New Years in Kampala, 31 December 2008

Me and Jim decided to go running this afternoon I guess as a way of promising ourselves that our optimism would continue through till next year, Lawrence wanted to visit more friends and run a few errands round town, we arranged with him to grab our bus tickets back to Tanzania early while he was around. So we feasted happy in the knowledge that this evening would welcome the start of a New Year, 2009. I would like to say the year has gone fast but I feel like 2009 has been a long year for me.

Avocados, fresh fruit, tomatoes, sour dough, eggs we kept going and going, talking over our plans for tomorrow, foolishly we were preparing to wake up very early after what promises to be a long evening to make our way to the famous Jinja area in search of the source of the Nile! we wanted to wake by seven, optimistic I thought but true to our jam packed trend.. after breky we all turned to the chore of washing, it is quite a chore without a washing machine, every item takes a long time, involving vigorous effort scrubbing and rubbing, It is quite disgusting to see how much filthy water even one item can produce, I don't mind as I think of it as more of an appreciation lesson, never will I cease to appreciate the washing machine and the ease it brings to our lives. One and a half hours later, im done.

After this rigmarole we take off for much needed exercise, with Kili coming up I'm trying to get my act together, however the time we decided to run happened to coincide with mid-day and Kampala is not cold! so we went for maybe a 3 kilometre run in the sweltering heat, sweating our hearts out through the dust, mindful of the unpredictable traffic, up hills and all, nearing the end of the run we spotted a sign saying "swimming pool" the offer was too good, we ran towards this promised oasis, one sign led to another sign, that sign led to another and so on, it felt like a real oasis disappearing before our eyes until finally we reached the complex with barely the strength to walk. Ahhh the pool, what a way to end a hardcore run, swimming and relaxing by the pool, drifting off to sleep, talking about the future, and our individual plans!

Kampala changes when the lights go down, it is not like Time Square in New York but there is a lot of fluorescent colour and light, a vibe that makes the city feel unique, it feels exciting, there is a buzz in the air, the youth are out in force to celebrate and it has only just turned 6, it must be a universal thing that New years equals p+a+r+t+y. We make our way through the city to meet friends for dinner, Lawrence is in a rush trying to ensure the evening goes to plan, we are walking very fast through crowded streets dodging messy puddles, staggering people, jumping over gaps,through tight areas, always making haste, at one point it felt like we were doing an Indiana Jones take, i was carefully maneuvering round a large man struggling with a large fragile vase as Lawrence was racing ahead, Jim was still behind us both, I sidestepped this gentleman only to find another guy making his way towards a tight alleyway carrying an overflowing sack of material, this sack was maybe five times the size of himself, I ducked under his load just before he made the squeeze, Jim wasn't so lucky, this man had wedged himself right in the way, i ran to get Lawrence, what a jam. It is an exciting centre with so much about, jazz playing here, an enthusiastic speaker making himself heard above the crowd, its all going on. We are laughing at everything this night could not be going better if it tried.

We sit to eat pork and talk, talk about it all, the friends are all about the evening, drinks here, more food there, music always around us like a welcome friend. We meet friend after friend at bar after bar, we go with the crew that have emerged to a local to get in the count down, we meet TV presenters, marketing managers, it doesn't matter its all about whats next, whats next, moving, moving, moving.... 5,4,3,2,1.. the new year begins, the dancing begins, the pace does not slow, hip hop clubs, where Ugandan language rules the floor, back to the multi faceted club with many DJs, guys, girls dressed up, loving it, people yelling everywhere...Happy New year, many on the back of trucks dancing, we see live performances of famous local artists doing their thing, everyone is stoked to dance with the white guys who are enjoying the night and music just as much as them! Jim and his salsa moves impress the local dancers, the beat rises and falls we are all transfixed, through reggae, ragga, all types of local and international stuff everyone is sweating but going on, the DJ is pointing at us us loving how much we get into it, it all goes on, parties in the street, drunk brothers leaving for home, we continue, just happy to be here and welcoming the new year, eventually the night fades as we emerge exhausted and hit home. Kampala was one big party for us even when we were relaxing, enjoyment levels were high!

30th of December 2008

Last night we had stayed at a dingy den that backed onto a bar, where music was playing loud as you like. crazy characters of all sorts came and went, the place had a sleazy feel, with a managers smile to match, I hit my first game of pool in a long time to find I wasn't on form. it was a busy city with too much going on for me at that time.

Kampala! at long last we made it, it was late at night when we pulled up. The scenery was once again top notch, as we talked, bumped and slept our way back. We had managed to get all the parts for our car to temporarily piece it together yet the front still looked like it had been attacked by a meat grinder, at least it was an improvement from what it was, unfortunately despite all the hard work and money all the repairs would need to be replaced for new parts... Anyway we pitched in with costs and tried to move on. Even around this time of 8.30, without dinner and only a small lunch, Lawrence's first priority was to hit the local saloon for a shave and a cut. I finally gave in, my facial hair had become too itchy to handle, I also opted for a shave...

I came out a new man, its amazing how much a little hair on the face can change your appearance, I watched it all unfold through stages.. Castaway, filthy goatee, Tom Saleck moustache, to a man almost ten years younger. I was a little sad to see over a months hard fought growth swept up from the floor, but I figure that there is plenty of time left for another attempt. Time for some well earned rest as we look forward to New Years eve tomorrow!!!!

28th of December 2008

With a car in ruins we could not travel the roads, the Ugandan police are liable to take any measure like an extreme fine or even confiscation of a vehicle if they see such a spectacle through their corrupt lenses, not to mention the fact that we did not have fully functioning headlights and it was getting dark, so we stopped in Kabale in a motel like hotel for the night. We put the car in for repair at a local mechanic and friend of the families, these men jumped into life measuring parts, unscrewing bits and bobs, it was all rather frantic, being tired we left them to their work. We took bicycles home, a rider will take one or two people on the back of his bike were there is a cushioned space for passengers, then he will strain his way to the destination for money, being the only form of transport around we reluctantly accepted, I felt bad relaxing while this guy was giving it his all.

So good to get a great sleep, a hot shower and a solid breakfast of food that my digestive system is used to. I had a minor altercation with the management team over breakfast, they wanted to charge me double the set menu price for my scrambled eggs, they claimed they added an extra egg without telling me, my advice to any African hotel staff who try this... watch out for the law student, we argued for about half an hour until i walked away paying the original amount. Close to Kabale lies one of Uganda's most celebrated attractions, Lake Bunyonyi. Since we had no car and could not continue our journey towards Kampala until it was repaired we decided to make the detour by taxi. Lake Bunyonyi fills you with anticipation because even from afar it is a stunning sight, try as i might I could not get my camera to give it just deserts. Imagine the beauty of the countryside we had been driving through reflected in a calm smooth surface of a large, wonderful lake. This lake is rumoured to be the deepest in Africa and we caught it at such a perfect moment, there had been rain the day before and while we were there massive black clouds broken by blue sky loomed, we met the calm before the Storm on the lake. Picture after picture of the lake reflecting, hills, clouds and sky.... We paddled the lake using a canoe, reaching the far shores where a little resort welcomed us with friendly arms. This is the utopia that everyone in the world is always searching for, if you can make it to Bunyonyi your closer than the communists ever came.

When we returned by canoe to the other side Lawrence began to get really excited, he almost jumped before we made the shore, he raced over to shake the hand of rather large burly looking fellow with a face that reminded me of the African Saint Nick, this was one of the countries most important ministers, one of Lawrence's 'idols' 'minister of interior defence', he shook our hands firmly and we did the formalities, he was a character who had a presence that you could feel, a true politician, always smiling. Boy was Lawrence excited!

True to style we returned to pack even more into our day, we could not pass this area without visiting Lawrence's grandfather... This ancient man still looked in good form, he had lived many lives in one with many wives and many tales, he didn't speak English but didn't have to, the stare, smile and look of the man said enough, it was an honour on my part to be a part of such a warm reunion. Lawrence elaborated on a few of his grandfathers adventures it could and should fill a book.

The mechanic had transformed our wreck as best he could, yet we were minus a headlight, we had to go on to the next town in search of this vital piece. So we went, saying goodbye to a man, a character who plays a part in a long story I barely know, saying goodbye to a lake the likes of which many a legend has been based, through the scenery we race, over pot holes, amongst our conversation, the road flies by.

27th of December 2008

I'm stuck in a tornado traveling at top speed, it doesn't want to slow down, round and round i go, I'm along for the ride, well at least that's what it feels like. today we leave the village off to the Switzerland of Uganda to see the green greens of Kabale's terraces and rich fertile lands, this is another long drive with yet another brother, the scenery is breath taking. It was a shame to leave the village behind but we had such a great time and saw things and people I would never have dreamt up, on our way we pass the site of a mass murder that unfortunately put the Kanugu district on the map. in a cult like act akin to the Jonestown massacre, a man burnt thousands alive inside a church in a mad belief that the world was going to end, a bad man who conned and ruled with thugs and fear, a dramatic story, everyone in the village knew or was related to someone affected, Lawrence had cousins killed.
The country side here is nothing on the dry hot Savannah's of Queen Elizabeth, here it is cool with large, rolling hills, New Zealand, Switzerland and Peru all mixed in together, a vast array of green hills with terraced plateaus and rustic roads and houses, red dust, green ferns, grass of all shades, paddocks colouring the area in squares of contrast, different types of green, yellow, brown up and down hills, more green, very green! stock and birds grazing away, the peace of it all is what I think about, just watching it gradually go by is very relaxing, enjoying fresh mountain air, it is the closest to home Ive felt since being in Africa, my mind takes off home to friends, family and next year, through pristine forests and large luscious farm lands, we stop for photo's, stories told of the great farmers out here who play reggae and classical music to their cows to maximise milk production. We stop for petrol and again experience highly inflated prices, far more expensive than NZ, petrol is approximately $3 a litre or more, just like Tanzania the petrol companies dictate round here, acting in cartels they ensure prices remain high even in times where OPEC are cutting production rates as the rest of the world experiences a glut. Corruption pervades all parts of life over here, there is a joke that if a man has a moustache in Africa he is corrupt, its quite a good one when you see just how quickly an African can grow a mo and just how many have them, a perpetual movember!
I cannot emphasise the beauty of this area, every corner brings exclamations from within the car, for Lawrence and brother this is business as usual, but Me and Jim are just in awe., the plateaus are so amazing. The roads however are very dangerous, they are slippery, sandy and very narrow winding round blind corners where the horn has to be used as an alerting mechanism in case of oncoming traffic. We took one corner at about 50km without sounding the horn to find a pick up carrying a packed load of passengers in the car and on the back coming straight at us. Lawrence's bro had little option, it was either hit the steep cliff on the left side and potentially kill passengers or run into the other vehicle. breaking violently he slid, smack bang into the side of the pick up propelling it up a bank, inches away from a perilous drop where we could have witnessed a horrible end to many. the vehicle was still teetering on the edge, two tires off, everyone was quick to get out and survey the damage. Our car sustained heavy damage to the front right and was going to need definite repairs, the other car was hit in the side in a fairly strong area so luckily only denting occurred, no-one was hurt, we gathered in a group prayer. Eventually after heated negotiations and wanting to avoid the corrupt police, we paid the other driver out a large sum and kept going.. the roads are just so dangerous, it began pouring down as we made our way to the closest town to baton down for the night, survive the shock and repair the car, plans were understandably put on hold, as again I thanked my guardian angel for bringing me thus far safely.

26th of December 2008

Dabora, the drunkard we left merrily feasting away last night got so intoxicated that he was helpless to let himself out for a short call, instead he took to yelling at the top of his voice early in the morning for attention, awoken by his crazed drunken ramblings i thought i was in a mental asylum or a torture chamber, his racket was too much, even when he'd been about his business he would have random outbursts throughout the night that no-one could sleep through. Dabora became a familiar name after that night as he often became the topic of conversation for both myself and Jim, we had never quite experienced the likes of him, Lawrence would laugh in heinsite it was really funny.
We were meant to wake up early but Dabora prevented this, still at about 9 we went through the morning village routine, hurrying to the bucket shower before others got in first, waiting for the toilet as it was cleaned, drinking locally grown tea with locally made bread and a large bowl of fruit, paupau, pineapple, mango. We discussed the plan: try to drive the private road through Queen Elizabeth national park without paying, viewing the abundance of wildlife as we travelled. Queen Elizabeth national park was named by the queen in her previous 2007 visit for it's natural beauty and number + variety of animals, it is situated right on the border, DRC is just a stones throw away, to make things even better this is one of the closest borders to the current conflict and is known for the sheer number of refugees that cross every day. Anticipation and anxiety were mixed but the possibility of getting my first site of a wild leopard, lion or elephant ,without expense, was an opportunity I wasn't about to pass up. Cameras in hand we jammed into Lawrence's brothers car and made our way out of the village in a long journey towards the Savannah.
We stopped to fill up on petrol and buy food supplies in the last town before the park began, this was also the closest town to the border, where numerous refugee camps could be found, flash 4wd's bearing the names of every NGO under the sun were present. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is no joke, everyday people are dying and millions are homeless, talking to many about the situation you get the feeling it isn't going to get any better soon, Congo is a resource rich, massive country, full of dense jungles and terrain perfect for any rebel faction to hide. We are also talking about some of the most sought after resources in the world, diamonds, oil, gold, so yes there are rebel groups but there are also government backed troops from Rwanda and Uganda, all vieing for a piece of the pie incognito. Uganda is there apparently fighting the ongoing battle against Kony, a man that has committed many atrocities, however Uganda has had the chance to kill this guy or stop him in his tracks so often you wonder why they haven't, does it have anything to do with the territory where he is currently situated? let me give a good example of this, Uganda was the largest timber exporter in Africa, without massive forests to back this up, they were recently found plundering large amounts of Congolese timber for large profits.
So we are travelling near one of the worlds hot spots nearing the park when what should we see but 2 large Ugandan tanks making their way on the road towards us, we had to pull over as these massive things passed, soon after hundreds of ground infantry followed carrying all sorts of weaponry, they were making their way towards Congo, Jim and I just looked at each other, sometimes a face can say a thousand words! Tanks! we really felt like we were in the middle of it, extreme!
We continued, whilst trying to understand what exactly was going on, Lawrence tried to keep us focused on the wild life, "lions roam these parts" he said as our tire burst. we were in the middle of a national park, on the border of Congo, surrounded by tanks, lions and god knows what else, we had a flat tire that had to be fixed and the grass was so long that trying to spot a stalking lion was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. One thing we did have on our side was that it was around noon, not the usual hunting time.. still! tire changed, we keep going again, soon enough we see an elephant, Me and Jim turn to take pictures as the brother is racing at top speed, the elephant is running along side us about 50 metres away, both brothers talk of the danger of elephants especially ones on the move... its like scoring a part in an action movie, everything is happening, we see angry buffalo and don't stick around, monkeys, birds of all shapes , colours and sizes, the terrain is ongoing, at last we get a picture of a calm elephant drinking in a river, what site, a huge thing that didn't mind the company. Following the ongoing road, bands of baboons cross in front and behind our moving vehicle, one group came very close, perfect for a photo opportunity, these animals are surprisingly large and very agile, with sharp teeth and claws, Lawrence said it was OK to throw them a banana, as I reached for one from the back it sent the animals present into a frenzy, they rushed at my open window bearing teeth, slashing out at my arm they stood on hind legs beating their chests, i shouted while releasing the banana then watched them fight violently amongst themselves and turn again aggressively toward the car full of open windows, we didn't need to be told twice and raced off. don't feed the animals comes to mind, i wouldn't recommend it either! this is an ongoing joke, the way i shouted in the face of dangerous wild animals out for food is something i cant live down and will remember for a while to come.

Christmas in Uganda- 25th of Dec 2008

We were woken very early by a male goat on heat just outside our window, strange noises, the crowing of roosters soon followed, we were definately in the village. Wished everyone a Merry Christmas during a morning routine and thinking of home I prepared for church knowing full well that my family had done the same for midnight mass back in little old Napier. I soon found that I was to be embarrassingly under dressed, everyone was getting dressed to the nines, the suits came out complete with cuff links, frilly sparkling dresses and shawls. I ironed my cargo pants, but on a brand new African shirt and tried to look the part, It was Christmas! This was Jim's first non- white Christmas, one without snow that is, we both were excited but had some part of us somewhere else. Majority of the family were heading to the main local parish, as they were getting sons and daughters baptised in a doubly special way to spend the day, however it was decided that some of the family should make appearances at other local Churches just to keep up the family presence, we accompanied Lawrence on his mission to a small nearby Church set on top of a hill, it was perfect in its simplicity, even from afar you could see people everywhere. In Africa the people are very religious, in Uganda Christianity is the main denomination and worship is a must, at this time I strongly believe that every house in the village would have been empty, as a cat burglar from another life I pondered this fact. We had arrived late, the sermon had started, we joined the crowds outside peering in windows, when the head nun caught wind of our arrival she wasn't having anything of this standing outside business instead gave us the royal treatment right up the front, I knew what was going to happen, everyone stopped and starred, "check out the late white guys", "phh not even dressed in suits", " yep, right up the front", "every year"... haha no there was a lot of staring but it was mostly out of interest, some of these people, especially the kids had never or hardly seen whites, can you imagine.
The service was something else, they had an African choir straight from the record books, complete with a bongo drum backing they sang Christmas songs in familiar tunes with different words, we did join in for the Latin version of 'Gloria', more like a Mr. Bean rendition on our part, loud chorus, no verse. The local songs hit it off the harmony of a whole church erupting in heart felt, joyous, beautiful song is moving. They all clapped to their hearts content, swaying and dancing, the kids would jump up in down in a sweaty, moving mass the whole standing room was on fire, caught in the wave of Christmas song, this was a Christmas, and church sermon like no other. All was in the native tongue of Lugandan, we sat patiently in between speeches, took the bread in turn, donations as well, Church doesn't finish after the last song, distinguished members are invited to speak and who should be one of those but Lawrence, addressing a crowd of about 1 maybe 2 thousand he spoke in his native tongue until Jim and i heard our names mentioned and he gestured for us to join him, well they just clapped and clapped as we stood on the stage, he introduced us, we waved and sat back down to another round of applause, gee talk about flattering, I'm stoked he didn't get us to speak, what would u say. The formal proceedings ended with an auction, a way of donating alot of money to the church for a token prize. Goats, eggs, chicken, cabbages were all for the bidding. I bet one persistent old fella to a bag of four avocados, holy avocados, I looked forward to eating those. When we emerged from the mass both Jim and I were circled by many wanting to meet and greet, I managed to grab a photo with a whole bunch of kids. We meet the elders of the village some over 100 years of age, so old they themselves had lost count. We talked to everyone and were swamped by more, Lawrence took us on a visiting spree of all his dearer connections like ex-teachers, and bosses, people who used to help him herd cows as a blighter etc. the rich tapestry of people filled our morning and mid afternoon completely, meeting people so happy and content with their simple lives, true beauty... We ran into the town drunkards, ragged, senseless bunch, crazy from years of wanton abuse, mad, dancing passionately in the middle of the road, yelling at trees, man it was bizarre...

Lunch with a happy, well dressed, reunited family the sound of catch ups taking place all over, Christmas overseas for me was really special.
In the evening after another meal with family Lawrence took us to visit his old boss the 'Village King', this gentleman, Sam he humbly called himself, high up in the government owned a massive elaborate mansion, we were metaphorically transported out of the village just for the evening and delivered into the lap of luxury, I was introduced by Lawrence with a slip of the tongue as a Lawyer, well, I tried to live up to this introduction as we discussed many issues global through domestic, economic through legal, arts etc, he was a well travelled, well educated man with alot to say, he took a liking to Jim and I, taking us outside to a table amongst his decorative garden, he brought tray upon tray of alcohol and finger food, Heineken, Johnny walker black, leiphroag, all sorts of African beer, wine and liqueur, I never knew some of these drinks existed and had never seen some of these familiar brands here in Africa, finger food was fantastic, his family and friends joined us and we were waited upon by servants, it was luxurious I felt again like a true foreign prince, he wanted our opinions on all and questioned us amoungst the many stories throughout the night, as a campfire emerged, so did the laughter. We made it home to find a couple of drunkards, seriously intoxicated since we had left them feasting on the left overs of our earlier meal, they were having a merry Christmas aswell by the looks, it was good to see, they made happy noises and continued hoing down the food and their liquid mixtures at an alarming rate. A seriously surreal day, how to do justice by explanation to a Christmas such as this is really beyond my means.

24th of December 2008

It was always our plan in coming to Uganda to accompany Lawrence back to his home village to celebrate Christmas, something he had been marketing since the very day i met him, his village is in the far western Kanugu district, close to the DRC border. Lawrence stayed in a flat, (the one we were getting set to leave) in the city while studying and continued the cheap rent so he could keep the place over time, however his home and many generations of family roots was situated in Kanugu. His father had managed to obtain a large amount of property there while alive which he had duly passed on to his many, responsible sons, of which Lawrence was one, this put Lawrence in a fairly distinguished position within his village at a very young age, an honour which he looks to expand upon, his networking leaves nothing to be desired, I mean really is the whole of Uganda his family or what?

So today we made the journey from Kampala to Kanugu, starting early again, at 5.00. Due to the sheer amount of family making the voyage car space was tight, Jim and I were tightly jammed into the back of Silver, (Lawrence's actual brothers) vehicle and Lawrence travelled ahead with another. Two others shared the back seat with us, two cousins, one a baby. I was a sardine for the day, I had to ask for stretch stops all the time, my legs were going numb, the distance mounting and time was taking its toll, I found it hard to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Funny pictures come to mind, as we travelled up one long hill, everyone is heading out of Kampala in a classic pre-Christmas dash to get home, we were travelling in a large convey, it was so full of pot holes that it looked like every single driver was drunk, dodging the holes, oncoming traffic and passing cars, honestly to look out the front windscreen was a joke. Silver would stop occasionally at stalls to introduce us to Ugandan treats like bbq'd maize, roasted banana, skin and all, cassava roots and mango, I tried a fruit that no-one in the car new the name of, it was bitter as hell, i thought i didnt get a ripe one so reached back in the bag, same story, they thought I took a liking to it so bought me a whole bag, damn, I couldn't help but politely smile, offer it round, then try to fall asleep, ha ha. the fruit stalls were bright and packed, I wanted all of it, the bus experience of people swarming the car was repeated as i got chicken shoved in my barely awake face, the country side flew by, towns, rivers, hills and all. We reached the village after 12 hours of driving. Set in the middle of a tropical jungle, surrounded by farm area and farm style houses and cottages, I had gone back in time, people wave and wave and wave everywhere as we arrive, they continue to work away with various tools, this family knows every single person here greeting them by name. As we are nearing the village, there was an unbearable smell, Silver points out a dead leopard in the middle of the road, slaughtered by residents as it strayed to close for comfort, that's the first wild leopard I have seen, hm not how I pictured it happening. Silver tells us stories of the days when Idi Amin ruled the land, under his rule these roads were littered with bodies, bad men blockaded every entrance demanding money and vehicles if their demands were refused you joined the others on the side of the road, as a boy Silver had seen all this, he'd seen woman raped and people killed, a far cry from life in New Zealand.

The village could be described as simple, I had been getting used to the way of African life so nothing was a shock, lack of power, not a problem, shower, not a problem, toilet, not a problem, hold on, did you say the toilet meant trekking sometimes in the dark through the banana jungle? when Ive just seen a leopard dead or not? i try to hold on till morning, again politely smiling. Everyone welcomed us openly, they prepared elaborate meals for all, we ate like kings and slept accordingly.