Week 3

Rwanda and Uganda

What we did

A bit of a laid-back vibe to this past week, as we spent most of it chilling out at Itambira Island on Lake Bunyonyi. We crossed the land border from Rwanda into Uganda on Monday, which was a bit of a struggle to figure out. Tensions have been high between the Rwandan and Ugandan governments since March of this year, with the borders effectively being closed to international buses, except for some very inconvenient times which would have seen us arriving at Kabale (the town nearest our island accommodation) at around 2:00 in the morning. We instead opted for ‘Adventure Time’ and caught a local bus out of Ruhengeri to the border at Kyankia. There we crossed over on foot (Tim’s first land border crossing! Very anti-climatic) and hired a car to drive us to Kabale, and from there to Lake Bunyonyi, where our hotel had a water taxi to take us to the island. We picked up some local sim cards in Kabale, but fun-fact, the government of Uganda has some restrictions on the use of social media – there is a monthly tax that must be paid with any internet or mobile subscription to allow the use of such services. This rather inconveniently includes WhatsApp, so we were worried about how to call home for Christmas (can pay the tax from any mobile top up stand though, which are plentiful in Uganda). We had a few lovely days on the lake, at the amazing eco-resort Byoona Amagara, staying in their Deluxe Geo Dome – an open faced, but private hut that looked straight out on to the lake. On Friday we farewelled beautiful Lake Bunyonyi and caught the bus to Kampala. Situated at our Airbnb, nicely settled near the city and close to Acacia Mall (where our every need can be met – our standards have dropped sharply in Africa). Lucky thing we were in such a cosy spot, as Tim spent the entire first day curled up in a ball of sadness, suffering from 24-hour tummy bug. Today though he had the strength to come and see Frozen 2, so he’s obviously doing better!

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Least favourite thing we did

It’s something of a tie between the 7 (but actually 10) hour bus ride to Kampala from Kabale and our expedition with a dug-out canoe on Lake Bunyonyi. The bus ride was very cramped, being a 3 by 2 seater (read 4 by 3) fitted into the shell of what would be a 2 by 2 coach in Australia (yet somehow had a wider aisle than one).

Our romantic, but naïve, foray with a dugout canoe – hired from our hotel, with two paddles, nil instructions and a friendly shove off the dock – turned into a bit of a nightmare. As we had read prior, most Muzungus spend their time spinning in circles about 50 metres from where they began before dejectedly returning, we’re not sure why we expected a different result. We persevered however, and four hours later, having made it around the neighbouring island via the scenic route with a few dozen extra zig-zags, we returned blistered, with sore bottoms, a new suite of sunburn, and our marriage in tact. That last was not a given at several points of the voyage. Seriously, trying to keeping that bloody boat straight was such an exercise in teamwork and good communication skills that we would have made for dramatic, prime-time viewing on the Amazing Race. Somehow we both resisted the urge to turf the other off on Punishment Island (a legit place on Lake Bunyoni where unwed pregnant women were exiled to – until they perished or some bloke with swamp breath came along to pick up a bride).

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Favourite thing we did

Getting to jump into the beautiful fresh (and clear – looking at you Lake Burley Griffin!) water of Lake Bunyonyi was an absolute delight. We were a bit trepidatious at first, but the repeated assurances from others that Lake Bunyonyi possess neither crocodiles, hippos or bilharzia convinced us it was a true gem. Jumping in after our horror canoe ride was a restorative experience.

Favourite thing we ate

Byoona Amagara resort has an incredibly inventive and delicious menu, especially for a place with limited access to power and only very local ingredients (so no meat and minimal dairy). There were several stand out dishes we had while staying there but Kirsten’s favourite or the week was the potato pancake, hilariously named The Paddling Dutchman. With a side of guacamole (and some of Tim’s wedges) it was starchy perfection on a plate.

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For Tim, it was the Eggs Benedict he got to eat this morning. After consuming nothing but crackers and Panadol yesterday, it was like watching one of those videos where a baby eats bacon for the first time.

Favourite thing we drank

We both enjoyed a few bottles of a local Ugandan beer called Nile while staying at Byoona Amagara. The place being an eco-lodge and running entirely on solar power meant that cold drinks were not a priority. However, the adjacent hotel either had better solar panels, or less environmentally conscious management, the upside of which is they had cold beer.

Biggest splurge

As Christmas is drawing close and we have had to accept that we don’t have room in our packs for any presents to one another or souvenirs to take along, we have decided to reallocate those funds. Specifically we went and bought a $23 AUD box of Lindt chocolates to gorge on.

Best deal

Our Airbnb in Kampala has been a great deal, at $37 AUD a night (roughly 88,000 UGX). It’s in an excellent location, with good facilities, a decent shower (hot water and a bit more pressure than what else we’ve seen), and best of all no bedbugs! It has definitely redeemed the idea of the African Airbnb for us.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Having just remembered this will be our last post before Christmas, we want to wish you and all your families a joy-filled and blessed time over the break!

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