Now that I've moved out of my home stay and projects have finished, Carla, Lindsey and I decided to take a little road trip that would take us through East Africa and around Lake Victoria.
We all met up in Dar at the YWCA before starting our trip. While we were checking in we met an amazing couple from Australia and New Zealand. They had been traveling the world by motorcycle for 2 years. The had so many stories to tell. One story involved the removal of an appendix. Either way the amazing stories eclipsed any scary tales. The couple had one country that kept finding its way into our conversation; Iran. They couldn't say enough about it. All of it positive and exciting to hear. Friendly people filled their stories. How people would welcome you and want to sit with you for hours and discuss your travels, your politics and views on life. They would then discuss and share their tales as well. Now it has been ingrained in my mind as a future destination.
We left for Kampala, Uganda early the next morning with Kampala Coach. The scheduled travel time...27 hours! Can you believe it? I would be in a speeding tin box for over a day. This is what its all about. The bus stopped at a service station for food and we were able to relieve ourselves there or on the side of the road, which is the norm. Men to one side and women to the other.
We crossed through the Kenyan border with ease, although with a little confusion. Let me lay out the game plan: The bus pulls up to the border. The conductor of the bus (he checks tickets and assists the driver) tells everyone to get off the bus and go to customs. He says, "10 minutes!" So we hop off the bus and go to the customs counter. We are directed to fill out a form, but it says "Tanzania." Aren't we in Kenya? This is only the departure form for Tanzania. We fill it out, get a stamp and walk across the border through two gates. Finally on the Kenyan side we pay for our Visas, $20 transit, and make our way back on the bus. And if you want to change your money, there are always a handful of locals at your disposal. Fairly simple after you know what to expect.
We continued on our leg through Kenya and into Nairobi. From what I was told, Nairobi looked like a lively metropolis. Bright lights and tall buildings. Too bad I was asleep. We unloaded and picked up some passengers before making our way into Uganda.
We crossed the Ugandan border at sunrise. By 1100 we were in Kampala. Tired, hungry and glad to still be alive.
We stayed at a backpackers hostel in Kampala. Nice place, but expensive food compared to local meals. I explored the city that evening and even managed to fend off a pickpocket after leaving the ATM. We had planned to go on a 2-day white water rafting trip the next day, but half of the group we were going with cancelled. So instead, 1 day.
We rafted with Adrift, based out of Jinja. They picked us up early the next day and we headed to some hotels to pick up other rafters.
At the Adrift camp we met our team of rafters and our guides. Our guide, Josh was Canadian and works here for 6 months to raft. Our raft included three Italian brothers on holiday. Great guys.
The trip lasted all day, lunch to break up the day, and included some wicked rafting at the source of the Nile. Class 3, 4 and 5 rapids enough to scare the shit out of you. Even a 15 foot waterfall. Backwards! An awesome time.
We spent a total of 5 days in Kampala exploring the city and visiting the Kasubi Tombs of the Buganda People, recognized as a World Heritage Site.
From Kampala we would head to Lake Bunyoni near the Rwandan border for a few nights before making our way to Kigali, Rwanda.
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