Category: Journals

We packed up on our last day at Lake Naivasha with a little trepidation as Nairobi is notorious for its terrible traffic. We travelled the scenic route which takes you along the escarpment that drops to the Rift Valley plains that eventually takes you to the Masai Mara. It is a beautiful view.

The road is busy with lots of trucks, taxis (Matatus) and other vehicles, and not in great condition. We were pleasantly surprised to be directed by the GPS to a highway followed by a bypass which meant that we never had to go into Nairobi center, instead we went through the suburbs on a very quiet Friday to get to our destination – Jungle Junction. Jungle Junction is well known in overland circles because Chris and Diana who run it understand what travelers need after weeks on the road and try to provide it. Chris is a mechanic so all the car niggles can be sorted out, they have washing machines for clothes that have only been bucket hand washed for months and great food at a reasonable price should you need it. Their house is open to all the guests so you also have a lounge to sit in, tables to eat at and fellow travelers to chat with. Nairobi is often the meeting place with people going North and South, so great travel tips can be gleaned whilst here. They also provide vehicle storage facilities for people who wish to leave break their journey in order to continue at a later time. There are vehicles here from all over Africa (including Cape Town, Gauteng and Port Shepstone!) and Europe that are being stored for anything from a couple of weeks to over a year.

We opted to camp in the garden (sounds familiar) because of the Sani door which Chris only had a chance to look at the next day. Well …. The bad road to Nairobi had unjammed the door!!!! Much to our relief and as it turned out a bolt from somewhere (??) was the cause of the jamming and there was nothing wrong with the lock. We had had visions of knocking out the windows to get in etc….. That gave us a good laugh, a bit hysterical with relief. The mechanics gave the Sani a thorough appraisal and she only needed some routine maintenance, a service and some bolt tightening. Front brake pads and front brake disks were the only exception. The pads were down to 2mm after 8500 km and one of the disks was cracked – a function of red hot brakes being taken through river crossings, something that happened quite often in Tanzania! – They took all the wheels off and put her up on blocks and we were transport less until Thursday.

We took a shuttle from J-J on Saturday to the local mall, Galleria, to pick up a few things and found a mall that could have been in SA. On another occasion we caught a bus to the same mall and a matatu (taxi) back. It helps that English is widely spoken. Catching the bus took me back to my childhood as my mother never learnt how to drive so catching buses to town and to school was how we got around. The currency here is shillings and the bus fare was 30 bob (about 30 US cents). It’s really strange to talk about bob.
The beauty of this place is you meet people from all over all doing overland trips like the one we’re on. Only we’re light weights compared to most as most seem to be travelling a year +++ It really is another universe out here. We got friendly with a young Dutch/Finnish couple Bart and Jasmin who have been travelling since October last year, travelled down the West coast of Africa spent a month in Cape Town and are now on their way home. They were stuck here waiting for visas for Ethiopia and Sudan. They were great company and you can follow their blog www.bobotie.weebly.com for a different perspective on travelling in Africa. There’ve been other South Africans, one family with two children, the Van Heerdens who are also taking the year to travel and another on a motor bike just back from Ethiopia. Along with the usual mix of Germans, Italians, Dutch and French. What is amazing about these ‘foreigners’ is that they seem to know more about Africa and her countries that we know about South Africa! For so many of them, there is a strange passion about Africa that either keeps them here or brings them back year after year for months at a time. Many of them have not traveled as extensively in Europe but spend all their spare time and money here. Such is the mystery of this vast continent of ours – it is wild, largely very third-world, uncivilized in many ways; it is really hard and tiring work getting around, (some of the main roads can put our 4×4 trails and play-grounds to shame), officialdom can be difficult and corrupt, governments are dodgy and less able to hide their crooked ways than those in the 1st world – and yet there is an untamed beauty and variety in the ecosystem, wildlife and people that is alluring. It makes us fiercely and proudly claim that we are Africans – for those foreigners that have traveled widely in the rest of the world they state without exception that Africa is unlike anything they have experienced elsewhere – and generally they love it!
J-J’s is in the suburb of Karen so named after Karen Blixon from “Out of Africa” fame. This area used to be her farm and has beautiful large properties in which expats lurk. There’s a giraffe sanctuary just down the road where the Rothchild giraffe was saved from extinction. We went for a walk around the sanctuary, saw the giraffes and then got a little lost and ended up on a forest walk through the sanctuary, fortunately no one minded.

We have a Samburu night guard because Karen is very dangerous at night with gangs operating in the area (home from home!) who apparently are afraid of the Samburu tribesmen, who are a fearsome warlike tribe. This we discovered on our first evening here. During the day it’s the picture of tranquility! J-J is the kind of place that you relax, before you know it the day is gone and you have done nothing but talk, read and eat as there’s not a great deal to see on Nairobi.
Al and I realized that we are only 3 borders away from Cairo and were tempted to go all the way…. But sanity prevailed!

The weather here has been cold and miserable, and J-J s have had a fire in the lounge most days. Seems so strange to come to Kenya only to be freezing. Finally the car was done BUT then I started with diarrhea …..
Eventually we left on Sunday (after 9 nights) to head north to two national parks, Aberdare and Samburu. The GPS took us through the center of Nairobi and we decided that if you have to go through NAIROBI, 10 am on a Sunday is the way to do it as there was very little traffic.

We only got to Aberdare when the car started making horrible noises. We spent a lovely day in Aberdare which has such diverse landscapes, thick bush and wildlife that you only see when they walk on the road with lots of birds.

It also has a thick belt of bamboo forest, something that we never expected or associated with Africa. We stayed in a hotel in a town called Nyeri as it was still raining, which had a bath bliss!!!!! The things you appreciate when you’re on the road. Then it was back to J-Js.

The car noises were caused by 4 nuts bolting the water pump pulley to the water pump which had not been properly tightened. The car being once again sorted, we will leave (again) tomorrow – this time heading south west to the Maasai Mara.

We enjoyed the days spent at Jinja – the source of the Nile just outside Kampala.

We went into the town to sample life and found a coffee shop called “The Deli” which is new in town and very civilized! Even serving wraps and quiche with salad and chocolate brownies!

That’s what gave me the courage to have a haircut. We finished our time there by going on a Nile Sunset cruise to the newly constructed dam wall and back.

Soon there will no rapids left along this section of the Nile as they are building another dam up stream. A pity because Jinja is famous for its water sports. We both really enjoyed Uganda, the people are very friendly and the country itself is beautiful. It’s wilder than we had imagined.

We crossed into Kenya at Busia a slightly quieter border post than Malaba in just over an hour and volia we were in Kenya. We traveled in rain until we found our next stopping point just outside a town called Eldoret at Naiberi campsite. It was very pleasant and we opted to take a room to overnight. The bed was the hardest we have ever slept in!!! We spent Sunday morning in Eldoret getting money and doing a bit of shopping in a supermarket- that was fun. In Uganda we had mostly shopped at the village markets and even bought meat from the street butcher, so to be in a supermarket again was lovely. There are also more tar roads in Kenya. Apart from major roads linking Kampala to the rest of Uganda it was dirt, dirt, dirt!
We moved on from Naiberi to another campsite-Kembu just outside Nakuru which is the 4th largest town in Kenya. Kembu is a beautiful spot on a working farm which does a lot of eco-tourism.

A group of British 17-18 year olds were also staying there having spent time at one of the local schools helping build classrooms. They were the 4th group that we had come across and got chatting to one of the teachers. The kids raise the money themselves and partner with a local school and do a bit of sightseeing along the way. They generally take the development to  a certain point and then leave the completion to the local schools. If the work is not completed within a certain period of time, the Brits find another school to partner with. Quite a sound way of supporting the local communities we thought. It’s for the “Duke of Edinburgh” award. We arrived in the rain at Kembu and it was miserable and cold that night- the coldest we’ve been since we’ve been travelling.  It called for a little home comfort.

The morning was sunny so we got to appreciate more of the place.
We headed north from there to the rift valley lakes, in fact this area is referred to as the rift valley having traveled over the escarpment the previous day to Kembu. This escarpment divides the Western or Albertine Rift from the Eastern . As we traveled north the terrain changed again and became much drier and starker. Quite a change from the green of the escarpment and of the higher area around Nakuru. We arrived at Robert’s camp on Lake Baringo only 100kms away to searing heat! What a contrast. The level of Lake Baringo rose sharply in 2011 putting most of the camp underwater and we could see the aftermath as there were dead trees in the water as well as the remains of brick buildings still in the water.

We spent an afternoon bird watching!

We had pizza “African style” here for lunch with a couple of hornbills trying to steal our food. It is s great place to see birds and that first day we just sat in the shade and bird watched. There were only cold showers available which was perfect with the heat.
The next morning we were up early to go on a boat ride along the banks of the lake then across to a conservancy where they had reintroduced eight Rothchild giraffes who were left on an island with the water levels raising. As we left we were looked down upon by a Verreaux Eagle-owl as we glided in the boat underneath it.

We had a great guide Wilson who was a great birder as well as being very knowledgeable about the area having grown up there. After having bought some fish from the local fisherman, we found some fish eagles along the shore. Wilson put a piece of balsa wood into the fish (as a float), whistled for the eagle, threw the fish and the Eagle swooped in to get it. Quite a trick and a lovely experience.

From there we got to the Island and wandered among the giraffe before climbing a short incline to see another plain stretching out before us with impala, ostrich and warthog.

From there Wilson took us to see the hot springs on another island, where he lived and it was amazing to see and smell the sulfur. He told us that when he was a boy, if it was raining or a cold day he and his friends would come and sit there to warm up. The boat trip was delightful and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

When we got back we had breakfast and were joined by a camera crew who were with a group of Kenyan athletes doing a walk for peace in the areas here that have been troubled. Interesting chaps and later that evening we met some of these athletes as they came for a drink. We also met John and Pam while we were there. A great couple who are so well traveled in Africa that we felt like novices- which actually we are! They have been travelling now in various parts of the world for 12 years so it was fascinating chatting to them. They started travelling in Africa 15 years ago so there’s not much they haven’t seen. We’re discovering a parallel universe comprising travelers from all over the world, many of whom are interconnected via the Web.
Next day we traveled to Lake Naivasha via Nakuru town which is a fresh water lake. We spent ages there trying to get a local sim card registered and finally had lunch at 3pm at a great coffee shop in a shopping mall! We arrived after 5 at Lake Naivasha at Carnelley’s campsite after having driven through lots of people and speed humps, flower growing tents and not even a glimpse of the lake. The fresh flower industry has overtaken this beautiful area. Apparently flowers harvested here in the morning are on sale in the European markets that evening!

 

Well it was beautiful, the campsite is situated under old yellow fever acacia trees on green grass- magnificent – plus hot showers –  wonderful! So we set up camp, parked the car for easy access and….. the back door of the Sani jammed. We were bleak- as that’s where all the food etc is and because of the drawer system in the back we have no access from inside.

Well what were we to do but go to the campsite restaurant and eat!  We discussed what we should do and decided that we would stay another day as it was just so beautiful and restful before going to Nairobi for help.
That was a great decision. The next day a Thursday we went to see Elsamere – the house where Joy Adamson lived (now a museum) which brought back memories of “Born Free”. The house is named after the Lioness Elsa, the subject of Born Free.

After that we spent the afternoon in a small park called Hell’s Gate National Park which has many steam geysers, some of which are being used to generate thermal power.

The park was a surprise and one of the gems of our trip. It’s very small and you can cycle or walk around it quite comfortably. There is something magical for me when you can get out your car in a game reserve and enjoy the sounds of the bush and walk with animals grazing around you.

We’ve come across some different animals than those found in South Africa which has been great.

The scenery was also magnificent reminding us that there is more to see here than the big herds of game. Taking time to see all the other things here is worthwhile.

The other thing that has struck us is that whilst everyone has different travel plans, a trip like this is also about people. I’m not sure if it’s because you have shared experiences but people are happy to chat and before long a small community is formed for the brief time you are together. Quite special. Chance encounters have lead us to experience places we might have missed. Another lovely evening at Carnelleys and we were off the next morning to Nairobi.

We spent a lovely few days in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest at Buhoma rest camp. When we booked the gorillas I booked the Rest camp, however when we arrived they had lost our booking so we got to stay at their sister lodge for half price in luxury! How wonderful that was as it was on the edge of the forest with abundant birdlife. We tried to identify some of them but in the end just enjoyed the whole place. It was fully catered and they were so kind to us- real Ugandan hospitality. Then of course there were the gorillas which was such a special experience…..
Heading north from there our first stop was Queen Elizabeth National Park where we stayed at Ishasha campsite.

When we arrived campsite one was full of lunch time picnic people so we opted for campsite 2 which had no shower and a pit toilet plus a family of about 50 hippos across the Ishasha River (border with the Congo). This caused great consternation amongst the rangers who insisted on giving us an armed guard to protect us against the roaming hippos at night despite our protests that we would be fine. On the first night we had a huge elephant visiting but no hippos!!! Alan rigged up the shower and it was marvelous, he was so pleased that it worked. Much better than the cold showers in campsite 1.

We had several visitors to the campsite, huge Olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys and red tailed monkeys ( plus tourists picnining at lunch time). It was a lovely spot.

We hunted and hunted for the tree climbing lionesses visiting the wild fig trees a couple of times a day, but they proved to be elusive. Apparently they only climb the 20+ wild fig trees so they’re marked on the maps. We were there for 2 nights before heading to the North of the park some 100 kms away. We stayed at Mweya in the park and got there in time to go on the channel game cruise. The channel is called Kazinga and it links Lake George to Lake Edward which is in the park. We had a delightful park ranger Ruth who acted as our game guide, she had quite a quirky sense of humor. The cruise was great, herds of Buffalo, Topi, Elephants, Nile Crocs, Hippos were all at the water’s edge. Towards the end of the cruise we passed a bird sanctuary with lots of birds. Ruth was also a keen birder and pointed out many more birds.

That night we had Elephants roaming outside our room and a “tame” Waterbuck sleeping just in front of our room.
It’s hard to describe the beauty of the Park and the changes in vegetation. At times the savannah just stretches out in front of you for miles, then changes to riverine, forest and thick bush. The bird life is amazing. There’re flood plains with herds of Ugandan Kob, Topi and Buffalo and it’s really wild. You have the sense that this is the African bush!

We left there and headed to Fort Portal but first we crossed the Equator which was nicely marked on the road.

Arriving in Fort Portal was a pleasant surprise as it was the first town that we’ve been in, in Uganda that felt like a town. We hadn’t booked accommodation and found ourselves staying at a place called Sunrise- run by a chap called Colin from the UK. He’s a type of Missionary and full of interesting stories about his life here. We got the “pink” room to stay in as the camping looked dodgy! It was pleasant with a great view of the Ruwenzori Mountains that where mostly covered in mist whilst we were there. These mountains rise from the bottom of the Rift Valley between Lake Albert and Lake Edward and were formed by the tilting of a large slab of the Earth’s crust during the Rift Valley formation. They rise to over 4000m. I got quite excited as we had lunch at the Gardens Restaurant and had a toasted sandwich….. and Al had ice cream!!!! It was quite civilized.

On our travels we met a couple who recommended a place to stay on Lake Albert, and since it involved a small detour on our way north to Murchison Falls we picked it as a half way point. Well the road we took was the worst we have travelled on and it lasted about 50kms before we turned off to a secondary road that was so much better! There we were, travelling carefully, looking for the best line of approach on this rutted, holed and corrugated road when we heard a hoot from behind and a local in a Toyota corolla whizzes past us leaving us in the dust!!! We’re in the 4×4! The difference is that when something breaks, they sit and fix it on the side of the road. We have seen whole rear axles with open differentials being repaired in the dust and mud on the side of the road! Now we’re close to our destination when suddenly out of nowhere this beautiful tar road appears on our right- well we just laughed having spent hours on the terrible road the last 20kms were a breeze. We’re still not sure if we travelled on the right road or not. It was great to arrive at Lake Albert Safari Camp, their campsite is being renovated so they gave us a spot in the carpark, and opened a chalet for us to use for ablutions. It’s run by a South African couple who have just taken over management. It was lovely. We even got to swim it was so hot.

We were invited on a game drive with them to a spot where we watched the sunset, enjoyed some cocktails and snacks. We were there for 2 days before moving on to Murchison.
The Sani’s exhaust started blowing as during the drive to Lake Albert so we stopped in a town called Hoima to get it repaired. The staff at the garage were great even bringing a chair for us to sit on whilst we waited. An exhaust mounting bracket had broken and the exhaust pipe had separated itself from the center silencer. The guys removed the two pieces, took them off into the village to have them welded together and on returning proceeded to refit the entire single piece exhaust, feeding it in from the rear of the vehicle. It was achieved with much jacking, twisting and removal of certain strategic items. We then went to one of the local hotels for lunch where we experienced our first rainstorm since we’ve been away. Finally the car was cleaner!!!!

Well back on the dirt road we went north to Murchison Falls Park. Another beautiful place where we camped at Red Chilli Rest Camp a backpackers joint that was full of youngsters on tour. The first night two hippos grazed outside our tent- all you could hear was munch, munch, munch!!!!!
Access to the northern section of the park is via a ferry across the Victoria Nile and we spent a very pleasant morning game viewing there, but had to come back in time to do the river cruise to Murchison Falls.

The next day we got to see the top of the falls which is very impressive. Due to the volume of water that goes over the falls you can’t get too close on the river side, but the sight from the top is glorious. We stayed two nights here and then headed towards Kampala. We had discussed going on to Kidepo Park in the north, but decided against it.
We have spent the last 2 nights at Nile River Explorers Camp in Jija, just outside Kampala (80kms/ 3 hours mainly due to traffic)(also run by ex-South Africans) overlooking the Victoria Nile which flows over the Murchison Falls into Lake Albert. From there it takes a sharp northerly turn and exists via the Albert Nile which becomes the White Nile. Jija is widely claimed to be at the Source of the Nile. Denise braved a local hairdresser and looks as stunning as ever!

We leave tomorrow for Kenya.

Dense (Impenetrable) forest
Two or so hours hiking up a mountain
Last 20 minutes was straight up with the guide hacking a path with a machete
We spent an unforgettable hour with a family of 13 gorillas with the youngest being 3 years old. The dominant male is currently 14 and is just attaining his ‘silver back’ which will be fully formed by 15.
The pictures say the rest…..

What an amazing experience!!

Volcanoes Nation Park Rwanda

Rwanda’s national day fell on 4 July and as we travelled to Volcanoes national Park the streets were very quiet for Rwanda. We unwittingly got caught for speeding- in the towns the speed limit is 40km which we only found out after being stopped the 2nd time. Both times they took pity on us and let us off, it helped that we couldn’t communicate in French though we tried! The main town before the Park is Musanze- this is the town where Dian Fossy (Gorillas in the Mist) based herself when not in the jungle with the gorillas. The Musanze Hotel keeps her room as a museum in her honor. We stopped for coffee. Gorilla talk and sightings were the topic of conversation all around us. It has a bit of an alpine feel about it with mountains, green vistas and crisp air.
We headed to a place called Kinigi Guesthouse which is about 1 km from the park headquarters. Once again they didn’t really have a campsite but opened one of the rooms for our use- whilst we set up our tent in the garden. Having looked at the beds we were better off in our tent!!!

The park is about 2200m above sea level so it was a bit chilly here especially once the sun set. The 5 iconic volcanoes were shrouded in cloud for most of our time here however they came out when we were leaving and we got a good look at them.

We had just sorted ourselves out when another South African family arrived- they were so glad to see us as we previously them in Gombe where we had seen the chimps together. It was lovely to share their campfire with them as they camped in the carpark (roof top tent) and could have a fire- we were on grass.
Next morning they went off to see the gorillas and Al and I went on a community walk.

The walk took us through the terraced fields to the wall that demarcates the beginning of the national park.

This wall is built of volcanic rocks piled together and is just over 1m high and is almost as wide. On the park side there is also a deep trench. The wall follow the park boundary from Uganda to the DRC – about 80km.

The gorillas inhabit this area which comprises 3 National Parks; Volcanoes – Rwanda, Vuringa – DRC and Bwindi in Uganda. Our guide was really lovely and so tickled that we were able to keep up with him, as we headed straight up the volcano slope. We were able to look into the park where there was thick bamboo growing- it’s really dark underneath that! We discovered that not only gorillas live here but buffalo and elephant – hence the wall! The community have to have guards against the buffalo who escape the park as well as the golden monkeys who love to eat their Irish potato crops.

We discovered that they grow three variants of Irish potatoes – Chocolate (brown), white and yellow. (Now you also know!). The community have learnt to farm honey by constructing bee-hives near the forest edge.

We also learnt how charcoal is made. Freshly cut wood is layered in a trench with, in this case Eucalyptus leaves. A fire is lit at the one end and the pile is covered up with a breather hole at the other end.

 

It burns through like this for about three weeks after which it is unearthed, cooled and ready for use. The community here have formed an association called SACOLA recognizing that they cannot rely on the government to supply everything for them and guide fees from community hikes goes back to the community. We came across some of the ladies working in the potato fields and they were tickled pink when I “hoed” in the potato fields too!

We were greeted by an old woman with song and dance as a welcome to her home. Then of course there were the children. They are learning English so they practiced on us. We soon became familiar with the format.
“What is your name?”
“How old are you?”
“What is your country? How’s your country?”
We had read that whenever taking photos we should ask, the children though had no such qualms as we came into view they took our photos on their cell phones! In our interactions with them we were struck by their thirst for information, most of them have never been further away from their village then school. They do however all have email and asked us to exchange addresses! Quite paradoxical! Whenever we ventured out we felt like the pied piper with a group of them following us around.

Rwanda is a beautiful country however wherever you go you are aware of their recent history. You never escape from this and we think there is an inherent distrust amongst each other – how do you get over having your family butchered by best friends, family and teachers – even in some cases fellow church members? There is a strong military presence, lots of AK47 armed policeman and I found people quite serious. The people in the North were the exception as we heard lots of laughter there. We found the contrast of the beauty and the horror difficult but we are glad that we went. Denise was visibly disquieted for a couple of days after we left.

Lake Bunyoni Uganda
We were running ahead of schedule as we only had to be in Bwindi national forest by the 13th July as our gorilla trekking permits had been sent ahead for us so we found ourselves with a few days spare. Crossing over from Rwanda into Uganda though a minor border post was easy, people were friendly and we were back on the left side of the road and into East African time – an hour ahead of SA. The rolling hills and terracing of crops that we saw in Rwanda have continued here, and everything is beautiful and green. We had lunch in Kabala at Café Barrista whilst we planned our shopping.

The main streets have all been dug up for road works so it was chaos! Lake Bunyonyi is just outside the town and we headed for Bunyonyi Overlander Campsite where we have chilled for the last few days.

It’s a beautiful setting, lots of birdlife which has been good to watch. We’ve canoed in a dug out log- it’s not as easy as it looks but we only did two circles over the hour of paddling!

We’ve watched the passing boat traffic, read and enjoyed the sunlight after the volcanoes. We found a hotel called Birds Nest which makes wonderful pizza and where we got Ugandan coffee with a choc brownie. Yummy!

That was really lovely. The waiter told us that despite it being peak season it’s very quiet and we’ve been told that there are lots of Gorilla permits still available.
Next door to the campsite is a preschool and it has been funny to see the kids being taken across the lake to the school, you just see a row of heads along the side of the dug-out! There’s also been lots of singing. This is a launch point for the Overland Groups to visit the Gorillas and we’ve seen a number of them come and go. Al has befriended the guide of the crowd currently sharing our space, John from Nairobi who has answered some of our questions and shared his charcoal with us.
We leave here today to have our turn to see the gorillas and will be spending some time on the western side of Uganda before going to Kampala.

Our Boma ‘camp site’ marked the start of the tarmac road to Kigali, however it was more potholed than tar for almost the entire way to the border. (We had travelled nearly 900km continuously on gravel (some of the worst roads I have driven on!). We jostled for space and right of way with huge numbers of heavy vehicles which have obviously done the damage to the roads.

Our transition into Rwanda was a breeze (relatively speaking). The border post was clean, well sign posted and had helpful officials. This set the tone for a surprising first experience of Rwanda which has continued to present the same impression. The country with a 1000 hills (which is what the name means) is truly beautiful, green, mountainous, clean and friendly. Predominantly French speaking, with driving on the right hand side of the road, the country is one of most densely populated in Africa with over 11 Million (2014) people (compared to Zambia’s 11 Million – maybe an old figure). Look at a map and compare the sizes! This became apparent on the 150Km drive from the border into Kigali. There was hardly a stretch of road that did not have people on it – nor were there many straight and level stretches of road! The trip took over 3 hours despite the good road. The contrast with Tanzania has been amazing – starting at the border gate!

Our home for the next 2 nights was St Paul’s, a Cathedral and hostel complex in the center of Kigali that played a key humanitarian role during the Genocide. Still run by Nuns, they provide very basic but comfortable accommodation for Mission workers and travelers alike. They also had a very basic ‘restaurant’ and workshop.

Mechanical issues continue to be part of our lives. One of our spotlight’s mounting broke off leaving the light dangling by it electrical cable. Our French travelling companion (in a well kitted Defender 110 Land Rover) lost a wheel nut on his rear axle and we had to fashion a wire ‘circlip’ to get him to Kigali. He has also had to have a steering bush replaced. The balance of the South African clan arrived today. Bennie had broken a bush in the front left wish bone (causing his front wheel to wobble about) and set about trying to ‘make’ one. He seems to be satisfied with his solution – I remain unconvinced!

So far, everyone we have come across have had vehicle breakages. The worst was an East London couple in an old Cruiser who broke an axle coming into Kigoma and spent 3 days on the side of the road whilst a bush mechanic worked his magic. They are 7 weeks into a 9 month trip! Another passing Cape compatriot broke a tie-rod end on his Fortuna.

We had an extra blade fitted to our rear suspension leaf spring packs as our new Old Man Emu set have been bowed the wrong way and Al has been very afraid of breaking a blade.

Whilst our vehicle was in the workshop, we took a couple of motor bike taxi (by far the most common form of public transport in the cities) to visit the Genocide Memorial. As one can imagine, it was a very moving and thought proving experience. Some 250 000 people are buried on this site.

 

The French, Germans and Belgians all had a part to play in laying the ground work for this tragedy and as is usually the case, there are two sides to every story. Sadly, reading between the lines and talking to a wide range of strangers (locals, mission and aid workers) we have come across, the peace and reconciliation that seems to be in place may be a bit tenuous.

Kigali is a large, mountainous, populated (1 million), vibrant and modern city. Modern shops, well stocked with most of what anyone would want – a lot of South African brands, good road infra-structure and as clean as you could wish. Apparently, community service was a primary sentence handed out during the post Genocide hearings. This may account for the good roads and cleanliness!

Our South African, French and Dutch fellow travelers went their separate way into Uganda on the same day we left Kigali. It has been quite fun meeting up with them occasionally during the last few days and sharing ‘war’ stories, meals, camp fires, tools and advice.

We struggled to find the market on our way out of the city as the road names seem to differ from those on the GPS and the poor city maps we have. However, we did eventually find it and Denise managed to get some fabric she was after. We headed for the town of Gisenyi, a border town on the north shore of Lake Kivu. This lake marks the border with the Congo (DRC). Gisenyi and the Congolese town of Goma are almost one town with a border post in the middle! As with the rest of Rwanda, the town (and everything surrounding the Lake) is perched on the side of hills and mountains. We have been blessed to stay at a lodge called ‘Hakuna Matata’.

The short drive way required 4 wheel drive to get in and out of and although there is no convenient place to camp for people living out of their vehicle like ourselves, our hosts were REALLY keen for us to stay. (We have been the only guests for the 3 nights here). They arranged for us to camp outside one of the lodge’s rooms, letting us use the room’s ablutions and electricity for the fridge. John the manager, Rafiki the chef and Osama the assistant chef have been at our beck and call all the time. This morning John ‘guided’ us on a walk through the town along the beach and to the border post. A tree lined, bird paradise. He then led us into the country along another VERY bad road to see the tea and coffee plantations that cover both the valley floors and cling to the sides of the mountains.

Everything is beautifully terraced with very little signs of erosion. It seems that every square inch of this country either has a building on it or is cultivated. We have seen tea, coffee, maize, sugar cane, sorghum, cabbage, carrots, cassava, bananas (hundreds of banana trees) and stuff we haven’t recognized. Rafiki the chef used to work t hotel in the Volcano National Park to the north – our next destination and has arranged for someone from the local village to act as a guide for us in the area. We look forward to the experience.

Early Saturday morning Al and I got up to get on a boat with a group of people to Gombe National Park on Lake Tanganyika – this is where Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees.

We met up with the other 7 South Africans, 1 New Zealander, 1 Dutch lady and a Frenchman (those that we had met previously) at Jakobsen’s campsite. It was still dark as we hopped onto the boat and prepared for a 2 & 1/2 hour boat trip. Along the way we passed fishing villages that were very different from the ones in Zambia, and a couple of water taxies.

The terrain changed once we were in the park, it is a jungle forest area and very beautiful allowing us to see what the whole area must have been like.

Baboons sat on the sandy beaches watching us as much as we watched them!

It’s the first time that I have ever seen baboons kneeling down to drink water. The lake at this point was so clear we could see to the bottom of it. Finally we were there!

We were allocated guides and off we went. After a short walk we found the chimps. A mother named Gremlin with her son Gizzmo (6 years) and new baby of a month. They passed right next to me (Denise) with Gizzmo brushing up against me- totally unfazed by our presence. We tracked them and watched as they climbed up a palm tree to get the fruit, swung around the tree branches and finally came back to ground a little drunk as the fruit they had eaten has that effect on them.

Then we sat with them as they lounged around on the ground, groomed each other and scratched. All with the baby hanging on to the mum. The jungle itself is beautiful with lots of butterflies but not many birds as the chimps disturb their nests. We had really great guides who made sure that everyone got to see the chimps. It was amazing just to sit with them.

Once back after a 3 hour trip because the wind was blowing we took a detour to the market. It is hidden in the center block of Kigoma and was found through a hole in the wall between the shops facing outwards. Fresh fruit and vegetables, fabric, eggs, tinned goods, electrical goods just about anything can be found here. The stalls are all tightly packed together in spaces about 1.5 by 1.5 m. incredible to see. The people don’t hassle you which makes it a pleasant experience.

Next morning we were off on our way to Kigali but knowing that we would have to find an overnight place. The dirt road started out okay, but ended not so well. It was quite an education and at times frightening to see how the local busses hurtled down this roads not deviating to the right or left and not slowing down as they head towards you. We had no choice but to find a way off to the side and let them pass. The amount of dust generated by the road traffic is extraordinary. We stopped to take photos of the trees along the roadside – they look like something else until you see that underneath the rust color is actually a banana tree!

We arrived in a town to find the only campsite was at an old German Fort (called Boma Guest House) and we camped in the courtyard. We were happy to see some of our travelling companions of the last week who had arrived before us. The place is a guesthouse and many local workers for NGOs in the area also stay there.

It has not been easy to post anything whilst in Northern Zambia due to poor or non-existent cell coverage, so apologies for the silence!

We left South Luangwa not really knowing if we were going to be able to cross the rivers that lay ahead. We had met up with some conservation trainers at South Luangwa, Annalise and Malcolm who also wanted to cut across to the great North Road. They had inside information so after discussing it we decided to go for it. The alternative was a 4 or 5 day detour via Lusaka. The area we were heading into is wild and although there’s a road marked at times it is little more than a track. It was hard driving but beautiful and meant that we crossed the Luambe National park as well as passing through numerous villages. Whenever we took a wrong turning the friendly villagers were there to point us in the right direction. We discovered cotton fields along the way planted between mealie fields and the penny dropped. In Zambia the women wear a colorful sarong called a chitembe- which is made out of 100% cotton. The common mode of transport in this area is bicycles! After the first 20 kms or so we didn’t see another car until we reached Chifunda community campsite. The bush is beautiful and on the way we passed through a mature Mopani wood forest- so peaceful! Once again we were camping along a different part of the Luangwa River. We got there at around 5 pm after 240kms which took us about 9 hours! The people who look after the campsite built us a fire and then ran off to get “the fire” which turned out to be two smoldering pieces of wood- who needs fire lighter after that! Annalise and Malcolm arrived at the same camp site sometime after 7pm and presented us with our rear number plate which had literally been torn off during one of the dry river bed crossings. Some villagers retrieved it and Malcom recognized it as they passed through. At some point we also discovered that we had lost our fire extinguisher. It was mounted in a clip-on bracket under the roof rack and it must have been dislodged by one of the countless dongas (ditches) that paved our way. We remember when it happened as at one point we heard a loud bang followed by hordes of village kids shouting and running after us. We should have stopped!

Next morning there were park fees to be paid and we crossed the river on a pontoon into North Luangwa. It’s a wild park and at this time of the year the bush is very dense. Very different from the South. The drive through took us around 3 hours (100km’s) and it was superb. You can stay in the park but there is no camping allowed. The escarpment road had just been graded after the rains and was good. Eventually we came to the tar road – the Great North Road – …Alan jumped out the car and kissed the tarmac. We’d been on gravel roads and tracks for a week, it was lovely to be on tar again!

Another 35km’s of gravel brought us to Kapishya Hot Springs, a haven of tranquility! We were once again the only people in the camp site which was separated from the lodge by the hot spring. Its natural beauty surrounded by dense vegetation has been maintained and it results in a sandy and rocky pool that varies in depth from a few cm’s to about half a meter, all the while the warm water bubbles up randomly from the bottom. It is estimated that the water source is some 17km below ground. Needless to say we spent time both morning and evening wallowing like the hippo’s we have seen so many of! We treated ourselves to supper at the lodge for the 3 nights we were there as we met some lovely people and shared many interesting and varied conversations. We found ourselves ‘drawn’ into the water on our way back to our tent each evening with the steam rising around us in the starlight, crawling into bed thoroughly warmed through.

On the road to Kapishya we discovered that we had broken our front right shock absorber mounting – the mounting bracket had parted company from the bottom suspension wishbone. Fortunately there was a handy mechanic at the lodge who welded up a new bracket, re-attached our number plate and strengthened one of the running boards on the side of the vehicle which was on its way to being our next casualty!
Armed with various bits of information about the road and accommodation options ahead, we left for Mbala, a ‘border town’ in the far north very near Lake Tanganyika. We were told to enquire about accommodation options at a town called Kasama on our way through. It seemed that all lake side options were only accessible by boat, requiring us to unpack our gear and leave the vehicle for a couple of days – not very practical. We ended up at Lake Chila in Mbala, a very simple and cheap lodge. There we met a Dutch family who were booked to camp at Isanga Bay on the Lake and who had just seen the manager who had confirmed that the road to the lodge was ‘passible’. We got the phone number and Lynne confirmed we could go through and camp. The next morning after taking 2 hours to complete the 35km’s we arrived on the shores of Lake Tanganyika – how amazing is that?! What a privilege! The scene could have been from the Maldives! Lake Tanganyika is the world’s longest (675 km’s) the second deepest (at 1435m) fresh water lake. Lynne and Grant who are ‘caretaking’ the lodge on a part time basis while the real managers are in Cape Town are Baptist Missionaries out of a small church in Simonstown in the Cape. Sam and Hannah, an expat family with small children had been camping there for a few days already and for the next 24 hours we were the only people around! Lynne and Grant and their family arrived the next day as did the Dutch family. We have had some lovely long chats with Lynne and Grant who have been here for 17 years running what is essentially a roving Bible College. Many churches have been planted in this area around the lake but there has been nothing to nurture and grow them. Grant has a discipleship program that takes him around all these areas on a regular basis with people travelling distances to attend each session. They are almost self-sufficient in that they manage a farm on which they produce almost everything they eat whilst Lynne home schools their 5 kids. We had a baked sweet potato from their garden done in our Cobb (charcoal oven) and savory mince the other night – a meal Therina and Kim would approve of! The sweet potatoes were an unusual deep orange and amazingly creamy and sweet. We joined them for lunch today (Sunday) and shared Nshima (the Zambian equivalent of pap/ sadza/ mealie meal) and home grown pork. Denise has had some amazing DMC’s (deep meaningful conversations) with everyone in the camp site (as is to be expected) but many of them have been lovely faith conversations as well which has been special. It turns out that two kids and an adult amongst our number have been talking about wanting to be baptized. Grant (who is a Pastor) offered to perform the sacrament for them and so at Sunset yesterday we were privileged to be invited to be a part of the ‘great crowd of witnesses’ as the three were baptized in the lake. Amazingly (and eerily) as this started a boat load (30+) of local church people just floated into the bay singing hymns and just bobbed around very close to us whilst the baptism took place. It was like being on the Sea of Galilee! Very moving indeed.

One of the reasons we chose to come this route was to see the Kalambo Falls – the second highest water fall in Africa, next to the Tugela. The falls drop over the escarpment into the East African Rift Valley of which the Lake is a part – a drop of over 200m. The lodge arranged a guide and after a 20min boat ride plus a strenuous 2 and a bit hour walk/ climb (about 800m) through villages, cassava fields and rocky grassland, we arrived at the top of the falls – magnificent. The Kalambo River marks the Border between Zambia and Tanzania and as we looked across the river we found ourselves wondering whether we should find a way across and say we’d been there. Also we discovered that we could have driven to the falls and camped nearby however we were glad that we hadn’t! Once back in the village the children were fascinated by us and gathered around us as we waited for the boat. They laughed, mimicked us and my case held my hands, some of them hesitant to touch white skin! Then they waved us goodbye- a good day in Africa.

The time came to leave this beautiful place (Tuesday). Grant offered to fill our tank with filtered water and we in turn used our winch to help them erect a large solar panel pedestal following which we left to head for a little border post into Tanzania from Mbala. After 2 hours driving 35kms, it was only an hour for the next 35kms, we were speeding. It was such an easy border crossing as we were the only ones there, and the border officials were very welcoming however it still took an hour as everything has to be painstakingly written by hand. Electricity not being very reliable. Once through we were again on remote dirt roads, this time taking us to the Tanzanian town of Sumbawanga. We were 7kms of out the town when our GPS told us that we still had over an hour to go. This was very confusing until we realized that there is a time difference of an hour here.

Nothing prepared us for this little town, with its bright vibrace, full of tuk-tuks called “dala-dala” and full of noise and people with a distinctly eastern flavor. We stayed overnight at the Monrovian Church Conference center- where we bumped into a New Zealand lady we had met in South Luangwa. She has been traveling on her own by public transport and had been offered a lift by Erik- a Frenchman travelling on his own. We were also joined by some South Africans and a little Portuguese/dutch lady who came through Namibia and Angola. So super that night was quite festive as we ate together. We have spent the last few days travelling together loosely as there are few camping options along this route. We met up with them at Katavi National park and again here in Kigomo where we are at the moment. We found Olivier in ‘town’ this morning having a leaf spring replaced on his vehicle. He broke a blade and holed his aluminum fuel tank on the drive from Katavi yesterday. (So it is not just our bad driving!). (The fuel tank is leaking again by the way!). Tomorrow (27 June) one of the group has organized a boat to Gombe National Park to see the chimpanzees so we will all go together and share costs.

The last few days travel has been challenging on the dirt roads and after being on the road for over a month Al and I checked into a hotel for some R&R once we reached Kigoma. It turns out the manager here used to own Sani Top Chalets and we recognized him when we met him! A small world. You can get most things in town and at the markets but it’s a very different type of shopping. The shops are small, dark and filled to the brim, and crammed together. The markets have just grown up from ground so the floors vary from dirt, stones, wooden planks to cover ditches and the odd piece of concrete. In some places you have to pass through the passages sideways, they are so narrow… and the food market is very different from Pick n Pay! The butcher uses a panga (machete) to ‘carve’ the meat and lays it out on a concrete retaining wall in one of the passages. It has been interesting.
The one thing that has struck us is that we have met interesting and varied people along the way so far and because we are all travelling so far from home most are only too willing to help where they can. It is a far cry from being self-reliant and self-sufficient that living in a big city creates.

After 4 nights in Lusaka we were finally able to move on. The city is crazy, and full of life however still a city so it was good to move back into the bush. Our destination this time South Luangwa Park. There’s a convenient stop over at Changa Changa Bridge camp, situated on the Luangwa River. Interesting place run by a chap called Will who tends to be quite morose but he livened up in the evening. During rainy season it seems to be quite green, however when we were there everything was dry and dusty. The campsite is right next to the road that leads to Luangwa town. We had heard that Kinsley Holgate was in the area, and here we met up with some of his support team. Kingsley is boating down the Zambezi River from its’ source in Northern Zambia on a boat made from pontoons and aluminum square tubing. Each time they hit an obstacle like Victoria Falls or a Dam wall, they dismantle it and drive around, put it back together and carry on.

So we took a drive down to Luangwa town about 90kms away mainly through rural villages and passed a very smart Girls High School which we discovered later is where the elite from Lusaka send their girls to school to keep them out of trouble! The town is the meeting point of three countries, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique all by water and very casual as there doesn’t seem to be any Customs set up.

Next morning we set off early for Chipata on the Malawi border. The rainy season has just finished here so some of the back routes are still impassable therefore we had to stick to the main road. This road is undergoing major renovation and some parts were lovely and others dusty detours, which were not bad but slow going. I have officially mastered the peeing on the side of the road which to quote a friend “Is my African heritage and right!” Brought back many, many memories of my childhood! Chipata is a lively, friendly town and was fun to pass through on the way to South Luangwa. It used to be called Fort Jameson.

Finally South Luangwa was in sight and we arrived at a campsite set on another part of the Luangwa River overlooking the park- Wildlife Camp. Bliss. 9 hours of driving and no fuel leaks! Once again we have been serenaded to the sound of hippos in the river, elephants strolling casually around and the campsite monkeys who sneak around trying to steal what they can. There are no park fences here only natural boundaries like the river, mountains etc so the game move around quite freely. The local village is very close and the people very respectful of the wildlife. One of the night watchmen is a chap called Overt- who checks up on us at night. He told us that the locals have been educated as to the value of the game, hopefully this means limited poaching! Yesterday we had another fellow come to sell vegetables at the campsite – eggplant, onions, herbs and lemons. So lovely!!!
In the park we have had some great sightings, lion at a kill, a leopard just waking up at dusk, porcupines, elephant family groups, giraffes etc… A baby elephant stood in the road and mock charged us while crossing, looked just like Dumbo – all gangly – we were watching mom too and she was not perturbed so we were not too close. It’s the first time we’ve seen Puku, a buck that looks like an impala but is much more fluffy and sturdy. We saw the lions both during the day and on a night drive. There were six in the group, and they had killed a buffalo. When we saw them in the evening they were lying around looking too full to move, rather like Al after a good meal!

The other campers are an interesting mix. Two Germans on our right hand side who have been travelling camping for about 6/7 years. Very interesting to chat to with lovely senses of humor. On our left a British couple from Malawi have been very helpful in planning our Malawi trip and also very friendly. We had decided to go back to Lusaka as due to the rains some of the roads to North Luangwa we’ve been told are not yet passable. Then this morning we met a couple of South Africans who are here to do conservation training. They are also going from here to North Luangwa, and think it’s doable. We’ll catch up with them later and see.
Frogs in showers are a feature of camp life. However yesterday I had to laugh. First there was the spider hiding in the toilet roll, one of those flat big spiders, then as I flushed the loo, I saw this thing hanging on for dear life! There was a frog under the toilet seat!! Needless to say I now check both.

Well the fuel tank repair didn’t hold! By the time we had covered the few km’s from Gwabi back into Chirundu, the tank was leaking again. It seems that fiber glass doesn’t bond too well with polyprop or polyethylene or whatever the plastic is. The leak was worse under pressure so we headed for Lusaka without the petrol cap fitted. We  had been told to avoid Lusaka between 12 and 14H00. We arrived just after 12 on Friday afternoon.  Lusaka traffic is BAD but well mannered and quite civilised.

The Internet provided us with a starting point in search of the next solution. None of the Nissan branches will even look a a vehicle they have not sold. They are very friendly and helpful in making suggestions but will not touch the vehicle. After 4 or 5 different stops we were directed to Henry at Hensons Car Hire (and any thing else to do with cars). He was confident that he would be able to solve the problem. We checked into the City Lodge which was just round the corner from Henry and got the car to him at 8H30 on Saturday.  By 14H00 it was done. The tank is non-standard (the Sani is a South African variant of the old Nissan Patrol) so the second hand tank he had sourced would not fit. He found a company that manufactures tanks from the same material. They stripped the fiber glass and used the right goo to re-apply the patch. However….by the time we got back to the Hotel is was seeping again. Small spot but too much to ignore. Not wanting to endure another night is the City Lodge we moved to Pioneer Camp some 20km’s out of town,

We contacted Henry and arranged to get the vehicle back on Monday. It is now 17H12 on Monday. We are back at Pioneer and… so far so good! We will leave for South Luangwa NP tomorrow, stopping over at Luangwa Bridge for the night. We have been warned that the roads are not great so we need to take it slow. I am a lot more confident in the repair now (although the fuel level sensor seems to have become a casualty of the main times the tank has been remove. We therefore now have now fuel gauge.

So far, we have been very impressed with Zambia in general and the Zambian’s in particular – very friendly, very helpful, very cheerful. Lovely experience.  At the City Lodge they reserved a parking for us outside our room and removed the screws from the mosquito netting on the windows so that we could plug our vehicle in to the the power mains. Each time we drove in the security guard would rush forward and remove the no parking sign for us. One sad thing (to our minds anyway) is that shopping malls are springing up everywhere built by the Chinese (who are all of this place like a bad rash) and manned by South African brands – Shoprite, OK, Foschini, M&B, Mica……). Prices are horrendous. The Mugg and Bean menu shows prices that are identical to SA but in Kwatcha – 0.6 to R1.

Having had two mornings to ‘waste’ without transport we have walked Lusaka out of our system and are ready to move on.