Читать книгу African Safari Adventures - Thomas Walsh - Страница 5

We flew British Airways from Los Angeles to London Heathrow. Steve and Nancy headed off for a connecting flight to Amsterdam. Lee and I checked into the Hilton at Heathrow. We were tired and slightly discombobulated from the eight hour time difference between L.A. and the U.K. But the excitement of the trip fueled our adrenaline rush. After a short nap and a welcome shower we took a train into London to visit my niece and her family who lived there. We had a nice but short visit. Jet lag got to us and we had to be up early for the flight to Nairobi, Kenya.

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The next day we boarded another British Airways flight to Nairobi. We were actually on our way to Kigali, Rwanda, but there were no direct flights from London. It soon became apparent that the logistics of intercontinental travel to Africa and intra-continental flights within Africa are a major factor in planning a safari. Nairobi is three time zones further east from London, the same time zone as the Middle East. The flight took over eight hours so we arrived around 10 pm.

Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport is a little hectic and intimidating when you arrive late at night after taking two long, tiring flights in as many days. A visa was required for entry to each of the countries we visited. You can apply for them before travelling, but it can be a hassle, or simply pay for them when you clear customs. We paid for our visas when we cleared customs in Nairobi. They were $50 each and the customs officer only accepted U.S. dollars. It is easy to imagine where some of the cash ends up when you see it go into a giant wad of bills in the officer’s hand. It is a necessity for a long safari to carry at least a $1,000 of cash for visas, tips, and purchases you can’t charge.

A driver from one of Chuck’s affiliated tour companies was waiting for us when we cleared customs. He drove us into the city to the Serena Hotel. The ride took about 30 minutes. There were many people walking and riding bicycles along the road in both directions. It seemed strange that so many people were out and about late at night until I remembered that Nairobi is a city of over three million people. The majority of the inhabitants are too poor to own a car so there are always a lot of people walking and riding bicycles along the roads.

Nairobi was founded in 1899 by the British as a rail depot between Mombasa, Kenya on the coast of the Indian Ocean, and the country of Uganda to the west. It was named after the Nairobi River. The word “Nairobi” is from the Maasai language and means “cool water”. Nairobi was the capitol of British East Africa in colonial days. It is the capitol of Kenya and its largest city. Nairobi grew rapidly as people moved from the countryside to the city in search of a better life. The Serena Hotel is located near the city center overlooking Central Park, in an area of upscale hotels and embassies.

When our car arrived at the gated entrance to the Serena Hotel compound there were two guards. One guard checked our passports against a list and looked around the car while the other guard used a mirror attached to a pole to check for bombs under the car. In 1998 the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were bombed simultaneously by al Qaeda with the loss of over 200 lives. Security precautions at major buildings have been very tight ever since.

The grounds surrounding the hotel were lush and beautiful. The interior of the building and the guest rooms were decorated in rich wood paneling reminiscent of the British colonial era. The main restaurant was on a gorgeous patio set next to the pool. We were too tired to eat but we felt like stretching our legs. I asked at the front desk if it was safe to walk outside the hotel compound. I was advised in a very polite way that it was not recommended. I guess I wasn’t surprised. I had received the same advice at hotels in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa on a business trip. The vast majority of Africans are very poor, and violence and crime are endemic as a result of it. We strolled around the hotel grounds for a few minutes then called it a day. We had an early start the next morning.

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After an early wake-up call and a quick continental breakfast, the same driver who picked us up at the airport returned to take us back for our flight to Kigali, Rwanda. The road on the way to the airport was teeming with people, walking and on bicycles. Many of them carried large loads on their heads or on the front and backs of bicycles. There were a lot of children dressed in school uniforms walking with books balanced on their heads. Most of the adults looked relatively young. East Africa has one of the highest birthrates in the world, but a relatively low life expectancy of about 60 years partly due to HIV/AIDS, so you don’t see very many older people.

The terminal for intra-African flights at Jomo Kenyatta airport was a melting pot of black, Arabian, Indian and Chinese people with whites in a very small minority. If it hadn’t already registered in our brains that we were in Africa, it did at the airport. There are a lot of Arabs and Indians living along the coastal areas of East Africa. They migrated there over the centuries in pursuit of trade and commerce. The number of Chinese was a surprise until I remembered that China was actively pursuing infrastructure and raw materials projects in East Africa.

Our flight on Kenya Airways took about 90 minutes. We flew approximately 450 miles west across Kenya and Uganda including a leg across Lake Victoria, to Kigali the capitol of Rwanda. The approach to Kigali was not what I expected. Near the airport there were sub divisions of expensive, large American style houses. It was quite a contrast with the images you see of Africa on the television news.

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Kigali International Airport formerly known as Gregoire Kayibanda International Airport was a modern facility like Jomo Kenyatta in Nairobi. When we cleared customs we again had to pay $50 U.S. cash per person for a visa. Outside customs we met Charles our driver and guide for our stay in Uganda and Rwanda.

Charles was average height and build with a very black complexion. He was about 40 years old. Charles spoke English perfectly with a very soft voice like many black Africans we encountered. He had a warm smile and friendly disposition. We felt very comfortable with him almost immediately. Charles is a member of the Baganda tribe the largest ethnic group in Uganda. He was with the Volcanoes Safari guide company. His assignment was to take us to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Uganda then drive us back to Rwanda to link up with Steve and Nancy at Volcanoes National Park to see the mountain gorillas.

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Charles drove a large Land Rover safari car. It had two passenger bench seats with open hatches above them. You could stand on the seats and look in any direction, great for viewing wildlife. Before we headed out I told Charles that we needed to stop at a liquor store to buy some wine. My brother and his wife drink beer and we drink wine so the only solution was to BYOB. I could tell that Charles thought the request was a little odd, but he managed to find a store that sold wine on the outskirts of Kigali. We bought a few bottles of South African wine for us and some beer for our hosts. Then we got on the road to Uganda.

Travel by road in Africa can be very problematic. Often there are no roads where you want to go so air travel is the only alternative. When there are roads they become difficult and hazardous as soon as you leave a major city. The distance from Kigali to Rukungiri, Uganda, where my brother and his wife were stationed, was only about 120 miles but it took over 4 hours driving time, not including a stop for lunch. Shortly after we left Kigali the asphalt disappeared and it was a dirt road. Charles had to frequently zigzag across the road to avoid pot holes that would have broken an axle on the safari car. You can just imagine what it must be like in the rainy season. The scenery was lush, and rich in color and varied topography. But, despite all the bouncing around, dodging potholes and wonderful scenery Lee and I struggled to stay awake as jet lag and the demands of the journey caught up with us.

A little more than half way to Rukungiri, Charles drove into the town of Kabale a crossroads in southwestern Uganda. The main street was a few blocks long with a smattering of banks and stores. We turned left up a hill to a hotel perched at the top overlooking the town. The White Horse Inn is a throwback to the British colonial era. It looks and feels like an English country inn with a sprawling lawn cascading down the hillside. We enjoyed a simple lunch on the patio. It was interesting to watch several gardeners cutting the grass by hand with machetes. I guess labor was cheaper than buying a gas powered lawn mower.

The further we drove into Uganda the more the scenery changed to smaller hills and rolling countryside from the steep and tall mountains of Rwanda. After another two hours of snapping our necks as we jerked awake from the bouncing of the car we finally arrived at the outskirts of Rukungiri. Charles drove up to the entrance gate of a compound that was the Karoli Lwanga Hospital Nyakibale where my brother and sister-in-law were volunteers. Three days and 10,000 miles – we made it!

Uganda regional map

White Horse Inn, Kabale, Uganda