Week 4

Uganda and Kenya

What we did

We began the week in Kampala, with Tim just having recovered from his tummy bug. On Monday we did the ‘Big Kampala Walking Tour’ with a local guide (Joan). We explored the chaotic streets of downtown Kampala and took in the sights, sounds and smells of the main city markets.

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We also got to visit the beautiful Gadaffi Mosque (yes Gaddaffi paid for its completion) and the Mengo Palace, including a creepy underground bunker that was used as a torture chamber by both Idi Amin and Milton Obote. Fun fact – Kirsten had to wear a wraparound skirt at the Palace because all women who visit the Palace are the property/wives of the King? We finished the day with the ultimate pre-Christmas treat for Tim – Kirsten accompanying him to see the new Star Wars movie.

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We were booked in to do white water rafting on the White Nile the next day on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, Kirsten’s stomach had other plans, choosing to become violently ill about 6 hours before we were due to be picked up in Kampala and transferred to Jinja (about 2 hours away) by our rafting company. We decided to take the transfer to Jinja anyway (with Kirsten somehow holding all of her bodily fluids in for the duration), as we didn’t want to spend Christmas in Kampala and making our own way to Jinja later in the day was likely to take much longer. Upon our arrival in Jinja Kirsten proceeded to curl up in her own ball of sadness (much like Tim’s a few days earlier), only tentatively emerging on Christmas Day.

On Christmas Day we staked out a couch with the best views of the Nile at our accommodation (The Nile River Camp) and spent the day reading, eating (mainly Tim, Kirsten still feeling tender), calling our families and chatting with other travellers.

On Boxing Day, with Kirsten feeling significantly better, we finally ventured out to do our planned white-water rafting trip on the White Nile, which was an absolute blast. Then we bid a sad farewell to Uganda, with a 14 hour bus trip to Nairobi, Kenya.

Our first day in Nairobi was spent running around town doing life admin type things (getting SIM cards, withdrawing money, doing laundry), because on Sunday we will be heading off for 3 nights to the Maasai Mara National Park! For two of those nights we will be doing a homestay at a Maasai village, and that is where we will be spending our New Years Eve.  

Favourite thing we did

We were only meant to have two nights in Jinja, but we decided to extend our stay by one more night to raft on Boxing day instead. It meant forfeiting a night of accommodation we had already paid for in Nairobi and spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to reschedule our bus tickets (about 7 phone calls and 2 visits to the office), but it was absolutely worth it. We had an absolute blast!

Unfortunately, because of the recent heavy rains (and the associated mud) in addition to the damming of the river in recent years and corresponding low water level on the day we rafted, we were only able to tackle 3 out of the possible 8 rapids on the river. But our guide Ash was fabulous, taking us back multiple times for ‘surfing’ at the bottom of some of the rapids. We had a wonderful time and would highly recommend the company we rafted with (Nalubale).

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Least favourite thing we did

Urgh… long distance buses. The 14 hour journey from Jinja to Nairobi was definitely the least enjoyable thing we did this week (other than being sick). We managed to score ourselves a much more comfortable bus for this leg than we had from Kabale – Kampala, but 14 hours is a very long time and it was still unairconditioned (Kirsten keeps bringing her jumper on these bus trips because she keeps expecting the bus to be airconditioned … she continues to be disappointed). It was an extremely bumpy trip (Kenyan roads have the biggest speed bumps we’ve ever seen), but the upside was several hours of the most incredible music videos of dancing gospel choirs. Hot tip: 14 hours next to an open window and a whole lotta dust will give your hair the most volume it’s ever had! No Australian hairdresser has ever succeeded in achieving this kind of volume in Kirsten’s fine blonde hair!

Favourite thing we ate

We had a delightful meal in Nairobi at Italian restaurant, Trattoria. While a bit on the expensive side (we each just had a pasta – our Kenya budget doesn’t quite stretch to a three course affair – this was more of a ‘Linner’ situation) the food was excellent. Handmade pasta cooked perfectly and generous servings. Kirsten had the Rigatoni with mushroom, leek, bacon and cheese. Tim lapped up the Fettuccini Trattoria, a house specialty which he highly recommends.

Favourite thing we drank

Kirsten loved the ginger infused ‘African tea’ from Nile River Camp and swore by its restorative properties. It was the only thing she was able to keep down on our first day at the camp.

While Tim wouldn’t necessarily be adding this one to the cellar, a dubiously marked plastic bottle which contained champagne or some imitation thereof was his most memorable drink of the week. Proffered by a friendly Dutch duo who were also staying at the Nile River Camp on Christmas Day, it was also shared with a lovely Belgian couple who we had also met at Byoona Amagara on Lake Bunyonyi.

Biggest splurge

Finding accommodation in Africa has generally been a balancing act between price and a tolerable level of comfort (with our standards rapidly plunging as to exactly what qualifies as ‘tolerable’). However, safety is also a significant concern, particularly in the bigger cities. Nairobi’s reputation (the city is often nicknamed Nai-robbery) was particularly daunting, so we chose to blow our nightly accommodation budget and fork out A$110 / night on a hotel with good reviews, good security and a location within a safer part of the city. This was particularly painful, as the booking was non-refundable so we paid for a room we didn’t use on first night in order to be able to stay an extra night in Jinja and actually go white water rafting.

But it was all worth it when we stumbled off our 14-hour bus ride from Uganda, deliriously tired and covered in mud and dust. You have never heard such rapture over the comforts of a 3-star hotel. The bed is soft and clean, there are no insects to contend with and the shower produces an obscene amount of very hot water! There is also a buffet breakfast include in the price! Suffice to say we have no regrets about our choices here.

Best deal

Our Safari tent at Nile River Camp was a pretty great bargain, particularly the first night which was subsidised as part of our rafting trip for a bonanza price of $US25! It was simple, but clean, and had amazing views of the Nile. We really enjoyed the experience of staying at the camp, particularly the dining area with its great views and social atmosphere.

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