“Nagawa – you cowardised!” A detour via the Congo
Adventure in West Nile – and beyond
There were two international highlights to our trip to West Nile. The silly Muzungu was to miss one of them!
On Saturday morning, we took the smooth tarmac road from Arua, heading north towards the border with South Sudan. We passed few vehicles on our two hour journey. We drove through Koboko, location of the Amin family home.
Although Hashers had been disappointed to learn we wouldn’t be able to cross into South Sudan, the reasons why were quite apparent once we got to the Oraba border. Queues of young Sudanese refugees, mostly women, young children and teenagers, stood in orderly lines waiting to register with humanitarian agencies. A gigantic World Food Programme tent sat one side of the road. In front were lines of buses and piles of bags and bedding. The whole scene seemed calm and orderly; apparently we arrived on a quiet day. Generally 1,500 refugees enter Uganda via this border every day.
Uganda’s friendliest policeman
Nagawa and Kampala Hash House Harriers meet Uganda’s friendliest policeman. At the Oraba border with South Sudan. Behind us is ‘no man’s land’ between the two countries
Uganda’s friendliest policeman explained that there is no trade with South Sudan. Even the petrol tankers that we saw driving across the border were actually destined to cross into the DRC a couple of kilometres ahead. He explained that on the other side of the border, things were quiet but the real trouble was further north.
There is no discernible difference to the buildings and huts on either side of the border. My few days stay in Arua gave me a better appreciation of the historically mixed communities and tribes in West Nile, South Sudan and the DRC.
Kampala Hash House Harriers walk down to no man’s land at the Oraba border with South Sudan
The policeman explained that the river is the natural boundary between Uganda and South Sudan. He pointed to where the Congolese border is, 4 or 5 km away. Although the official border is Oraba, it is of course “very porous” meaning you can’t police every field and bush. (So how many people are really coming into Uganda from South Sudan?)
Tripping over goats
I would say the people of Oraba were very surprised to see 20 or more Hashers in bright pink T-shirts tripping over goats in their backyards!
I love jerry cans! All lined up at the water pump. Oraba border, West Nile
I wasn’t running that day so every few minutes, the runners would stop, let me catch them up, then they would run off again for a few minutes. We repeated this several times… until…
We must have been running / Hashing / walking for an hour before it really started raining. I was carrying my phone and camera in a cotton bag which I stuffed up inside my T-shirt. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and put my head down to try and avoid the worst of the heavy rain. My glasses quickly misted up so I just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
The rain became heavier and heavier. If someone had called out to me, I would never have heard them above the sound of the rain. In Kampala, I would have quickly looked for shelter (like a bar!) but I was in the middle of the bush. There were cracks of thunder overhead. Standing under a tree wasn’t really an option.
I saw no-one: no Hashers, no bright pink T-shirts, no villagers. There were no vehicles, no boda bodas, no bicycles. Just the goddam rain and bush.
I walked on for what seemed like ages. There were no signs of any chalk marks to show the Hash route. The rivers of rainwater running over the tops of my trainers told me that the chalk marks were long gone.
I just kept walking. What else could I do?
I was totally soaked, but the heavy rain wasn’t subsiding. How long could I go on like this?
Typical thatched hut in a village at Oraba border, West Nile
I realised that we had definitely walked more than 5 km since leaving Oraba – remembering the policeman’s words, I wondered: were those the 5 km that were going to lead me into the Congo? There’s a thought: where the hell am I? If I accidentally cross into the Congo, who will know? If the muzungu can’t make herself understood here in the village, how will I communicate with someone deeper in the bush? Will my phone network work if I accidentally cross the border?
I got a bit despondent at this point. Had the others forgotten me? Had they turned off halfway down the hill while I had marched up ahead in the wrong direction?
I approached a homestead of large square thatched huts. I didn’t know whether to go forward or back. Instead I stood under a small tree, contemplating what to do…
Jajja to the rescue!
An old lady beckoned me over.
She waved her arm at me and invited me into her hut. She produced a blue plastic chair for me to sit in the middle of her large hut, bare but for a chicken scraping at the dirt floor. Five young children stood around staring at the Muzungu wringing out her sopping wet hair.
The rain eventually stopped.
I asked Jajja where Oraba was. She pointed right and then she pointed left. Hmmm… in two opposite directions!
I decided to turn left which put me back on the same path I had been on before. I called Hashmistress who said they had a problem seeing the turning as well. (That did not give me much confidence. I had walked with my head down – who knows how many turnings I had passed during that time?) She added that I just needed to “look out for a cassava field and an upturned pot.” Roughly translated this may equate to ‘branch at the pawpaw tree’ in Hash-speak, especially to a Muzungu who lives in Kampala and can’t tell her cassava from her yam! (Did I mention something about feeling despondent?)
I carried on walking. I looked left and right. I didn’t think I had passed any cassava, I certainly had not seen an upturned pot.
Then I hit what can only be described as a road. Surely Hashmistress would have told me if I was about to reach a T-junction intersection with a road?
Breaking all the rules
And then I heard something. I couldn’t believe I was hearing it. I was so lost in my little world in the middle of nowhere, that it took me a few seconds to work out what the noise was.
It was a boda boda!
I almost ran towards him.
And then I broke my own rule. Normally I discriminate and only go with the mzee, the oldest boda boda driver. This time I jumped on the first boda boda I saw.
A young boy filled up the motorbike engine with some petrol from an old water bottle and we were on our way bumping down the marram roads, the wind blowing through the muzungu’s wet hair.
I knew that I would regret this decision. I knew that KH3 would be merciless with me for cheating!
“Oraba” I said. “Is it far?” I asked the boda guy.
“It’s a bit close,” came the answer.
If I’d taken a guess, I would have taken the right direction but the 15 minute boda boda journey would have been a lot more on that dodgy foot.
Luckily my camera had survived the downpour so I had a chance to film this! Look out for: the man carrying a bed on his head… the men leading a cow to market … the men thatching a hut! Look closely and you may catch a young boy waving at the muzungu…
Boda boda motorbike tour through the villages and countryside of West Nile, northern Uganda. The villagers walk to market from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
“Nagawa* – you cowardised!” Said Ki Love Love
Back at the main road, I had expected to see everyone there waiting for me. I had been worried that I would be holding up the bus. I couldn’t believe it took them more than an hour to join us, while I shivered in my freezing wet T-shirt. I stood next to the slowly barbecuing goat and hugged the heat coming off it. It’s many a year since I’ve been that cold.
Petrol tanker waiting to cross Oraba border, West Nile, into South Sudan. Final destination DR Congo. In the distance is South Sudan
A regular hash is just one hour, these guys ran for 3 ½ hours. Where had they been?
To the DRC!
To South Sudan!
Everyone apart from me made it to the tripartite border, a point where Uganda converges with the DRC and South Sudan.
Without Nagawa! Eh banange! I was gutted.
What kind of a travel blogger gets lost and misses the international highlight of the trip?!
… NOTE: During my West Nile adventures, I stayed in Arua. I love this town. Read my blog ’10 little-known things to do in Arua, West Nile.’
Downtown dreadlocks. The muzungu’s blind date
What did I say to Julia?
After one dating disaster too many I joked that “if another guy with dreadlocks wants to date me, the first thing he has to do is shave his head.”
Moving on, a few months go by and the girls were having a giggle… Elisabeth wanted to set me up on a blind date with a friend of hers.
“Teddy works in a salon,” she told me. “You can just drop by one day, and check him out first. He won’t know. He’s fed up going out with Ugandan girls who keep messing him around. He said he fancies going out with a Muzungu.”
We checked him out, surreptitiously. My friend gave him my phone number. He called me.
“I just wondered what you’re doing tomorrow? I’ll be in Kampala,” he said.
“Call me when you get to the taxi park. I’ll be at the saloon by the bus station,” he added.
Lunchtime on a downtown Kampala street and the streets are fairly quiet
As I got off the boda boda downtown the next day, half a dozen men from different upcountry bus companies ran towards me and demanded to know where I was going: Lira, Gulu, Masaka, Soroti, where….?
“I’m going to the salooooon,” I answered. (A salon in English, in Uglish it’s a saloon.]
I’m an independent kind of girl so I didn’t call Teddy straightaway; I just thought I’d see whether I could find him first.
A couple of people helpfully offered to guide me to a saloon of their recommendation. He wasn’t in the first one.
Would I recognise him?
In the second salon, I saw a man having his head shaved. Were the dreadlocks coming off? Had he read my mind? Had he read ‘that blog’? Had Julia told him he would have to shave his head? The man’s head was bent forward, so I couldn’t see his face. All I could see were the last two inches of hair being removed by the razor.
The man lifted up his head. It wasn’t Teddy.
Two saloons later and I still hadn’t found him.
In the bustling street, a young man in an orange T-shirt tapped me on the shoulder. I was going to ignore him but he said my name out loud. He introduced himself as Teddy’s brother.
I followed him through the crowded streets into a crammed shopping arcade where we climbed up three flights of stairs. (How would I ever have found this saloon on my own?) And there was Teddy, sitting on the balcony, grinning at me. “I’ve been watching you from up here,” he said.
Guess what? He was having his dreadlocks redone!
A very Ugandan first date. At the hair salon
And you seriously call this a date?
We had some general chitchat and he offered me a soda. We sat and chatted while his brother worked on his hair.
On the salon veranda, overlooking the buses, we ordered lunch: beans, rice, cassava and matooke. He laughed when I said in Luganda “Silya enyama” (I don’t eat meat).
A cooked Ugandan lunch comes in one size only: BIG!
The lady from the restaurant looked very impressed that the Muzungu was eating the big plate of “black African food” she’d brought into the saloon for us.
Teddy’s brother encouraged me to clear my plate. “No leftovers or they’ll charge us more,” he quipped.
“I love the UK so much! I love the Queen!” Said Teddy.
Was this supposed to impress me? “Why do you love the Queen?” Quizzed the Muzungu.
“I am a prince.” [Perplexed look on the Muzungu’s face….]
“I know a Prince,” I jumped in, looking for the logic. Was he trying to tell me he’s a monarchist? (I never did get to the bottom of that one).
He next explained that his dad and his sister live in the UK. He showed me a message from his dad saying that he should get a green card for the US. Why he showed me this, I don’t know. [And where did he think I was really from?]
“Trust me with u’r stayle” hair salon, near Mubende, Uganda
We talked a bit about music. “What music do you like? Elton John?” He enquired.
Oh pleeeease. Why do so many Ugandans live in this 1980s musical timewarp? It drives me nuts. (Yes Elton John is an amazing singer/ songwriter but forgive me Elton, your heyday was 30 years ago).
After lunch, Teddy explained that he had left his money at home – a pretty impressive move for a first date.
He said he wanted to buy us lunch, but “could I lend him 5,000 shillings?” [Approx $1.50 / £1.00]
I decided not to make a scene. Lending him money on our first date wasn’t what I had in mind. However, since it would cost me at least this much to eat lunch anywhere else in town, I handed over the 5,000 shillings. He said he would pay me back that afternoon. (Afterwards I asked myself: why didn’t he just ask his brother to pay for lunch?)
Time went by. We ran out of conversation. I looked up at the TV.
His brother noticed I was getting bored and asked me if I’d like to read a magazine, and produced some old copies of African Woman: dated 2006.
What am I doing here? I asked myself…
The average Ugandan seems to spend a lot of their life just sitting around. I can’t do it. This was a work day and I’d come into town – just to meet him. I asked Teddy what he was planning to do for the rest of the day. He said he would be another couple of hours and then he was going to look for 10,000 shillings from one place and 20,000 from another. I told him I had some work to do.
He said he would call me to see about meeting up later. (Could I be bothered… ?)
“My sister!”
To choruses of “my sister” and “jajja,” I worked my way down the street towards Owino market.
The strap of my sandal broke. “Those sandals must be Chinese!” Said a man sitting outside a shop. As I hobbled along, people looked down at the muzungu’s broken sandal, smiled and said “bambi” and “sorry” as the Muzungu limped on by.
A boda driver called out at me “I give you a lift!” A cloud of dust lifted in the air as he SMACKED the seat of his motorbike, in anticipation of the muzungu’s kabina.
Across the road, a man with a handful of T-shirts beckoned me.
“Here is the tailor,” he said.
The shy tailor – cobbler – was delighted for me to take his photo. Fixing my sandals outside Owino market, Kampala
Just outside the entrance to Owino, next to the open sewer, an old man sat hunched under a big umbrella fixing shoes in the dust. He gave me a wooden stool to sit on, a perfect vantage point for watching men on the opposite bank of the sewer playing dominoes and urinating against the wall.
Within minutes, my sandal was expertly fixed, for just 2,000 Uganda shillings (not the 20,000 shillings some chancer tried to rob me of another time!)
I went into town looking for love. Instead, I got a shy smile from the old cobbler.
Actually, I couldn’t have been happier.
Not the best view in Kampala but certainly the best shoe repair prices!
STOP PRESS: I hear that Teddy has lost the dreads. I did agree to see him a second time – but this time he bounced, his phone went off and I didn’t get a call or explanation for a whole week. Some people are so unserious!
Beware the Travellers’ Health Book! Tropical disease diary
Beware the Travellers’ Health Book! Tropical disease diary – Uganda travel health advice from the muzungu
Or … “How not to do it”
This month I have been bitten by Mango Flies and a spider. I have had Malaria and Scabies, a fungal infection and an allergic reaction… what have you been doing, you may ask?
The silly Muzungu thought she would try and save money by consulting her Travellers Health book for Uganda travel health advice. I’d been itching like crazy, two evenings in a row and it felt like the surface of my skin was crawling alive. “Itching, particularly bad at night” was found in the Scabies section of the book. The next morning, I walked down to the local pharmacist and then to the local clinic for a diagnosis.
I was trying to go local. I like supporting local businesses and, after all, isn’t a Ugandan more likely to know what afflicts somebody who lives in Uganda? So went the thinking…
Three diagnoses later, plus a concoction of antihistamines, fungicide treatment, and other treatments – and I was still itching like crazy.
It wasn’t Scabies.
Nor had I been suffering from Mango Fly bites.
I thought it highly unlikely that I could possibly have Malaria a third time in six months. After all, Dr Stockley tells us “you can’t get Malaria in Kampala.”
When I told him that I thought I’d caught Malaria in Ggaba, he said: “Yes, well that’s Ggaba, that’s not Kampala!”
I always err on the side of caution, so when I got sick I decided I better have one more Malaria test. At the local clinic, I was surprised to hear I had the third positive result in four months, although I hear positive results are not that easy to get. (Even if you do have Malaria, it often hides in your organs and doesn’t show up in the test).
I’d been a bit suspicious of said clinic. They first tried to sell me a cream that was almost out of date. Obviously disappointed that I didn’t want to buy that, the clinic then tried to sell me something else for a condition that never even got a mention during the consultation!
I won’t be going there again, especially when I later had a conclusive result from Nakasero Hospital that proved I could not possibly have had Malaria when I had my test two days previously at the local pharmacy. In fact, a tropical medicine doctor friend says the antigen test for malaria shows I can’t have had it in the last six months…
And what was it that I had in the end?
Nothing tropical, only a case of Shingles, finally diagnosed by the Surgery. A British nurse friend had suggested I might have Shingles, but the two local clinics refuted that suggestion. Shingles is brought on by stress. It’s not contagious, but if you have had chickenpox as a child, you risk developing it later in life.
In my effort to save money, I’d actually wasted money by taking medications for something that I didn’t even have. I had prolonged my illness too.
Learn from the muzungu’s experience. When you feel ill, go to the best doctor you can afford – straightaway (and ditch the Travellers Health Book!)
Are you new to Uganda? You might find this blog useful: How to avoid Malaria.
Do you have any other Uganda travel tips or expat travel advice you’d like to share?
Please leave a comment here or check out the Diary of a Muzungu Guest Post page for more information, I’d love to hear from you!
Kenya’s dazzling marine life: where to snorkel in Watamu
The Indian Ocean beckons…
Seventh Heaven isn’t up in the sky, it’s here in the warm Indian Ocean waters of Watamu, Kenya, an hour and a half drive’s north of Mombasa. This is the Muzungu’s guide on where to snorkel in Watamu. If you think Kenya’s wildlife is just about the Big Five, then think again. Even now, conservationists are still exploring and discovering new species in Kenya’s ocean, of dolphins and whales, and the tiniest prettiest little creatures: nudibranchs. Read on, Kenya’s marine life will amaze you…
What a treat! Today I’m being taken on a snorkeling safari by a zoologist and a marine biologist.
At Hemingway’s Watamu I’m taken aback when a handsome (virtually) naked man jumps out of his car to greet me and Steve from the Watamu Marine Association. What a welcome! (I try not to stare). Our zoologist and professional snorkeling guide Richard is simply dressed in swimming shorts, ready for the beach. Life in Kampala has made me a total townie.
The weather is intensely hot. We have arrived during a heatwave, sweating all the way from Nairobi to Mombasa on the legendary Lunatic Express train.
The swim out to the main snorkeling area of The Larder is not quick! I am following two seasoned marine experts, read ‘strong swimmers,’ who are effortlessly doing front crawl for 100 metres. I am honoured but humbled too. (Will I keep up with them? I ask myself as they plough ahead of me).
The Larder gets its name from ‘the old days’ when the plentiful fish attracted spear fishing for food. Spear fishing is no longer allowed. Watamu Marine Park and Reserve is a nationally protected area; now the only things we take are memories and photos.
The three of us are never more than 20 metres apart. I’m incredibly lucky to have these two experts guide me around the reef and point out the new fish. (It is also quite fun to spot new fish on my own!)
I find myself in an open sandy area of the ocean, fringed by long dark seagrass. There is little else to see until … a sudden, large movement along the sandy edge of the sea grass: A SHARK! It’s a small one, around a metre long. No sooner have I spotted it, than it wiggles off into the distance. Richard and Steve later confirm that I have seen a Black-tipped Reef Shark.
According to the Coral Reef Fishes book, the Black-tipped Reef Shark “lives on reef flats and margins. They can measure up to 180 cm long. It is easily frightened but known to mistakenly bite waders’ feet.” Oo er….
Above the water, Richard shouts “Let’s look here. Sometimes we see turtles here.”
When Steve and Jane first arrived in Watamu, they worked for Watamu Turtle Watch. I haven’t seen any turtles yet on this trip. No worries there, I know I will revisit Watamu!
We see a number of rays, disc-shaped flat fish, half submerged in the sand. As we approach, their panic throws up a flurry of sand and they speed off into the distance. When we see them from the surface of the water, they appear pale brown. When I dive down for a closer look, I see why they are called Blue-spotted Ribbontail Ray.
Steve points to a Batfish, an elegant tall fish, shaped like a human hand. Something about its demeanour makes it look very serious.
We see Porcupine fish, Whitespotted puffer and Trevallys. You don’t need to know the names of every fish you see though. Just watching these gorgeous creatures, and enjoying the play of colour, movement and light is fascinating. It’s a kind of meditation.
It’s the tiny wrasses and nudibranchs that are the most colourful. The splendid vibrant little wrasse fish weave between the larger fish, and in and out of small crevices and rocks. The sunlit water comes to life with their colour and movement. Many of these fish appear familiar to me. They are the kind that were once popular in British doctors’ waiting rooms! (Imagine the glum life that awaits the poor fish that is plucked out of the tropical ocean and exported to a sanitized life in an aquarium. Many don’t even last the journey from sea to aquariam).
The stunningly beautiful – and tiny – Nudibranch are in a world part! Photos thanks to Turtle Bay Dive Centre, Watamu.
We pause at the surface of the water for a moment and Richard removes his breathing tube to explain that The Larder is known as a cleaning station. “Fish come from miles around to this particular section of the reef. Here the Cleaner Wrasse remove (and eat) the parasites from larger fish.”
The three of us pause at the overhang of some coral rock. Richard dives down and points. I realise he must be pointing at something new but I can’t see it. He tells me he can just spot the fish’s dorsal fin sticking out of the seaweed. (All I can see is something that looks a bit like a dog-eaten credit card!) It is a pale olive green with vibrant white edging, sitting perfectly still.
I dive down for a closer look. It takes me several attempts before I realise that the ‘dog-eaten credit card’ is actually ‘the spot of the day’! Richard seems quite excited when we talk about it later. It turns out that it is a Leaf Scorpionfish (Triacanthus taeniatus).
Watamu Marine Park and Reserve once had a dazzling array of colourful corals. The fish are evidence of that. You can still see a wide variety of coral shapes and structures but, for the most part, their colour has faded. I glimpse small patches of pink, orange and yellow. It was the El Niño of 1997-98 that devastated the majority of the corals here. In places you can even see the scorch marks of bleaching made by the abnormally high ocean surface temperatures.
Will the coral ever recover?
For the last three years, conservation organisations A Rocha Kenya and Kenya Wildlife Service have been carrying out research into the health of the coral. They have seen good recovery of the coral in a number of areas in Watamu Marine National Park. However, the coral will take decades to recover to its former splendour. There is hope for the future but climate change is always a looming threat.
Back on our snorkeling safari… we swim back to land after what is (unbelievably) one and a half hours snorkeling. I’ve been so caught up in the whole experience, I’ve completely lost the concept of time. Only my shriveled ‘prune-like’ fingertips are the tell-tale sign of my being in the sea for a long time.
In the shallows, approaching the beach, I see a long thin stretch of colour in a small sandy crevice. Is it a fish or is it a bit of plastic? As I watch, it turns in a circle, dives in the hole and pokes its head out of the front. It waves its tiny teeth menacingly at me in a characteristic Moray Eel fashion. It has a pale body, with pale brown / pink freckles on it and tiny yellow freckles on its face. Is it a Ribbon Eel? Was it a Sharptail Eel?
Watamu’s beach is a wonder in itself. It is whiter than white. The sand is softer than talcum powder. During the day it is burning hot under your feet too!
Keeping the beach clean requires teamwork. The Watamu Marine Association has devised a comprehensive beach clean-up and recycling programme which is a win-win for the whole community.
Local people are employed to keep the beach clean. The plastic rubbish is recycled at the award-winning recycling centre. From there, some fabulously innovative recycled plastic products are made for tourists to buy in local lodges and hotels. (Needless to say, anyone who visits the beach is asked to take their rubbish home with them as well!)
Top tips for snorkelling and scuba diving in Watamu
The best time of day for snorkeling: figure out the tides first. The best time to snorkel is when the tide is halfway out.
When the tide is out, there may not be enough water to snorkel. When the tide is in, you will be too far above the reef to see the fish beneath them. As the tide comes in, the water can be cloudy as it’s full of sand.
Think about how far you have to walk or swim before you reach the most interesting part of the reef. Do you have to get a boat there?
The fee to snorkel or scuba dive in Watamu Marine Park and Reserve is 150 KES (Kenyans); 350 KES (all other East Africans citizens); $20/15 (non-residents / tourists adult and child). This fee is payable daily to the Kenya Wildlife Service.
Buy or borrow a copy of Myers and Lieske’s “Coral Reef Fishes Princeton Pocket Guide.” I need to relearn the body parts of a fish (it will make it easier to explain to your guide what you have seen and what you are asking for help in identifying).
- Don’t forget to apply high factor sunscreen. It’s a good idea to wear a T-shirt and even a scarf to protect the back of your neck (or your bald head, Steve!) You can easily lose track of time and not feel the hot sun – until you’re writhing in pain from sunburn a few hours later!
- Do not touch the coral, ever. Simply touching it can damage it. Coral takes many years to grow. If you’re a snorkeling novice, don’t wear fins.
- Go snorkeling and scuba diving with a knowledgeable local guide.
- I didn’t see dolphins but I did on a previous trip with the Watamu Marine Association!
Special thanks to Esther Steiger for the beautiful fish photos.
- Good practice guidelines for snorkeling, courtesy of Watamu Marine Association
- Your safety and protection of the marine environment should be your number one consideration. Keep your head in the water and feet at the surface at all times when you are in the coral areas.
- Fins can be very destructive to the coral. Snorkel without fins unless the water is deep and you are covering a large distance.
- Don’t step on the coral. This will kill it. Stepping on coral can also lead to nasty cuts. Bacteria and algae living in the coral can easily enter wounds.
- Do not touch, damage or remove coral. It is a fragile living organism, which takes many years to form. The coral is also host to many rare and endangered vertebrate and invertebrate species.
- Never touch, chase or harass the wildlife or marine life.
- It is illegal to remove shells, starfish or any other sea-flora and fauna, as it disrupts the ecosystem. Empty shells provide homes for hermit crabs and some fishes. Leave them in the ocean.
- Hand feeding of fish is discouraged. Certain species are dangerous; it also disrupts natural feeding patterns.
This is the Muzungu’s first sub-aqua blog. On land, I carry a pen and notebook – the ubiquitous ‘diary,’ my voice recorder, camera, binoculars and guidebooks … Underwater, there is no equipment, it’s just me. I try hard to remember everything I’m seeing. I want to take in the different shapes and colours, the sizes of the silver fish, the numbers of yellow fish. It is also liberating too. I am just there to enjoy the moment in all its vibrancy.
Being among the reef fish brings back many happy family memories. I can never be in the sea without thinking of my sister and the hours, days and weeks we have shared as kids, face down in the water, looking, pointing and diving down for a closer look.
Underwater, even only half submerged, we mostly lose the sense of sound. It’s a pleasure to disconnect from the world and immerse myself in an alternative one. I realize what a leveler this is for my deaf sister. While snorkeling or diving, we experience the same world.
I think how one day we must come snorkelling and scuba-diving here together in Watamu…
Have you been snorkeling in Watamu? Scuba diving, Stand Up Paddling, dolphin watching, whale watching, bird watching, sunset cruises on a dhow on Mida Creek, kitesurfing and sundowners at the Crab Shack are just some of the fab range of activities on offer!
Watch this short clip “Watamu Kenya Naturally, A Community Welcomes You”and imagine yourself in Watamu…
Mida Creek sunset, Watamu. A birding cruise in a dugout canoe on Mida Creek is highly recommended. If you’re lucky you may spot a flamingo!
The Crab Shack at Dabaso Mida Creek is a ten-minute drive from Watamu’s hotels and resorts – and a must-visit evening out! This enchanting and low-key local restaurant is set in the futuristic-looking environment of a mangrove swamp. A walk along the boardwalk reveals the large wooden crates in which small young crabs are fattened up for the best crab samosas you’ll ever taste! The menu is very simple – and all the better for it.
A sundowner – with the obligatory Tusker – should be served cold with some hot fried coconut, grilled octopus and oysters. All proceeds from the Crab Shack go to the community.
Read more about the Watamu Marine Association and keep up-to-date with new marine activities, and updates on the migration of dolphins and whales. Follow the Watamu Marine Association on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Have you been to Watamu yet? If not, why not? 😉
Airport drama # 1- “The plane is closing!”
If I’m honest, I’ve lived on ‘African time’ before I lived in Africa… but even when I make a timely plan, something seems to crop up to delay me.
‘African time’ and international flight departures do not mix. This is just one of the muzungu’s series of airport dramas! This one took place at Entebbe International Airport, Uganda.
This time I thought I was prepared.
I was at the airport on time.
I had looked at the Emirates website but could not work out how much I would be charged for the additional luggage I was taking home for a friend. I had therefore guessed I would just pay an extra $50 per bag (the amount I’ve paid with other airlines). All I saw was a note on their web site saying that because the connecting flight was provided by a third party, I would have to take the bags to the airport and pay the excess baggage fee there.
At Entebbe International Airport, a man called Ken very helpfully shrink-wrapped my four bags into just three. (I thought this would be a good ploy for outwitting the system, and hoped that I would just be charged for three excess bags not four).
I was rather pleased with myself.
At the check-in desk, I somehow lifted the bags onto the weighing scale. They registered a total of 44 kg.
“That will be $960 please Madam.”
“What?!” I blurted out.
$960? She even said it with a straight face.
“You must be joking!” I slammed back at her. “I don’t have that kind of money, so what am I supposed to do?”
She was totally unhelpful.
I tried to bargain with her but she said once it had registered on the system, there was no negotiation. I searched her face for an answer.
“You can just give it away or throw it,” she said.
And then I saw red.
I had been willing to pay one hundred dollars or so for extra baggage but after the way she talked to me, I decided I wasn’t going to give the airline a single extra dollar.
“The plane is closing!” Shouted one of the airport staff. So much for my normal view that ‘Ugandans are so friendly’, these two ladies and a gentlemen were particularly unhelpful.
“I tried to pay for the excess baggage online but there was no information!” I shouted back at them.
I then proceeded to claw apart my beautifully shrink-wrapped bags.
In a panic, I ran over to Ken and begged for his help. He obliged with a razor blade and delicately sliced through our 20 minutes of wrapping. (I just hoped he wasn’t going to slice straight through the canvas material of the bag as well!)
What to take with me? What to leave behind?
I broke out into a sweat as I tried to quickly decide what to leave and what to take with me. My friend had paid for my air ticket; I couldn’t leave his stuff behind. But what was I going to wear for my three weeks away if I just took his stuff?
“I can’t afford to miss another plane. My family will never let me live it down!” I thought to myself.
Knickers and bras flew left and right, much to the hilarity of the staff, as I panicked my way through my bags. (What a great time for them to regain their sense of humour – at the Muzungu’s expense…) Isn’t it funny how I didn’t laugh with them?
My driver wasn’t picking my call; he had gone to attend a burial. There was no way I could speak to him and arrange for him to come back and collect my stuff before I got onto the plane and switched my phone off.
Decisions, decisions…
“Ken,” I asked him, “can I trust you?”
There was nothing else to do but to trust this guy. I certainly wasn’t going to ditch my stuff in the airport for the unhelpful staff to take home.
I handed over a 20,000 Uganda shilling note – and two bags full of my personal belongings and my friend’s expensive whiskey – with phone numbers of a couple of friends who I hoped would follow up for me.
As I rushed towards the plane, Ken came running after me to check I had written the phone numbers down correctly. He seemed honest enough.
… And then I sat on the plane twiddling my thumbs for half an hour! (All the time worrying what I had left behind, and whether I would see any of it ever again)
The long-term effect of the momentary madness at Entebbe was felt throughout my trip: I was to realise 24 hours later that, in the pandemonium, I had left behind my phone recharger and my laptop recharger.
A big thank you to Honest Ken. He helped me in my hour of need and everything was still in my bag when my driver picked it up from Entebbe the next day!
If you enjoyed the image of the Muzungu panicking, write me a comment below. Airport drama # 2 is not far behind!
Have you seen my aerial photos of Lake Victoria and Kisoro? Taken on board domestic flights with Aerolink.
More ‘lunatic’ than ‘express’ – a train ride through history
Have you travelled on the Lunatic Express?
This is the muzungu’s personal account of the ‘Lunatic Express’ train journey from Nairobi to Mombasa, Kenya, an epic adventure bar none! Read all about East Africa’s railway history, Tsavo’s man-eating lions and the muzungu’s train survival tips.
- – No. of KM journey: 530
- – No. of Kenyan shillings for 2nd class ticket: 3,385 (USD 33)
- – No. of hours delay leaving Nairobi Railway Station: 10
- – No. of hours on train journey (forecast): 13
- – No. of hours on train journey (actual): 23
- – No. of degrees Celsius on the train: 40+
- – No. of beers consumed: not enough
- – No. of National Parks traversed for free: 2
- – No. of elephants seen on Tsavo safari: 3
The name should have been warning enough… yet, behind every travel nightmare is the makings of a good travel blog. (Oh, the situations the muzungu gets herself into in the search for a good story!)
We travelled in the light of the Full Moon or should I say: we travelled under the effects of the full moon. Lunacy indeed!
What made the Muzungu want to embark on this notorious train journey?
My ride on Kampala’s passenger train service made me want to discover more of East Africa’s rail network, and its history.
Daydreaming about my next train adventure gave me a reason to plan a trip to Kenya’s coast: the first leg from Kampala to Nairobi was by bus (although once upon a time, you could do the whole trip by train). I knew that one day passengers would again be able to cross East Africa by train but before that happened, I wanted to experience the original Lunatic Express train – so I could compare it with the new one. Of romance and railways is my follow-up story, written 2018, and compares the Lunatic Express, the bus and the Standard Gauge Railway! But first…
What is the Lunatic* Express?
Although the entire 660 mile (just over 1000 km) length of the Uganda Railway actually runs through Kenya – from Mombasa to Kisumu on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria – the railway derives its name from its final destination: Uganda. Sources states that the purpose of the railway was “to protect British colonial interests from the Germans.” The fact that the Uganda Railway opened up trade across Uganda and Kenya was simply a ‘by the way.’
Charles Miller came up with the term ‘Lunatic Express’ in his 1971 book The Lunatic Express: An Entertainment in Imperialism to describe the challenges – and calamities – of the Uganda Railway’s construction, notably:
- – 2,500 (of 32,000 workmen) died during construction, mostly from disease
- – 28 Indian “coolies” (‘workers’ to you and me) were killed by the man-eating lions of Tsavo
- – 135 African laborers were also killed by said Tsavo man-eaters. It’s interesting that 28 is generally the number of people recorded as killed by lions. However, according to Ugandans at Heart / ‘EKB’ Ekitibwa Kya Buganda “the Africans were considered not important enough for an accurate count or record to be kept.” The actual toll of all men killed by lions must therefore be 163+ /- [scroll down for more about those pesky pussy cats…]
- Very demanding terrain
- Lack of water / drought
- “Hostile natives” (hardly bloody surprising)
- Derailments and collisions
*A lunatic endeavour is something considered to be extremely foolish or eccentric. The word lunatic is derived from the Latin word luna, meaning moon. The Latin word lunaticus means “moon-struck” and a lunatic someone who is “affected with periodic insanity, dependent on the changes of the moon.”
How to book your tickets for the Lunatic Express
The start was very promising. The call to the booking office at Nairobi Railway Station confirmed that it would be cheaper for us to purchase tickets in Nairobi than to buy them in advance online. So far, so good …
Upon arrival at Nairobi Railway Station, the humourless security woman insisted I delete my photos of the front of the station. (Lord knows there must already be enough photos in circulation, what difference would mine make?)
The interior of Nairobi Railway Station is an exact replica of Kampala Railway Station, with all its original features in place. In Nairobi however, someone has tried to give the place a modern facelift, circling the century-old fittings with bright gaudy paint. Not a good look.
Generally, Nairobi Railway Station is in a shocking state of repair. (By contrast, the interiors and platforms of Kampala Railway Station remain in near perfect condition, having been closed to the public for 30 years).
We purchased our Lunatic Express tickets from the wonderfully helpful Evelyn and Elias. My friends opted for a two bunk first class compartment while I opted for second class. Our tickets cost 4,405 KES (approx 43 USD) first class and 3,385 KES (approx 33 USD) second class and included breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The train passes through 530 km (300 miles) of East Africa, from Kenya’s capital Nairobi to the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa. I was most looking forward to traversing Tsavo National Park (now split into East Tsavo and West Tsavo), most famous for the man-eating lions, as many unfortunates were to discover to their peril back in 1898.
The train was forecast to leave at 7 PM on Good Friday. As Evelyn took our booking, she asked for our phone numbers “for when (not if) there is a delay.” I didn’t think much about that; we just booked our tickets and went on our way.
The Lunatic Express: day of our departure
Keen to embark on my first train Safari, I decided to get to the railway station early – unusually for me: several hours early.
In the meantime, Evelyn called my friend Julia to advise of a delay. The train would not depart until 10 PM so we headed into town to kill time in a bar. Generous helpings of goat and ugali later, another phone call advised us: the Lunatic Express departure time was likely to be 11.30 pm or midnight. Needless to say, when we arrived at the station, there was no sign of the train. It had not arrived from Mombasa. A number of very annoyed bazungu tourists requested refunds.
Children were curled up asleep with their parents on hard wooden benches. In the sofa area – in total darkness, thanks to a power cut – a man at a tiny bar served people while holding a small torch. Inside the station was a retro lounge bar of a bygone era.
We were invited to board the train at 3 am. At 5 o’clock in the morning – 10 hours later than the advertised departure time – our train rumbled out of Nairobi Railway Station. The muzungu was curled up asleep in the top bunk of compartment B in coach 2326 by then.
I woke up on a moving train, crossing the savannah.
I had only slept four hours in two days but I was too excited to go back to sleep. What’s more, the compartment was quickly heating up (the weather in Nairobi had been roasting hot). I tried to pull down the window, but it refused to open more than a few inches.
A member of staff walked along the corridor outside my compartment and announced “breakfast will be ready soon.”
“Soon” turned out to be an hour or more later!
Our journey from Nairobi pushed us into a coastal heatwave. Rather than travel in the relative cool of the night, our late departure meant we traversed the 483 km in the heat of the day, our train absorbing every ray of the hot sun.
Kampala and Nairobi had been hotter than normal and I had been dreading the predicted heatwave at the Kenyan coast. However, after 23 hours in our mobile sauna, I felt thoroughly acclimatised!
“There really should be a swimming pool on the roof of the train,” Julia said.
“Don’t you think they should first switch on the ceiling fans, fix the air conditioning and make it possible for us to open the windows?!” I suggested.
Much like Nairobi Railway Station, the Lunatic Express train is in a state of total neglect. There were few locks on the toilet doors, none on compartments (except when inside) and just two power sockets per carriage.
Yet there were glimpses of the train’s former splendour. Although from the outside, the Lunatic Express is a non-descript modern train, the interior features wooden benches, some 1930s-style fittings, cup holders and other metal fittings engraved with Rft Valley Railway, faded old posters and the occasional piece of original silver tableware.
My favourite piece of tableware was the metal butter dish. I loved its air of faded opulence. Julia removed the lid to reveal a messy dollop of cheap Blue Band margarine. Humph!
Travel on the Lunatic Express is not a gourmet experience
These days, everything about the Lunatic Express is cheap (including the train tickets, if I’m honest). But like they say: “you get what you pay for” and our three meals were basic and not particularly appetising. Dinner was simply a second serving of lunch.
Cooked breakfast (eggs, sausages and baked beans) included cheap sliced white sugary bread (toasted one side only! To save time? To save money?) The weak-tasting coffee was of the instant variety (in Kenya? In one of the world’s major coffee producing countries?) But ignore that: I loved the way the waiters expertly poured our hot beverages from beautiful old tea and coffeepots, while the train rumbled along.
From the train windows, we watched the landscape change as we passed through open countryside, mile after mile, kilometre after kilometre.
We saw the occasional human: a young girl collecting firewood, a man tending a flock of goats and cows.
As we rattled through one of the numerous derelict railway stations and outposts, I observed a woman and baby watching us. People approached our slowly-moving train. A handful of children shouted at us for money.
A safari through Tsavo – and no park fees to pay!
A real draw for me was the chance to experience a train safari – and I was not disappointed.
Tsavo is Kenya’s largest national park and covers nearly 22,000 sq km. It is one of the world’s largest. The construction of the railway split the park into two: Tsavo East National Park and Tsavo West National Park.
Crossing Tsavo, beyond a new viaduct, everyone moved to one side of the train carriage to watch elephants. I also spotted baboons and Thomson’s Gazelles.
We moved too quickly to identify many birds but I couldn’t miss a vibrant Lilac-breasted Roller, and larger bird species like Marabou Storks, and a Chanting Grey Goshawk perched on the roof of a derelict railway building next to the track.
Two children shouted that they had “seen a lion lying in the grass.” Their mother and I exchanged looks of doubt and held back our sniggers.
The story of Tsavo’s man-eating lions is gripping! Keep reading…
How apt. By the light of the Full Moon, the Lunatic Express arrived in Mombasa.
As we sensed our journey coming to an end, Julia and I got a new lease of life. (Or was that the half bottle of vodka in my bag?) We bounced along the train corridor, to and from the buffet car, gently thrown left and right; it was like being on a ship.
I had lost my concept of time… one staff member said we were an hour from Mombasa; another estimated two and a half hours. Everyone – staff included – moped around listlessly in the heat. Few people had phone battery left (for much of the journey there was no phone network anyway).
The shadows of palm tress silhouetted against the moonlit sky waved us “karibu” – WELCOME into the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa.
The marathon endurance trip was finally behind us.
Several very sweaty hours and a few cold beers later, the Lunatic Express arrived at the coast. The advertised 13 hour journey was actually a 43 hour adventure from start to finish.
How to ride a tuk tuk
Thanks to the brilliant Jane Spilsbury at the Watamu Marine Association, we had a booking at Regency Park Hotel. We had a rough idea of how much to pay for a taxi from Mombasa station, thanks to RVR train staff member George, who organized our taxi. We’d bonded with our Norwegian train companions by this stage and shared the phone number of our hotel.
“Do you want to share a taxi with us?” I suggested.
“I’m not sure there will be enough room, will there?” One asked. We were five people with five sets of luggage.
“Let’s see,” I said, “we can try.”
Our lumbering great taxi driver was there on the platform to meet us. We walked towards his taxi … a tuk tuk!
We all laughed out loud. “I think we need another vehicle!” Someone said.
The giant taxi driver proceeded to pack all our bags and all five of us into his miniscule motor. How would our tall friend fit in? He shared the driver’s seat with him – one bum cheek each!
There may have been no red carpet at Mombasa, no fanfare of trumpets, yet we arrived at our hotel in style.
Parting thoughts
No-one can board the Lunatic Express train without seeing its potential and bemoaning the very poor facilities. Back in the day, this would have been a state-of-the-art train experience. All the facilities are there, including air conditioning and announcement system. There are also locks on toilet doors. (Sadly few of these work anymore). Few of the train windows open, even if the muzungu asks a strong man to assist her, and many of the window mosquito nets are torn.
Beyond that, we found the train to be clean enough (even if the bedding was patched in places). The staff were helpful, although there were no explanations for the train’s late arrival in Nairobi, late departure and even later arrival in Mombasa! At certain points our train was stuck moving behind a slow goods train. On other occasions, our train had to pull into sidings to let a goods train pass on the single track.
This train journey really could be a spectacular experience. Let’s hope it will be again when the new Standard Gauge Railway is complete and the rolling stock is upgraded.
For much of the length of the trip, we rolled parallel to the new railway line. Many sections appear to be complete; in other areas, it’s still a construction site.
At the time of writing (2016), the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) network was set to expand to Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda. In Uganda, it will comprise of three major routes with a total route length of 1,614km. The SGR will stretch to the DRC border.
End of the line for ‘Lunatic Express?’ Kenya begins multi-billion dollar railway.
How to survive the Lunatic Express! An essential packing list
- – A flexible itinerary
- – African concept of time!
- – GSOH good sense of humour 🙂
- – Toilet paper
- – Soap
- – Hand gel / wipes
- – Mosquito repellent
- – Earplugs
- – Playing cards or other non-electronic amusements – power sockets are hard to find
- – Rechargers / Smartphone power packs
- – A map of East Africa so you can trace your route
- – Snacks
- – Cold beers, sodas and water are available and not expensive.
- – An ice box
- – Strong liquor!
- – Cigarettes? Smokers opened a side door and sat on the steps as we moved slowly along
- – A fan
- – Kichoi (or sarong), flip-flops / sandals, shorts and T-shirts / vests.
- – A mirror! I did not see / use / even thinking of using a mirror on the train (as the photos probably tell!)
- – Contacts for a hotel in Mombasa “for when there is a delay.”
More survival tips for travelling the Lunatic Express
- – The Glory Hotel in Mombasa was recommended to us, but full, so we stayed at Regency Park Hotel. The staff were helpful and the breakfast was generous. Choose from rooms with fans or air conditioning). Pay 300 – 500 KES for a cab/tuk tuk from Mombasa Railway Station.
- – You may think you’re going to save one day by travelling overnight but if the train delays, you are likely to miss that important meeting, flight or even wedding! And if you don’t sleep very well, you will lose a day catching up on sleep as well. I’d say: only take the Lunatic Express train from Nairobi to Mombasa when you have two or three days to spare.
- – Although second class accommodation means four people share a compartment, it is bigger than the first class two-person compartment – and thus allows more air to circulate. Incredibly important if you’re travelling during a heatwave!
- – I later realized only a few passengers got off the train at Mombasa. They must have decided to sleep there until they were chucked off the train (and save renting a hotel room like we did).
- – Shower in the sink – cos there ain’t nothing else!
- – Get to know your travel companions right away. You will surely end up interacting at some point on the journey, so leave behind your sensibilities and connect with them early on. Remember: what happens on the train stays on the train! 😉
Despite the lack of communication, zero explanation and no apology for the delays, we thoroughly enjoyed our adventure on the Lunatic Express train to Mombasa. We maintained our sense of humour throughout!
Thanks to the ever smiling George. He received every complaint with a big smile and ran up and down the train all day and night trying to keep everyone happy.
Are you interested in the history of East Africa’s railways?
Nairobi is the biggest city in East Africa. It is immense.
It’s incredible to believe that Nairobi sprang up around the railway, just a little over 100 years ago. From my account of today’s rundown Lunatic Express service, you might dismiss the railways in East Africa – but history tells a very different story.
If you are interested in history, I highly recommend these articles:
Following the line of Kenya’s development is as easy as following the development of railway lines through the country.
Why did so many railway workers get killed by lions?
“The Man-Eaters of Tsavo and other East African Adventures” recalls the nine month period of terror during 1898 when over 100 men were killed by two man-eating lions. This book made British engineer Lieutenant Colonel J. H. Patterson, D.S.O. a celebrity.
“Night after night, workers disappeared in ones and twos…” and an American hunter was called in…
Arriving in the continent he has dreamed of forever, Patterson meets his project. There are problems with it: competing French and German rivals, ethnic hatred among the crews and, on Patterson’s first day there, a worker is attacked by a lion. He goes to “sort it out” by shooting the beast with one shot; gaining the admiration of his crews, lifting spirits, adding motivation to complete the bridge, and unleashing a nightmare.
Only weeks after the shooting the camp is suddenly besieged by a pair of giant man-eating lions. Their first “kill” is Mahina (Henry Cele), considered the strongest man in the camp. This serves to unnerve every man on the project, including Indian rabble-rouser Abdullah, who doesn’t like Patterson from the start. Nerves jangle and fray as the lions repeatedly and relentlessly attack and attack and attack! They strike under the cover of night AND during the heat of day; They kill not for hunger, not for sport, but simply because they like it. Men are dragged from their beds and mauled to death in the tall grasses; the hospital becomes a blood-bathe; Laborers aren’t safe as the beasts leap out and snatch them from their work. Everything is falling apart and Patterson is at his wit’s end as Beaumont arrives to make matters worse. And still the lions attack and attack and attack.
Enter Big Game Hunter Charles Remington who is as determined to destroy the lions as the lions seem determined to eat every man in camp.
From a review of The Ghost and the Darkness, a 1996 Oscar-winning film, staring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas.
Have you traveled on the ‘Lunatic Express’ train from Nairobi to Mombasa?
Writing about these journeys prompts other people to share their experiences.
“I took the train in 1982 when I was a student. I travelled down to the coast with my fishing rods. I didn’t get a (sleeping) compartment. I threw my fishing rods in the overhead bag rack, climbed up and slept there for the whole journey, from Nairobi to Mombasa.”
Richard ‘Bug’ from Watamu
That’s an uncomfortable way to spend 12+ hours, believe me!
Once upon a time, the train ran all the way from Kampala through Nairobi on to Mombasa.
Nairobi was very different in those days. Even before the train reached Nairobi airport, you were in the bush. There were first-class compartments and a first-class dining car.
Back in the day, the train drivers were all Sikhs.
Mike from Kampala (It all sounded pretty fabulous!)
What are your train travel tips? And what are your memories of the Lunatic Express during its heyday?
If you’ve enjoyed this article, please share it! And if you enjoy my East African travel stories, sign up to the Muzungu’s occasional newsletter
Why Kenya’s ivory burning makes sense #worthmorealive
The ivory burning in Nairobi National Park, Kenya and what it means.
This weekend sees a historic conservation event: the burning of the biggest ever number of elephant tusks and rhino horn.
This week Uganda stands shoulder to shoulder with our conservation and tourism friends and colleagues across Africa who are meeting in Kenya to address the ivory poaching crisis.
Conservation and tourism are inextricably linked. Protecting elephant, rhino, gorillas and other animals means we are protecting jobs; we are providing a sustainable income, and access to education, to remote communities. Poaching for ivory or bushmeat may provide a few shillings or dollars to poachers cum subsistence farmers but the long-term benefits of ecotourism – through the long-term protection and survival of key species – are simply worth far more.
This is why we say elephants, rhinos – and even gorillas, chimpanzees and other animals – are worth more alive.
The drivers for poaching, the international networks that fund wildlife crime are the same, regardless of the country or the animal at risk. That is why we must work together, across borders.
“Why it makes sense to burn #elephant and #rhino #ivory stockpiles”
On 30 April Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will set fire to over 105 tonnes of ivory in Nairobi National Park. This is the biggest ever burning of ivory.
“By burning almost its entire ivory stockpile, Kenya is sending out the message that it will never benefit from illegal ivory captured from poachers or seized in transit. However, as the day of the burn approaches, commentators and experts have been lining up to condemn it. Some of the objections put forward are based on wrong assumptions; some deserve serious consideration.”
Kenyan conservationist Dr Paula Kahumbu is the CEO of Wildlife Direct. She writes in the UK’s The Guardian newspaper about the four reasons “Why it makes sense to burn #elephant and #rhino #ivory stockpiles.” Please read and share her article.
The story of a tusk – 28KG / VOI RIVER / 30/5/14 gives a very moving account of one of the elephants whose tusks ended up among the 10,000 being burned this Saturday.
For more updates on the #GiantsSummit and the historic ivory burning, follow the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Uganda Conservation Foundation on Facebook.
#worthmorealive #Tweets4Elephants are two trending hashtags to follow on Twitter.
Why visit Uganda? Dispelling a few myths
Why visit Uganda? #VisitUganda
When I tell people in Europe that I live in Uganda, they may have heard of the country, but they are not really sure why. Why live in or visit Uganda?
“Is that guy still there?” People ask me vaguely.
Sometimes they’re referring to Joseph Kony… [kicked out of Uganda in 2006, now in the DRC, his forces much reduced]
Unbelievably, sometimes they’re referring to Idi Amin… [exiled in 1979, died 2003].
There’s a lot more to Uganda than the self-proclaimed “His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular” – and his officially-stated claim of being the uncrowned King of Scotland
Dear World, wouldn’t it be great if … one day those same people were asking after ‘that girl’ prize-winning Ugandan journalist Nancy Kacungira?
Ugandan journalist Nancy Kacungira wins first BBC World Komla Dumor Award
“What about that war – is that still going on?”
Eh banange… [translation: OMG / what?!]
Several questions later, I finally get to the bottom of it, they are referring to Rwanda’s genocide of 1994 [22 years ago, different country].
I think it’s safe to say then that outside East Africa, people don’t really know much about 21st century Uganda!
So, if general knowledge about the country is so low, how do tourists end up in the Pearl of Africa? (So named by Winston Churchill).
A lot of people arrive here like me, as volunteers or missionaries. To be honest, until I came here, you could write what I knew about Uganda on the back of a postage stamp. I admit it, I was just like anyone else, I knew very little about this fabulous country – and I was somebody who took an active interest in the African continent.
“You will love Uganda. Just go!”
I Love UG. I Love Uganda!
I did very little research before I came to Uganda. I just let the wave of positive feeling carry me to the Equator: “you will love Uganda. Just go!” My volunteer predecessor told me.
I came to Uganda as a VSO volunteer with the Uganda Conservation Foundation, ostensibly for two years. Uganda felt like home the moment the plane door opened at Entebbe International Airport. I have never looked back.
A very serious muzungu taking notes on my first field trip with UCF and Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger, Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area
I didn’t come for the nearly-always-sunny weather, but it’s a great reason to stay! You take it for granted that you can just wear a T-shirt for almost 365 days of the year.
Most tourists come to Uganda to see the critically endangered mountain gorillas.
Every trek to see the mountain gorillas is unique – you never know exactly what antics they will be up to! PHOTO Julia Lloyd
While they are here, visitors will usually go on safari too. They may go chimp tracking, or take a boat ride on the River Nile.
Many people will visit more than one national park.
The more adventurous will go grade 5 white water rafting (in Africa, only Zimbabwe can match Uganda’s white water).
Huge Nile Perch caught by Paul Goldring of Wild Frontiers Uganda (pictured). Paul runs fishing trips on Lake Victoria and at Murchison Falls
The adventurous may fish Lake Victoria or Murchison Falls and attempt to land a 150 kg Nile Perch, or watch (join in?) an African dance display. Volunteering and church projects are popular reasons why people come to Uganda too.
“I’ve never really noticed birds before,” visitors to Uganda tell me.
Well, in the UK, that’s not so surprising: we don’t have African Grey Parrots, with their bright red underwings, whistling above our heads as they fly towards Lake Victoria morning. In the UK, we are not woken up by the cackle of Hadada Ibis who probe the lawn for worms with their huge curved beaks. We don’t have to DUCK when a Marabou Stork with a two metre wingspan swoops low above us as we cross Kampala Road…
Uganda’s striking national emblem: the Grey Crowned Crane or Crested Crane. PHOTO Kaj Ostergaard
Birdwatching – or the modern ‘birding’ – is not just for oldies or ‘twitchers.’
What does the future hold for tourism in Uganda?
Uganda has incredible tourism potential.
The roads are improving and new lodges and activities are opening up everywhere. The most developed tourism is in the national parks, where it’s all about wildlife and birds.
Still my favourite elephant photo. Maramagambo Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park. PHOTO Charlotte Beauvoisin
Beyond that, Uganda has some of the world’s best hiking: Margherita Peak in the Rwenzori Mountains is a challenging seven to ten day hike. The huge caldera of Mount Elgon, that straddles the Kenya border, is another wonderful climb of four or five days.
You can even have a snowball fight on the Equator! Trekking the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda. PHOTO Paul Goldring
In south-west Uganda, you can hike to the top of the Virunga volcanoes and swim in crystal clear lakes. You can walk through the jungle of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, before or after the obligatory trip to see the mountain gorillas. You are unlikely to bump into many other tourists on these treks.
Definitely one of my favourite day adventures in Uganda: hiking through the ancient Bwindi Impenetrable Forest from Buhoma to Nkuringo #gorillahike Bwindi
Uganda is a particularly appealing country for outdoors types. We Brits love a physical challenge – we also love to sip a sundowner or three in the evenings and enjoy some delicious food! You can do all of that in the Pearl.
No-one comes to Uganda and has ‘an average time.’
Uganda has something for everyone.
Ugandan welcomes are always unforgettable. The fact everyone speaks English makes travelling in Uganda so much easier too.
Polite greetings and dazzling smiles always make visitors feel very welcome in Uganda
I believe Uganda’s time has yet to come. In the last few years, Uganda has won dozens of tourism and travel awards, from Lonely Planet No. 1 Destination to Visit, to National Geographic, CNN, the African Bird Club and more. The thing is about Uganda: the country just grabs you – and people like me revisit and tell their friends and family to visit too.
And people like me stay …
A version of this article first appeared in ‘Discover Uganda 2016’ the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) magazine.
Do you think Uganda is an interesting place to visit? What are your impressions of Uganda? What makes the country to special?
The Muzungu stays home – while #UgandaDecides
#UgandaDecides is the hashtag dedicated to Uganda’s forthcoming election on 18th February 2016.
One thing is for sure, Ugandans have a fantastic sense of humour.
I’ve just been rereading a few of my posts written before and during Uganda’s Presidential elections of 2010 in which I wrote that apparently “it is illegal to create an effigy in the image of a candidate.”
Someone needs to tell this one!
Effigy of Dr Kizza Besigye waving the traffic on at Mulungu, Kampala, last week. Opposition presidential candidate Besigye heads the FDC. Will he finally get to beat President Museveni this election?
Someone needs to tell this one too!
Effigy of President Yowei Museveni, giving his trademark thumbs-up to passers-by in Kasese. Can anyone beat President Museveni? (and can anyone explain the buses drawn on his jacket lapels?)
If “it’s illegal to cover your number plate with a candidate’s election poster” it would be pretty safe to assume that covering up a road sign and risking road traffic accidents might also be illegal!
Man cycles towards Kasese. The whole area was plastered in the NRM party’s trademark yellow for the impending visit of their leader
Some people are concerned about Uganda’s security in the lead up to the elections, during the elections or even after the elections, but so far it’s all pretty much passed me by. Foreign travel advisories are notoriously cautious. (They’re hardly talking about the Uganda I know). Conversations with journalists, a candidate and business contacts suggest Uganda will be business as usual, bar the odd scuffle.
Our trip upcountry a few weeks ago was quite interesting however, as we drove through Fort Portal the day before the President was due to arrive there. Bright yellow National Resistance Movement T-shirts and placards were much in evidence.
Thanks to blog reader Josef for telling me the significance of the NRM’s yellow bus! Uganda elections 2016 #UgandaDecides
“If truth is the first casualty of war,” then what might be the truth behind these pictures doing the rounds on social media?
#UgandaDecides counting Uganda shillings. 50,000 UGX notes – currently worth about $15 or £10
#UgandaDecides young girl counting Uganda shillings. The brown 50,000 UGX notes are currently worth about $15 or £10
Although people say that votes exchange hands for Uganda shillings, washing powder or even soap, I find these photographs just a little bit too stage managed…
Also trying to stir things up a bit… ? Our friends in Kenya shared some pictures of brand-new military hardware fresh off the cargo ships in Mombasa.
NTV Kenya broadcast photos of some rather big Uganda Police vehicles being offloaded at Mombasa Port for onward delivery to Uganda #UgandaDecides
There was considerable extra security on the streets before during and after the last elections. Their presence was highly obvious, yet relaxed.
Makindye Mayor Dr Ian Clarke – known as ‘Busuulwa’ – canvasing local-style during elections to become MP for the Bukasa area of Makindye Division, Kampala
Dr Ian Clarke ‘Busuulwa’ first came to Uganda as a missionary almost 30 years ago. He is popular with the local electorate for his good service delivery record. The boda boda drivers of Makindye love him! I enjoyed following Ian’s progress as he was voted Mayor at the last election. See blog post below from 2010
There’s a lot of talk about the elections.
Let’s hope things go smoothly.
For an interesting assessment, read the East African newspaper’s ’10 key issues where Uganda election will be won or lost going by recent trends.’
I’ll be around. I have no plans to travel anywhere.
I quite enjoyed being in Kampala at Christmas after everyone else had gone to the village!
See you on the other side of the elections, folks!
Where to travel in Uganda & East Africa in 2016 – the Muzungu’s plans
Where to travel in Uganda & East Africa in 2016
Happy New Year, dear Diary reader!
As we wave goodbye to 2015, I’d like to say a big THANK YOU / WEBALE / ASANTE SANA to everyone who’s read, talked about or voted Diary of a Muzungu ‘Best Tourism Digital Media’ 2015 in Uganda’s inaugural Tourism Excellence Awards.
‘Best Tourism Digital Media’ in Uganda’s inaugural Tourism Excellence Awards.
Here are a few popular stories of 2015, in case you missed them:
On the right track: the Muzungu’s first Ugandan train ride – Rift Valley Railways relaunches Kampala passenger train service after 20 year break. People loved this story.
The drama of dating in Uganda | Expat section of the Daily Telegraph – this one went viral…YIKES!
Karibu! – welcome to East Africa Pope Francis! I’m a bit loved-up if I’m honest! 😉
Karibu! – and welcome to East Africa! – Pope Francis
Do stick around Dear Reader, here’s what’s planned for 2016:
More adventures…
More fun days out…
More culture and conservation experiences from across Uganda and East Africa.
Is there anything cuter than a baby elephant?
In Nairobi, I’ll tell you the story of the adorable baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. I left streaked in mud, as one nuzzled upto me and flapped his big elephant ear against my arm…
Elephant orphan at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi
Aren’t chimps amazing?
I’m very excited at my upcoming return to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria. PANT HOOTS!
PANT HOOTS! Say the chimps at feeding time, Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary
Have you heard of the Marine Big Five? What are they? And where can you see them?
Come dolphin watching and snorkelling with the Muzungu in Watamu on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast. Incredible!
Dolphin watching and snorkelling in the Coral Gardens in Watamu on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast with the Watamu Marine Asociation
What colour is a giraffe’s tongue?
Feeding a Rothschild’s Giraffe at the Giraffe Center Nairobi
You may be surprised! In 2016, I’ll be telling you how we fed the Rothschild’s giraffes at Nairobi’s Giraffe Center.
These are just a few of the places we’ll be discovering together in 2016…
DID YOU KNOW…? Daily updates, Uganda travel advice and random funky photos come thick and fast on my Diary of a Muzungu Facebook page or follow me @CharlieBeau on Twitter.
2016’s going to be a busy year for Diary of a Muzungu – do come along for the ride!
On The Ball – inspiring Ugandan kids through football
Karol chats football with one of the On The Ball kids
Welcome to Diary of a Muzungu! This week’s guest post is by Irish football coach Karol Gallagher, who I first met at the Kabaka’s Birthday Hash Run at Bulange in 2013. Since then I have watched with interest as Karol has followed his passion to develop young players’ confidence through playing football. Hats off to you Karol for On The Ball – what a brilliant project! I know how much you’ve put into this.
Karol (pronounced Karl) Gallagher is a football youth coach, certified by the Irish Football Association and is Director of On The Ball Limited, a non-profit organisation incorporated in Uganda. On The Ball’s objectives are to equip coaches, inspire kids and assist in the development of sports (football). (The Muzungu: How cool is that?)
On The Ball Uganda, logo
Karol writes:
In 2009, I launched a grassroots community football initiative in Uganda, titled On The Ball (OTB). The objective of On The Ball is to serve as a peace-building integration project, promoting social change and community cohesion by bringing together typically segregated ethnic groups through the positive experience of a sporting team tournament. The project grew rapidly, and On The Ball received a Social Entrepreneurship Award from UnLtd, an English-based organisation that provides funding for individuals seeking to develop projects that benefit their community. On The Ball has also received the RESPECT Campaign endorsement from UEFA and is compliant with the Irish Football Association’s Football For All mandate.
Things really kicked off in December 2012 when I travelled to Uganda to visit family. After two weeks I had met with local coaches and formed a team. A week later, we organised a one day youth tournament, bringing 240 orphans/street kids from five neighbouring deprived / slum areas. The success of the event, and its positive impact, made me realise there was more work to be done.
Football practice with On The Ball
In January 2013 OTB organised another successful gala football competition event in Mulago community, bringing together over 500 youths from neighbouring disadvantaged areas of Kampala.
Thanks to grant funding from Irish Aid, On The Ball is growing, making a social impact within deprived areas of Kampala.
Since living in Uganda I have formed new friendships, set up a team of coaches, supported orphanages, coached kids, organised gala events and football workshops, created links with teams to Ireland, presented gifts – the list goes on.
On The Ball
Spending a lot of time on the ground with the people of Uganda and the On The Ball team, I gathered a lot of evidence and identified where the needs are. We see how organised, well-managed sporting activities can be a positive step forward in pathway to employment, education and empowerment of youths. Sport can be used as a vehicle to sustain peace and lower crime, through healthy competition and educational achievement.
Football practice with On The Ball. Karol talks strategy with the new players
At On The Ball – inspiring Ugandan kids through football, we believe that:
- – the link between community development and social development is activated through the engagement of sports.
- – academic performance is improved through sporting activity.
- – an active student environment enhances learning ability.
- – the benefits of an integrated sports programme within schools and community, linked to existing clubs.
- – fostering good working relationships within educational environments that are academically strong but lack in the area of physical health and wellness.
Karol hands a pair of football boots to one of the On The Ball players
On The Ball Uganda supports the existing development structures and framework within Uganda but can also identify areas that are lacking and will act as a link between community development and social development. Having gained support from Irish Aid, Uganda Olympic Federation and the Irish Football Association, On The Ball will continue to build its partner database at a district, regional, national and international level.
It has been an honour to share with you a summary of my work and my journey, and I warmly welcome your reply. Karol Gallagher.
For anyone wishing to donate to On The Ball please click here.
The Muzungu: thanks Karol for sharing your story. Your project rocks! I wish you all the success in the future. You can connect with Karol on the On The Ball Facebook page
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Please read my Guests Posts page for guidelines on the kinds of stories I feature on Diary of a Muzungu.
Expats in Uganda Magazine amateur photography competition 2015: the winners
Uganda is an incredibly photogenic country, and many expats have sharpened their photography skills after coming to Uganda, and taking in the breathtaking range of scenery, the wonderful wildlife and birds, all set to their best advantage by the year-round sunshine and the lush green background.
For the second year running, the Expats in Uganda magazine has held an amateur photography competition. The winners were:
Shannon Orcutt. Expats in Uganda. photo competition winner 2015
Mitchell Shire. Expats in Uganda. photo competition 2015. 1st runner up
Florent Renders. Expats in Uganda. photo competition 2015. 2nd runner up
Other popular photos were:
Mohsen Taha. Expats in Uganda photo competition 2015
Aidah. Expats in Uganda. photo competition 2015
Helen. Expats in Uganda. photo competition 2015
Per. Expats in Uganda. photo competition 2015
Below, a overall competition winner Shannon Orcutt poses with the judges. Her prize is a day’s photography workshop with the judges. Prize sponsored by Premier Safaris.
Photo competition winner Shannon Orcutt poses with the judges. From left are Brina L Bunt, Marvin Kagoro from Africell (prize sponsors), Shannon Orcutt (winner), Jonothan Hen Boisen, staff at Expats in Uganda and Grace Atuhaire, Director and Founder of Expats in Uganda
The competition judges are all photographers themselves: Brina L. Bunt, Judd Irish Bradley, Mark Dudley, Matthias Mugisha, Peter Hogel and Sherry McKelvie.
One of the photo competition judges, Mark Dudley, receives prize on behalf of Florent Renders, first runner up
Expats in Uganda would like to thank all the sponsors, including Hello Food Uganda (for the 50,000 UGX voucher) and Elite Computers (who donated a printed album of all the competition photos).
Thanks to everyone who took part!
