cycling tour day 9.

We hit a bump 2kms in. The back wheel of my bike wouldn't stay straight and so it was rubbing against the frame. No amount of remounting the wheel was helping. I could barely ride it on the flat, with most of the weight taken out of my panniers, let alone up the 50km's of hills we were meant to be climbing today. Where we were going today is much more remote as well. So that was that. Not really much choice but to ride the 7k's back to Ishaka and start heading back to Kampala.
Part of me felt extremely guilty for the journey being cut short. But Tim had a go on my bike too and was shocked by how hard it was, plus both of us confessed to feeling slightly relieved and completely satisfied with what we had seen and accomplished. I'll add the total kms travelled later and let you know what we did.
We managed to get a bus almost straight away in Ishaka travelling through to Kampala. A long and uncomfortable journey but now here we are in the New Gloria again with a flushing toilet, luke warm water out of a shower head and electricity. Gosh!
We are both looking very lean and quite brown, and you should of seen the colour of the water when I washed my hair...gross!

cycling tour day 8.

More up hill and hot, hot heat. My gears are getting really shonky, and I am tired of being stared at. It's not good because it means you feel narky towards people who are mostly being friendly. Mostly tarmac today, but with some huge climbs, then a glorious 5 minutes of speeding down hill, forest and tea plantations flying past. Its a long time to not peddle when you are going so fast.
In Ishaka, a dusty, bustle of a town we stopped for lunch. It was interesting watch our guide Patrick watch this crappy action movie on tv. He has never been to the movies before and was quite miffed by what he saw and that we were laughing in the (completely over the top) sad bits. On the way to the village we stay at my back wheel started sticking, I had to work really hard to travel the measly 5kms. We tried to fix it when we arrived, but the guys think my wheel might be a bit bent and don't know how to replace spokes.
We also tried hanging out in the bar at the front of the guesthouse (chirpier owners today - same hygene levels though) but we were being stare at so much we went and hid in uor room. It sounds pathetic I know but it wasn't just just curious glances. Unbroken stares and not responding to nods or a smile from us. Not many Muzungu come to this place. We had dinner out the back of a tiny bar, where children snuck their heads out of doorways to peek at how muzungu eat (the same as them it turns out!).
I should explain that a bar in rural Uganda generally means a door into a small room that has a bench at the back with beers (in a fridge if you are lucky), sodas, and some spirits (whisky and gin I think) in plastic pouches - we haven't been game to try... Sometimes an establishment will have a pool table. Usually its a couple of plastic chairs and tables and the room is decorated with all the free stuff you get when you stock a particular brand. Then there is a door to out the back where you find festy latrines behind a wall, and women cooking over little coal fires on the ground of a courtyard.

cycling tour day 7

Fresh lion prints in the dirt track as we left the park this morning! Our guide Patrick tells us they have usually eaten by this time of day and so are not hunting. Excellent. Tim was real stressed and just wanted to get out of there.
We stopped for more buffalo and hippo on the road though. The buffulo in particular are pretty intimidating to cycle past. They swing their heads to watch us go by. They have a sour expression, massive horns and although vegetarian they have a penchant for trampeling things... we cycled hastily alongside the channel, until we were out of the park where I finally stopped to tweak some bike trouble I am having, tire  is rubbing a bit.
My body is getting weary today. My hands and butt are aching as soon as I get on my bike which is taking some of the enjoyment out of the journey. Also the heat and consistant climbing.
We stopped for mango on the way, they eat them in a different way to us. Biting into it whole and spitting out the skin along the way. Road sides are litered with mango seeds and skin! We climbed out of the rift valley and stopped to admire the view, as well as be hasseled for sweets from children. Thankfully an American safari van came along with willing suppliers. We told the children there are rich muzungu and poor muzungu. Muzungu on bicycles are poor because they can't afford a car! I'm not sure if we convinced them...
In the village we are staying in an african hotel. The girls running it are decidedly surly and the facilities pretty grim. We napped in the afternoon and woke covered in sweat from the heat. The village is situated near twin crater lakes, we walked to them past banana crops and goats and had 5 minutes of quiet before we were descende upon by a bunch of teenage girls coming from their confirmation (it is Sunday) They were hysterical (like teen girls everywhere) and wanted us to take all their portraits. Which I did. The funny thing is they would become extremely sollom in front of the camera and then I would show them their picture and they would go in to fits of hysterical laughter again.
We took a boda boda (motorbike) to meet patrick at a place he had found. I tried riding side saddle like all the women here do on the backs of bikes but I decided I would rather flash my pasty white thighs to the world (in a skirt) than risk coming that close to falling off again! The place was fantastic. An eco lodge this guy called David is setting up, usuing natural resources. It doesnt have rooms yet, just camping facilities, but we had an amazing dinner there. With real salad stuff! Generally a salad consists of cabbage and tomato, but we had lettuce and carrots and green herbs! We also got taken down to a cave next to the crater lake and told stories of how the land used to be. Tim tried Tonto - local banana beer - not my kind of brew at all but Timmy really liked it, much to the locals amusement!
Now I am not sure if we will get sleep as there are several parties in honour of the confirmations taking place all over the village with huge speakers set up out on the street. eek.

cycling tour day 6.

An early start and some minor repairs needed to my tyres before we left. It was a fairly cruisy 50ks though. Mostly tarmac and fairly flat.
We cycled past the border to Congo and then stopped on the equator line to eat fresh pineapple. The pineapple here is unreal. So. So. Good. Crossing the equator was a cool acheivement. Entering the Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENT) we immediatly saw warthogs, tails sticking up trotting across the road. Also Ugandan Kob and antelope, buffulo and elephant. As we got off the road and onto dirt track a hippo crossed our path. I didnt feel any fear although I contemplated the dangers. I think I am feeling a bit invinceable. We watched it cross and then road fast past it, it gave a fright but ran away from us not towards us thankfully!
At the park we went on the boat safari along the channel between lake edward and lake george.  The birds here are beautiful. Kingfisher, storks, cormerants, geese, eagle, ibis, swallow, spoonbills, pelicans, herons also hippo, buffulo and a lone elephants down enjoying the water in the late afternoon sun.
I am feeling weary but is mostly emotionally so. Aside from aching palms my body feels good and fit. We attempted dinner at the extremely swanky lodge up the road from the hostel we are staying in, but left after a glass of wine and finding out the prices!

cycling tour day 5.

Rest day. Kasese isn't a very interesting town. It is flat and dusty. We watched a solar eclipse this morning though, spent a chunk of time on the internet, had a long phone chat to my parents which was so wonderful, did some bike maintenance, and wandered through the markets... avoiding the meat section. Whole skinned animals are hanging in the open air, and people ask for a bit and the butcher hacks at the carcass until it falls off. It's quite disturbing for vegetarian me and the smell! Eurgh!
We found a great pub that served actual cold beer. Our first properly cold brew since being here. It was heavenly. We played cards and watched hilarious old video hits with Kylie, Michael Bolton and then cool Ugandan pop stuff too. When African pop isnt playing here, its almost gaurenteed to be Celine Dion. It makes us quite embarrased!

cycling tour day 4.

After dinner last night a womans group came and entertained all the guests with singing and dancing. It was fantastic. Fiesty older women, confident teenagers and very serious little girls. Their feet banging out the rhythm of the one male drummer, and their hips twisting at invisible speed.
Today we cycled 65kms. It was hard. Really, really hard. We set off early through cool low clouds - going up and up for a long long time. The scenery was spectacular, and Tim and I noticed a certain care for land and home in these parts we hadn't seen elsewhere. Everyone we saw was carrying a hoe to a field, houses neat and swept, none of the rubbish we have seen strewn around.
The entire journey had a constant sound track of children, occasionally they followed us. (Nothing like a hoard of 8 year olds chasing after you to give you the energy to climb a vicious hill!) One family we gave pens to, as there was only a reasonable amount of children around. It is impossible to give when there are so many kids as we don't nearly have enough. I have taken to frowning at kids who simply say "give me my money" in a growl, but this is a small percentage compared to the amount who shreik with excitement at the muzungu. One small toddler froze in absolute terror and ran away crying at the sight of us. I dont know if it is our white skin or that we just looked a fright from the high descent we had made on a bicycle!
We stopped to rest in a town with so, so many children.They all looked so poor. At one point we were surrounded by 50 (I counted) staring at us, quietly whispering to each other. As you can imagine it was incredibly uncomfortable - feeling like a cross between a celebrity and a freak show. Everywhere people often stop in their tracks to stare at us. I gave staring back a go - it seems to work for the kids, not the adults. Mostly adults have been nice though. They hold an expression which is stoney and worn - but with a respectful nod and smile perhaps "oli otya" from us a warm smile, even laugh at our attempt at Lugandan and a wave is returned.
I almost fainted when we arrived in Kasese. I was dehydrated, and bloody tired, and as it turned out, sunburnt, despite slatherings of sunscreen. Tim was amazing and looked after me. We are so proud of the distance travelled today, and looking forward to our rest day tomorrow.

 

 

 

Some photos this internet has kindly let me upload:

1) We saw a solar eclipse at 8am one morning in Kasese.

2) Timmy and I crossing the equator on our bicycles - we ate a celebratory pineapple!

3) In Queen Elizabeth national park we took a 3 hour boat safari to soak up the hippo, buffalo and bird life there.

4) That is a rather spectacular sunset over the Nile, where we stayed 2 nights agi.

I am so pleased to have been able to get some photos up here! I only have one of the many memory cards with me at the net cafe and the internet is incredibly slow so I just had to select a couple to wet your taste buds!!! My feeling is you will have to wait till I am home before I can bombard you with some of the several thousand photos taken!

We wish to welcome you to Muzungu land.

I am back from the cycling trip but am minus my notebook to keep on writing out each blow by blow account of the days. So this is a brief interlude to say hello and hug my dear sweet friend the internet.We are writing this from a mall that seems to be where all the Muzungu (white people) in Uganda are hiding. Its quite astounding to come face to face with blue eyes again and not be stared at (in horror by small children, wonderment by older ones). I am also sipping an averagely okay coffee. *heart it races*
It is also a a shock to the wallet when a meal here costs the equivalent of US$5 rather than US$1. Ouch!!!

So I have this weird dilemma where I want to keep my travel stories in order of events on the internet but actually cant (the lack of notebook situation). I havent even written about Kenya yet and that was 3 weeks ago!! (It was cool - but I like Uganda better as a country!) So do I mess with the interweb cosmos and publish things in the order they actually happened in reality - meaning that it will be hard for others to find things I have written - but make more sense to me as I reflect... or do I just write things down as I get the chance? Chances are I will be updating this with events long after they happened and in no particular order. My slightly obsessive compulsive side wants things to appear on the internet in the order they actually happened... may be I can just tell you all to go back and look at it then...

Never the less, briefly: We are still here. The bike trip finished we went white water rafting on the Nile yesterday.  It was the most incredible bestest fun ever, but hurt my body heaps more than 10 days of cycling. Tomorrow we head out West again to Kamwenge (google earth it!) to begin our voluntourism! It seems every other traveller we meet here is doing some kind of volunteering. Literally. Every single one. Not that that's a bad thing.

cycling tour day 3

An early rise and some anxiety as to whether we would get on a chimp tracking tour. While we waited we walked on the road we cycled yesterday, soaking up the forest properly and waiting for the butterflys to wake up.
Into the jungle with our guide Edison. As seems to often be the case we make a lucky pair, as we quickly came upon chimpanzee's. Just the two of us with our guide meant that we did some real proper bush bashing, pushing through trees and vines - following the amazing creatures on the ground of the forest.
I can not describe what it was like to be surrounded by animals so similar to myself. We got caught in the middle of a fight / hunt and followed through the midst of it. Surrounded by chimps screaming, running, buttress drumming even. Then later resting, babies playing, grooming each other and staring us right in the eyes and turning uninterestedly away. Our mouths open with amazed smiles, hearts pumping. we couldn't believe our eyes. It was actually a very emotional experience which may seem strange, and it felt strange for me.
Cycling back to our next accomodation was the most grueling two hours. Up and up steep long mountain sides on dirt track. By the end though we were so flipping proud of ourselves. Where we stay tonight is next to a crater lake you can swim in, 400Ms deep. We dived straight in to the beautiful cool water. Not many Ugandans can swim so they thought us quite funny. Now walking, showering, drinking (cooler - yay for refridgeration!) beer we soak up this little slice of tropical paradise.

cycling tour day 2

Magical rain forest. First monkey sightings as we flash through cool patches of air - like the warms patches you find in the sea.
We cycled a long way today all on gravel road. All hilly.
Fort Portal was a challenge in patience (africa timing) and poverty and mental health. A boy with no words in English or Lugandan and almost no clothes standing hand outstretched for money and then masturbating in public next to me. I left, feeling quite shaken.
We climbed up some ridiculously steep hills - made more so by the weight of panniers, which we are still getting used to, and rocky roads, all with breathtaking (literally) views at the top. Rows of tea, cassava, banana (matoke) and strangely gum trees, which leave us with an odd sense of home as we flash through the smell of them.
Rattily clad children wave and shout but the ones that live on steep hills miss out on our returned greetings.
In Kibale national park there are flocks, droves of gorgeous butterflys. Tonight we sleep on the edge of the forest in a mud made, grass roofed round hut, with candles and jerry cans of water. Strangely the girl carrying the lantern also talked on a mobile phone and awesomely the guy riding the jerry can of water on his bicycle had it stoppered with a sweet potato!
Nest weaver birds are going bezerk all around us and we are drinking luke warm beer.

 

cycling tour day 1

Golden afternoon sunlight flickering through incredible, lushous greenery. Red, red, red soil. Children: How are you? I am fine! Over and over. It is the first bit of English they learn in school. Body feeling enlivened by exercise, movement, adventure.
Forget about the bus journey, cultural frustrations and the most hideous excuse for a latrine i have witnessed yet.
Instead: Glorious mountains dissapearing into cloud and then hazzily, dreamily, reappearing almost to touch the pink setting sun.
Tonight will hopefully be our first of quiet undisturbed sleep in Africa so far. The stars are beautiful and numerous. We feel bold, free and alive.

January 2nd

A very early start seen of by my darling Caz, Vez and Anna. We flew all day and arrived in Nairobi to torrential rain, a leaking tent (instead of the room I booked), and a vast crowd of evangelical Americans. Positievs were watching movies, the food by the airline and watching snow capped Swiss mountain tops peaking out of clouds.

Africa week 1

I have been in Africa for a week now and so far haven't been able to upload any photos. However, we are having an amazing time. Lapping up the heat and the... different-ness! Nairobi was a little stressful, but that said we are remembering the kind people too. The lady that told tim that he was almost pickpocketed and to be careful. The man in the back of the matatu that tried to help us with our location! We went on safari and saw creatures that belong on David Attenbourgh documentries close at hand!
We got to Kamapala today and we are loving Uganda a lot. Experiencing the food, the roads (trying to cross them with our lives still intact), the heat, the huge storks that circle the city, offers of bodaboda rides, and curious glances. Time is almost up, will post photos one day!
*love*

the NORTH!

Sunny (that's a big fat lie) Newcastle-upon-Tyne... quite a cool city actually... made cooler by my friendy Vez, who gave us the whirl wind tour.

outings! Camber sands & Bodium castle

The family took a day-after-boxing-day outing to camber sands. What is it with English people wanting to be cold on a beach?? I don't understand. However, I love the British for their endless supplies of tea, always having ginger wine at their pubs, oh oh the sheer COSYNESS of the pubs, their obsession with cheese, and for lots of them being my wonderful friends and family.
Then, to further Tims castle love affair, we went to Bodium, which was unfortunately closed but we walked around it and took pictures of it from just about every angle.