. Where was the leopard? We searched the ground with the camera zooming a bit - saw it, clipsed, and it moved away a split second later into the forest. We continued our boat trip and saw more of the "normal" animals. Knowing the leopard we quietly approached the tree on the way back. And there it was, up in three feeding on it’s pray. It was a cautious leopard; it climbed down and got away. A spectacular sight  and the sailing was the best wildlife experience so far.

  

Next morning off to Kisoro, we had decided to change the route as the roads were bad or under construction. Immense amounts of fruit and vegetable growing everywhere on small cultivated pieces of land, and people everywhere. 

 Transporting bananas on bicycles pushed along the road, the women carrying finer fruits on their heads - we were in one of the "rich" parts of the country. After 7 hours and 297 km we reached Kisoro - a small town in the corner where Uganda, Congo and Rwanda meet. Just outside Kisoro we passed a refuge camp with many, many Congolese refugees in endless rows of white tents. Lots of Ugandan military/police to protect/keep in the refugees combined with Uganda Red Cross personnel and World Food Programme

The M23 rebels from Congo and the Military in Congo are fighting. Right now there is a big debate if the president of Rwanda who is a tutsi is supporting the M23 rebels who also are tutsis and if Rwanda has given military education to them. Its a UN report from June 2012 that indicates Rwanda supports the rebels. The US, UK and the Netherlands have withholding aid to Rwanda over its alleged backing of rebels.

Right now The UN has its biggest peace-keeping operation in DR Congo.

We were going to overnight a a small guest house in Kisoro - Travellers Rest Hotel It was a little cool, we were 2100 meters above sea. We got a cup of tee in the bar by the fire. It was a very pleasant guest house with reasonable prices.

  . 

 

August 10, 2012 Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Thursday August 9 morning we left to the border between Uganda and Rwanda - Cyanika.

Here the inefficient bureaucratic system was the ruler. 1 hour to get out of Uganda - people is one system, cars another and you start from scratch each time. 50 minutes to go into Rwanda,(we had our visa with us, but it had to be verified, and it seemed the data systems was a little slow. But we got through, continuing in around 2 400 m altitude and today only 12 degrees C. We continued to Bambou Gorilla Lodge – owned by a couple from Kigali.

It turned out it had no electricity except from 4AM – 7AM and 6PM-10PM. A fireplace in each hut, but there were no firewood. It started raining and it was freezing cold in our cabin. We ordered firewood, and after 4 hours the temperature got up at an accepted height. Until then we stayed in our bed under the carpets.

The room/cabin was charming:

   

Before dinner we had local dancing with orphan children.

  

We had a lousy dinner, the indoor dining room was heated by two small charcoal heaters - we were so cold. You could only get beers and red wine per glass – no white wine. The living room was quite charming but without any heat it was impossible to stay there so after dinner we went to bed at 8PM

with hot water bottles in the bed - it's cold we are in the Virunga Mountains and it's practically always misty - now we know from where the film "Gorillas In The Mist- The Story Of Diane Fossey had it's title. The grave of Diane Fossey was only 2 hours walking from the lodge.

  

Next morning we left for one of the highlight of our trip - gorilla trekking - at 6.30AM after breakfast and had a 15 minutes drive to the Virunga National Park Visitor Center, greeted by a dancing and singing group which performed local dances. 

After instructions we set of in 10 groups, each with 8 visitors. In Rwanda, there are officially 10 Habituated Gorilla Groups at the moment that tourists are able to track. We were lucky to get a group which should track the “an easy track”.  We got Francois a guide with 30 years experience as guide, together with Louis a 24 year girl, who was the oldest child in the family. She saw her father and brother killed during the genocide in1994. She was suported by a british family to get educated as guide, and as such, she cares for her younger brother and sister, and pay for their educarion in a english speaking school.

First we drove for 1/2 hour and then we walked a little hour, reached the high stone fence bordering the Volcanos National Park. The park is part of a park covering the mountains in Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. In theese parks you find the yellow monkies, chimpances and gorillas.

We crossed the stone fence,and walked through the bamboes into the rainforrest. After only 20 minutes we were stopped by 3 trackers that had found the Sabyiu Group of 14 gorillas lead the bigest of all the males -  240 kg -  called Gohonda - the Silverback. They were exiting to watch. Let the pictures talk. 
The youngest one is only 6 months and then there were 2 boys at 2 and 3 years. And we so lucky that we saw all 14.

  

Gohonda

Just for info - it's us to the right :-)

  

You have one hour with the gorillas. We got some more. After 80 minutes Gohonda jumped up hammered his fists into the breast giving a strong sound of a big drum, caughing out the scaring cry of attacking and at the same time jumping ahead. We were aprox 5 meters away. We rushed back, he turned his back on us rushed hammering his breast towards the forrest, stoped at the edge of the lightening, gathering the group, and they went away peacefully. Wow - did we get it on picture? NO. We were all surpriced and chocked - because of his size and agresiveness - which just were his way of protecting his family.

Gohonda is 45 years, the biggest and oldest known male gorila in the wild. There is another silverback in the group but he is an "underdog" and Gohonda can still fight for his family.
  

We got back to Bambou Gorilla Lodge earlier than expected and decided to drop an extra cold night and terrible dinner and instead drive the 2 1/2 hour to Kigali  (107 km) - the capital of Rwanda, which is called "The country of 1000 hills"

  

For us Rwanda is more clean than other African countries