Kilimanjaro Trek 2005
		sam and pippin  there and back again
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October 9, 2005

We've got a day off at Lake Bunyoni today - an absolutely lovely area of Uganda that people like to refer to as the "Switzerland of Uganda." It's a gorgeous lake created by a volcanic eruption which blocked a river, and it's got lots of lakeside camps and cabins, as well as hotels, restaurants and such. Thus far, I've spent my day doing laundry, scrubbing the rainforest out of my shoes, talking to Nora and basking in the breeze and the sun. It's been the best holiday I've had in a while!

As usual, I'm a couple days behind on my journal, so let me try to recap. Yesterday we finally were able to sleep in a bit (til 7 a.m.) which was the best gift I've had in a long time. My ribs have been sore all the while, aggravated by coughing, laughing, lying on my side and hitting bumps in the road, but in general I woke up completely recovered from the miserable day before. We drove about four hours back down the treacherous mountain roads to Kibale for a stopover, which was nice. Lyndal gave us each about $3 for lunch money while we were in town, so I ended up with a cheese pastry and a banana for lunch. I think most people did the same, as sitting down in a restaurant just takes too long with the limited time we have. We also managed to find one computer with working internet, so Nora and I both quickly checked messages and sent one out, and then we had just enough time to breeze through the supermarket and get a few supplies before heading back out in the truck.

Last night, the group decided to make an alcoholic "punch" which was equal parts alcohol and fruit juices, with large chunks of citrus fruit floating about in it. I had to pass on trying it, since I have a Vitamin C allergy, but I think most everyone else had quite a lot. The bar stayed very noisy until very late and more than a few people were stumbling down to their tents in the wee hours. Luckily Tony gave me his pair of earplugs before he left, as I lost my really good ones somewhere in Arusha. I would have been sunk without them last night. Every time I woke up and pulled them out for a second to check, there was something going on. Loud music from the bar, TV, loud voices telling tall tales, at some point, a group starting singing Indian songs, then the tent next to us started snoring so loud the earth nearly rattled. I just kept the earplugs in and the eye mask on and managed to get at least some sleep in between it all.

This afternoon we went for a bit of a walk further up the road, and around one edge of the lake. We got followed briefly by lots of different groups of children begging for pens and money, as well as by adults wanting donations for nonprofit causes or visits to their craft stores, but mostly they were polite and accepted a "no" answer without too much further hassle, which was a nice change. At the top of the hill was an "entertainment center," which was absolutely empty except for one guy trying to sell beer and sodas. So Nora bought a soda while I used the bathroom and we enjoyed the view over the lake for a bit and then headed back down. We were lucky we did because just as we got back, it started to rain. Not a downpour but it was fairly hard, and we managed to duck into one of the tables that was covered by a tarp. Unfortunately, even that small amount of rain was enough to cause more tent leakage, despite our efforts to tape up the seams with Nora's roll of masking tape.

Luckily it doesn't seem in the mood to rain anymore tonight, so I think we'll be dry now. We had a bonfire on the edge of the bar, but I didn't stay too long - there wasn't really enough room to make a full circle around the fire, so I was in the second row, and it was freezing, plus there weren't too many people interested in talking to me. So enough of that!

 

Local women doing laundry on the shores of Lake Bunyoni, Uganda.