One step at a time, especially in toffee mud

Talking to people who have travelled to other countries in Africa provokes an interesting reaction. Many say that due to the years of dictatorship and brutality that the Ugandan people are the friendliest and most trustworthy in the continent. I felt immediately at home in Uganda which surprised me because most of my travels have been spent in Buddhist areas of South East Asia. I think subconsciously I expected to pick up on an aggression or feel unsafe; a naivety on my behalf, especially when quite the opposite was apparent. There was such a welcoming atmosphere when walking through a local village with Jeni who was also on our trip and Jonno who is staying in Jinga for a few weeks before his graduation. We wandered up to towards Soft Power - a charity set-up to develop and improve primary school educational facilities in Jinja. Bob (who has been on the charity run in Jinja for a number of years) and Georgie walked us through a long winding orange dirt track with homes made of brick, mud and straw set back from the track amongst plantations of avocado, aubergine, vanilla, potatoes, beans, chillies and exotic fruits. Children started to follow us and eventually found the courage to run up, hold our hands and walk us towards the education centre where we took their photos and they stare back at them with fascination.

The education centre is set-up so the children can experience a variety of lessons and activities. They learn about AIDS and malaria prevention, how to use a computer, sow, make clay pottery and are given mosquito nets. Even the simple things that we take for granted - power, climbing stairs, watching a movie and looking in a mirror are an experience. It's incredible how vital education is in Africa, there are so many myths about health and cures and religion. People still go to witch doctors and refuse to use the medicines from professional Doctors for fear of being outcast or dying. As we walk back through the village Bob and Georgie tell us stories about the locals. There is an astonishing amount of gossip – its hilarious. People fighting over goats, land, who’s doing more to be successful, who’s got the better home or an extra cow. I'm visualising making a programme about them all and calling it ‘NileEnders’

We head towards the end of the village and child runs up to Bob to say hello, followed by his father - Isaac, who welcomes us all in to his home. The 5 of us squeeze in to a small room with a dirt floor and immediately look towards a table near the window. There sits a large ghetto blaster radio with the most colossal wire aerial that evolves from the middle and crawls towards the ceiling like a giant spiders web – it looks like something that should be in the Tate modern. I wonder how Issac speaks such perfect Queen's English until he tells us he loves the World Service and listens everyday at 1600. I've spent a couple of weeks working at the World Service, watching and listening to broadcasts going out in all languages from tiny rooms in Bush House, London and when there I always wandered where it would reach, what kind of environment it would be in and who would be listening. And now I know. When Georgie tells Isaac I work for the BBC he gives a big smile and we have our photo taken together. I tell him I’m going to show his picture to everyone at Bush House back home and have a massively proud moment in my heart. I loved meeting Isaac. Bob you’re right, it’s the little things.

just like a Gloria, I will survive

In my wildest dreams I never expected a trip to Uganda would involve being charged by a silverback gorilla, bolted 3 times from a lunatic horse and getting stuck high up on a rock, hanging over the edge of a water fall, in a raft, amidst a grade 5 rapid.

This is not where my story begins. After leaving my house 6 times, making a gallant effort to be upgraded and narrowly avoiding a visit to the local hospital on touch down, I arrived in Uganda at the Entebbe Guest House where I sat in a beautiful garden eating my first truly Ugandan breakfast of marmite on toast with fellow travellers. It was lovely to have an afternoon and evening getting to know everyone before Georgie and Chris were to take us off, in to the unknown on a great big red and blue Mercedes truck.

I hadn’t planned to go gorilla trekking, but after hearing Georgie regale everyone with what they would experience I felt it was something that could turn out to be the most amazing part of the trip. Chris managed to pull some strings, jump through some hoops and yank a bunny from a hat to get me a permit in to the jungle so I could trek with everyone else. We had a briefing early morning on the gorillas we would be tracking – the Habinyanja family, the largest group in the jungle, it could take 30 minutes or 3 hours+ to find them.

The terrain was a giant mountain that ascended in to the Congo along tracks, streams and lush green vegetation. I was helped along by Moses who had a big smile and laughed at my unusual head attire.

We climbed up through narrow, steep pathways with vegetation shading us from the sun. After the first hour our guide David turned and said to me, ‘Lindsey have you spent much time in Kampala?’, to which I replied ‘no, none at all, why?’, he retorted with a grin ‘well, in Kampala they have a lot of alcohol and whenever Moses helps you, you say to him in Ugandan ‘Wayaballi monegei’ which means ‘thank you alcohol’. My eagerness to learn Ugandan faded somewhat after this.

Our trackers were 2 hours ahead and hadn’t seen any sign of the family we were searching for, we carried on for so long that we reached the summit and began our descent into the middle of the jungle, the views were amazing, the whole area descended in to layers of varying trees with mist rising through them. We carried on walking and talking for another 2 hours until I looked back to say something to Les and Cari who had fallen suddenly silent with eyes staring in another direction, this gave me a massive tingle all down my spine and I turned to see Malaya (a boy gorilla with a girls name) sitting placidly amongst a lush green foliage, tearing leaves and roots from the trees above, stripping it down and chewing in the most nonchalant manner.
The first thing I thought was, fuck, that’s what I look like….. haaaaa, the second, despite this being the world's largest primate, it just looks like a gentle giant with short legs, long muscular arms, a wide chest and incredibly large head. I could never imagine anyone standing here refuting the theories of evolution.

We moved on quickly to find the rest of the band and quickly stumbled on silverback Makara. I only managed a glimpse for a few seconds of the most enormous head, massive body and silverback before Makara decided to charge at us. There was a seismic reverberating and grunting roar that came as he charged across the forest floor on his knuckles with speed. The second this happened we fell to the ground and turned our eyes away – just as we had been briefed, and in the last second he turned and thumped in the other direction. I will never forget how much fear and excitement I felt at this very point - as this 1/4 tonne, black hairy creature came running towards us, knowing full well that he could extinguish us all with a few heavy sweeps, it was exhilarating - I also nearly wet my pants.

This whole day was brilliant in so many ways – the beautiful Buhoma lodge high up in the densely covered hills over looking the jungle, seeing Georgie’s smiley face as we all turned the corner back in to the lodge at the end of the day, getting to know lovely hypnotherapist Cari along the trek and the bath – the best bath I have ever had (I wish I could show the photos) and an awesome meal in the evening over numerous G’n’T’s, then back to the lodge to wash some underwear.

Going, going......

I may have been a tad over-ambitious thinking I would be able to update my blog whilst in Africa. There are a number of reasons for this 1. Connection is limited 2. Our trip was full-on and 3. I thoroughly enjoyed having no phone and internet connection for the entire duration; this made me feel completely removed from everything back home.

I have picked the most memorable moments of the trip to document, so I never forget and so anyone who indulges gets a sense of what Uganda is really about.

I'm wondering about places in far away lands

So this is the truck I will be bonding with over the next 2 weeks. I'm nearly ready, I'm nearly packed, I'm nearly off on an awfully big adventure.

I'm going to Uganda - on safari, by truck, by horse*, by foot and by boat. Traveling with 10 others - 9 of whom I met for the first time a month ago over some very fine African food. Here I was given my first taste of African wine, this will also be the last. I fly in to Entebbe, travel up to Kampala, and around to Jinga, with various activities along the way. I am so excited...*speechless*

I now intend to tear my flat apart looking for the brand new, brilliantly flashing head torch I purchased a month ago. Any ideas on where I might have carefully stored such an item would be greatly received. I WANT MY HEAD TOUCH BACK


*I've spent the last 3 months learning to horse ride and have become somewhat addicted. I did not appreciate how complex it could be and have even been studiously reading a book to further my search for equestrian perfection.

Weather report for London today: Hot and sunny, with mild westerly winds - perfect