So now we get to the highlight of the trip… at least in terms of the location. Down in the southwest portion of Uganda is a town called Kabale. By the time you get this far out you have noticed that the hills have increased in size and frequency and that they are terraced to accommodate the farming lifestyle of the Ugandan people. You also notice the skies are much more likely to be overcast or raining, at least part of the day… but that just adds to the lush green vegetation and feeling of clean…. ahhhh…. clean!
I awoke pre-dawn to the sound of a pouring rain. I got up to use the bathroom and realized that the hallway outside of my room was partially uncovered and it was raining out there. No problem, I picked my way carefully to the bathroom and back and climbed back into bed, thinking that this rain would be a lousy thing if it was to stay for the day. We had seen the results of a heavy downpour on the road on the way in where a hillside had let a pretty good amount of earth slide down into the road. By the time we passed it had dried and the cloud of dirt that was kicked up by a passing truck required our taxi to come to a full stop, as it completely obliterated any visual sign of the road ahead until the dust settled. Anyway, I was conjuring images of a a wet and muddy day, drearily making our way through the hills to the lake, and then across the lake in a boat to the Island where we planned to stay. But by daylight, my fears were allayed as it had stopped raining and seemed to be promising another sunny day. David and I did our usual easy going intro to the new day. I decided to go have a cup of the “real brewed Coffee” the signs that I had noticed the night before were promising. I was not disappointed. They brought a small pot of the stuff and it was yummy. I sat and read, and sipped my coffee at a table outside our room for well over an hour. David came out and we had breakfast and, after another pot of coffee, we took a stroll into town to hit the ATM machine and the grocery store. We packed up and found a car for the short trip to the lake. David and the boat taxi attendant seemed to know each other from his previous trip and so they chatted while I just sat and waited for the taxi driver to return.
When he did we embarked on a 15 minute boat ride weaving through the islands on lake Buynonyi and landing on Amagara, a peaceful, well planned little island with cabins, huts, a lodge, a library, a swim dock (this is one of the few lakes in Uganda that are safe to swim in. Most have a parasite that makes it unsafe), small farmed areas, lots of birds and views views views!
David and I secured a cabin for the night and settled into the beautiful peace of this quiet little corner of God’s gorgeous earth.
There were no sounds of motors, airplanes, cars, boats, lawnmowers refrigerators, fans, generators…. absolutely peaceful!!! The only sound was the slicing of the scythe as an island caretaker “mowed” the lawn in front of our cabin. It did have the same welcomed smell of freshly cut grass without the noisy lawnmower engine.
I took advantage of the fresh outdoor shower and cleaned the dust of a day and a half worth of road off me. It was the first time I felt clean since leaving home. I started peeking around the paths the lead to and from our cabin, one of which led to a cleared field that you could just see from our deck. It was simply wonderful. Buyonyi means, “place of many birds” This was true. There were many varieties that I have never heard of. Most particularly we spied two Crested Cranes on a tilled hillside not far from the field. David and I went for a closer look and we got there, but they were on to us and walked away at first, and then, when we persisted, they flew off. We did snap some pictures and I will send them along when I get them from David.
There was a nice lodge on the Island where you could get your meals and some beer, wine, coffee, tea, as well as a few souvenirs. David and I pieced together a backgammon set using backgammon pieces, as well as bottle caps and scrabble letters. We had a few games to pass the time in perfect Island fashion. It did not take us long to make the decision to stay 2 nights so we could actually wake up and go to sleep in the same place for the first time in a few of days… and this was certainly the place to do that.
We watched the sun go down from our deck and just enjoyed the dimming light in the western sky as the stars began to sparkle in the east. We walked to the lodge for dinner just as it was getting really dark and enjoyed a quiet dinner. We had had a pizza earlier, but i think I got pizza again since it was so good. Had another Club beer or two as well. It was a quiet night at the lodge. Only a couple other people.
As we walked back to the cabin we were looking skyward and enjoying the total darkness and the blazing milky way and all the stars from horizon to horizon. We got to talking about the “Southern Cross” and we wondered if we would know it if we saw it. So, since we were just a few miles south of the equator and it was just a day or 2 away from the vernal equinox, it was easy to determine true south by remembering where the sun had gone down, which would have been just about a perfect west. So there we were, standing on our little deck outside our little wooden hut with the grass roof and the bamboo railings, with a perfect spot of sky open to the south… and there it was… unmistakable… the four stars that make up the Southern Cross. “when you see the southern cross for the first time, you understand now why you came this way. ’cause the truth you might be running from is so small, but it’s as big as the promise, the promise of the coming day” I had always expected to see the southern cross for the first time from the deck of a sailboat in the Caribbean… but this…. in this perfect Paradise…. with my amazing son… no other time or conditions could replace this moment for me…. It was perfect! Together we sang a bit of the song and just enjoyed the night sky and the sounds of the island night.
There were several more people on the island the next night including an older man that was obviously a bit travel worn. When I asked him his story he told me that he had left Bangkok about 2 years ago and he is making his way home to South Africa. He hopes to be there in time for the World Cup. I guess he does travel writing but when I asked him for whom, or where I might see his work, he gave me an address on the internet that is no longer being serviced, although it is up. But it seems to be a place for amateur writers to post their blogs. So I guess he just likes to travel around and enjoy a little conversation here and there.
There was a brother sister couple from the Netherlands. She was doing volunteer work for an organization in Uganda having to do with agriculture… the brother was a farmer back home. There were several students having an adventure. One was in Uganda doing his thesis on a sustainable energy process. They all seemed to be European and the backpacking, wandering type. There was another younger guy who I think I remember as Australian who was making his way to South Africa also for the world cup.
On Friday morning we made the one exception to our lazy morning routine. We got up at 6:30, packed and headed to the lodge to get a boat back to the mainland. It seemed it would take a while so we had breakfast before we headed out… and I had another cup of brewed coffee… or at least my concoction mixing the espresso they made with some hot water. But by 8:00 we were on board the little boat with Byoona Amagora receding into the distance behind us.
The reason that we had made such an effort to get up and away so early and leave this serenity behind, was to go have an adventure. We wanted to see if we could rent some Boda bodas and do a tour of southwest Uganda and Queen Elizabeth National Park. There we might see elephants and maybe other wild animals. It’s a good thing we did get up early because getting the taxi out of Kabale would prove to be quite a frustrating exercise of hurry up and wait. We circled back on ourselves a half dozen times in their tireless effort to fill all the seats in that taxi. It was over an hour from the time we sat down in the taxi, and after 10:00 before we at last began the trip in earnest out of Kabale.
We got off in Ntungamo hoping for those Boda bodas. It was once again that comical sight where all the drivers know that there is a possible sale to the Muzungos and so they gather around to bargain, or at least to witness the bargaining going on. And of course, David secured us 2 pretty new Boxer Bodas for our little excursion for the day. I had been harboring a little quiet fear of the moment I first rode away on the boda since I had not ridden a motorcycle in perhaps 30 + years. But my fear was unfounded. I won’t say it was graceful, but a little cheer and a chuckle went up when I actually managed to pull away from the crown without any significant struggle. Woo Hoo!!! Felt awesome! We pulled into a gas station and put 10,000 shillings into each of our tanks, got ourselves a couple bottles of water, made one last check to be sure we were tied down well… and off we went.
But time for a break. I’ll save the Boda ride for the next time.
Peace
Jim
