Safari to the centre of the solar system – can you eclipse that?
Safari to the centre of the solar system – can you eclipse that?
The Muzungu simply couldn’t pass on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a Hybrid Solar Eclipse in Uganda.
“Now you see me …. now you don’t” protective welder’s mask courtesy of Patrick Okaba, Daily Monitor journalist from Nebbi
I’m not usually stuck for words, but even now I’m struggling to describe those 22 seconds of my life: watching the sun – our whole world – temporarily obliterated by the moon. Not only was it dazzlingly beautiful, I thought my heart was going to stop!
Uganda’s NTV neatly summed up the Hybrid Solar Eclipse – but you had to be in Pokwero, in the District of Pakwach, to feel the excitement!
All roads lead to…. Pakwach!
“The total solar eclipse is only going to be visible at an angle of 17°,” explained John the physics teacher from ISU, as he, his wife Leslie and I drove north from Kampala to Pakwach.
All roads lead to…. Pakwach!
Here on the Equator, it gets dark around 6.30 in the evening, all year round. The Eclipse was due at 5.22 p.m. so the sun would be low in the sky: would we be able to see above each other’s heads to view the eclipse, the Muzungu wondered?
Halfway from Kampala to our destination, we stopped at the newish Kabalega Diner for a break. We were the only visitors when I first passed through a year ago. This time I was amazed to see the car park full of minibuses and the Diner jampacked full of Japanese tourists eating burgers and chips. Is this what Uganda might look like one day? Is this the way we want Uganda to look in the future? I ponder how mass tourism would look in a Uganda of the future. And will the Muzungu still love Uganda the same way?
We were intrigued to find out where the group were from. It had taken them two days to travel from Japan: to experience the Eclipse and then go on Safari in Murchison Falls.
“I just hope it won’t be cloudy tomorrow!” The Japanese tourist told me. “But what can we do?”
Mordechai welcomed us to Pakuba Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park
On arrival at Pakuba Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park, we had a wonderful, warm welcome from the towering Mordechai, who very graciously looked after us all weekend. (There was something of the filmstar about Mordechai!) No photo – sorry.
Pakuba Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park
Early evening, ISU student Fabien and I saw three Grey Hornbills and my first Silverbird next to the Lodge.
An eclipse! And ticks for my birdlist too! The Muzungu was in seventh heaven…
Approximately 70 of us stayed at Pakuba Lodge on Saturday night, a number of us opting to camp. Simon Peter, the very charming UWA Ranger visited each tent to reassure us that he would protect us from leopards and scorpions. (Check your shoes, campers!)
“Wake me up if you see a Leopard!” I told him (like I was going to get any sleep anyway…)
Why? Because the Muzungu’s experience shall go down in the annals of camping as “How not to camp.” I knew my strategy of improvising for missing parts of the tent might backfire… The floating toothbrush that welcomed me when I unzipped the tent shamed this former Venture Scout! Luckily I had a plastic cup to bail out “Lake Pakuba,” the huge puddle in one corner of my tent, and spent the night lying rigid on a tiny dry island of sleeping mat, scared I might tip myself into said Lake, while another heavy rain storm threatened overhead.
Meet the Eclipse Chaser!
One of the highlights of the weekend was meeting Kryss Katsiavriades, an ‘eclipse chaser’, in Uganda to see his 14th solar Eclipse. He was a mine of information.
Uganda’s Annular-Total (or Hybrid) Solar Eclipse of 3 November 2013 is one of the rarest types of eclipses, described in detail on Kryss’ excellent website.
Map showing the maximum duration of the total solar eclipse, which was found along the centre, middle blue line – slap bang through Pokwero / Pakwach and Gulu.
Kryss told us that “This kind of solar eclipse happens somewhere in the world every 400 years. It’s calculated that it will be another 400 years before Uganda sees a similar type of Eclipse. I don’t think even Museveni will be in power by then!”
At breakfast, the morning of the eclipse, Kryss Katsiavriades and the Muzungu greeted the Minister for Tourism, Maria Mutagamba, also overnighting at Pakuba Lodge.
Kryss explained to the Minister that the last time we saw an Eclipse in the UK was in 1999.
“But it was in Germany!” Interrupted a German tourist. Our historical arguments travel with us: the British and the Germans argue, lightheartedly, over ‘who owned the eclipse of 1999.’ (The Muzungu experienced the U.K.’s eclipse of 1999, in Glasgow. All that happened was an already grey sky went a bit greyer! Typically Glaswegian).
Chasing the Eclipse
Across the river in Pakwach, is a very different Uganda to the one I’m used to. I’m intrigued.
I admit this is the first time I’ve crossed Kafu Bridge, over the Albert Nile. There are few cars, few motorbikes and little advertising. The only brick buildings are shops. Geometrically thatched, round bandas proliferate. Most activity takes place in the shade of big trees. Smoked, filleted fish are spread out for sale. It’s very hot and very dusty.
I worry how many people are going to damage their eyes this afternoon attempting to view the eclipse. As we drive down the main street of Pakwach, you can sense eclipse fever.
It was a competition to see how many cameras, phones, goggles and miscellaneous protective eye gear, one could use simultaneously!
A man holds dark sunglasses up to the sun. A boy holds a floppy disk, and another looks through a piece of smoked glass. Outside the stationer’s shop, two young men unfurl the unused film from a canister. Most people are trying solutions that I’ve read are dangerous.
I feel like we are on a film set
“We are now in the path of totality,” Kryss announces as we ‘eat the dust’ of a pickup truck full of 20 or more local people in their Sunday best clothes, beaming and ululating as they bounce down the road ahead of us.
In a country of red dusty roads, have I ever seen them this red? Have they ever been this dusty? We’re heading to the middle of nowhere; international Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have flown into Uganda just for the event [just a rumour I think! I don’t know anyone who actually saw them!] President Museveni and entourage are coming to Pokwero – and there’s a huge sense of anticipation.
International Hollywood filmstars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie flew into Uganda just for the solar eclipse (apparently)
It all feels rather odd.
High security is in evidence. We pass soldiers by the side of the road, and follow a truck full of police to the viewing site at Owiny Primary School, Pokwero.
Diary of a Muzungu in the security line for the solar eclipse viewing at Owiny Primary School, Pokwero, Uganda
“2 degrees, 33 minutes and 11 seconds,” announces Kryss.
“And that means…?” Asks Fred the driver.
“It means a little bit further on and we will get to where we have maximum duration of the total solar eclipse.”
Ooooooo, it’s really happening!
The maximum duration of totality is found along the centre, middle blue line.
Kryss has frequently appeared on TV and radio in his global eclipse-chasing quest. True to form, we’ve only just parked our vehicle when an interviewer from Channel 44 approaches Kryss with a camera.
Kryss tells Channel 44 viewers: “The sun is the giver of all life on this planet, and to see it extinguished and the day turning into night, and to see the stars and planets in the middle of the day, is something that you will never forget.”
‘Muzungu Blogger of the Eclipse’ touches down in Pokwero
It had been announced that President Museveni was to be ‘Chief Viewer of the Eclipse’.
‘Muzungu Blogger of the Solar Eclipse’ touches down in Pokwero, Uganda
The eclipse was a great showcase for putting Northern Uganda on the tourist map but the country’s usual last-minute preparations realistically meant that only dedicated Eclipse chasers who had done their own research chose to visit Uganda for the eclipse. Many went to Kenya. Many went to West Africa. Some hired boats and went out into the Atlantic to view the solar Eclipse.
The King of Alur and the Omukama (Traditional King) of Bunyoro ventured to Pokwero, as did the newly crowned Miss Tourism Uganda.
Huge crowds waiting to view Uganda’s Solar Eclipse at Owiny Primary School, Pokwero, Pakwach
There was no escaping the party politics as we sat sweating in white plastic chairs, grateful at least for the protection from the glaring hot afternoon sun of 35° or more. The hours passed slowly: listening to welcomes, ‘laying the foundation stone’ on the rather unimaginative Eclipse Memorial, political speeches, schoolchildren dancing and singing, hymns and the national anthem, twice.
- Traditional dancers entertained the crowd waiting to view Uganda’s Solar Eclipse at Owiny Primary School, Pokwero, Pakwach
I feel sorry for the uneducated person who might actually believe that the government had organised the Eclipse just for Museveni ‘The President of the Eclipse’s entertainment.
To paraphrase one of the speakers, apparently “God chose Uganda for this hybrid solar Eclipse, an event that only happens every 400 years. It’s no coincidence that it’s taking place during the reign of the NRM regime…” i.e. God planned the Eclipse in Uganda in 2013 thanks to the NRM. (Obvious really).
Cue the real stars of the show
Mostly attentive until that point, come 4 o’clock every spectator picked up their chair and turned their back on the President and the dignitaries to view the real stars of the show: the partially eclipsed Sun and the Moon.
The excitement was contagious. We passed around special eclipse glasses and sunglasses customised with camera film, and shared the Ministry of Tourism’s viewing filters with local children. We didn’t speak the same language, but we were all in awe of what was happening in the skies above us.
- IT WAS HOT! And the day of the eclipse the skies overhead were vividly coloured all day
It was a huge party. Did I mention it was HOT?!
A message came through from Kampala
The partial eclipse was due to last just over two hours. After a few minutes, people started getting bored, waiting and waiting for the total eclipse. Some of them wandered off.
Clouds covered the sun!
Oh no, perhaps, the Japanese tourists was right? Kryss had reassured me that even if it was cloudy, the experience would still be memorable. The MC switched on the microphone and told everyone not to go home.
“Many clouds?” read the SMS from Kampala.
“Oh bog off,” I replied (although perhaps not quite that politely).
Friends in Kampala said they “couldn’t be bothered” to travel all the way up to Pokwero. Couldn’t be bothered to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience? I was dammed if clouds were going to spoil my eclipse experience while they sat smugly in Kampala.
Captivated by the sight of the partial solar eclipse
Despite the clouds, the light was a magical golden colour. The clouds were beautiful too.
Hashers of the Eclipse – we should have had a Circle in Pokwero!
The competition for the maximum number of cameras, phones, goggles and miscellaneous protective eye gear is hotting up!
We were back on track and I could feel the excitement grow you as the skies darkened on the countdown to the total eclipse.
Hashers of the Eclipse part 2 – we should have had a Circle in Pokwero! The competition for the maximum number of cameras, phones, goggles and miscellaneous protective eye gear is hotting up!
We watched the sun – our whole world – temporarily obliterated by the moon.
Not only was it dazzlingly beautiful, I thought my heart was going to stop!
Uganda’s total solar eclipse. Photo taken with fisheye lens by Lukasz
And then darkness!
Diary of a Muzungu’s very amateur photo of Uganda’s hybrid solar eclipse, Pokwero. Apparently a good first attempt, according to Kryss, the astronomer!
(It was just 5.30 pm in the afternoon…)
Diary of a Muzungu’s very amateur photo of the Diamond Ring, visible for just a second or two after the total eclipse, as the sun bursts back into normal view from behind the moon. Apparently a good first attempt, according to Kryss, the astronomer!
I’d been thinking about the solar eclipse non-stop for a few days by then. I couldn’t sleep, I was so excited! In those few magical seconds, my brain and emotions worked hard to process what I was seeing.
A close-up of Uganda’s total solar eclipse 2013. Photo courtesy of John McDonald.
None of the photos do justice to how amazing the solar eclipse looked with the naked eye: pink and alive!
Can you imagine seeing ‘flames’ on the surface of the sun with your naked eye? These ‘flames’ were huge bursts of flammable gas the size of a small country!
Diamond ring and chromosphere. A close-up of Uganda’s total solar eclipse 2013. Photo courtesy of John McDonald.
Imagine getting your best exam results ever, on your birthday, with a firework display in the background and falling in love – all at the same moment … and then someone punches you in the chest! You realise that this thing that you’ve been aching to see could be your terminal undoing, the end of not just your life, but of everyone and everything you hold dear.
The end of the world.
Diamond ring and chromosphere. A close-up of Uganda’s total solar eclipse 2013. Photo courtesy of John McDonald.
And then it was over. 22 seconds of my life that I shall never forget, and shall always struggle to articulate.
As the moon continued its trajectory away from the sun, there was a blinding flash ‘the diamond ring’ effect, as the sun re-emerged. Totally spectacular.
Within seconds, the sky was lit up again, and life went back to normal … for a while.
I understood with utmost clarity how people can become Eclipse chasers. Apparently NASA’s head meteorologist (who apparently saw just 10 seconds of the eclipse; when the clouds obscured the sun, his group packed up their kit to try and find a better viewing spot – and almost missed the whole thing!) There was no sign of ‘Brangelina’ in Pokwero. Apparently they were in Gulu.
The next total eclipse in Africa is on July 22, 2027 in Egypt. See you there?
A special thank you to John and Leslie McDonald and ISU Lubowa staff, Fabien the birder, Kryss Katsiavriades and Roman Kostenko the amateur astronomers, and Simon Peter, Mordechai, Connie and all the staff at Pakuba Lodge. Last but not least, a big, nocturnal thank you to Uganda Wildlife Authority’s Conservation Area Manager Tom Okello – who helped rescue dozens of vehicles from a flooded swamp on our way back to the lodge! A weekend I’ll never forget…
Did you see the Hybrid Solar Eclipse in Uganda? How did it make you feel?
“Eat my dust!” de Muzungu’s quad bike Safari
Get yourself on a quad bike Safari, you’re in 4-a-wheelie good day out!
Have you tried quad biking in Uganda?
The format of the quad bike Safari is a real giggle!
After a wonderful Aussie welcome from Shirray, Herbert guided us through the safety procedures and warned us against: racing, running over kids, killing goats, the usual! Jinja’s quad biking safari setup is very professional with lots of highly visual printed information on quad biking day out “Do’s and Don’ts.” It’s tempting to race of course (but I knew Shirray and PK would never let me back if I did!)
Quad biking adventure part one – “get your kit on!”
Anyone can ride a quad bike and no previous experience is necessary – all training, guiding and safety equipment are provided by All Terrain Adventures.
It doesn’t matter what you wear for your quad biking Safari either, but I’d wear something light and loose, like leggings or a tracksuit. All Terrain Adventures provide quad bikers with big baggy all-in-one overalls. They also provide the Ugandan uniform favourite: gumboots. Alternatively, you can wear your own shoes – but forget wearing flip-flops or sandals (or need I say – stilettos?)
The pièces de résistance are the (compulsory) helmet and goggles – Biggles style! These guys have thought of everything: we even had branded bandanas to cover our mouths. (It becomes difficult to see who’s who once you’ve got all your kit on!)
Cameras were placed in protective plastic bags and the rest of our stuff was safely stowed away in the ATA office. Then you only have one choice to make: dust? or mud!!
You’ll get dirty as hell, whatever the season. In the dry season you’ll get dusty. In the rainy season you’ll get muddy. All part of the fun!
Quad biking adventure part two –“anyone for a round of mini-golf?”
The practice session saw us do a couple of laps around the training circuits including a circuit that runs through the Big Game Mini-Golf course – part of the All Terrain Adventures enclosure – that includes life size statues of the Big Five and other animals such as ‘an African Tiger.’
Herbert was the safari guide for our drive-yourself quad biking adventure. During the practice, more guides were on hand to show us how to handle the quad bikes, change gear, direct us, pull us back onto the track (!) They took plenty of photographs for us too, leaving us to concentrate on the serious business of scaring the hell out of ourselves.
Kids from the neighbourhood stood watching us race round the mini-golf. SAFETY TIP: this is not a good time to wave at the kids. You will need both hands on the handlebars!
After a few laps, and posing for more photos, Herbert led us out for the start of our quad bike Safari and freedom (to drive into a Bush in Isla’s case!)
Quad biking adventure part three – “Come! We go!”
I felt very proud of myself driving the quad bike. As a boda boda drove past, I kidded myself I’d graduated to being one of them. It felt quite good to be in charge of a bike in Uganda for once.
A quad bike Safari is a really fun way to visit a typical Ugandan village. You won’t see any cars. You may only see one or two bicycles. What you will see are people planting crops, harvesting, spreading millet out in the sunshine to dry. We watched a lady slowly walk past with a huge jackfruit on her head. Another lady was carrying a huge bundle of firewood.
Off we went on our quad bike Safari through the villages around Bujagali, smiling and waving at the kids. (They couldn’t see our smiles through the bandanas of course and if you’re following in the cloud of dust behind another quad bike, which you probably will be, it’s not a good idea to have your mouth open anyway!)
A couple of the kids ran after us and tried to jump on the back of my quad bike. Herbert wasn’t having any of it. He was constantly looking out for us.
Quad biking adventure part four – “Eat my dust!”
We came to an abrupt halt in front of a piece of red and white tape strung across the marram road in front of us. Was it the scene of an accident? Was there some kind of drama ahead? We waited for a couple of minutes and watched as a new electrical pole was erected. (It’s good to know that even in ‘the back of beyond’, safety measures are in place when few people are watching).
Back on the road a few minutes later, Herbert prepared us to go down a long, steep, rutted track towards the River Nile. It was very exciting and a test of our newly acquired skills. Navigating the ruts required concentration. Catch a hump of earth too fast, or at the wrong angle, and you might throw yourself off. I can’t imagine how crazy that section of track must be during the rainy season!
From Bujagali Falls to “Lake Bujagali” …
As our quad bike Safari continued along the shores of the Nile, Herbert told us the history of Bujagali Falls and pointed to where the famous rapids used to be. I visited Bujagali Falls – once “a spectacular series of cascading rapids which Ugandans consider a national treasure” – in 2010. In those days, the going rate to watch a young boy negotiate the Falls in a Jerry can was just 5,000 shillings (just over £1 / $1.50). The 2013 rate is a whopping ten times that amount! It’s a highly dangerous occupation, one that now takes place 15 km downstream, on the other side of the new Bujagali Dam.
Uganda’s famous grade 5 white water rafting has changed little really and still remains the best in Africa. If you’ve never done the white water rafting in Uganda before, you will notice very little difference on the new course, below the new Bujagali Dam. I’ve rafted both sections of the River and I couldn’t tell the difference. (Both are equally scary – but you can’t visit Uganda without trying white water rafting at least once).
Of course ‘Lake Bujagali’ – as it is affectionately known now – is a much safer place for local people to do their washing.The rafting and adventure activity industries employ a lot of people along the banks of the River Nile in Jinja.
Before heading back to base, Herbert took us to a dusty trading centre, where we ripped off our bandanas and necked down an ice cold ginger Stoney soda. We’d had a fantastic couple of hours and were grinning from ear to ear. I was washing the dust out of my hair for days!
Did you know Jinja is “the adrenaline capital of East Africa”?
From the Nile River Explorers Camp two minutes away from All Terrain Adventures, you can go kayaking, grade 5 white water rafting, horse riding, fishing, bird watching, and more. The NRE Camp is a great base for a few days adventure activities, a visit to the Source of the Nile and Jinja Town – or to just chill out and enjoy the view (and the great value food). I’ve stayed in the Safari tents overlooking the river a number of times. It’s a lovely place to lose a couple of days.
DISCLOSURE: This blog is based on my personal experience. I was lucky enough to be given a free night’s stay at NRE Explorers Camp in return for this blog post. For more information about guest posts, read the Muzungu’s Terms and Conditions.
Have you been quad biking in Uganda? What was your experience like? If you ran over a goat, you better not tell me 😉
A solar eclipse turns the spotlight on Northern Uganda’s appeal
Suddenly, everyone in Kampala is talking about this weekend’s action: not the usual parties and nightclub events, but a hybrid solar eclipse, an event so rare that it only happens every few decades… and guess what? Northern Uganda will be one of the best places in the world to see it!
I can never throw a shoe box away – & finally it’s time to make use of one. Hybrid eclipse 2013, here I come!
The Muzungu first heard about the hybrid eclipse 2013 from an amateur astronomer tip, tap, typing on his keyboard 3410 miles (5488 km) away from Kampala – in Poltava in the Ukraine to be exact. Roman Kostenko – or Роман Костенко in the local Cyrillic script – first wrote to me on 19th February. He explained the uniqueness of the event that will take place this Sunday, November 3, 2013.
Photo courtesy of the Society of Astronomy Amateurs in Poltava, Ukraine http://astrosafari.com
In Roman’s words: “The solar hybrid eclipse occurs on November 3rd, along a narrow strip over the Atlantic Ocean and Equatorial Africa, from Gabon to Ethiopia. In Gulu, Northern Uganda, it will be late afternoon, 17:23, one hour before sunset.
The overall duration of the hybrid solar eclipse will be almost 2 hours, however the total phase is very short: 60 seconds in Gabon, 20 seconds in Uganda and 12 seconds in Kenya. Despite the short duration, this rare kind of hybrid total eclipse will offer us a brilliant glimpse of the solar corona and Bailey beads (outer parts of the Sun emerging between the lunar mountains).
Roman explained that although many people will go to Libreville or Gabon to see the hybrid solar eclipse 2013, “other eclipse chasers have been checking the weather, and will choose Uganda or Kenya, since there are much higher chances of clear skies in the areas north of Lake Albert in Uganda and west of Lake Turkana in Kenya.”
Basic viewing of the totality of the eclipse requires no more equipment than your own eyes, however special filtered ‘eclipse glasses’ are recommended to view the partial phases.
Roman advises: “It is EXTREMELY unsafe to view the eclipsed Sun with binoculars or telescope, unless they have an appropriate solar filter. I would never recommend to use any optical device to look at the Sun before you are confident that it features a properly installed solar filter.
P.S. As the day will turn into deep twilight in less than half an hour, and then back to daytime, and then back to night time (sunset), it will be very entertaining to observe how African wildlife responds to it.”
“Let’s see what the animals make of it….” says the Muzungu…
Roman is a member of the Society of Astronomy Amateurs in Poltava, Ukraine and their brilliant blog has been following their journey to East Africa. (Tip: click on Google translate for the English version of the site!)
“Eclipse chasing is an absolutely international hobby” he told me.
My online research – applied cautiously, Dear Reader – tells me that one of the simplest ways of safely viewing a solar eclipse is by making a shoebox pinhole camera. This enables you to see an image of the solar eclipse, rather than look at it directly. To make one, you will need: a cardboard shoebox, duct tape, knife or razor blade, a white sheet of paper, tinfoil, clear tape, needle or pin, solar eclipse.
Just look at the diagram for how to make a solar eclipse pinhole camera and follow these steps below…
Just copy the diagram for how to make a pinhole camera or follow these steps – or if you can’t be bothered, scroll down for the Muzungu’s Top 10 hybrid solar eclipse 2013 viewing do’s and don’ts.
1. Open your shoebox and cover any cracks or joins with duct tape, to make sure no light can enter your shoebox.
2. Cut a small hole (approx. 1 inch / 1.5cm across) in one end of the shoe box, near one edge.
3. Tape a piece of tinfoil over the hole.
4. Using a pin, make a hole in the centre of the tinfoil.
5. At the opposite end from the foil-covered hole, tape a small piece of white paper to the inside of the box,. The paper should be positioned so that light entering the box through the pin hole will hit it. This is where you’ll look for the sun.
6. Cut a 1 inch / 1.5 cm diameter hole in the box near the image screen (the white piece of paper), but on a different side of the box — the side next to the screen. This is your viewing hole; it must be positioned so that you can look through it at an angle and see the image screen.
7. You now have a pinhole camera. Go find that solar eclipse!
8. Sunday November 3rd 2013: hold the shoe box so that it lines up with its own shadow (meaning it’s aligned with light from the sun). Stand so that when you look through the viewing hole, you can see a tiny bead of light on the image screen: that’s the sun. During hybrid solar eclipse 2013, you’ll see the moon’s shadow pass in front of the sun.
[Information courtesy of @nattyover and www.livescience.com]
In the spirit of participation – admittedly, I was crap at physics at school – I decided I’d try and knock up a pinhole camera for you, but can I find duct tape late at night in Kampala? No. I shall track it down but not this evening… Anyway, you don’t want to get all the way to Northern Uganda and find the tape has come off your wonky old shoebox, do you?
So here are the Muzungu’s Top 10 hybrid solar eclipse 2013 viewing do’s and don’ts:
1. DO NOT use a mirror to view it – that will only do double damage to your eyes
2. The Ugandan Minister of Health’s briefing: “watch it through a black cavera (plastic rubbish bag!)”
3. Standard or Polaroid sunglasses are not solar filters and should not be used to stare at the Sun during the partial phases of an eclipse. You will damage your eyes permanently.
4. DO NOT use film negative.
5. You can make your own filter out of fully exposed and developed black-and-white film, but only true black-and-white film (such as Kodak Tri-X or Pan-X). Such films have a layer of silver within them – this protects your eyes.
6. If you want to observe the eclipse with binoculars or a telescope, you must use a specially designed solar filter on the front end (or Sun-side) of the instrument. (You think they sell them in Pakwach?)
7. Read this bit carefully: if you plan to use binoculars to view the hybrid solar eclipse, totality can and should be observed without a filter, whether with the eyes alone or with binoculars or telescopes. But the partial phases of the eclipse, right up through the Diamond Ring Effect, must be observed with filters over the objective lenses of the binoculars. Only when the Diamond Ring has faded is it safe to remove the filter. And it is crucial to return to filtered viewing as totality is ending and the western edge of the Moon’s silhouette begins to brighten.” If observing the Sun outside of eclipse totality without a filter is quickly damaging to the unaided eyes, it is far quicker and even more damaging to look at even a sliver of the uneclipsed Sun with binoculars that lack a filter.”
8. You can damage your video camera trying to watch the eclipse. Sunlight focused through a lens sets things on fire – do you want to set your camera on fire?
9. Welding goggles or welding glass are safe.
10. And the Muzungu’s personal favourite idea: watch the Uganda solar eclipse reflected in a river – doesn’t that sound romantic?
*DISCLAIMER* my few minutes Googling are not sufficient for me to be sure I’m sharing good advice. Misinformation abounds, and I’m worried I’m making it worse!
It’s always good to have a backup plan! It’s not like many/any? of us are ever going to have a chance to see a hybrid solar eclipse again … but it doesn’t mean you have to permanently damage your eyesight, so don’t get carried away with the moment and do something you will live to regret.
I’m so excited to be in Uganda for hybrid eclipse 2013 and I’m so excited for Uganda to be centre stage for the world, even just for a few moments. Northern Ugandans in particular truly deserve some good publicity.
My tent is packed and so is my cavera, so who’s coming with me? See you in Northern Uganda!
I love birds! Uganda’s Big Birding Day
Diary of a Muzungu is proud to be a sponsor of Big Birding Day 2013, supporting the next generation of birders in Uganda.
Diary of a Muzungu is delighted to support Big Birding Day (BBD) Uganda
How many birds will you see at Big Birding Day 2013?
Bigger and better than ever, help us beat last year’s record – 290 birders in 58 teams, birding in 35 areas, recording 657 species (63% of the total species of Uganda recorded and an increase of 82 species from the 2011 record)!
The Muzungu with young birder Hope at Kasenge on International Day of the Safari Guide. Photo courtesy of Titus Kakembo and Uganda Tourism Press Association
This Friday 18th October is the official launch of Big Birding Day 2013 at the Uganda Museum in Kampala.
Diary of a Muzungu helped promote Big Birding Day 2013
The free to enter Big Birding Day race is a 24 hour competition this Saturday, 19th October, at dozens of sites across Uganda, involving birdwatching groups competing to score the longest bird species list in 24 hours. Birding teams are led by professionally trained guides and experienced bird guides from NatureUganda membership and UWA staff. Each group must have at least 2 members who are experienced bird watchers to confirm the species identification.
All birds seen and/or heard calling within these sites will be recorded (TICK!) A tally centre will be set up at NatureUganda to receive and check all records.
Each new bird sighting gets a TICK – but no cheating please guys!
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and National Forestry Authority (NFA) are offering FREE entry for all Big Birding Day participants birding in National Parks, Wildlife Reserves and Forest Reserves – but you need to register your team first. (Scroll down for the flyer and contacts below).
…And if you can’t make the Big Birding Day race this Saturday, why not join us for the Festival Saturday 26th October? Here NatureUganda will name the Big Birding Day winning teams at Kitante Primary School Gardens (behind the Uganda Museum). This free event is open to the whole family and will be a chance to learn more about birds and birding. There will also be live music, dancing, face painting for the kids and more…
What can you expect from the Big Birding Day 2013 Race?
One year I was lucky enough to tag along with expert birders Roger Skeen and Nathan Eluku who recorded an incredible 175 bird species between Namuwongo, Kampala and Entebbe. What a fantastic day out it was. And the best bit? Our team won!
Diary of a Muzungu is proud to be a sponsor of Uganda’s Big Birding Day 2013, supporting the next generation of birders. Birds, conservation, tourism
It’s not all about winning of course… this year I’m excited to be going to Mabamba Swamp, famous for its rare Shoebill Stork. I can’t wait!
Shoebill Stork, first seen by the Muzungu (though the mesh of its cage) at UWEC, Entebbe, Uganda
If you’re asking yourself, “why exactly does the Muzungu keep banging on about birds?” read “Why we should embrace Uganda’s Big Birding Day.” They delight me and enthrall me.
There’s a serious side to the event too and this year’s theme is: Birding, Our Livelihoods and Our Economy
Birdwatching can present significant economic opportunities for countries through sustainable tourism, says the United Nations environment agency. In Uganda, tourism is the number two foreign exchange earner (second only to remittances from Ugandans living overseas).
Did you know that worldwide, one in eight people earn their living directly or indirectly because of the tourism industry?
You only need to look at Uganda’s gorilla tourism and the way this single species has promoted Uganda internationally and helped fund other tourism initiatives and conservation across the country to see the huge potential for birding to develop Uganda’s economy. The Uganda Wildlife Authority, conservation organisations and tourist lodges work very closely with the community: training and employing local people.
Birding directly employs qualified bird guides and rangers, tour operators and sales consultants. Employment opportunities exist for land owners, farmers and producers who supply lodges, people who maintain tracks and trails, lodge and hotel staff and all the smaller businesses that support these: boda boda drivers, restaurants and shops. Birding tourism or ‘avitourism’ can thus become an economic and political force for both development and conservation.
Birding disproportionately favours the poor, since we find the highest number of bird species in remote areas. Thus, with the right investment in training and tourist facilities, birding can contribute to raising people out of poverty.
By supporting Big Birding Day 2013, the training of the next generation of birders and the investment in tourism infrastructure, you’re helping build the skills and opportunities of individual Ugandans, the economy of Uganda and protecting its wildlife and natural heritage at the same time … and you can have a great day out at the same time!
Please contact NatureUganda on 0414-540719 / 0414-533528 / 0772929626 to find out more, email bbd@natureuganda.org or register via the NatureUganda website.
NatureUganda is a membership-based organisation that would not exist without your support.
Did you know you can renew your NatureUganda membership by mobile money? Just 5000 UGX for students and 25k UGX for annual family membership. Send to 0777147367
Follow NatureUganda on Twitter and be a Fan of NatureUganda on Facebook
If you like my birding stories, you might enjoy Diary of a Muzungu’ s page dedicated to our feathered friends, Uganda’s birds.
Do you like birds? Are you taking part in Big Birding Day this year? This annual event is growing every year. If you have ideas on how we can help develop BBD, do get in touch!
In search of the Lucky Bean tree – a Bwindi hiking adventure
View of the Virunga Volcanoes from Nkuringo Gorilla Camp. Photo Robert Brierley
Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, in the far south western corner of Uganda, is the ideal starting point for: hiking volcanoes, hikes across Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to Buhoma on the northern side of the Forest, walks to Lake Mutanda and journeys across the Lake by dugout canoe towards Kisoro, mountain biking and bird watching. It is also a great place to stay if you plan to track any of Uganda’s Nkuringo, Nshongi, Mishaya, Kahungye or Busingye gorilla families.
Time was at a premium for us, so we opted for the ‘one-day circular Forest walk,’ starting at Nteko village and following the Ivy River trails and Kashasha River into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
Setting off on our one-day circular Forest walk, from Nteko village 1km from the Congo border, Bwindi Uganda
Walking Safari into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
As we walked downhill towards the River Ivy, our excellent guide Adolf listed some of the mammals we might see in the Forest: a Golden Cat, Civets, Serval Cats, Jackals, flying squirrels, Red tailed monkey, L’Hoest monkey, Black and White Colobus Monkey, Blue Monkey.
The Muzungu’s wildlife wishlist for the day: I’ll have a Blue Monkey, huge butterflies and some new ticks for my Forest bird list please. (A gorilla sighting would be pretty cool too…)
We stopped at a swampy area before crossing the river to enter the Park.
“One time we came here and the bridge had been washed away. We had to remove our clothes and walk across through the river,” Adolf told us.
“Even with clients?” I asked.
“Yes!” He laughed.
Well, we were in luck that day. There was a bridge! Crossing Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, armed policeman keeping a look-out for us
Safely across the water, Adolf welcomed us into the impenetrable forest. “If you take the wrong turning, you can get lost in the forest for seven days. It happened to someone I know from the village. They had to send out a search party for him.”
You’d need a powerful camera lens to fit the top and roots of a Huge Buttress Tree in one photo… Robert posing in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest derives its name from the Mubwindi swamp in the eastern part of the Forest; its full name being Mubwindi Nyamukari, named after a young woman who was ‘damped’ (drowned) by her father in the swamp. This was one of three local stories we heard of young women being drowned in swamps or waterfalls. Verdict: this was not the best place in the world for a girl to be born. In every story, it was the young woman who copped it every time while the man got away Scott free.
More BUTT than a Buttress Tree!
Back in the Forest, Adolf warned us to beware the vicious Safari ants and pointed out the trails where forest hogs had crossed. He also showed us Wild Pineapple, Wild Ginger and the beautiful red Erythinia abyssinia ‘Lucky Bean Tree.’
The beautiful red blooms of the Erythinia abyssinia ‘Lucky Bean Tree’
The pods of the Lucky Bean Tree contain bright red seeds. Local people believe that if you find one of these seeds and put in your pocket, you will be lucky for the whole day. The thorny structure of the tree is believed to ward evil spirits away too. The Lucky Bean Tree also has medicinal qualities: the ash from its bark can be applied to burns.
“I know it sounds like a silly question, but what does a Blue Monkey look like?” asked my friend Robert.
I never did hear the answer, as we were distracted trying to identify a bird – that turned out to be an enormous cricket!
Our guide Adolf holds a Wild Pineapple seed up for the camera
Encounter with a Silverback
Adolf was a gem and really made our trip. He recounted the story of the day he was called from Nkuringo to Buhoma, which involved him crossing through the middle of Bwindi Forest.
“As I was moving, we came across a group of 19 gorillas sitting on the track. In the middle was the Silverback gorilla. I had a big stick and I stood back, watching him, and moving very gently.
The Silverback started snapping branches on either side of the trail.”
Adolf imitated the low pitched growling of the Silverback. The other gorillas joined in, displaying sounds of annoyance at having been disturbed.
“I didn’t want to turn back. Clients were expecting me in Buhoma.”
“Couldn’t you just wait until they moved?” I asked him.
“It would have been dark by then in the Forest. It was already 6 o’clock in the evening.
The Silverback came towards me with his mouth wide open, thumping his chest, screaming at me!
I had to walk backwards, slowly but still facing him. The Silverback mirrored my pace. I took two steps, he took two steps… then I took off running!”
“Was he chasing you?” I asked.
“Yes!” answered Adolf.
“I turned my stick at an angle and the Silverback thought I was going to hit him.” (Adolf imitated the gorilla covering his head with his hands as if to protect himself).
“After some time, the Silverback slowly walked back to his family. I managed to get out of the Forest by 8 o’clock. It was completely dark by then. I slowly walked back towards where the gorillas were and walked around them. It was the Nkuringo family of gorillas.”
Just look at this cutie! The Muzungu’s first encounter with Uganda’s Mountain Gorillas was in 2010 when I trekked to see the Habinyanja group at Buhoma
At that point, the Muzungu decided to play it safe and rethink her wildlife wishlist for the day and was very happy to settle for some birding highlights that included:
- Brown Throated Wattleeye
- White Eyed Slaty Flycatcher
- Paradise Flycatcher
- Black Billed Touraco
- Dusky Long Tailed Cuckoo
Each new bird sighting gets a TICK
The total tracking time was around six hours, in which we covered 17.5 km (most of which seemed to be uphill!) Our steadfast guide Adolf paced our walk just right and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it, even the steep bits!
Don’t worry Ma, they didn’t really leave me wandering about on my own in the Impenetrable Forest … de Muzungu crossing one of the many wooden bridges criss-crossing through the Forest
(They don’t call me Tail End Charlie for nothing…) Frankly, the boys would have got round a lot quicker without me!
It was as we did our final ascent: “we’re almost home, just another 7km, mostly uphill” Adolf cheerfully advised us, that we came across a Lucky Bean Tree, right next to our path.
Guess which Lucky Bean got to keep it?
; )
Local women carrying handwoven baskets along the vastly improved A roads between Kisoro and Mbarara, south western Uganda
An alternative itinerary that really appeals to me is from Kisoro: 90 minute walk to Lake Mutanda, followed by a 2 ½ hour dugout canoe trip across the Lake north to Rwajenje. (No need to worry about overdoing it, the tour includes: a comfy seat, lifejacket and a man to paddle you, while you take photos of the volcanic peaks reflected in the water of the lake). Back on land, it’s a 9 km / three hour walk following community trails up to Rubuguri Junction, where you can be picked up for the final 10km uphill to Nkuringo Gorilla Camp.
About Nkuringo Gorilla Camp
Welcome to Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, Bwindi, Uganda
Where to start? A word about the view from Nteko Ridge:
Firstly you’re at the highest point, so there’s nothing between you and Bwindi’s lush rainforest for miles left and right, on one side of the hill and a staggering EIGHT volcanic peaks on the opposite side of the hill.
Volcanoes and rainforests have their own unique weather patterns so the visibility can’t be guaranteed. For me though, that’s half the fun, waking up in the morning looking out the window and wondering “what will I see today?” If you’ve never seen a rainforest before, you must visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: it’s incredibly dense and incredibly green. BY HECK, THERE ARE A LOT OF TREES. The air is pure and the National Park has almost unimaginable biodiversity. I’m tingling, just remembering it all.
View from Nkuringo Gorilla Camp. Photo Robert Brierley
We ate very well at Nkuringo: a four course dinner both nights. The onion soup and pumpkin soup deserve a special mention and the freshly baked bread and rolls were wonderful. Vegetarian options can be catered for but should ideally be booked in advance.
Wine is purchased by the bottle, not by the glass as is available some places. Good quality wine is available for approx 60-80,000 shillings /bottle. The camp does allow you to bring your own, if you prefer. Drinks are reasonably priced e.g. a tot / measure of Uganda Waragi is just 1500 shillings.
It can be cold up in the mountains, particularly at night (no mosquito nets needed – hooray!) Thick blankets are put on the back of dining chairs, in case you feel the chill. On our first night the Lodge also provided a charcoal brazier full of burning embers in the dining area. It made quite a difference. There’s a fantastic campfire area too. The fire can quickly be lit or rekindled as needed. It was a treat to get into bed with a hot water bottle, provided by the camp.
Nkuringo Gorilla Camp is expanding
Currently there are two self-contained en suite cottages, each with a private verandah for incredible views across to the eight volcanic peaks (visible on our second morning). Two more of these self-contained cottages are being built.
My cottage at Nkuringo Gorilla Camp. Photo Robert Brierley
Bedroom in one of cottages at Nkuringo Gorilla Camp. Photo Robert Brierley
The six Virunga Terrace rooms each has a verandah too (although they can’t compete with the spectacular views from the cottages). Bathroom facilities are shared on the Virunga Terrace. The new showers and flushing toilets are almost ready for use. The decor throughout the camp is beautifully done, with great attention to detail. Everywhere is very clean.
I liked the look of the Verandah Terrace rooms at Nkuringo Gorilla Camp
‘Lazy camping’ is at the highest point of the camp – and has the best views to wake up to! Each fixed tent has two single beds.
Water is at a premium – the camp sits on a ridge 700m above the Kashasha River – but don’t worry, you can still have a hot shower! The Camp staff boil water for your shower so they may need some notice to get it ready for you.
A little electricity is provided through solar (not the sunniest part of Uganda) backed up by kerosene lamps and the generator, which is available for charging phones in the evening. The Camp advise visitors bring extra camera batteries or a charger to use in their Safari vehicle.
Rainwater is harvested from every available surface. Lodge owner Robert Brierley is hard at work installing a huge underground water tank, which should make life a lot easier for the camp staff in the not too distant future. (Currently water has to be brought in by truck during the dry season).
Gorilla trekking information
The Nkuringo gorilla family group is just a few minutes walk from the Camp. If you’re interested in trekking the gorillas in Uganda, you might enjoy reading the Muzungu’s gorilla trekking experience.
Rob advised us that tracking Nshongi, Mishaya, Kahungye or Busingye gorilla families involves a 23km, 55 minute drive to Rushaga.
How to arrange your walking Safari
Walks can be arranged through the Nkuringo Gorilla Camp or through Nkuringo Walking Safaris, for very reasonable rates. Everything can be customised to your physical fitness and interests.
Prices for the cottages with private en-suite bathrooms and Virunga Terrace rooms with shared bathroom toilet facilities can be found here. ‘Lazy camping’ includes shared bathroom and toilet facilities. Bed and breakfast, half-board and full board options are available for all types of accommodation.
DISCLOSURE: This blog is based on my personal experience. I was lucky enough to be given two night’s free stay and a walking safari in return for this blog post. For more information, read the Muzungu’s Terms and Conditions.
Were Toto right about Africa?
Were Toto right about Africa? Had they even visited Africa?
It’s been ages since I published a blog, hasn’t it Dearest Reader? Travel, IT problems, work commitments, the death of my beloved Baldrick – and plain old exhaustion – have taken their toll… but de Muzungu is back on form. I hope you can keep up?
Sunshine – and the promise of an evening filled with talk about Uganda and birds (and possibly even a sneaky little Uganda Waragi) – followed a captivating day at the UK Bird Fair. Driving along in evening sunshine, I follow Roger (driving the wrong way!) in his little red car.
I switch on the radio.
“Who would you like the request for?” Asks the DJ.
“Please play it for me and my husband who are going on Safari in Kenya this weekend.”
Negative African stereotype no. 1:
– The Caller pronounced it “Keeeenya,” the old colonial way.
“Sounds like the ‘holiday of a lifetime’!” Says the DJ.
“We’re taking a drive across the Rift Valley, then to the beach in Mombasa, hoping the pirates from Somalia don’t get us.” (The DJ agrees that being kidnapped by pirates would not make for a good holiday of a lifetime. Memory of a lifetime flashing before you, maybe!)
Negative African stereotype no. 2:
– Visiting the East African coast necessarily involves Somali pirates.
Negative African stereotype no. 3:
– We’re lucky that we know the Caller is going to Kenya, not just any old African country. She has no idea where in Keeeenya she’s actually going for her Safari.
“Where did you spend your honeymoon?” Asks the DJ.
“Cornwall,” she replies. (South West England). “Nothing to hunt there!” She jokes.
Negative African stereotype no. 4:
– Going on Safari equates to hunting animals.
The DJ corrects her: “I don’t think you’ll be hunting animals on Safari. We don’t do that anymore.” (Actually, there is limited, regulated hunting on some Safaris in Africa but the vast majority of holidaymakers just come to shoot with cameras).
“And what song would you like me to play for you Caller?”
“Africa” by Toto.
Negative African stereotype no. 5:
“Africa” by Toto.
I confess: I can’t help it, I love singing along to the song – perhaps because I’ve heard it a gazillion times.
But… it does seem a bit naff to be listening to it in Uganda – though God knows we hear it at least once every night if we’re at a local bar. Toto’s ‘Africa’ was released in 1983, here’s the video.
**Scroll down to find out what Toto’s Africa is really all about!*
I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She’s coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say
“Hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you!”
It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
The wild dogs cry out in the night [the Muzungu: that’ll be the street dogs running amok!]
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what’s right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti [the Muzungu: hmmm? geography!]
I seek to cure what’s deep inside
Frightened of this thing that I’ve become [the Muzungu: not a good lyric writer, I’m telling ya!]
It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you
It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
The Muzungu’s having mixed feelings now about singing along to Toto’s song ‘Africa.’ What a patronising load of crap.
So, Dearest Reader, apparently “this song tells the story of a man who comes to Africa and must make a decision about the girl who comes to see him. He is enamored with the country [Africa is a country is it?] but he must leave if he is going to be with her.”
Toto keyboard player David Paich wrote the song, and explained: “At the beginning of the ’80s I watched a late night documentary on TV about all the terrible death and suffering of the people in Africa. It both moved and appalled me and the pictures just wouldn’t leave my head. I tried to imagine how I’d feel about if I was there and what I’d do.” Paich had never been to Africa when he wrote the song.” [You don’t say!]
Jeez what did I start? I wish I hadn’t Googled this. What a depressing load of uneducated rubbish.
There’s so little exposure of the many wonderful, beautiful, talented and extraordinary things happening right now on this continent. Writing Diary of a Muzungu is my minuscule, personal attempt at trying to combat some of the many negative perceptions and untruths about Africa.
Are you (still?) a Toto fan? Does Uganda fit your idea of ‘a holiday of a lifetime’?
Yes or no? Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
How to date a Ugandan
A blog post about dating in Uganda will not suffice. This material fills at least one book!
Ugandan men can be handsome and very charming.
They know how to tell women what we want to hear. Delivery of promises is an altogether different issue!
I’ve had more marriage proposals in Uganda than in the whole of my life.
I’ve been promised love, marriage, children (natural and adopted), meeting the family and even a house overlooking Lake Victoria!
And what have I got? My fingers burned – more than once …
I love the idea of having a relationship with a Ugandan man but the reality of mixed relationships is harder than I thought it would be, for many reasons.
It’s quite usual for your male Ugandan suitor to be:
- married
- living with someone
- a father of many children
- simultaneously with any number of girlfriends
– or all four!
Bare-faced lies are very common.
Still, Muzungu ladies are very popular and we all like attention don’t we 😉
Mixed Muzungu Ugandan relationships can be challenging. How to date a Ugandan. Dating Uganda
Make your own mind up ladies but don’t believe everything you hear. Enjoy the moment, as that’s probably all it is, despite what they say. Just don’t take it too seriously – and insist on condoms every time! Yes I’m being explicit …
The Uganda dating issue is going to run and run!
If you enjoyed this post, you’ll LOVE these:
Why do muzungu ladies like dating rastas?
Downtown dreadlocks – the Muzungu’s blind date
What’s your experience of mixed race relationships?
Please leave a comment here, I’d love to hear from you. (Just don’t ask me to hook you up with one of my friends!)
How to avoid Bilharzia
You won’t always get Bilharzia if you swim in Lake Victoria and, if you do, it may take weeks, months or even twenty years for you to show symptoms.
Bilharzia (also known as Schistosomiasis or snail fever) can be horrible. You will feel under the weather and nauseous for weeks.
How to avoid Bilharzia. “Swimming is at your own risk” reads the signpost in Munyonyo on Lake Victoria, Uganda
The best advice? Many people would just never swim in Lake Victoria or the River Nile but my tips to avoid Bilharzia are:
- Swim from a boat or pontoon, or at least in an area away from the reed beds where the Bilharzia snail’s larvae hatch. It’s these larvae that get into your bloodstream and make you ill.
- If you crunch on a bed of tiny snail shells as you walk into the Lake, that’s a sure sign Bilharzia’s around.
- After your swim, give yourself a good all-over scrub in the shower. Best to do this within 20 minutes of getting out of the lake.
- My friend Julia says ‘enjoy your swim! And afterwards, give the soles of your feet a good hard scrub!’ Apparently that’s enough to prevent you from getting Bilharzia.
- Don’t just assume you’re ok. Bilharzia can remain dormant for years and, left untreated, can lead to liver damage.
- Buy the Bilharzia tablets from any pharmacy in Kampala. They are very cheap. If you’re just visiting Uganda, I’d recommend buying some and taking them when you get home. You need to take them any time after three months of exposure. Take them one evening before you go to bed. You’ll feel a bit nauseous but wake up right as rain the next morning. Last time I asked, the Praziquantel (Biltricide) tablets cost just 600 Uganda shillings each. You should take one tablet for every 10 kg of body weight.
Alternatively….
Don’t let any of this put you off swimming in Uganda. There are hundreds of lakes scattered across the country. The good news is you can swim in most of them.
How to avoid Bilharzia. It’s safe to swim in Lake Nabugabo. There’s no Bilharzia, no crocodiles and no hippos!
Swimming in Uganda. Sandy Beach at Lake Nabugabo, just outside Masaka, is popular for a weekend away from Kampala.
How to avoid Bilharzia in Uganda. Swim in Lake Bunyonyi. Photo of washing clothes in Lake Bunyonyi
The crater lakes such as Lake Bunyonyi, in the far south west of Uganda, and Lake Kyaninga near Fort Portal are Bilharzia-free as well.
To swim or not to swim? At the end of the day, do what you feel comfortable with.
Have you swum in Lake Victoria? What are your tips for avoiding Bilharzia?
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!
How to avoid Malaria
How to avoid Malaria
When I was a VSO volunteer, I was given a whole list of vaccinations (15 injections in total!) and a free supply of anti-Malarials, in the belief it was cheaper to medicate me than to repatriate me! I took the anti-Malarials (Doxycycline) religiously every day for several months…. but then I started to forget.
An expat friend who’s lived in Uganda 12 years advised it might not be a good idea to take anti-Malarials for longer than my two year volunteering stint anyway. When I heard that my British volunteer pharmacist friend Cheryl had stopping taking them too, I stopped taking mine. However, I’m not totally silly. I do take other precautions to try and avoid getting Malaria.
Here are the Muzungu’s travel health tips.
How to avoid Malaria. Uganda travel health advice
Travel health tips to avoid Malaria
- Firstly, start by reading my tropical disease diary – a few lessons in how NOT to treat Malaria, learned the painful way by yours truly, so you don’t have to.
- Sleeping under a mosquito net is the best. I love the sanctuary of my net, I feel safe. When you’re in a cold part of the country or at altitude, you may sleep without a net. Equally if you’re in a hotel with air-conditioned rooms, mosquitoes won’t thrive.
-
Africa’s most dangerous animal, the mosquito
- Mosquito repellent can be very effective. It’s most needed at dusk. I just smother my feet and ankles with it.
- Make sure you know what the signs of Malaria are and go and have a test straightaway if you show symptoms. Symptoms differ from person to person.
- In my case, Malaria symptoms are: a bad headache for several days (that paracetamol wouldn’t shift); my neck and shoulder muscles seize up and set like concrete; I also have lower back pain; one night I had a fever.
- If you’re travelling outside Kampala, it’s a good idea to take anti-Malarials while you’re away. Buy a test kit and a supply of the prophylaxis so you can self-medicate if needs be. Both are cheap and widely available across Uganda.
- If you’re only in Uganda for a short time, take your anti-Malarials (and follow the instructions carefully). Remember Malaria can be fatal.
- In Uganda, when you feel ill, friends will always suggest you go for a test.
- See a doctor!
- If you get sick back home after your trip however, your doctor may not recognise Malaria symptoms.
- It’s quite common to get a negative test result for Malaria even though you have it. I felt very sick on the eve of travelling to Ethiopia. Although I had a negative test, I believed I had Malaria symptoms. I took the prophylaxis anyway, and lo and behold I felt right as rain. However, some would argue that you should not take the medication unless you really need it, i.e. have a positive result.
- I’ve had Malaria twice. I seem to have been lucky and not been as sick as some other people. At the time of writing, a friend of mine is still in bed after seven days of sickness. Last week she had to have a drip and her temperature was 40°. Another friend was hospitalised and had hallucinations. Malaria can kill, remember.
- Don’t mess with Malaria!
FACT: Did you know the indigenous Neem tree has over 135 medicinal uses? It is a natural repellent to mosquitoes, thus a popular tree to grow in a compound. Putting a small branch of it in your house is an effective mozzie repellent.
Have you had Malaria? Do you have any unusual symptoms?
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!
On my knees again: an audience with the Bunyoro King
Bunyoro Kingdom – Empango Celebrations inauguration run, Hoima, Uganda
De Muzungu’s developed a taste for hanging out with Ugandan Royals recently, so when I heard Kampala Hash House Harriers – the Hash – were (dis)organising the Bunyoro Kingdom’s Empango Celebrations inauguration run, my name was first on the list!
11th June 2013 marked the 19th anniversary of the coronation of Omukama (King) Iguru Gafabusa Solomon the 1st of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, so the inauguration run (two days before the actual Empango) was one event I couldn’t let pass me by…
It was only to be expected: for one reason or another, the bus left Kampala for Hoima two hours late.
Just as we were ready to leave, someone asked “where’s the driver?”
“He’s gone to Friday prayers” came the answer.
Eh banange! Only in Uganda.
As we left Buganda Kingdom and crossed the Mayanja River into Bunyoro, Harriet explained that “Kabalega was a real King who fought for his kingdom. He didn’t just sit on a red carpet.” We were to hear his name mentioned many times on our trip to Bunyoro.
The only way off the bus is to drink the beer first! Empango inauguration run, Hoima
The fact our bus was only half full meant there was more than enough beer to drink. “If you can’t dance sleeping, you can dance standing ” and so the party bus danced its way from Kampala to Hoima.
Pump action. Harriet eagerly watched the dial on the petrol pump go round, making sure we didn’t waste a shilling of beer money on unnecessary fuel
We’d been at the petrol station 20 minutes before we realised there was no petrol. Tewali! (Nothing!)
The second petrol station was also empty.
Third time lucky, we landed at a “wind-up petrol station.”
We arrived in Hoima, Bunyoro Kingdom, at dusk
Surprise, surprise, most of us missed Friday’s ‘Red Dress’ Hash run around Hoima. Stopping seven times along the way for ‘short calls’, snacks, chatting up the ladies, more beer, muchomo roasted meat, etc tends to do that to your programme. The three plus hour journey took twice that long.
Mural of the traditional marwa drink that is shared and sipped with straws from a calabash. Scene at the – more cheap than cheerful – Riviera Hotel, Hoima, Uganda
Saturday morning started with a visit to the Karuziika, the Omukama’s Palace, a modern looking house (Brits, think Surrey suburbs!) with some traditional Bunyoro huts being (re)built in the compound, in preparation for the Empango Celebrations on June 11th. [Great time for the camera to fail, part 1].
We were welcomed by the hugely knowledgeable Permanent Secretary (PPS) who commended us for our “exercise to combat modern lifestyle diseases.” That made me feel a bit sheepish. (Had no-one mentioned that the Hash is ‘a drinking club with a running problem?’)
Throne Room at the Karuziika, Bunyoro Kingdom Palace Uganda. Look how well-behaved we can be! Empango Celebrations inauguration run, Hoima
Earlier we’d been invited into the Throne Room. Excited Hashers – ordered to leave smelly trainers and drinks outside – were asked to sit on the assorted lion and leopardskins lying on the floor as the PPS introduced us to the Bunyoro Kingdom’s history as traders, hunters and metalworkers. He briefly flicked up a corner of the ceremonial bark cloth so we could have a peek at the nine-legged throne / stool.
I’m hooked on the Bunyoro cultural history. “The empire was built and lost on ivory” he told us, as we heaved a heavy elephant tusk around our group. He pointed out the spearholes in the lionskins beneath us. The huge lion paws were still intact and there was a discernible smell of (big) cat. As for leopard “there are only two ways to kill one,” he said, “with a club or by strangling it.” (This advice obviously predates the invention of AK47s!)
We heard that the King has just returned from China – nothing to do with ivory I hope? I first arrived in Uganda to work for the Uganda Conservation Foundation, essentially combating poaching and protecting elephants, and there I was sitting on dead animal skins, passing around an elephant’s tusk … !
Oil looms large over Hoima, Bunyoro, Uganda. Hashers stop at a checkpoint
As we Hashed (ran/walked) into Hoima town, I chatted to someone from the local radio station about Hoima’s new status as Uganda’s Oil City. Definitely a case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. He told me stories of people relocating. Some have come to Hoima to seek their fortune, others have had to move out of town as their 60,000 Uganda shillings monthly rent has increased to a whopping 200,000 UGX. Ow.
Hoima market scene, similar to many across Uganda, is set to change with the construction of a new purpose-built market centre. Growth in Hoima is fuelled by the developing oil industry.
The town’s growth is fueled by Uganda’s developing oil industry. The Hoima market scene, for example, similar to many across Uganda, is set to change with the construction of a new purpose-built market centre.
The walk to Lake Albert down the steep Rift Valley Escarpment takes around one hour. Better take a boda, especially coming back up!
Saturday afternoon’s trip to see the oil wells wasn’t what I expected. Silly me, fancy expecting to see oil wells on your trip to see the oil wells! In the end, the impromptu boda boda trip down the steep escarpment, passing the modest Kabalega Falls on our way down to Lake Albert, was one of the highlights of the weekend. Impassable by vehicle, the loose gravel and hairpin bends made it a hair-raising descent. To be honest, coming up was even scarier, especially when we met this guy and his jerry can collection as (three of us on a boda) were struggling to negotiate a tight corner.
Better take a boda coming back up the Rift Valley Escarpment!
The smell of drying fish hit us as we approached the village of Kibero.
It felt like we’d landed in an alien country. There were no vehicles, just a few bodas (making the most of the unexpected day tripper BONANZA) and no advertising (thus little colour). Neither were there any food stalls, market vendors or rubbish in the dirt roads. It all seemed very strange. There are hundreds of Ugandan villages cut off from the rest of the world but this one was different somehow, just a collection of drab sun-dried mud houses, piles of fish drying in the sun, ducks, people sitting on doorsteps. [Great time for the camera to fail, part 2].
On the beach – not a slot machine or ice cream van in sight – dozens of excited kids posed for photographs with the Lake Albert backdrop.
The remote Kibero fishing village, Lake Albert. You have to love Ugandan kids, always a beautiful smile for the camera.
Back in Hoima, Saturday evening’s programme was a special audience with the Omukama at the Palace.
All the ladies had on their best dresses. (Rumour had it that the Omukama would pick One Lucky Lady as his next wife! So we all kneeled dutifully when a Hashette tipped us the nod.) The Omukama looked very dignified, although the corporate branding across the front of his tent slightly overshadowed the traditional nature of the occasion. What next? “Bunyori Kingdom sponsored by Tullow”. Sigh. Pragmatically, oil has to be the best thing to happen to the Kingdom this century, as the minister of information, Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, confirms in Uganda: Bunyoro is regaining her glory.
On the search for Mparo Tombs – the tombs of Kabelaga and his descendants
Recap: so, on Friday we’d missed seeing Katasiha Fort and on Saturday we’d missed seeing the oil wells… next stop (would we find it?) Mparo Tombs, “historical site rehabilitated by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces [the army] in honour of Kabalega in recognition of his struggle against colonialism.”
In 2009, Kabalega of Bunyoro was declared a national hero by President Yoweri Museveni and honoured with a three-gun salute for his nine-year resistance against the British colonialists.
Kabalega is said to be ‘the last great king of one of the greatest kingdoms in the Great Lakes region,’ and is buried at Mparo. Unfortunately, we didn’t get inside the grass thatched traditional hut that is Kabalega’s Tomb.
Sir Tito Winy’s Tomb is encased in concrete inside a modern structure. It is covered with a huge cowhide, fixed in place with nine traditional hoes. Mparo, Hoima
The traditional huts of the Bunyoro Tombs are very similar to the Buganda Kingdom’s famous Kasubi Tombs – showing Bunyoro descendence from Buganda.
The Kasubi Tombs burned down in 2010. (2014: rebuilding of Kasubi Tombs is underway).
“The man with the key is gone” but we were at least shown the grounds by ‘the heiress’ – one of Kabalega’s descendants.
Luckily we had Harriet to translate for us!
Paint it pink and I’d eat it. Les reads the plaque on the rather weather-battered wedding cake cum monument
The monument marks the spot where in 1877 Kabalega granted an audience to Emin Pasha.
“When Emin Pasha came face-to-face with the Omukama (King) for the first time, Kabalega was dressed in a piece of fine orange-pink coloured bark cloth. It covered his body to his breast except the left-hand shoulder, over which was thrown a piece of darker coloured bark cloth. He wore a necklace of hairs from the giraffe’s tail, the middle of which was strung a single blue glass bead, which encircled his neck. He was strikingly fair and about 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He made the most favourable impression on Emin Pasha.”
A.R. Dunbar, “Uganda’s famous men series: Omukama Chwa 11, Kabalega” (East African literature Euro 1965).
Money offering left outside Sir Tito Winy’s Tomb. Sir Tito Winy was the heir to Kabalega
Writing this blog has given me a real interest in Kabalega and Emin Pasha. I’m pretty dumbfounded by what I’ve read. Between them they changed the course of history for millions of people, numerous kingdoms and several countries. How have I been in Uganda almost five years and hardly learned about them? (Visiting Kampala’s rather posh Emin Pasha Hotel hardly counts!)
Girls paying our respects at Kabalega’s Tomb, Mparo, Bunyoro Uganda
Kneeling for the camera was my idea of fooling around. If I’d known what I’ve read today, I would have done it with more respect.
Julia receives a roadside benediction from what appeared to be a Chineseman made out of recycled metal. What’s this all about?
A few kilometres outside Hoima, we came across some disused ornamental fountains. Another fountain featured a metal bird. Some interesting colonial type buildings lay derelict next to them. I can imagine this all being snapped up and turned into a bijou coffeeshop when the real oil money starts pouring into town. Andrew Roberts, co-editor of the epic Bradt Uganda guide, what is this all about?
All in all, another brilliant Uganda week-end for Diary of a Muzungu. It’s a shame we didn’t hang around for the real royal Empango celebrations. Apparently 200,000 people partied for three days! Photos of the official Empango celebrations
The Omukama at the 2013 Empango celebrations in Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, Uganda
2014 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Omukama’s coronation, guess who’s planning to attend?
For more Ugandan royal stories, read A wedding fit for a king.
If you like African bus journey tales, you might enjoy No hurry in Africa: on board the bus Kampala to Kigali and Kampala to Nairobi – 14 hours of speed bumps
A Royal Wedding – the muzungu gets an invitation
It’s not every day (week / month / lifetime) that you get an invitation to a Royal Wedding, so what’s a girl to say?
I was delighted, honoured (and excited!) to receive an invitation to attend our friend Prince David Wasajja’s wedding on April 27th 2013.
A big part of the excitement was seeing the Kabaka for the first time. I would translate the word Kabaka as King but my Ugandan friend D.K. says “the word King doesn’t really convey the grandeur we attach to the Kabaka, this symbol of our cultural well-being!”
An explosion of noise! The Kabaka arrives for Prince David Wasajja’s wedding 27.04.13 Kampala Uganda from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
There was an explosion of noise as the Kabaka arrived for Prince David Wasajja’s wedding at Rubaga Cathedral, Kampala.
According to Wikipedia, Prince David ‘Daudi’ Kintu Wasajja is “the youngest brother of Muwenda Mutebi II the current Kabaka of Buganda. He is the youngest son of the late Kabaka Muteesa II, the 35th Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda, and Winifred Keihangwe, an Ankole princess.”
There were some real characters at the Royal Wedding! Part 1:
Meet the bakongozi ba Kabaka, the clan whose duty it is to get the party going – literally!
A truckload of these guys rocked up, dressed in barkcloth and leopardskins, with (replica) spears – all part of the fanfare that announces the arrival of the Kabaka. Fireworks were let off and the throng went into meltdown.
“Let’s get it started…. yeah …. Let’s get it started…”
It was fascinating to see the Buganda culture ‘live in action.’ There was an explosion of noise as the Kabaka arrived for Prince David Wasajja’s wedding at Rubaga Cathedral, Kampala. The crowd’s excitement was tangible! Check out this teeny weeny (but LOUD!) video clip.
The Kabaka is rarely seen in public except for at a few official kingdom functions. In fact, it is his youngest brother who is often called upon to represent him at such occasions (but I hear he was busy that particular day).
David is very humble, so we easily forget Who He’s Related To.
That said, his wedding was not your average Ugandan wedding.
Traditional and modern, the Royal Wedding was a very inclusive affair: Baganda and other tribes, the Kingdom and the State, Catholic and Anglican, friends and family, Hashers and non-Hashers – they’d even thrown in a handful of bazungu for good measure!
Apparently David is only the third prince to wed at the Catholic Rubaga (Lubaga) Cathedral. Unlike most of the Royal Family, David is Catholic (as his mother was). The Archbishop of Kampala, Dr Cyprian Lwanga, presided over the marriage ceremony, also attended by Ugandan Vice President Edward Ssekandi. Bishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo, the retired Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, offered some words of wisdom to the newlyweds. No idea what he said – but his words seemed to go down well!
And we were well behaved (or did I leave too early?)
Wikipedia also states “Local media claims Wasajja to be one of the eccentric “Hash Harriers”, a group of Kampala socialites.”
So, thinking I’m doing them a favour, I offer three Hash friends a lift to the reception in my (admittedly TINY) Mini Pajero. The seats in the back are great – if you’re a short-legged kid!
“You should at least think of your passengers before offering them a lift” one of them complained seriously, his long legs up around his ears as we bumped downhill on the shortcut past the Kabaka’s Lake. I had to laugh.
And then we hit traffic. “Just drive to the front!” they shouted! “We’re VIP.”
I hesitated – were we really? As the only Muzungu for miles, I really didn’t want myself to stand out even more than I did already. I was happy to wait in line if everyone else had to.
“No, go on,” they urged. “We have a VIP sticker” – and indeed we do, I still haven’t removed it from the windscreen 😉
So I overtook everyone, drove right to the front of the queue, and without hesitation a traffic policeman yelled in my face “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DO YOU THINK YOU ARE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE?”
Oh.
Before I could think what to say, all three friends screamed back, “How dare you talk to her like that! DON’T YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS?”
… And we were inside the Lubiri!
The Will Smith-lookalike bodyguard pushed me in front of the bride to get a better shot “yes, use your zoom lens!” he ordered. I tried my best to record this piece of Buganda Kingdom history
Princess-to-be Marion really seemed to struggle up the steps to the Cathedral. She kept her poise but the dress seemed very heavy – especially when people kept treading on it!
The speeches, oh the speeches… in Luganda… for three and a half hours… Friends told me it would be ok to take a book along to keep myself occupied during the speeches, but it didn’t feel quite right. Instead I fiddled with my camera. Everyone assumed the Muzungu was a journalist I think (no complaints from me!)
There were some real characters at the Royal Wedding! Part 2… obviously a diehard Baganda… (happy to ask me for money though, even at a Royal Wedding!)
There were some real characters at the Royal Wedding! Part 3: “what’s the (homemade) uniform about?” I asked. “We love UGANDA!” they replied, grinning.
MINISKIRT ALERT! (See the Facebook photo album). This lady obviously didn’t read the newspapers banning miniskirts from the wedding. But how did she get in? (I suspect she arrived in a traditional, long flowing Basuti and removed it once she’d got through security, but that’s only a guess!) She looked a lot more presentable than the woman who came dressed as a butterfly, complete with huge stick-on wings!
The day was full of music: Catholic choral music, traditional Buganda songs, the Uganda national anthem, some serious drumming from the Zulu contingent, some Lingala from a funky Congolese band, top Ugandan artists including Radio and Weazel, Juliana Kanyomozi, Dr Hilderman, the obligatory Jose Chameleone, Bobi Wine and Ragga D.
During his speech, the 47 year old prince explained why he had taken his time to marry. According to the Monitor newspaper, this “for understandable reasons had a few people genuinely worried.”
Come on, if you were a good-looking Prince, would you give up the single life to rush into marriage?
“I do not rush into doing things,” he explained during his speech. Indeed!
In Britain, when someone is frequently late, we say “he’ll be late for his own funeral”- at least the Prince wasn’t late for his own wedding…
“Slowly by slowly…” I say… mpola … mpola… isn’t that the way things are done around here?
I chuckled to read “His youthfulness, which many of Kampala’s nightlife have known, will probably take the attention away from the very-hard-to-ignore age difference between the prince and his wife.”
Ah well, we Hashers are well-known for being young at heart.
Note from the Muzungu: between (unintentionally!) drenching my laptop with tea, a house move and meeting client deadlines, the Royal Wedding has hardly had the full Diary of a Muzungu treatment yet – but it was a fascinating day in Buganda Kingdom history from start to finish. Here are a few of my favourite photos and video clips (er…ok one) to give you a feel for the festivities. Click here to see the full photo album on the Diary of a Muzungu Facebook page – read the article alongside the photos 🙂
CONGS! Prince David Wasajja and Princess Marion.
Note no. 2 from the Muzungu: I’ve been working on this blog for weeks but technical problems (my laptop, my dongle, the internet, the blog itself) have frustrated me constantly. Do please check out the Royal Wedding photo album on the Diary of a Muzungu Facebook page – and if you know a Kampala-based web designer looking for an internship, ask them to get in touch! I’m not a quitter but sometimes I wonder whether I should be!
“No hurry in Africa” – journey by bus from Kampala to Kigali
On board the bus from Kampala, Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda. The muzungu’s travel tips
I didn’t understand much but the salesman’s words “Tsunami in the vagina” and aggressive pelvic thrusting into the bus seat next to him somehow caught my attention.
This guy should have been on the stage: the traveling salesman who literally travels as he travels, walking up and down the aisle of the bus from Kampala to Kigali, working the crowd, proffering samples and chucking out sweets to an enrapt audience of hecklers. How I wished I understood Luganda at that moment!
I remember him on my previous bus from Kampala to Kigali (en route to Kinigi, home of Rwanda’s mountain gorillas): the man who insisted we keep the bus windows open all night – and later proceeded to sell us cold remedies! [Note dear reader: this time he was promoting Chinese Royal Jelly – though I can’t confirm its libido effects!]
Blink or you’ll miss it…. without warning, the bus pulls over for a rare and impromptu stop for a ‘short call’. I choose my bush carefully. As I get comfy, a girl appears to sit down 10 feet away from me. So much for privacy. There’s a bump, bump, bump to my left as a man pedals downhill towards us, empty green jerry cans banging his bicycle seat as he passes over the bumpy path. (Did I say something about privacy?)
Show over, we return to the bus, and a pair of crutches emerges from the bushes, followed by a young girl. I’ll come to see a lot of people on crutches over my next few days in Rwanda and Burundi. I wonder at their stories, but daren’t ask.
A vicar in a pale blue shirt climbs on the bus, surrounded by men brandishing sticks of greasy meat ‘muchomo.’
“They wanted to drive without you” the girl next to me says as I squeeze myself back into my seat. (I’m sure the legroom has shrunk while I was behind that bush).
Back on the bus from Kampala to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, we wind through the lush green hills and villages up to the border. I gaze out of the window. Matooke, matooke, matooke, as far as the eye can see. A young child in pink gum boots plays with a long stick in the mud. Two women walk across a field, bundles of babies tied around their middles, little feet sticking out either side of their waist. Too cute!
We slow to negotiate the slippery marram dirt roads and here – in the middle of nowhere and then a bit – a traffic jam! Bored, I jump out of the bus to stretch my legs, not realising the disaster that lies ahead of us. I march down towards the crowd by the river and 200 people turn around to me. I approach, camera in hand.
“Are you the photographer?” everyone asks as the Muzungu surveys the scene: a flooded river and an overturned truck, blocking the road to Rwanda. International Super Highway? Judge for yourself.
An employment opportunity presents itself: “Muzungu, I carry you for 1000 shillings!”
No mate, you have to pay ME for that particular public humiliation. (The thought of all those people laughing at the Muzungu being carried across the river, I don’t think so!) Oh what a spoilsport the Muzungu is, denying the villagers a good laugh…
They want me to believe how easy it will be to get a boda boda to the border a few kilometres away then jump on another bus at the border. I’m not rushing; I’m here to watch how this one unfolds.
We hang around eating huge chunks of fresh jackfruit (only 200 shillings in this part of the world!) as men unload the useless sodden bags of cement from the overturned lorry. “At least they can’t steal it!” Someone says.
I prepare for a night on the bus. Many people have abandoned ship and opted for the 1000 shilling piggyback ride but I stretch out on three seats. I’ve had three hours sleep the night before, sharing a single bed with a visiting onion farmer, and now it’s time for a zizz (sleep). Who cares if we’ll be eaten alive overnight by mosquitoes if we stay here next to the swamp? For now I’m in luxury!
To lose three hours in Africa is nothing, and I’m surprised (disappointed?) when from my slumber I hear a huge cheer as the lorry is winched back upright.
Time to move.
As we approach the border, a few minutes later, a man next to me opens a photo album of identity cards and ponders: “Tonight Matthew I’m going to be…” (a joke for the Brits, sorry…)
A man in an ill-fitting suit carries just one possession, his Kinyarwanda English dictionary.
At immigration, I ingratiate myself with every staff member, regardless of their nationality, in the hope they’ll remember my smiling Muzungu face upon my return.
I panic when I hear the revving of a bus engine. Perhaps the bus driver really does mean to leave me behind this time? And I recognise our luggage, strewn under a tree, bags being searched – not for bombs – but for cavera (plastic bags), illegal in Rwanda. I’m very nicely ordered to jettison mine, ready for the next adventure: Rwanda!
For more dramatic photos of the scene that greeted us, see the Diary of a Muzungu Facebook album.
Here are a few of my travel tips for bus travel from Kampala to Kigali:
- I don’t trust the driving skills of a man who puts all his faith in God, sorry. ‘Inshallah’ written in huge letters on the front window just doesn’t cut it with me. Check out the driver before you get into any vehicle. If he stinks of booze, get out!
- I travelled with Jaguar Executive Coaches. Expect to pay around 70,000 Uganda shillings (PRICE CORRECT April 2024). Buy the day before or just before departure. Early booking means you can choose your seat (recommended!) Call +256 (0)414 251855 or (0)782 811 128 for information. Visit Jaguar Executive Coach’s Facebook page for directions to their bus park in Kampala.
- On my return bus trip from Kigali to Kampala, I used Baby Coach. The fare was the same as Jaguar. You can pay in Rwandan francs or Uganda shillings, even in Kigali. Their office is in Nyabugogo bus park, Kigali.
- Where to sit in the bus: don’t even think of sitting over the back wheels. The Muzungu has endured this experience so you don’t have to! Read ‘Kampala to Nairobi by bus: 14 hours of speed humps’ for the reasons why.
- Does the bus have curtains? If not, you might want to sit on the side away from the sun or you’ll get burned, or at least uncomfortably hot.
- Always take mosquito repellent – you never know when you might need it.
- Always bring more water than you need – you never know where you’re going to end up!
- Bring water but try not to drink it! Apart from the unplanned stop and the border, we only stopped very briefly twice in eight plus hours of travel.
- Bring that horrible disinfectant hand gel stuff. If you’re lucky enough to find any real toilets en route, they are grim / have no running water / no soap.
- Take ear plugs and/or music. You might enjoy the person behind you singing loudly to their radio? I don’t.
For more of the Muzungu moaning about fellow travelers, read A short-tempered muzungu flies to Istanbul
