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Hard Work For Little Money

By Gilles & Heidi on 16. August 2011 in Uganda

Eucalyptus Turned Charcoal & Tea Picking

Tea Picking, West Uganda, Africa

On one of our strolls in the hills around Lake Bunyonyi, we came across three young men neatly stacking newly cut eucalyptus trees. Five days of work had gone into cutting down the trees and piling up the stack, they told us. Adding that now they had to cover it with soil and set in on fire. After another five day this would produce 35 bags of precious charcoal. The guys, by pointing at a large piece of burned slope stressed how important it was to guard the smoldering fire. Others had obviously been less careful! The charcoal maker pay the owner of the plot for cutting down the trees, but searing the grass would add to their bill. Continue Reading →

Queen Elisabeth National Park

By Gilles & Heidi on 16. August 2011 in Uganda

Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius), Queen Elisabeth National Park, West Uganda, Africa

The scenery is spectacular and unique, green islands seem to float in the golden colored savannah plains. At a closer look, these are dense shrubs surrounding a cactus tree. In the early morning with the mist nestled in-between, this view was quite mystical. Continue Reading →

Getting Medical Help In Rural Uganda – A Drama In Three Acts!

By Gilles & Heidi on 15. August 2011 in Uganda

Gilles & Dr. Williams at Kagando Hospital on the Congolese border, North Uganda

1) The night after the gorilla trek, Gilles woke up in terrible pain. His left eye was swollen and awfully red. As soon as it got light we asked one of the awakening drivers to take us to the village hospital in Buhoma. Our arrival caught the only person on duty, a sturdy nurse, by surprise. She left to get help.

We waited in the doctor’s office, a two by two meter room, with a few pieces of old wooden furniture. Lots of faded sheets of paper tucked to walls and doors gave instructions as what to do when bricked by needles or how to recognize Ebola. The only items that reminded us of a hospital were neatly wrapped syringes. On two small cupboards it said “Medication”. Those were locked with a padlock. The strangest thing was a filing cabinet with lots of faded forms meant to transfer patients to labs or an x-ray, etc… Where could those facilities possibly be? Continue Reading →

Buhoma Highlights – Fiction & Reality

By Gilles & Heidi on 14. August 2011 in Uganda

Large tea plantations, a few on flat terrains, but most sneaking up hills, are another common sight in Uganda. The different green of the leaves make them pleasant eye-catchers. West Uganda, Africa

Our room at Bwindi View Camp desperately needed an overhaul. However, the staff was lovely and the food ok. The best place was the restaurant’s terrace, the perfect place to mingle. Either we were competing with Italians for the best photos of the many birds in the surrounding trees or were queuing for a plug in the jungle of mobiles, cameras or laptops near the only power outlet. Continue Reading →

Meeting The Habinyanja Family

By Gilles & Heidi on 13. August 2011 in Uganda

Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Beringei), Family Habinyanja, Makara, the Silver Back, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, West Uganda, Africa

High above our heads they were, up in the trees, loudly ripping off the leaves and moving swiftly from one branch to another. This was a surprise to us: all the pictures we had seen showed relaxed gorillas sitting on the ground surrounded by juicy, leafy vegetation.

Pieces of wood came raining down on us. It was more an acoustic entertainment than a visual one, since we could barely see them. But they must have felt like pleasing us and moved on to a clearing where they settled in the high grass. Continue Reading →

Bwindi Rainforest

By Gilles & Heidi on 13. August 2011 in Uganda

Home Of Uganda’s Last Mountain Gorillas

Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Beringei), Family Habinyanja, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, West Uganda, Africa

Rain set in once we arrived in the small village of Buhoma, site of the National Park’s headquarters. This worried us endlessly: trekking through the forest is difficult enough, but in ankle-deep mud? Besides, Gorillas do not like rain and hide in the dense forest. Even if you find them, making decent photos would be simply impossible. In the grotty, horrible room of the Bwindi View Camp, we hoped for decent weather for the next morning. Continue Reading →

On The Dark Side Of Life

By Gilles & Heidi on 12. August 2011 in Uganda

Lake Bunyonyi – More than 20 islands dot this supposedly 2.000 meter deep lake

Hell broke loose around evening on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi: thunder, lightening and torrential rain. Minutes later the electricity went down. The generator only served the restaurant. The rooms were pitch-dark. It got so cold you could see your own breath. So we crawled into bed with our headlamps only to discover a leak in the roof of our room. Feeling sorry for ourselves, we soon remembered the villagers in their canoes returning home from the local market. They were paddling across the lake exposed to this horrible weather. Continue Reading →

Batwa Pygmies at Lake Bunyonyi

By Gilles & Heidi on 12. August 2011 in Uganda

Traditionnal songs & dances, Batwa People, Lake Bunyonyi, West Uganda, Africa

Our boat gracefully plowed the dark waters of Lake Bunyonyi. Not a ripple disfigured the smooth surface, allowing the carefully terraced green hills to be mirrored in the deep lake. Banana groves and tall eucalyptus trees dot the steep shores and most of the 29 islands. Each has its own legend, like Punishment Island where unmarried pregnant girls were left to starve as recently as 90 years ago. Continue Reading →

Shakira Coming To Heidi’s Rescue

By Gilles & Heidi on 11. August 2011 in Uganda

My safari from Rwanda to Uganda started promising. Leaving Ruhengeri / Rwanda like a Swiss clock, the “Matatu” whizzed me the 25 kilometers to the Ugandan border. A German biker traded his Ugandan shillings for my Euros. I crossed into Uganda on foot and hopped on a “Boda Boda” (motorbike taxi) to Kisaro. Easy enough! Continue Reading →

Gilles – A Long Way To Cross The Equator

By Gilles & Heidi on 10. August 2011 in Uganda

Gilles – Crossing the Equator on the way from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, Africa

After a straightforward flight Vienna – Istanbul – Entebbe, it was another eight hour drive from Kampala to Lake Bunyonyi where I was to meet up with Heidi. The only pseudo highlight during this long haul is crossing the Equator, where all good tourists have their photo taken at the very landmark. Not to be missed is the demonstration of how water whirls clockwise or anti-clockwise when rushing through an outlet, depending on which side the Equator you stand. What a difference a few meters can make to physics! And yes, for the weight conscious, supposedly you are 3% lighter when standing on the Equator… Continue Reading →

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