Why did I think that Uganda was going to be less hilly? How would the tuktuk cope? And would I make it to Entebbe in time to catch my flight…?
The first few hours in Uganda were spectacularly scenic, but painfully slow. The Zebra crawled and sputtered up steep hill after steep hill (though she always got a lot of attention), and despite having a relatively modest target of reaching the Lake Bunyonyi Overland camp, the last hour was done in the dark, my flashing multicolour headlights really not helping me much. Thanks once again to the mechanic in Dar who decided it would be a good idea to put those in. Cretin.
Turns out that Lake Bunyonyi is a lovely spot. Despite being surprisingly deep (900m in parts) the water was a pleasant temperature for swimming, and there are 29 islands that can be visited by boat. These include Punishment Island, where unmarried pregnant girls were sent. Unsurprisingly, there was no corresponding island for the boys who had got them that way.
I spent a few days there just relaxing, basking in the attention that The Zebra was getting now that she was fully set up with the rooftop hut up (yes, I am that needy and attention seeking). One of the people who came down to have a look was Bannet, a guy who worked up at an orphanage/school next door. I went for a visit to the school, and ended up agreeing that I would come back and help out. Little did I know what that would turn into!
One tip I had picked up whilst at Bunyonyi was that en route to Entebbe was Mburo national park, a small national park that would allow the tuktuk in. A mini safari in The Zebra! It turned out to be well worth the trip, even if the animals weren’t cooperative. I spent a good hour stalking and chasing actual zebra, trying to get a photo of them with the tuktuk. At one point I even paid two local cowherds (little lads who couldn’t have been more than ten) to try and corral the animals towards the tuk, but it sadly didn’t work. The park was great fun though; with virtually no tourists it was perfect for checking out animals at close quarters, and also bombing round little dirt tracks on three wheels (I even managed a power slide round one corner…)
From Mburo it was straight to Entebbe. I was stopped by a policewoman on the road but flirted my way out of trouble (haven’t had to do that in a while), and for the price of my phone number was on my way again. I arrived in Entebbe with plenty of time to spare, and before long was on a plane for the first time on the trip...
