Uganda

Up early and after some confusion run up the road to the border. Stop just short for an excellent omelette then continue through. Zaire side very efficient and no problems (they wanted to know where Ndu was as they hadn’t heard of it before). Cross into Uganda and are charged $34 for a visa - we ask for 1 month validity and also 25,000/- (~$20) for temporary road license. Bit suspicious about the latter but pay after we manage to change some money. Continue to Kisoro and change more ($100) at the bank (very slow) getting all 116,000/- in 50/- notes.

Then drive to Kabale along a marvellous scenic road winding up and down terraced hillsides. Arrive late morning and check out a few places. Have lunch at the Victoria Inn (the service is superb) but end up staying at the Highland Hotel (9200/- for a twin room). Also eat there and really pig out on steak & rice. Food very good and reasonably priced. Banana gin also drunk in copious quantities.

A slow start to allow Hilary to phone home - a message should be relayed to Castle Hill. Get some provisions for the Ruwenzori trek and have breakfast then head out on an excellent tarmac road making for the QE II national park. Countryside very scenic still but drier, more bushland than yesterday.

Pass a LR stopped at the side of the road (should I have stopped) passed before realised they might have a problem. It’s a busy road. One section of rough dirt track but make good time to the park arriving ~ 16:30. Only $10 to get in and within 30 mins have spotted baboons, antelope, buffalo, wart hogs and elephant. The bull elephant (mock) charges us when we try to get a better look. Dramatic flared ears and trumpeting. Drive on to the lodge and again pig out (for 800/-) on a set dinner menu. Try the local wine but is very sweet (like Tokay). OK for dessert. Continue drinking (gin and whisky) till quite late then crash at the campsite.

The lodge has a wonderful setting, high above the lake and spent some time watching elephant and hippo on the shore opposite. The lodge garden is also visited by a hippo.

Sleep disturbed by the hippos eating the campsite. Get up at 06:00 in the pitch black for our 06:30 safari start. Ranger doesn’t point out much but takes us to the elephants, seeing two groups 50 yards or so away. Then as we drive along Al spots a leopard. Just its head is visible but spend 15 mins watching it pop its head up then lie down. Eventually gets bored and slips away. So well camouflaged you could watch a patch of grass only to realise the leopard was no longer there. Continue and do quite a large circuit crossing to the other side of the road past a crater lake (salt lick). Are hopeful of seeing lions but fail despite many false calls. Wart hogs do look a bit lionish. Rest up through the afternoon. The Acacia truck arrives having taken a Northern route through Zaire. They are heading to Kisoro to see the gorillas. At 16:30 report for the launch trip which lasts a little less than two hours. The channel is awash with hippos and the boat gets very close. Also see an old bull elephant (which is happy to see The Girls - makes you feel inferior) with a single tusk. Lots of bird life which keeps the twitchers busy.

Up and away after settling our bill. Arrive in Kasese for a late breakfast at the Saad Hotel. Get some info from another tourist and head to the Ruwenzori Mountaineering Service office. Get a quote for the trip which will total $102. Some hassle getting money changed at the FOREX but get ourselves organised and buy food for the trip plus a pair of wellies! Book into the Margarita Hotel where we get the manager’s flat for 30,000/- Sort ourselves out and have a steaming hot bath and fillet steak. Such luxury.

First day of the trip. Make a mistake and take the wrong road but are soon put right and head for the roadhead with our letter from the RMS office. Arrive midmorning and get ourselves organised and porters and guides (Abraham) allocated. Set off about 11:00 in mixed weather, but dry. Heading for the first hut. Track pretty good and not difficult for first two hours, then a fairly steep ascent for 1 1/2 hours. Caroline fairly slow. Get to hut about 14:30. Over the next three hours the remainder of what is to be our group arrives:

Anders : stereotypical Swede

Patrick : his mate

Jesse : classic American

Nick : \

Kate : \

Allie : The Kiwi Girls

Jeannie : /

Tue : The trumpet playing Dane.

This makes the hut quite busy but we stick to our half and play 500 by candlelight.

NB this is written on day 150 - after the trip.

What is to be our earliest start, up at 06:30 to make porridge (once I get the stove lit) and an 08:30 start. By ourselves as Abraham is acting as chief porter. Get to the split in the path but are unsure. Al heads down to check, we wait for confirmation. Porters tell us we’re right just in time to meet Al coming back up. Down to the only proper bridge on the circuit. Make good time over roughish ground but nothing too bad. Have arranged to have the porters stop with our lunch gear and eventually understand we are close enough to the Nyamilya rock shelter to stop for lunch about 12:00. Brew up a soup then head on to the John Mate camp.

Walk is through forest with clinging lace like moss. Very nice but not exceptional - still part of the approach march. John Mate camp is a very good wood hut of Alpine standard and our group gets a room to ourselves. We still keep ourselves to ourselves but the other members of the group start to form personalities. We have kept separated up to now. The four Kiwi girls I can start to distinguish - to begin with they were all the same - young white girls - a shock to my senses; it’s been a long time since meeting such a group. This is Al’s last night before he heads off on his own. In hindsight he made a mistake. Another three days in the Rwenzori would be better value than time on the beach (to my mind). Teach the others Yatze and play three games.

The start of the Rwenzori proper. Al heads off with his porter, we face the Bigo bogs. Skirt the edge of the lower bog but still have to perform some tussock leaping. Really miss the heart of the bog, which is probably just as well. The bog consists of papyrus tussocks and lobelia trees. As Caroline says it looks like a desert.

Having cleared that bog we climb up to the next level. Caroline is starting to struggle. On reaching the upper bog we follow a path close to a cleared section - at some time laid with a walk way. We are passed by the rest following a more Northerly path. We are tussock jumping. Fairly soon get to the laid walkway and hence quickly clear the bog. Then starts a long climb to the next level. Caroline is lagging and Hilary and myself attach ourselves to the other group. Skirting Lake Bujuka is some of the worst bog. Little sound vegetation and constrained by Lake on one side and mountain on the other. One classic where Nicki steps off a submerged log into thigh deep mud. Walk on to the hut which is the worst of the circuit. The door doesn’t fit, the stove doesn’t work (despite the best efforts of the Swedes), it’s cold and I think it probably rained. Some very good views during the day and hanging glaciers are visible above the camp. Group working more together as we find what each has forgotten. My wellies are easily found - on the feet of one of the Kiwis. Fitness is good, it must have been the sickness which made the gorilla trip so bad.

Head back past the lake and start climbing the other side. Glorious morning with the glaciers bathed in sunlight. Climb is in two parts and quite scrambly. Views improve as we get higher until we top out. Wind is strong and quite cold forcing me to put on the cagoule to cheat the wind. Have a brief stop at the top but too cold to wait for Caroline. Move on to the boulder field which is quite short and fairly easy with a good path through. Vegetation and scenery quite different from the other side. Meet up with the rest of the party for the last part of the day. Some hail but not too bad. Some scrambling round rock faces until we come across the first lake. Skirt it and drop down to the 2nd lake. Past the porters hut then to our own. Better than Bujuka hut but still quite basic. Have a late lunch of soup. Later on suffer from a headache and retire to bed. Only eat 1/2 of dinner because feeling pretty low. Snows in the late afternoon and lies through the early evening.

The last of the climbing. Straight out the hut and up to Freshfield pass. Quite a strenuous climb over difficult ground. Scenery amazing with the tropical plants dusted with snow.

Views open up over the plains of Zaire and later Uganda. Top consists of two parts and Tue plays the trumpet between the two. Once over the scenery changes again. This valley is very dramatically faulted with the facing slope a huge slab of rock at about 45 degree angle. Other fault lines cut the valley and the river runs down them. Rock consists of a lot of mica making the paths shiny in places, also thick bands of quartz. Track drops over a couple of sharp drops where care is necessary before arriving at the bog above the camp. Pass two (or three) shelter stones on the way hidden under overhanging faults. Bog is not too bad and are quickly across to the hut which is of similar design to that on night two. Sun is shining and warm on the veranda where we soak up the rays. Am running out of film so restrain taking photos up the valley until tomorrow when the sun is right. A thunderstorm starts in the evening but the heart seems to avoid us. Retire to huddle and chat in the Kiwis’ room. Jesse regales us with stories of his dickhead tourist antics (telling the driver to stop when getting out of the way of a leopard) and the American who did a tarzan impression to a silverback - and was beheaded.

The last day. Set out at 08:30 after a photo session and follow the old route. Very dramatic dropping over a steep drop and edging down the side of a fault. The stream runs down the rock but doesn’t seem to be eroding it. Once we get down we are back in bog and forest. Bog doesn’t tend to be deep because of the woody vegetation, but still easy to go wrong. Also the roots require care.

Guide has us going about how far it is to the hut overstating by 2 hours. Run the last section to the hut and part of the way down, which was probably a mistake as was absolutely shattered when I eventually got to the roadhead. Appears that Rob & Lou have gone up on their own. Very kindly have left a couple of beers for us. Slowly, oh so slowly get into the vehicle and drive back to the hotel. Drop off the porters on the way and I stop at the Saad for a coffee.

07:30 start. Get myself repacked to travelling mode as The Girls get ready. Down for breakfast (excellent) at 08:00 and leave about 09:30. Meet the rest of the party at the Saad Hotel and change another $100. Tue and Jesse join us for a lift to Kampala. Make rendezvous arrangements with the rest, fill up (short measure?) and set off back through the park to Mbarara where we stop to buy lunch. Very good market. Head on and do the rest without a stop, except for the toll 200/- per vehicle. Road very good. Scenery nothing special. Fish for sale as we skirt the lake. Arrive Kampala at 18:00 and have difficulty finding a cheap hotel with parking. Are quoted from $70 to 20,000/- and end up at the YMCA (3500/- + 1000/- per vehicle). Eat at the Curry Pit but no curry in the curry.

Total distance for the day is 411 km, odometer says 289...

Sunday in a capital, i.e. a slow start. Get some washing done and Mike and co. arrive in the middle of breakfast. Simon has collapsed again (pleurisy?) and is in hospital. Go to the Sheraton and meet the Kiwis & Swedes, arrange a rendezvous for the evening and then sort out ringing home. A bit of a palaver but eventually go via the Equatorial Hotel to the Entebbe Rd Post Office (open 24*7) back to the Sheraton to make a 50 second phone call. I’m OK, they’re OK. Caroline and Hilary get rung back (expensive). Move on to an ice cream parlour for a sweet lunch then visit Simon. Doesn’t look great but seems to be on the mend. Leave him about 18:00 and make for the Paris hotel for a beer and to meet the others, then on to a nearby Indian restaurant. My choice is a bit salty (chicken Mathe) but there are many things on the menu I didn’t recognise. Exchange addresses and say our good byes.

Breakfast of Champions. Get to the Sheraton for 07:30 and settle at a corner table. Soon joined by Mike and co. and we start a 3 1/2 hours breakfast. Fruit, fruit juice, croissant, ham and sliced meat, rolls, bacon, eggs, tomato, mushrooms, sausages, fresh coffee. Stuffed for the rest of the day all for 11,000/-. Write a letter home covering Zaire and later one to ESAC. Try to buy some dollars but they are not available. Spend most of the day in the Sheraton. The fridge has failed, I suspect the voltage stabiliser (was just a bad connection).

Get a letter from Poste Restante and all is well as of 9th Feb. Need to keep careful check of expenses now.

Have $2600 + £500. Have 660km to Nairobi plus 4500 to Jo’burg direct. Say £600 for fuel.

Bought some whisky & cigarettes at the duty free, Cigs are for officials. Hilary has to be in Nairobi for the 20th to meet her other half. Timing suits me.

Travelling man. On my own in the LR for the 1st time. Left Kampala and had breakfast at the Sunset Hotel in Jinja. Overlooking the source of the Nile. Pleasant spot. Carried on, on a good road through varied but dry scenery to Tororo, where the girl’s fan belt broke. Had a light lunch in town then to the border at Malaba. Very busy with trucks but we get through quite easily. No charges (!?). Enter Kenya without any shillings as the touts at the border won’t honour their quoted rates. First toll allows us through for free. See a small whirlwind early in the day and giraffe (outside any park) later. Arrive in Eldoret at about 18:00 and check the hotels - too expensive and they won’t change money. Head for the campsite recommended by Gavin in Kampala. Whow, what an amazing place - a bit like Shambles with Raj as host and excellent food. Gorge on chilli con carne and get very drunk on vodka and tonic.