Kampala to Bwindi

After a beautiful 8 hour drive to the southwestern corner of Uganda, we arrived in Kabale where we were to spend the night before our early morning trek. On the way to Kabale, we crossed the equator where we stopped for a photo op – each of us straddling both the north and south.

We decided to treat ourselves to café lattes in the little restaurant and gift shop, before proceeding to our destination. The lattes were delicious but scalding hot, so I decided to spill some of mine out rather than risk burning myself while riding over the rough terrain. Well, the best laid plans… As I entered the van after my 3 traveling companions, one inadvertently put out her arm, splashing the latte into my face and over my clothes. The lower portion of my face was burned but luckily not to the point of permanent damage but enough to bring tears to my eyes. Had we been in the States at a McDonalds, a lawsuit would have been in order, assuming I had a litiginous nature!

Our drive to Kabale and ultimately to the Bwindi Rain Forest involved a climb from 4000 ft above sea level to 6,232 ft. The country is very hilly with variegated shades of green against clay colored soil, making for a stunning landscape. Banana trees and tea are planted everywhere and little black, brown, white and multi-colored goats, and cows graze along the roadside, sharing the space with locals of all ages walking to their various destinations. Colorful crudely constructed small stores and homes interrupt the bucolic scene, indicating a small village. As we climb, the pastoral scenes become more breathtaking with terraced hills and homes perched high above mist covered valleys. The narrow roads require our driver to honk throughout our journey, as a warning to bicyclists, pedestrians, and animals to move aside. Unlike in the States where many take a honking horn as a personal affront and respond with a descriptive gesture which is less than polite, the Ugandas simply comply, knowing the driver is motivated by their safety. Children along the roads are always excited to see Mzungos (white people) passing by and greet us with waves and smiles. Mountains arise in the distance (the Ruwenzoris), which mark the boundary between Uganda and the Congo and Uganda and Rwanda. ( I hope to have some photos to share at some point.)

We were all happy to arrive at our hotel and have the chance to stretch are legs and meander around the small village before turning in for the night. We were in bed by 10PM, so as to make a 6 AM pickup for our drive to the start of our trek into the dense Bwindi National Park in search of gorillas.

Next entry… our trek.