gilchrs

14th September, Masaai Mara, Kenya

Arrival in Kenya means two things: more people and lots more wildlife! We have picked up a further 6 passengers, taking the total now to 15, which has changed what had become a very tight group.

After a painless border crossing from Uganda, we arrived in Eldoret and enjoyed a rowdy night in its stunning 'Cavern Bar' before moving on to a campsite on the outskirts of Nakuru game reserve where we were lucky enough to spot rhino, zebra, impala, thousands of flamingoes, and best of all aq young leopard stalking two waterbuck. This was all within the first hour, which certainly got our heartrates up after such an early start!

Then it was on to Navasha, where we camped on the shores of the hippo pools who often came ashore to graze alongside our campsite. WE spent a day on Lake Navasha, viewing hippo by boat and giraffe and zebra on foot. To finish the day we visited a local school and walked through a town which looked more like a rubbish dump.

And now we are here on the edge of the famous Masaai Mara- the game reserve with the highest concentration of game on the planet- during the wilderbeast migration. Our epic 11 hour game drive today was nothing short of spectacular. Aside from seeing 14 different lion in the day, there were plenty of buffalo, wilderbeast, warthog, thomson's gazelle and elephant, who were undoubtedly the highlight of the day. At one point the a mother and her young calf brushed past within a metre of the truck totally obliviuos to our prescence. The only slight disappointment in the day was that we didnt see any leopard or cheetah- but beggars cant be choosers I guess!

The first part of this tour is coming to an end now as we leave for Nairobi tomorrow, stopping off to visit a Masaai village and to drop our Masaai guide Samuel off. Then its Nairobi for two nights before we bid farewell to two close friends.

!! PS: Check out my photos at: http://sgilchriest.photosite.com/ or on Facebook

7th September, Sipi Falls, Uganda

We left Kampala early to our next stop, Jinja which sits at the source of the Nile by Lake Victoria. The campsite at Jinja is truly stunning- on the banks of the Nile with fantastic views and perhaps the best setting for a bar I have ever seen. In the evenings, we watched the sun set perfectly over the surging water with frosty beers- paradise on earth!

Some of the guys chose white-water rafting, but I'm hoping to still have enough money left by vic falls to do it there! We also volunteered for a day with a local community scheme called SoftPower. We helped them finish of building work on a community centre, education centre, and crafts building. We spent most of the day painting a pottery and playing with the local kids, leaving shattered but rewarded.

We are now in the secluded mountain village of Sipi Falls, two hours east of Jinja, which has a series of spectacular waterfalls and a welcoming atmosphere. Having taken time to relax and enjoy the view, Diggers and I decided to venture into the village. Immediately we were approached by a local guide, Patrick, who didn't charge (which was nice!).

Patrick took us through the banana plantations to the peak of the biggest waterfall before introducing us to the locals at the local bar. Well, I say bar, it was more of a hut with an interesting mud decor! This was an amazing experience, full of drunk locals who we;comed us with open arms like prodigal sons. they plied us with local beer (some kind of maize brew that looked like porridge drunk through the spout of a teapot!) and some crazy white spirit that tasted like vodka, but i swear made me go blind for a bit! It was the first time I didn't feel like a tourist, but rather a villager, which was pretty humbling. They didnt want money, but just wanted to talk to the 'Muzungu' (white man)- I felt like I was in an episode of that BBC show Tribe!!

Reluctantly we had to leave the bar, before watching a perfect sunset from a peak near our campsite, followed by beer and stories around the camp fire.

Tomorrow we leave Uganda and cross back over into Kenya, where the people seem equally friendly but tend to sit around waiting for things to happen to them. Uganda has struck me as a special place full of spectacular scenery and generous people, and is a country that's going places unlike much of Africa. Kenya holds lots of game viewing, but it is the people of Uganda who have left their mark on me, hopefully never to be forgotten.

4th September, Kampala, Uganda.

What an incredible few days! Having arrived in Kisoro (the 'Gateway to the Gorillas') in the early afternoon, we were all thouroughly taken aback by what happened that night.

About 30 children from the local orpahnage who's parents had died in the rwandan genocide and from epidemics such as Aids and Malaria came to our camp to put on a show.

I've seena lot of these dancing performances in Africa before, but none of those came close to this. The enrgy and enthusiasm with which they danced, enticed everyone to join in, and told us of both their sadness of the past and hope for the future that the orphanage has given them, was humbling to say the least.

It left the whole audience in awe- so much so that many of us have promised ourselves to sponsor an orphan when we get home- and left everyone's eyes brimming, and consciences touched.

The morning after we woke before dawn to drive to the Uganda/ Congo border to trek for Mountain Gorillas. After a relatively short trek of just over an hour through dense forest, we encountered a family of wild Gorillas for the first time.

At first, it felt surreal- as if you had to keep reminding yourself that this wasn't a zoo with perspex glass, but rather 12 of the 600 or so wild Gorillas left in the world. Once past the initial shock, the experience was extraordinary and worth every penny. they scaled trees, fed on roots, played, and watched us with curiosity without a care in the world.

The experience was unique and unforgetable, but before we knew it our hour with the Gorillas was over. I caught myself trying to remember every last detail of the encounter before those memories were lost forever.

The road back to Kampala was rough, but spectacular. All around us the Ugandan hills rose and towered before giving way to lush valleys. The truck, however, didn't enjoy the ride quite so much. We've managed to break three of the four suspension springs in under a week- after Mark our tour leader had gone two years without doing one! Each has meant lengthy repairs and delays, and plenty of hard graft.

Hopefully we'll make it back to Nairobi in one piece!

Kisoro, Uganda

My first night in Nairobi was extraordinary, to say the least! It all started with an airport transfer in a rickety old Datsun where you could see the road through the floor, and troads where three cars regularly squeeze into a narrow dual carrigway side by side.

Add to this a drive around the darkened suburbs of Nairobi trying to find the backpackers camp with a driver who spoke little English, and you can sa it was going less than smoothly! Eventually I made it and got an awful nights's sleep after unpacking in the dark.

The group i'm travelling with are a great bunch of people- five aussies, myself and another Brit. Plus, mark the tour leader is an aussie expat- meaning lots of awful aussie music and I can alreay hear myself starting to talk with the dreaded aussie twang! Everyone seems to be on the same wavelength though, and are getting on really well.

We left Nairobi early after a quick breakfast, and were faced with a draining 12 hour drive to our first camp (which included a wrong turn that cost us an extra hour and a half). Even so, the drive was fun- driving through small villages on the way where the children run hundreds of yards just to wave at the white people!

This really sums up Central Africa so far to me- nothing works and no-one is ever on time, so logically it should be a nightmare to travel. But the entuhusiasm with which nearly everyone welcomes you is something that never fails to suprise you.

The only thing that slightly sours this is the dehgree of poverty these people face. In some of the older villager's eyes you snese a stare that burns right through to your core, as if to say "How dare you expect me to wave back at you as if you and I were born equal, just thinking that a wave will solve my problems". This guilt is something that Western travellers like us are never able to get over.

Nevertheless we've been on the road for four days now, making further camps at Kampala, Uganda's capital, Kabale, and today Kisoro. The drive today was spectacular through the Ugandan mountains, with children chasing us down the hills at full pelt in barfeet!

Although we've had some long driving days, they've been broken up by things such as crossing the equator yesterday- and anyway, it's all been in pursuit of a worthy cause- the highlight of the trip for most: trekking to find the endangered Mountain Gorillas in the Congo tomorrow...

Hi, and welcome to my TravelBlog!

Just thought I'd write my first entry while I'm still in familiar territory.

I'm currently in a confused state somewhere between wild anticpation and blind panic- there's so much to do before I go! From Malaria Tablets to Sleeping Bags, its now turning into a mad rush to get everything I need. And god only knows how I'm gonna keep all my stuff down to 20 Kilos!

Oh well, that's part of the challenge I guess.

A total of 14 flights and at least 12 countries await, all to be done in 5 months- am I mad? Still, it should all be worth it when I see England retain the Ashes in Sydney on January 7th.

Anyway, won't ramble on, especially as I haven't even left yet!

Onwards to Kenya!

PS. While I'm away I'll be posting some photos on http://sgilchriest.photosite.com/
and will have a new phone number:
09112376913 if calling from the UK (cheaper) or +423-663-112193 from anywhere else if you need to get in touch!