Uganda - the Pearl of Africa
Uganda would never have been on my list of countries to travel to before I met my better half, but how glad I am now that I have had to chance to travel to this great country and meet with so many lovely people.
We flew directly to Entebbe from London Heathrow with British Airways, approximately a 9 hour flight, and with only a couple of hours time difference, depending on the time of year you travel, then there isn't really a major jetlag problem for us from the UK !
I was in Uganda to meet my new family over there - however I did want to see the country while I was there as well ! We also have built a house there so I was keen to see the progress on it and see what real life there was like !
Our group of 5 stayed together in the 2 bedroom house that we have built for our family over there, making 8 of us sharing all of the facilites - but it was all part of the experience! The Ugandan word for 'white person' is 'Mzungo' and is was so lovely to see the local children running alongside our car shouting in unison at us, 'Mzungo, Mzungo' !
Entebbe is on the shores of Lake Victoria, where my husband used to swim as a child... so our first lunch was at a fish restaurant just outside Entebbe. There was no menu - all you could order was chicken or fish! However, the chicken was freshly killed and the fish freshly caught ! Yes it took a while longer than conventional restaurants - but the taste was worth the wait !
Ngamba Island is an island on Lake Victoria which is home to a Chimpanzee Sanctuary established in 1998. It provides homes for abandoned and rescued chimpanzees from Uganda and surrounding countries. Chimpanzee meat is a delicacy in some countries and unfortunately is sold on the black market. This sanctuary works with other organisations to help save such animals and provide them with a safe habitat. It is possible to do both day trips and over night visits to the Island.
There are a number of different National Parks in Uganda, and we chose to visit Queen Elizabeth Park. We were in Uganda at the time of CHOGM and in fact the Duke of Edinburgh had been at our safari lodge just days before we arrived. It is a lovely lodge and we were able to do some great game drives. It isn't possble to see the Big 5 here - but it is still wonderful !
Whilst we were there we also visited the Source of the Nile and again this was breathtaking. As a show for tourists, the locals jump into the fast rapids with only an empty jerican to use as a float.
Uganda is a beauiful country, the landscape and countryside can be at times breathtaking, yet the closer you get to Kampala you can feel the tension of a big city setting in. The traffic is no less than unbelievable. Traffic lights are pointless, as it is more of an 'each for themselves' attitude that every driver has.
However, the main thing that you take away from this country is that even with the little that most of the country have, manners cost nothing, and they are one of the most friendly nations that I have ever visited.
Having family and friends there locally now means I have access to first hand information - so if you ever fancy a trip to the the Pearl of Africa then please do get in touch !
Enjoy the photos !