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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Mar 22, 2011 07:00 PM Queen Elisabeth National Park - Uganda
I spent the night in the park hostel - it is expensive - 57000 UGX incl breakfast... but located in the heart of the wildlife...
At 6.30 am my guide Adolphe came with his car and we started 3-hours game drive on the gravel park roads.
Yes, I saw a lot of animals, but sorry no lion or leopard. You must be lucky... Next time.
My guide left me on the main road and I took pubic transport to the Kyambura Gorge. It is good tourist trap! My 24-h park permit was still valid here - but with this permit you can only take a pictures from the view point. Nice view. But to get into the gorge you have to pay 50 USD, to see the river and the monkeys living there. Not worth! I did not and walk back in the heat to the main road - some 2,5 km.
Some 10 kms forher on the main road I found exceptional place - Kingfisher Lodge located on the escarpment 150 m above savannah. Great place!
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Mar 21, 2011 07:00 PM 200 hippos, maybe more...
In the morning I took matatu - crowded microbus to get to the gate of Queen Elisabeth National Park. Do you know matatu stories? As many stop as possible, waiting time to fill-up unlimited, driver's relax-stops... This time the stone broken fuel tank... The fuel was leaking on he pavement... I took boda-boda to Kasese and then another matatu going to Mbarara.
But I disembarked on the equator... Yes! - there is the marker on the road. So I am on the equator again... I crossed it many times in the past. Probably the most impressive was a place on Sao Tome islands. The most imposing monument is in Ecuador... Here in Uganda it is small...
Soon I hitch to the Park Gate. Somebody took me from the road to the Mwaya Camp inside the park - like 22 kms. An I was on time to join the boat trip along the Kazinga Channel - full of hippopotam. There were more then 200 of them. Also buffalos, elephant and a lot of birds... Great trip, worth 15 USD you pay!
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Mar 20, 2011 07:00 PM African red, outback roads...
It took me whole day to move from Masindi to Fort Portal
near he border of Congo.
Unpaved, red and bumpy African roads. I changed the crowded cars four times going from village to village.
Terrential rain - the car on the old tires is sliding downhill on the red mud - very emotional!
At dark in Fort Portal I found cheap Continental Hotel out of service. Travellodge Inn is more expensive but no choice!
Fort Portal will be my base to visit the national parks.
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Mar 19, 2011 07:00 PM I foundPolish church in Uganda!
Back in Uganda I found near Masindi Polish church built by the Polish refugees from Stalins's Soviet Union during the 2nd world war...
It is hard to believe that therewere almost 5000 of them living in the camp located 27 kms west of Masindi.
Sunday. I attended the mass celebrated in swahili language - as the only foreigner in this remote and nice church. Great place...
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Mar 17, 2011 07:00 PM Upper Nile River
Due to the lack of accommodation in Juba they built here on the bank of the Nile several "camps" - mostly a/c cabins and open air restaurants, where you can stay for 120 USD and more per day.
Thinking about sailing down the Nile? Yes, there are barges going down from the jetty near the Oasis camp but keep in mind that it is nor safe nor quick journey - it takes weeks to get to Kosti where next Nile bridge is located. How many of safe water and food you should take for such a journey?
Road travel to the north is also very complicated due to the landmines, destroyed, bridges and the fightings at the border areas. It seems that at the moment nobody controls the situation... There is only one relatively safe road back to the world: to Uganda....
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Mar 16, 2011 07:00 PM Boda-boda to Konyo Konyo
I like very much those "twin" names. They are funny. Do you remember Puka Puka or Lapu Lapu?
Boda boda - the motorcycle taxis are the main means of public transport in Juba. You have to agree the price before you jump on. It is 2-5 sudanneese pounds, depending on the distance.
In South Sudan they still use Sudaneese currency. In the bank or official exchange office 1 USD is worth about 3 pounds. But the money changers on the street they will give you 3,40 and more.
I took boda boda to go to Konyo Konyo market - one of the biggest in the city. It is colorful, but the supply of the goods is poor - Juba is far from the world, and everything comes via long way through Kenya and Uganda. And that's why it is more expensive! To buy western food and drinks go to JIT supermarket in Juba Town. It is expensive! I prefere to buy banana, mango and pineapple on the streets...
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Mar 15, 2011 07:00 PM Juba - the hot capital of South Sudan
Can you imagine the city of estimated 600 000 inhabitants where streets have no names? I am in Juba!
The internet is poor and ver hard available here. But the people on the dusty streets are nice and helpful, assuming they understand English...
The new country is in big demand for the educated people.
The imageof the capital is not very optimistic: bumpy side streets, piles of rubbish, lack of water... Heat!
I fight with the resident mosquitoes inmy room - the net is the must...
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Mar 14, 2011 07:00 PM Juba. I am not mzungu, I am khaladya now!
We reached border check point of Uganda at 8 am. Crowd of the cars, dust, congestions... Then there were some 8 kms to the check point of South Sudan. Again I spent a lot of time in the line with the crowd of the pushing people.
Finally I got a stamp in the passport and they registered my name and nationality on the dirty piece of paper. I am in the South Sudan!
It is different world here: Different culture, different language. They call ma - the white man - Khaladya!
We started our drive to juba and through the dirty window of the bus I saw some on the most exotic African landscapes: villages full of traditional huts, poor people waiting at the only water pump in the village, savanna...
At 3 pm I saw again the Nile River - we crossed the bridge to Juba. Welcome to the hot capital of the South Sudan!
Dirty, sweaty, tired I found accommodation in the Episcopal Church of Sudan guesthouse. They charge 50 USD for the fan room. Juba on the outskirts of the civilized world is very expensive place - the average room in the hotel or camp cost like 100 USD. Lets have a rest after all those adventures!
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Mar 13, 2011 07:00 PM 16 hours on the African bus...
(posted two days later)
Can you imagine 16-hours travel in the crowded bus going from Uganda to Juba. With crying kids, extra people staying in the aisle, luggage blocking the exit?... That's how it was...
But this is the only route going to the South Sudan.
On the Uganda side the road is paved as far as Gobu only. Then it is full of bumps, mud and big trucks...
Problably the hardest experience of this voyage...
We reached the border point at 9 am. It is real African outback... Crowds of cars, lines of the people who push you up.
Between Uganda check point and South Sudan Check poin there some 8 kms of the desetred track. Finally I got a stamp
of South Sudan in my passport. Lets go to Juba now!
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Mar 12, 2011 07:00 PM Ready for South Sudan...
I am back to the civilization, making laundry and charging batteries (In Sipi where I spent my last days there was no electricity, even in the evenings).
My visa (exactly: travel permit) is ready, so tomorrow I plan to move to the northern border of Uganda and to cross it to the South Sudan.
I experienced first rain since my arrival to Uganda. But in fact it was only 1-hour shower...
It is hard to imagine if I will have the access to the internet on the other side of the border. So please do not panic in case if the news will be delayed and just keep your fingers crossed, please!
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