Tenting at Lake Bunyoni

Once we made it to Kabale, Uganda, we took a short cab ride out to Lake Bunyoni. As always, cab drivers are most willing to take you anywhere. We hired a cab that would take us up to the lake.

As we made our way over the hills, the car gave out. It stopped. We looked at each other. The driver tells us no worries. He tries to drive up the hill again. Nope. So we hop out and we start to push. Nope. This was starting to get hilarious. He popped the hood, started unscrewing the spark plugs and takes a good look at them. He then turns to us and says, "Its the spark plugs." He then pulls off the hose feeding the engine with gasoline and gives each spark plug a good bath in the stuff. He screws them back in, connects the petrol line and then tries the engine. It starts, but only crawls up the hill. We walk behind for a bit. Then the car picks up speed and takes off up the hill out of sight. We look at each other, again.

Now we are stuck walking up a hill, laughing out of complete surprise. We hale down the next car that turns out to be a 4WD. In it, 3 men on their way to the lake as well. We hop in and we tell them our story. Once up the hill we see our cab. We ask to stop and proceed to unload the cab with our things and take the 4WD to the lake. But the cab driver still wants his full share of the fare. No way. He gets a good piece of it though.

Back in the 4WD we find out that the front passenger is from Cameroon and is having a conference at a resort on the Lake. The passenger sitting next to us is the resort manager. We think we've struck gold. We even get to use our French. They take us to the resort and invite us to stay. We ask the price and find out its the same for everyone with no discount or any chance of bargaining. However, the location is beautiful and the room is a tent on stilts overlooking the lake. It comes with two beds and a telephone. To keep the cost down we decide to keep one of us on the floor.

Just as we checked in our cab driver friend shows up and says, "You forgot this." He's holding Lindsey's sleeping bag. Now he wants all of his fare. After some discussion we end up giving it to him. Such dedication.

The lake is beautiful and well worth the visit. There are so many birds. I spent one morning sitting on the porch overlooking the lake and watching hundreds of birds.

We met some friends from South Africa on holiday and sat by the fire to chat. Carla and Lindsey headed out for some canoeing the next day after we all got caught in a down pour. Soaked to the bones.

Our next stop was to be Kigali, Rwanda two days later.

Highway to Hell

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.

Up and Up

I finally had the chance to climb to the top of the Uluguru Mountains. Every day I've been looking up wondering what the view is like from there.

Close to the beginning of the project, we all attempted to hike up to an abandoned weekend retreat in the Uluguru Mountains known as Morningside. Morningside lies halfway from the top at 1000m metres. We made it close, but ran out of water forcing us to turn around. We were all tired and headed back down to town.

This time, I was joined by Katherine, who was a volunteer with YCI in Zanzibar, her boyfriend Joel, Habibu, Sebi and Frankie. Habibu and Frankie both help out at the Kilakala Youth Centre. Both have been to the top before and could guide us safely.

We met up just outside town at 0700 with plenty of water, fruits and bread to keep us going throughout the day. I wasn't going to risk my chance getting to the top. The day was overcast and not as hot as usual.

The beginning of the hike takes you through farmland and small villages. Most of the farmland, which once was dense forest, are crops of maize, cassava and beans. Following the path up through the villages you notice how red the soil is. Over time, the soil has eroded exposing tree roots and making some parts of the trail tricky to navigate. That said, we were continually passed by local villagers wearing flip-flops carrying water or other heavy goods on their heads.

Further up, the crops change to bananas, peas, beans, cabbage and onions. The mountainside has been clear cut of trees and cut into a large set of stairs allowing for cultivation. More than two-thirds of the mountain's forest have been replaced with farmland.

We reached Morningside after 4 hours. The last part of the trail up to Morningside had many beautiful flowers and with it butterflies. The view back through the mountains overlooking Morogoro is amazing. We had lunch here and bought some carrots and a "permit" to climb the mountain.

Katherine, Joel and Sebi headed back down while the rest of us would trek on to the top of Bondwe Peak. After leaving Morningside, we took a steep path through more farmland using all four limbs before reaching an abandoned guard post an hour later. We signed our names on the wall inside along with those of previous visitors. Just past the guard post is where the real forest begins. Along both slopes, eucalyptus trees are planted to mark the edge of the forest reserve. However, the demand for farmland, fuel wood and building materials means that the boundaries are often ignored.

Once in the forest, I imagined I was in the Jungle Book. Huge trees, thick bush and ferns everywhere. Butterflies fluttering past me, monkeys chatting and birds calling with songs made it surreal. The hike was not easy by any means, but walking through this enchanted wilderness was breathtaking.

And even in such a beautiful place, with limited means of access, signs of humans are easily found. Garbage, especially plastic bottles, are left on the ground and not packed out. Garbage in town is handled in much the same way. Just toss it. Even though I made it a point to pick up what I could, Habibu didn't think twice about chucking his plastic waste into the forest. I tried to question him and encourage him to pack it out, but when it happened again I gave up.

Nearing the top and three hours later, the path widens and opens up to a beautiful vista at the peak, Bondwe peak. On top, you can see everything. Even though it was overcast, we could still see far enough to enjoy our accomplishment. We watched clouds pass us as they pushed their way over the mountain.

Bondwe peak is home to a communication tower feeding signals for television, radio and telephone. Two staff were present and showed us around the inside of the control room. Apparently they stay for one week and are then relieved by two new staff who also have to trek up the mountain.

We took a rest and I changed by shirt. It was soaked. It could have been pulled straight out of the wash. I wrung out my shirt and I swear, no joke, no exaggeration, I was able to wring out enough sweat to fill a pint glass half full.

For a snack, banana spread on bread and then a nap.

After a half hour on top we headed back down. First out of the forest and then back down through farmland and into town. My legs were tired and I have never been so excited for rice and beans.

Chamwino Gets a New Coat

This morning Carla, Lindsey, Lonny and I headed to Chamwino to continue our programming we started back in October. Lonny ran his computer classes with the help of Kilakala local Barisa which had his sign up sheet filled within minutes, while Carla and I held an English class in the beautiful new school, fresh paint and all.

This is going to be a great asset to the next phase of volunteers, the community and the local youth.

Debrief in Dar

Phase 14 has come to an end. Time to go. At least for most of us.

We spent our debrief in Dar Es Salaam to discuss successes, failures and future goals. Jessica and Lindsey ended our two month phase with great activities. Not to mention we spent those hours debriefing in a real Subway restaurant.

We stayed at the local Y.W.C.A. arriving on Sunday afternoon. After arriving we strolled the streets, sipped coffee and browsed a local bookstore. That evening we went out to the Slipway where you can eat almost any type of food. Everything from pizza to sushi to curry. It felt like a lively city with people, restaurants, bars, a mall and entertainment.

The next morning we saw off Julia who was taking a bus to Moshi. She is planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and will, no doubt, have great stories to tell. It was sad to see her go not knowing when I'll see her again.

So the entire day was spent with the foursome left and we wandered around Dar, checked out a local art museum, the National Museum and played checkers with local fisherman. The National Museum displayed the history of the now Republic of Tanzania. It contained local artifacts, natural sciences and the history of rulers and slavery through the times.

After the museum we walked down to the Ocean in search of food. We were looking for rice and beans, but instead found a small stand selling mishkaki, basically grilled skewered meat. Its delicious. We only had a few skewered, but the "chef" was a wonderfully intelligent man. He spoke fluent English and French. We've never met a local like this before. He sat with us and his conversations were entertaining.

After mishkaki, we followed the beach down to where fisherman were cleaning their boats and enjoying each others company. We were still looking for rice and beans and this is where we found it. A group of women were selling the dish to the local fisherman. We couldn't resist. We asked, we were served, we eat on the floor, we swallowed whole mouthfuls and we paid 800TSH for a bowl of the gold. We definitely got a few laughs, but damn worth it. Having been in Morogoro and speaking Swahili was a plus. Afterwards Lonny and I played checkers with the local fisherman who used water bottle caps as checker pieces. I played first. Dark blue versus light blue. I lost. Lonny played. He lost. We left.That evening, back at the YWCA we had to take the rest of the Zanzibar team and our Katie to the airport. We all piled into a rented daladala and headed out. We saw Katie off, smiling and waving, laughing when she walked through the metal detector and it went off and feeling a little sad. Another one gone. Now, only the three amigos are left standing together heading back to Morogoro, Lonny, Carla and me.

Tick Tock

These past few days have been busy with composing final reports and making sure to get enough time in with everyone we met before heading back home. The past 8 weeks have been the fastest of my life. In the time those weeks have flashed by I made new friends, traveled to beautiful places and learned more about myself and the world around me.

Last minute projects are finally coming together and I hope to have them finished before I leave. Last week Lonny and I finished writing CVs in our boys club and rumour has it that one member already has a job offer. Carla and I run an English class out of the youth centre and this phase saw 4 new women join. They have shown up regularly over the past month showing their commitment to learn. That in turn motivates us to provide the most practical and beneficial lessons with the intention of bringing them back class after class. Consistent attendance can measure success.

Lonny and I live with a generous and loving host family. We wanted to thank them and show them that their hospitality was greatly appreciated. We picked up some school books for Ash and Robert and made a photo collage for the family that is now hanging in the living room. No doubt I will miss them.

Not only am I leaving my friends in Tanzania, but also my colleagues with whom I've made life-long friendships with. They have given me support, provided moments of uncontrollable laughter and challenged me to be who I am. They will be the only ones who can truly appreciate these stories and tie them to a moment in their life.

I do miss home and all the amenities that come with it. Using a bucket to shower is fine, its the Wiener Schnitzel and potato salad I miss the most.

The Island of Zanzibar

We finally decided to make a getaway to Zanzibar for the weekend.

We left early Friday morning at 0600 to catch the first bus out of Morogoro headed to Dar Es Salaam. At the bus station we managed to find a bus half full and only had to wait 15 or 20 minutes before leaving just after 0700.

In Dar we took a 20 minute cab ride to the harbour. There were so many cab drivers looking for customers. The starting price was 20,000Tsh! We were told no more than 10,000Tsh so we laughed and waited for a driver to come down to the fair price. We loaded the cab, with harassment and left the bus station. We arrived at the harbour at 0930.

At the harbour we had to buy our tickets for the ferry. There are many boats and everyone wants to sell to you. We went inside one ticket office and handed over our passports for the sales rep to copy our names. Before leaving, Jess and Linds told us that fares would be around 35-40,000Tsh. The price we given was 60,000Tsh. So we grabbed our passports and walked out of the office. Apparently, we needed residence permits to buy the tickets at the lower price. A few minutes later the same sales rep approaches us and tells us that his manager has found us a solution. We meet with his manager who apparently was able to "find" seats for us for 40,000Tsh and even "upgraded" us to first class for "free."

The ferry was double hulled like a "cat" and took about 2 hours to cross to Zanzibar. The ferry itself was in good shape and we had no problems crossing. We even meet 4 Norwegian girls spending 5 weeks working at the hospital in Zanzibar.

Once we reached the island we were required to show our passports again and fill in immigration paperwork. Although Zanzibar and Tanzania now make up the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar still acts as though it were separate. My passport now has one more stamp.

The buildings in Stonetown are old and they make up a labyrinth throughout the town. Getting to our Inn with the help of the Zanzi volunteers proved helpful. We definitely would have lost our way. After settling into our rooms we headed out to see the nightlife in Stonetown.

We made our way through the town and in and out of markets. It is a totally different feel than Morogoro, tourists everywhere. Be prepared to be offered all sorts of T-shirts and CDs. In a small street we found stands laden with fish and meat. All was ready to be grilled in front of you. There was even a man grilling pizzas. It was delicious.

We spent Saturday in Page, and hour by daladala, at a quiet beach enjoying the rolling surf and mesmerizing colours of the Indian Ocean. The water salty and warm.

That evening we were invited to a feast at the volunteers host family house. There were 14 of us in total and the food was amazing. There was Pilau (rice and potatoes with spices), sugar cane noodles, fresh vegetables, fresh bread and other amazing foods that I don't know the name to.

Sunday was one of the greatest days. We booked a trip with Safari Blue, a trip over the Indian Ocean. We took a taxi down to Fumba where the trip left from. We boarded into wooden sailboats known as Dhows. These were rigged with an outboard motor that would get us to the sandbar for the first leg of the trip. On the way to the sandbar we saw 5 dolphins.

After making it to the sandbar, we grabbed some fresh pineapple and our snorkeling gear before heading out to snorkel. Back on the boat, we travelled around an island to a wonderful reef with many fish. We geared up and jumped into the water snorkeling with all sorts of fish. It was a great experience.

Later we headed into a mangrove lagoon to relax and swim for a bit.

After the lagoon we went to a larger island where we were treated to traditional music and dance along with some amazing seafood; local fish, lobster, rice, coconut tomato sauce and a sample of local fruit.

We spent the rest of the afternoon eating, exploring and swimming in the ocean.

When we were ready to leave we boarded our dhow, raised the sail, and skimmed our way back to mainland in the wind.

The day ended at a fantastic Italian restaurant with pasta and pizza.