As every knows over the past 18 months my love for Uganda and its people has grown immensely. Last year I had planned to return for 2 months in the dry season but unfortunately landed in hospital for a back operation. 

All who know me, know I’m a very determined person so after leaving hospital, I worked hard to recover my strength and muscles so that I could spend, not quite as long as I originally wanted to, but 7 weeks in October and November volunteering in a primary school in Buhoma, Bwindi. Now I’m back again but this time for 12 weeks. 

I decided not just to stay and volunteer at the school but also planned three safaris to visit some places I’ve not seen in the country yet. 

Please join me on my journey and watch at what I got up to…..

This is now my fifth visit to Uganda so no need to be worried - I think it’s the fact of being away from home for 3 months, is what caused the excitement. 

Finally I arrived in Entebbe, Uganda, the Pearl of Africa

It’s quite a long drive from Entebbe to Buhoma, so Jasper & I decided to stop over in Lake Mburo on the way. Remember Jasper? He was my driver guide on my first trip to Uganda and as he is so knowledgeable and such a good guide, we have driven quite often together now.
So this was our first safari on this trip.

Lake Mburo National Park is Uganda's smallest savanna park, but it is rich in biodiversity, scenic beauty and cultural significance. There is an abundance of wildlife here ranging from buffalo to giraffe and zebra. They even have Impala here, which is not so common in Uganda. Despite its size, wetlands cover 20% of the park’s surface, forming part of a 50km-long wetland system connected by swamps and five lakes within the park’s borders. A short boat cruise can be taken on Lake Mburo, where game, reptiles and flora are to be seen. Staying only two nights at Lake Mburo, we were back on the road again by Monday, heading northwest in the direction of Bwindi National Park. 

The beginning of an initiative is always rather difficult but I bought 180 sacks, got rubber gloves and masks donated by the community hospital and off we went again by Boda Boda distributing them to all the schools. 

Wednesday came and all 18 schools of Buhoma picked between 16.00 and 17.00. Their filled sacks were left outside the schools or at the nearest road for the waste collection on Thursday. The next morning the waste truck arrived with Elias the driver and his team. Joining us on the collection was also the Health Inspector of the town council. As it unfortunately started to rain and the waste collection had not taken place for the last four weeks, we had to pause but did continue on Saturday. Again we had another 2 full truck loads which were taken to the dumping site. 
Now the dumping site is an absolute mess - so that is the next problem on my list! 

As lots of my friends know, I love organising outings, so the first one I planned here this time, was to walk with the teachers from school to Bwindi National Forest Gate, where there is a café, which is run by the Ugandan Wildlife Authority. So that it didn’t interfere with school classes, we arranged it for the weekend. We Westerners think this is such a normal thing to do - go out for coffee - but for village people in Africa, this is an enormous treat. Such fun was had by all - drinking coffee or chai, eating samosas, bananas and hard boiled eggs. I am always amazed how small things can make such a big impact here.

A few evenings later some of the teachers, the director, his wife and I met in a local Bushera bar. In the South and Southwest of Uganda they make their own beer - from Sorghum and honey. In fact, in most districts of Uganda they make their own brew, it just has different names depending on where you drink it. The first 2 days it is non-alcoholic and is called Bushera. After that, fermentation starts, then becoming alcoholic and is called Enturire. 

Is everyone still remembering that my initiative is running? Every Wednesday the 18 schools of Buhoma pick waste, starting from their school gate heading a kilometer in each direction. This is definitely making an impact on the town and it is certainly looking better. Long may it last. After picking on Wednesday with another school and collecting the waste sacks on Thursday with Elias and his truck, we dumped and that was it for the week. 

Friday the 13th - unlucky for some, but not for us - was an exciting day for the children of Victory Primary school, or should I say for the primary classes 6 & 7.
I like treating schoolchildren to outings, as I did in South Africa or last time here in October.
This time it was on a slightly larger scale and needed more preparation and organisation.
My treat this time was to take a bus, which my friends in Germany kindly donated to, and go to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kazinga Channel, Salt Lake Katwe and the Equator Line at Kikorongo. The round trip was 345km, quite a distance on the roads in Uganda. As we took a packed lunch for us all - 42 children, 9 teachers and me - there was a lot of food to be carried to school where the bus was picking us up. Some of the children came to help carry it to school, so off we set at 05.05 in the dark, with chicken, samosas, bananas, mandazis and drinks. Finally leaving school at 05.50, it ended up being a very long day as we only arrived back at school at 22.30. As the schoolchildren are only allowed to take part in outings from school in school uniform, there was a mad rush to get the last uniforms made for the new pupils before we left. We then collected a large amount of neck ties for the children in Kihihi. This town is also the nearest place to Buhoma where I can get to an ATM for cash. Back on the road, the children sang and sang and sang the whole way to the Kazinga Channel, only stopping briefly when we saw animals in the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The children and the teachers were thrilled to see Elephants, Waterbuck, Ugandan Kobs, Warthogs and Baboons - they don’t have any of these animals around Buhoma. 

Time flies in Uganda and it was already 4 o’clock in the afternoon, but we still wanted to visit the equator line at Kikorongo. Once there, we took lots of individual photos for the children but unfortunately missed the experience of being shown the difference of standing in the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. I showed them my videos from the last time the next day at school. At 6 o’clock we finally started our return journey to Buhoma, the children once again singing the whole way home. We arrived back at school at 22.30.

Sunday we were back on the road again. We started off with a Game Drive after leaving Murchison Falls River Lodge and headed north, yet again. This time our destination was the Karuma Falls. These falls are also on the River Nile, and in fact there is even an hydro power station built there. In the early days, there used to be a lot of rebels fighting near the bridge of Karuma, so unfortunately they don‘t want pedestrians walking across the bridge. Jasper was so kind and parked beside the guards and sweet-talked them into letting me walk across the bridge - of course being accompanied by a soldier. Karuma Falls is now ticked off my list.

The weather has been a bit unpredictable so far - mornings have been clear, sunny and warm but clouds have started gathering at lunchtime to surprise us each day with a thunderstorm and rain. I actually picked this time of year as this is meant to be the dry season. Rain is supposedly a blessing here in Uganda - well it may be so, even in most of Africa, but for me originating from Scotland, it’s not. Just as we were looking for our lodge in Kamdini, the heavens opened yet again.We managed to check in dry and decided to use the time to work on our laptops. Websites, blogs, social media and photos still had to be updated. 

There’s no rest for the wicked and my days are numbered, or rather well planned, before returning to school in Bwindi. Jasper had booked a local guide to take us on a community tour, so when she arrived we drove out of Moroto to a small village, Kautakou in the Napak District, where we could witness a glimpse into the Karamajong‘s daily life. 

Next on the itinerary was Pian Upe Game Reserve. This Game Reserve although one of the largest in Uganda, has not been gazetted to a National Park, yet - who knows? It is 2,750km/2 and the reserve is named after two pastoralist tribes: the Pian, a subgroup of the Karamojong, and the Upe, a Kalenjin-speaking people also known as the Pokot, who are found in Kenya and have migrated into the Pian Upe area. These tribes, known for their traditional lifestyles centered around cattle herding, have a history of conflict, particularly over grazing land and cattle. Despite this history, both tribes are known for their unique cultural heritage. Their offspring have now, over the years, intermarried and have established a new tribe further within the Game Reserve. Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve features several significant caves, to which you can hike; including Napedet Cave, known for its ancient cooking stones and art, and Napendio Cave, a sacred site with early human paintings.
These caves offer opportunities for exploration and provide cultural insights into the region's history and the nomadic Karamojong and Kalenjin communities. 

Leaving the Karamoja region and heading south, our next destination was Sipi in the district of Kapchorwa. This district is the last one before the border to Kenya, which is at Suam and only 93km away. Although I had an East African Visa, which meant I could travel as much as I wished between Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya, we just didn't have the time to pop across the border. Shame, next time. After checking in at our lodge and a quick lunch, we visited the stadium of Kapchorwa and neighbouring villages. 

In the district of Kapchorwa, you can find the three famous Sipi Falls which run along the Sipi river. The source of the river comes from Mount Elgon, which is situated in the Mount Elgon National Park. Mount Elgon is no longer an active volcano, it is an extinct shield volcano which is 4,321 meters high. It last erupted approximately 24 million years ago and it is one of Uganda's oldest geological formations and was once Africa's tallest mountain, though erosion has reduced its height.

The three Sipi Falls can be viewed at different points - the close-up front view of Sipi Falls at its highest point, is the largest of the three waterfalls, known as Sipi Falls and stands at 100m high. The other two falls are 85m and 65m high respectively. 

There is a nature walk that enables you to visit all three falls, but unfortunately it started to rain and the walkways became very muddy and slippy so we drove to each fall.
As this is the source of drinking water and irrigation for the trading centres in this district, there are dozens of hose pipes at one of the falls to redirect the water. 

This place is frequently visited by domestic tourists so we encountered lots of Ugandans at each fall, singing and splashing in the water and thoroughly enjoying themselves, although the water was very cold. I am a great believer, that the tourist attractions in all countries should not only be there for international visitors to enjoy but also for the locals. The biggest problem that occurs, is the transportation getting to these remote places and the entrance fees. Sometimes it is due to financial reasons that so few Ugandan tourists visit these places.

Our drive south is becoming quite familiar to me now. Leaving Kampala, we passed through the towns of Mpigi and Buwama, stopped at the Equator for lunch, then drove further through the towns of Lukaya, Masaka and Lyantonde and then finally entering Lake Mburo National Park through the Sanga Gate. 

Our last day of this trip was the long drive from Lake Mburo to Buhoma. As I always say, it’s actually not about the number of kilometres than rather about how time consuming it is due to the state of some of the roads. As we drove via Ntungamo, Rukungiri, where we stopped for lunch, and Kihihi it was tarmac all the way but of course the last 40km from Kihihi to Buhoma the roads are just atrocious. These Marram roads are a type of road surface commonly found in East Africa, particularly in Uganda and Kenya. They are essentially gravel roads, but the gravel is composed of laterite soil, which is a reddish, clay-rich soil found in tropical and subtropical regions. This type of road is often used to connect rural areas to main roads and is a crucial part of the road network in these regions. While some marram roads can become slippery when wet, many are improved with marram to provide all-weather access, although four-wheel drive vehicles may still be necessary in heavy rain. 

As Jasper had to return to Kabale, he dropped me off and left. It felt like I was back “home“ so I quickly unpacked my things again and headed off to Victory Primary School with the director. What a welcoming I got. Most of the children knew I was coming back and some had actually seen the Land Cruiser drive past, so lots of children were outside in the compound waiting for me. They all came running up to me and I was hugged by at least 150 children and then they started to sing. How good it was to be back. 

I’m hardly back in town and I’m back in action again. We had planned an outing for the primary 5 class and some teachers today, so we set off just before 9 o’clock and walked 6km to the Pangolin Rescue Center. Last year I walked there twice - once with the primary 7 class and then again with the primary 6 class. As most people in Africa haven’t seen these mammals, teachers always wish to join. It is indeed quite a walk, as I wrote 6km one way, but again its not just about the number of kilometres but rather the very bad state of the marram roads and the two very long and steep hills. 

Alas we finally got there, the children listened attentively and then we walked around the centre having their projects explained to us. As conservation plays a big roll in daily life here in Buhoma, the centre tries to help and teach communities about beekeeping, mushroom growing, fish farming and about piggeries. This is meant to show them a different way of life so incase they do find a pangolin, they will not kill it for its meat or sell it for money but rather call the centre to come and rescue it. Pangolins are unfortunately the most trafficked mammals in the world. The Chinese believe, that when they grind the scales, the powder has a medicinal value - this is absolute humbug as the scales are made of keratin just like our finger nails and hair. Finally we got to where the pangolins were and could watch them climbing trees and running along on the ground. I took a quick photo of each child standing near the pangolin, so we didn’t stress them. We had carried some refreshments with us as the children had missed porridge at 10 o’clock so we had a small picnic, watched a short video, answered some questions and then headed back to school.

By now it was high noon and hot, so the 6km road home, mostly uphill, seemed even longer than going there.  Although the children and teachers enjoyed their outing, I’m sure they were glad to get back to the shade of the classrooms and have some lunch. I joined the teachers in the staff room for lunch - Posho and beans.

Saturday was a retreat day from the church so the director and his wife left early for Mbogo, ca 150km nordlich von Buhoma. This is the first time I’ve been left to fend for myself but I always find enough to do, so I wasn’t particularly bothered.  I had a long chat and catch up with Lesley in Johannesburg, caught up with some necessary social media posts and after chatting to Jerome, the engineer of the building site at the dump, I decided to jump on a Boda Boda and go for a site inspection. 

The following week passed quickly again - it was packed with short visits to school, visiting the lodges to collect “the donations“ for waste collections, distributing sacks and gloves to the schools, talking to head wardens at UWA - Ugandan Wildlife Authority, about supporting my initiative and collecting the waste one week a month and another site inspection. 

Wednesday morning we had another outing with the school. During my first week here, I sat in on the biology class with primary 4 and their class teacher Peter. The topic being taught was trees - the different kinds of trees, their bark and leaves and how to differentiate them. So I suggested that we go for a walk in Bwindi National Forest.  There is honestly no better place to see trees than there. That meant four classes have been on an outing this time. 

Wednesday evening, I was joined by a young man from Sweden, who is also here to volunteer for two weeks. To allow him some time and space with the director and his wife and also with the school children and teachers, I joined the waste truck collection yet again early Thursday morning. As I’ve been collecting donations from the lodges towards paying for the waste collection, I had to keep my part of the bargain, so we didn’t only collect the filled waste sacks from the schools and from town, but also at the different lodges. This had not been done by the previous driver so we had a lot more waste and had two truck loads full. Sitting in the truck from 09.30 till 17.00 was not exactly fun, but I felt I should accompany them, to make sure all was collected properly. Unfortunately we had a puncture in one of the truck‘s tyres, so that took a while in changing. Luckily it was at lunchtime, so I popped into school and ate Posho &  beans with the teachers again.

The weekend was rather uneventful - Saturday was Visitation Day at school, so I stayed away.
I still had some more lodge donations to collect, the other volunteer took part in the Batwa tour and in the afternoon I was pampered and had a pedicure. I think I can safely say this was my first day of doing so little. Sunday started off with church - we visited the Buhoma Community Hospital Chapel, where there was a baptism. On the way home, we grabbed a few Rolex for a late breakfast and then Victor suggested we visited his elderly mother in the afternoon. It’s quite a walk as she lives very near the top of one of the hills in Buhoma.
As usual here in Uganda, the table was filled with lots of dishes with local food and also local Kayonza tea. A sudden thunderstorm and torrential rain kept us there slightly longer than we expected but it didn’t matter as today was my first real lazy day in 7 weeks.

The days and weeks are flying in, well they do say - time flies when you’re having fun.
My eighth week, was of course, filled with waste management: visiting the dumping site, where we started burning the waste, meetings with the town council and UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) and last but not least positioning 10 cement culverts, that I bought and had sent from Kihihi. These culverts are to be used as waste bins throughout the trading centre. I then had pairs of sacks sewn together as the usual size was too small for the culverts. It is actually quite unbelievable that this town only has one waste bin.

This Wednesday brought something different for a change.
As I had taken the primary 6 & 7 classes to Kazinga Channel, Katwe Salt Lake and the Equator, the primary 5 class to the Pangolin Center and the primary 4 class into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the children from the lower classes were wanting an outing too.
Not to disappoint them, but also not wanting to walk too far with the younger children, we  took them to the nearby Mampera gardens for a picnic and some fun time. So off we trotted, 52 children from the three classes - primary 1, 2 and 3, a few teachers, and also the director and his wife. Of course, the children sang all the way there and back. 

Of course, Wednesday is picking day so after our little outing with the younger children, I delivered rubber gloves to one of the primary schools and then walked up the hill towards Bwindi National Park to Heritage High School. I said from the beginning of my initiative, that I would pick with a different school each Wednesday - sometimes it’s been a school that has been brilliant at picking but this time I chose the high school as they’re not so good, or should I say, not so willing to pick. A little motivation goes a long way, so with the senior students, we managed to pick so much waste, we filled 4 sacks from the high school up to the forest. After picking I headed back to the trading centre where Victor, the school director, and I took a Boda Boda to the dumping site. As we’ve started burning the waste there, it is necessary to go and check daily and to pay the guys, who are working there. Luckily we were back before 6 o‘ clock as the heavens opened. We had such torrential rain and a thunderstorm for hours, later on in the evening again and even during the night it poured - I can just imagine what the roads are going to be like tomorrow for waste collection. 

Thursday started as always with Worship & Praise at school then I headed to Bwindi National Park offices, where I was to meet the truck driver from Ugandan Wildlife Authority, who was to collect the waste with me. Ugandans work on African time and not Muzungu time so we didn’t leave till 11.20 - far too late as we had all the lodges, schools and the trading centre waste to collect. Needless to say after all the rain since the evening before, the roads were as bad, if not worse, than I had imagined. That of course meant, that the heavy truck from UWA was unable to reach all the lodges and schools that are situated high on the hills above Buhoma. In fact we didn’t get to the dumping site till 16.30, then it took an hour to offload, as there was so much waste, being a bigger truck and I finally got back to the directors house just before 6 o’clock. Sitting quietly with a Gin & Tonic after such a day, I got a message from a good friend offering me a Gorilla permit for the next day - there had been a cancellation at the last minute. Great news as it is for 50% off the regular price. One very happy Pam. 

The sighting itself was amazing. Being so close to these wonderful creatures, who calmly sat and ate figs and other fauna, is just breathtaking. The silverbacks are enormous and this specific group has two - they are brothers. Unfortunately although the group consists of 17 members, only four were down on the ground with us, the others were sitting high in the treetops eating figs for breakfast. Two silverbacks, a mother and a small child entertained us for an hour, that is unfortunately all the time you are allowed with the gorillas so they are not stressed with too many tourists. Face masks must always be worn during the sighting.

Silverbacks - A silverback gorilla is an adult male gorilla distinguished by the silver-gray hair on its back, which develops as it matures. They are the leaders of gorilla groups and are known for their strength and protective nature. Silverbacks are known for their displays of dominance, which can include chest beating, charging, and other physical displays. However, they are generally calm and protective of their families. Silverbacks maintain harmony within the group, mediate conflicts, and fiercely protect their families from threats. They have a distinctive silver saddle of hair on their backs, larger heads and bodies compared to females, and higher muscle mass. In the wild, they can live up to 35-40 years.

Kinisya is a very small village on the other side of the hills of Buhoma.
Victor and his wife have property there and have started building a house. It’s not finished yet but we were, as usual here in Uganda, invited into the neighbours homes for something to eat. The Ugandans are so hospitable and friendly - in fact there’s no possible way of saying no, if you don’t want to eat, that’s counted as rude. Robin and I tried Posho with “greens“ Casava leaves, with the elderly neighbours then drank Kayonza tea and ate Katogo - Irish potatoes, Matooke and G-nuts with another family. Getting there and back was fun too - we took Boda Bodas, although some roads are barely drivable. While there, we picked a few pineapples and Jack fruit on Victor‘s property before heading back to town. We passed the dumping site on the way, so had a quick look at how the guys were getting on with burning the waste - are we winning? Well not really, as we have to burn more every week than we are dumping on a Thursday, but we are getting there, slowly by slowly as they say in Uganda.

Monday started my second last week here, I am nearly counting the days till I leave.
The week took off slowly for a change, Robin, the Swedish volunteer, left today with Jasper for a short safari around Uganda. I had my usual things to do like meetings with the town council and visiting the dumping site. These weeks and months have been filled with the waste management problem and unfortunately not as much of school, as I would have liked.

The afternoon cheered up immensely as Moses from the Pangolin Rescue Center Buhoma, had told me, they were going to release a Pangolin in Bwindi National Forest and I was allowed to accompany them again. He and his team picked me up at just after 4 o’clock and we drove to Bwindi. Once at the Visitors’ center, we then went by foot into the forest. It’s actually quite an emotional experience watching these small creatures slowly coming out of their cage, smelling the forest air and walking/running off into freedom. The Pangolins that have been at the Rescue Center have been rescued, rehabilitated and are then set back into the wild. Most of them have been injured due to poaching, particularly in Congo, so it’s always a costly rehabilitation for these mammals with necessary medication and care. 

Finally he arrived and we set off for Kanyashande and it was quite a turnout in the middle of their small trading center. The various people from the town council said what they wanted to say, the residents of the village listened and asked questions then after two hours, we finally moved on to the next trading center. Bucuragizi is actually quite far out of Buhoma, but it is still included in the same district, so I was somewhat surprised at how many residents joined the meeting. Luckily we managed to shorten all the speeches and left there after one hour, this time heading for Mukono Trading Center. The same thing again - explaining what waste to put in and what not to put in the sacks, where and when to leave the sacks for collection and just in general saying not to litter. I know it’s a mindset of these countries but people can learn not to throw waste all over the place.

By now we had reached 3 o’clock and were two hours behind our schedule, so we decided to go to Buhoma Trading Center first instead of Kapchampari. Well that didn’t work. As tomorrow has something to do with the elections again, the market was being held in town today instead of tomorrow so it was absolute chaos. So that was it. The town council gave up and suggested we carry on next Tuesday, so I returned to Mukono to pick waste with the primary school. Over 80 primary 4 class school children were out picking, when I arrived. It is truly amazing what these pupils find and pick - they filled 6 sacks of waste.  At 16.35 when I was just leaving the school, it started to rain. I luckily managed to get to the trading center, where we had been sensitising the community, before the heavens opened. It only rained for 30 minutes but in that time, the road became a river and ladies were filling 25 liter buckets with rain water within seconds. Needless to say the walk home was rather muddy and slippy.

There have been a few days without catching up with my blog, but only because nothing really exciting has happened - that’s daily life in Buhoma for you. Thursday I drove around again with Mohangi and the waste truck, making sure that all the waste sacks at the lodges and schools were collected - that was my last time, as next Thursday is my last day and I would like to stay at school for Worship & Praise. Friday I spent the day at school again, it is lovely spending the time with the schoolchildren and teachers. 

Saturday started with a quick walk to the trading center, I was looking for gardening gloves for the two new burners. I didn’t get what I wanted but the ones I bought will make do till the other ones come with some more gumboots from Kihihi. That meant another trip to the dumping site and yes, finally now with more manpower and understanding what I want, things are beginning to look better, but it will be a long and hard road to see this through. Back in the trading center, I grabbed a quick Rolex from Oskar then headed to school. 

Monday of my last week. Being grounded for a day or two, is a good excuse for me to catch up on my blog today - the pain has eased slightly but my ankle is still very swollen and my foot is now all the colours of the rainbow. I’ll keep a low key today as our last outing with the nursery children is tomorrow and I would like to be able to join them. I’ll not be dancing around with them but least be there for their little picnic. However I did walk slowly to school in the afternoon, that wasn’t one of my best ideas, so I was glad when I was finally back at the director’s house and lying with my foot up again. Unfortunately the MTN network wasn’t working so no wifi, which meant another early night. 

So late afternoon I sauntered off to school where I teamed up with most of the children and some teachers and at 16.00 we started picking waste. We picked right up to and including the trading center and met Omax on our way. Once again, it is obvious that the town is looking better with less litter lying around. Saying that, we have been doing this waste management program for 12 weeks now.  Before school dismissal at 5 o’clock, I distributed the lollies amongst the children, thanking them all for picking waste so diligently. Omax and I returned to the director’s house for a chat, before he returned to his quarters at Bwindi Gate. 

Thursday has arrived and this is my last day here in Buhoma. After early morning coffee and our usual chat at the breakfast table, I went to school for Praise & Worship. I had decided not to join the waste truck today but rather stay at school with the children and teachers. These Ugandans certainly have rhythm in their blood. Praise & Worship is very special here at school as it’s the schoolchildren who lead the service. Victor and his wife Sylvia arrived and joined us, in fact Sylvia even preached. A few days ago, I asked the director to buy a new Ugandan flag as the one at school was old and torn, so punctually this morning, during Praise & Worship, the flag was delivered and I proudly presented the prefects with it. We had a ceremony of raising the new flag which is now hanging beside the Victory Primary School flag in the school grounds. That was my farewell present to the school.

Alas it was time to go “home“ as I still had to pack my things for tomorrow. 

It seems strange after being here for so long, that I now have to pack.
Jasper is due sometime this evening and after a farewell song tomorrow at school, we’ll be heading off on our third safari. 

Kisoro is literally the last town in South West Uganda. Due to the volcanic activity thousands of years ago, the earth is charcoal black from the lava stones. It seems like a forgotten town and last time when I was there for the Golden Monkey tracking, I couldn’t quite warm up to the place. As usual, our first destination was an ATM for cash then we stopped for lunch. It’s not far from Kisoro to the border post Cyanika which connects Uganda to Rwanda and we arrived at 16.00. Luckily I had applied for an East African Visa before coming, which allowed me to enter into three different countries - Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya, so my immigration ran quickly and smoothly. Not so much with the car, which Jasper had to sort out and of course then had to pass the border himself. All the luggage had to be removed from the car, everything was opened and looked at, but we didn’t have any problems. They seem to be looking for drones. Well as they are rarely allowed in South Africa, I don’t have one, so all the luggage went back into the car and off we set towards Musanze. Now since I’ve been in Uganda, everyone has been telling me how wonderful the roads are in Rwanda - that is so true.  Wow, tarmac roads everywhere and hardly any potholes - bliss after Buhoma.

Maybe at this point, I can add a few things that make Uganda and Rwanda so different from each other, although they are neighbouring countries. Rwanda drives on the right hand side of the road, whereas Uganda on the left hand side. Although Rwanda lies south of Uganda, there is an hour’s difference between the two countries. So to say, Rwanda is the same time as South Africa. Rwanda was under Belgian colonialship till 1962, which means they speak French after Kinyarwanda, where Uganda was under the British regime till independence in 1962 and learn English at school.  Boda Bodas, which I have already mentioned throughout the blog, are motorcycles, which are hired instead of taxis but here in Rwanda it is law to wear a helmet - not quite like Uganda, where nearly 90% of the drivers, drive without a helmet. The bicycles in Rwanda also have an extra seat on them so some people hire a bicycle and cyclist instead of a taxi. Saying that, Rwanda is famous for its cycling - be it for - The Tour of Rwanda or just off-the-beaten-track cycling. All their tarmac roads have street lights. Wow, we don’t even have that in Hoedspruit. In fact the majority of street lights in Rwanda have a cover with the Rwandan flag on it. Rwanda is a landlocked country in Central Africa. Also known as the Land of a thousand hills. It has 5 volcanoes, 23 lakes and numerous rivers. Rwanda lies 1.270km west of the Indian Ocean and 2000km east of the Atlantic Ocean - literally in the heart of Africa. Another major difference between the two countries, is that plastic bags are banned in Rwanda, in fact there is hardly a piece of litter to be found on the roads or pavements. This is due to the fact that there is a community day in Rwanda, which is called Umuganda. This is a monthly event that takes place on the last Saturday of the month where citizens gather for communal work and to discuss community issues. Business activities halt, and public transportation services are limited to allow for participation. While international visitors are not required to participate, they are invited to join in. 

After the Genocide against the Tutsi was stopped by the RPF in 1994, Kigali’s authorities chose a hillside in Gisozi for mass graves where 250,000 residents murdered during the genocide could have their final resting-place. Memorial buildings were put up beside the mass graves, but the question remained: what should go in them? The commitment to remembrance as a starting-point for Rwandan unity and global learning tied in with the Aegis model for genocide prevention. It laid the foundations for the Memorial to become a place with truly global vision. 

Thursday and our last destination in Rwanda. After an early breakfast, we left Kigali and headed towards Akagera National Park. I had booked a lodge 24km before the park, which was rather silly, so we stopped over shortly in Rabondo to offload the luggage and then carried on for another 24km to the gate of the only savannah national park in the country. 

So Saturday is here and after a quick breakfast, we headed north, as we were returning to Uganda. We took a different border this time as our destination was Kabale, or should I say Lake Bunyonyi. We crossed over at Katuna border, which was a lot easier than the port of entry and immediately the road conditions and the waste management were obvious. As Jasper lives in Kabale, he dropped me off at my overnight at the lake. I spent the rest of the evening with the owner of the villa, which I had rented for the few days, sitting around the campfire till late, exchanging views on Uganda and Rwanda, politics and tourism in general. 

Sunday morning I had breakfast alone, which had not happened since I arrived in Uganda three months ago but that was fine. Jasper arrived at 10.30 and he arranged with the owner of the villa, that we could borrow a canoe, or rather a dugout, to paddle around Lake Bunyonyi. We set off at 11.05, Jasper paddling of course, and circled some of the many islands on Lake Bunyonyi. We stopped at Sharp’s island and went for a short hike, returning to the canoe midafternoon. The villa I had booked via Booking. com had stated that there was only one bedroom, so I booked the whole villa for myself. Unfortunately on the way back to the mainland, I was notified, that two more guests had arrived. This didn’t really suit me as the villa wasn’t exactly big enough for three people and certainly not strangers, so on arriving at the villa, I packed my things and Jasper very kindly took me to a different lodge for the other two nights. He then stayed for dinner and a few drinks before returning home.

Monday morning I had breakfast at the lodge and waited for Jasper to arrive - as Monday is market day in Rutinda, we had decided to go there first. We sauntered across the market, buying fresh fruit and vegetables, taking photos and making new friends. Some of the ladies, who are always selling their produce at the market, remembered me from last time. Having filled the car with cabbages, carrots, bananas, greens and tomatoes, we then headed for the Obushera bar. One time last year, when I was there, we drank the Bushera out of very tall wooden mugs and I have always wanted one, so into the bar we went - it’s quite amazing how many friends you suddenly can have, when the Muzungu pays for the jerry cans of bushera. We weren’t successful in the first bar, so off we went to the next bar…and the next bar….and the next bar. Well yes, I finally got my "mug" and was also given 2 raw eggs. This is seen as a token of friendship in Uganda - can anyone remember me receiving a hen last year? That is also a tradition of showing, you care about someone enough to call them a friend. 

So with all our worldly goods, we then set off for Kabale town, where we had a few things to organise and people to meet before leaving for Entebbe on Tuesday morning. We finished off our day in Kabale having dinner in town, before heading back to the lodge at the lake. 
A couple of drinks on the patio to discuss the plan for the next day and the drive to Entebbe. 

Wednesday morning was an early start as my flight was due to leave at 08.30 so I had to be at the airport by 6am. A very quick goodbye to Jasper and off I went to check in my luggage. They are slowly by slowly renovating the airport so it’s not quite the chaos it used to be. 
As I had an early flight, the airport was quiet and I was through to the gate in no time. Unfortunately just before boarding, a delay of not quite two hours was announced so the early start, without breakfast or coffee had been in vain. We finally took off at 10.22 and flew south to Johannesburg, arriving at 13.15 South African time. 
As usual my very faithful friend Lesley was at the airport to pick me up.

Not much happened in Johannesburg for the few days I was there, except I lashed up the beautiful weather - pure blue sky and forever sunshine. Lesley and I jolled around Rosebank Mall on Thursday, where I bought my bus ticket back to Hoedspruit and did some shopping for my trip home - it’s a long way so I needed some snacks for the 8 hour journey. Friday, we visited some friends in the morning and had a lazy afternoon - the final packing had to be done as Saturday was an early start to get to Park Station for the bus to Hoedspruit.

So the journey and my adventure finished the way it started - a very long bus ride from Johannesburg home. Three months with lots of excitement and experiences with new destinations and returning to some of my favourite places. Spending time with people, who have become wonderful friends and making lots of new friends on the way. It wasn’t just about volunteering but more so of learning about and living for a longer time in a country that is very dear to me. I learnt a lot again about the traditions and cultures of Uganda, thanks to Jasper. I got to realise, that we Westerners are spoiled and lazy when it comes to modern hi-tech appliances - do we really need all those machines in the kitchen? Whether it be running hot water, electricity or just catching up with the world news - I really ask myself, why we think all these things are so desperately important. It is possible to live without them. 
Even as I did, for only a short time, but it puts all things back into perspective. 

Muzungu is a word that not everybody likes, but it really just means “white one“ and to be honest, I don’t mind. It’s not really allowed in Europe to say “blacks“ but even they say it themselves, "Well what else are we?"  I have now lived in Africa for almost 9 years and I must admit, the Africans have the biggest hearts and certainly in the right place. They are cheerful and hardly complain, nevermind how little they have. The Ugandans are exceptional, this is definitely the heart of Africa, no wonder Winston Churchill called it the "Pearl of Africa".