Uganda!

October 2002

Africa - Map!

Uganda LP Travel Information

Home

Uganda is probably my favorite country in Africa. It has a varied landscape, beautiful volcanoes, clean clear lakes and friendly people. The capital, Kampala, is big enough to have what you need, but not to large to be overwhelming.

There are still some problems with violence in the north, but if you come to East Africa, don’t miss Uganda!

	These showers are famous in Jinja because of the view. While showering, you have a superb view over the Victoria Nile that drains Lake Victoria, and is one of the sources of the Nile.
	This is one of the unique trees in Africa against a sunset at Jinja, just over the border from Kenya.
	Sunset over the Victoria Nile. Most parts of Uganda are lush with green vegetation, like this area at Jinja.
	One of the many red dirt roads that lead through the backwaters of Uganda.
	This school for orphans was set up by Hanna, an English woman that immigrated to Uganda. She funds the school by offering tours to tourists and asking for a donation from people that visit. Costs run about $100US per month, $60US for teacher salaries (2 teachers) and the rest for supplies and administration. There are over 100 students, most of whom are AIDS Orphans.
	The kids love posing for photos and every time a flash went off, 100 children cheered in unison. The school is run by a charity called "SoftPower Education" and you can learn more about them at their website: http://www.softpowereducation.com
	When tourists come to visit, the kids go nuts and everyone gets turned into a human jungle gym, complete with children hanging off every limb.
	This little girl latched onto Suzanne and became very possessive, not wanting to share the Muzungu with any of the other kids.
	The kids were lead outside to sing English songs such as “Hokey Pokey” in the field behind the school.
	By the expression on his face, I don’t think this guy is a big fan of “putting his left arm in and shaking it all about”.
	Various travelers also volunteered to build playground equipment and paint murals at the school.
	The red road that we walked along to get to the school.
	One of the many churches in Uganda Most of the people are Christian in East Africa.
	White water rafting, kayaking and river boarding are common on the Victoria Nile. The river is very deep and the flow rate 1700 meters cubed per second, compared to about 100 meters cubed per second for Canadian rivers. This means that it is very unlikely that you will hit rocks while rafting the river. This is one of the class 5 rapids are run every day by rafters, kayakers and river boarders.
	One of the “safety kayakers” that rescue rafters that fall out of the raft during some of the bigger rapids.
	Ben, a guide from South Africa, explains to some river boarders how to go down this rapid, and swallow the least amount of water possible. I watched them go down and not one of them escaped the rapids with their boogie board anywhere close to them.
	One of the rafts being pounded by the class 5 rapids.
	A view over the rapids, where lots of bats were flying around.
	A truckload of singing Christians. This group passed us on the road near Kampala singing gospel songs, smiling and waving to everyone. Must be nice to be so darn happy!
	Here are two things that you see in Kampala quite a bit. First, a man pissing in public, second an enormous dumpster-diving pelican. The skies above Kampala are filled with these huge birds. Fortunately they are not filled with pissing men.
	While rough camping halfway from Kampala to Kabale, this boy named Naboth drove his family cows and goats through the campsite to his home. He stopped by to have a chat with us and invite us to his hut for some fresh milk. Unfortunately, I had to decline since it was time to eat. Naboth spoke to David (from Spain) and I for about an hour. Naboth was a bit confused that David had such a hard time understanding us, because Naboth thought that all Muzungu (white people) spoke English as their first language. He was very surprised when I told him how most European people don’t speak English as their first language. Naboth was at a point in his life where he was struggling with his parents because he wanted to be funded for private school, but they felt that it wasn’t necessary. He felt the only way to get ahead was to get good grades in school and attend a western University.
	Here is Naboth writing his address for us and his two sisters (one of which is wearing David’s coat) and David.
	This is a view over the lovely town of Kisoro, which is a jumping off point for Mgahinga where you can track mountain gorillas or climb the spectacular volcanoes.
	One of the “attractions” in Kisoro is a visit to the pigmy village. When the national park was created, the pigmy people that inhabited the land were kicked off and moved to this village. Pigmies are not all short, like you would be lead to believe. As with most displaced people, these children and their parents live in appalling conditions.
	This is one of the women with her children in the Pigmy village. Their lives seem to be ruled by poverty and suffering and you can see the large belly that comes from malnutrition on her child. The government provided dormitory like housing for the displaced pigmies and provide them with a small amount of money. Tourists also bring money to the community, but it is one of the most disturbing places I have visited. The standard African thing to do when people visit is a dance to welcome you. The pigmies did this dance, but it was clear that they were stoned out of their minds on marijuana. At one point the chief slapped a woman because she was smoking a joint in front of us and he didn’t want us to see it. Flies swarmed around the children and their huts stank like a pit toilet. Garbage was everywhere and the people were filthy. A classic case of people being moved off their traditional lands and forced to integrate into an alien culture, and the disaster it brings.
	This is one of the stunning views of two of the seven volcanoes that divide the Uganda/Rwanda border.
	Benjamin, my guide, well armed with his GPS and his AK-47 for a trek up the 3500 meter volcano.
	This is one of the soldiers that accompany all tourists in Mgahinga National Park. The Ugandan government stepped up security following the tourist killings in Uganda in 1998.
	The top of the volcano had this surreal crater landscape inside of it. The lower grass section is swampland.
	This is another view of the inside of the crater.
	When I signed up for the hike, I knew that I would have to have an armed guide. What I didn’t know is that I would have my own private army of 15 soldiers that would climb all the way to the top of the volcano with me and the one other tourist on the climb
	The area around Kisoro is one of the most beautiful areas in Africa. Lush terraced fields fill every piece of land available.
	Here you can see how the dirt road from Kabale to Kisoro winds up and down the hills in the southwest of Uganda.
	We spent a few days at Lake Bunyonyi, which is a nice cool refreshing lake that site at about 2000 meters above sea level.
	This is Suzanne and I on the dock at Lake Bunyonyi.
	A fisherman paddling his dugout canoe back to shore.
	This is another typical African scene with the woman carrying a heavy load on her head and her child wrapped in on her back.
	This is a house under construction on top of a hill in the Lake Bunyonyi region. Constructions materials are not nearly of the quality that we would use to build houses in the west.
	Ah, what a beautiful scene! Tourists, Ugandans and goats all walking down the road of life together.
	A school break means that everyone comes out to say hello to the Muzungus walking by on the road.
	Eager to sell their “miscellaneous-meat-on-a-stick”, these vendors reach up to the truck we were in. A “stick” of meat usually cost about 10 cents or so. I wasn’t sure what animal I was eating, but it tasted good enough so who really cares?

Home

By Jonathan Hyatt