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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Mar 11, 2011 07:00 PM Mt Elgon Nat. Park - Uganda
Sipi village lies on the altitude of 1800 m above the sea. days are hot, but the nights are pleasantly cool... The scenery is great so it is the place worth to recommend.
Close to Sipi you will find one of the gates to the Mt Elgon National Park. It is not easy to get there: by rented car or motorcycle only: 6 kms on paved road and then another 6 on the red and dusty country road. I took a boda-boda (12000 UGX). It was a sensation when local people from the tiny villages along the country roag saw mzungu on boda-boda...
At the Park gate I recognized that even 1-day visit to the park is not cheap: the minimum entry fee is 20 USD and you have to pay also 10 USD for the guide. What to do? I paid, and my armed guide Peter took me to the "nature wald through the dense jungle. We went to the cave, then up to the viewpoint on the rocks and finally to the Chebonet Fall. I saw black monkeys and the baboons on the trail...
The fall - I will tell you true is not worth the visit - I expected more - something like a Sipi. Chebonet is only like 10 m high and is does not have a good viepoint to apprecciate it. During the dry season the load of the water is weak... Consider that before you decide to pay and go! Close to the gate they offer accommodation in the cabins in the dense forest: 30000 per cabin, but no views, so I think that staying in Sipi is much nicer.
My return by walk from the park gate throug the villages was great: I met many local people, they invited me to drink with them home-made beer, explained how they built their round houses... Great, but tiring day!
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Mar 10, 2011 07:00 PM Sipi Falls - Uganda
It was early morning but I felt African heat already when I boarded matatu (junk microbus) going from Mbale to Sipi. One hour drive, 5000 UGX only. We started to drive bumpy road soon. The car was full, but when the driver see the extra client he will stop, squeeze passengers for extra profit. Oh, yes I was squeezed well. Bumps, humps, red dust during first quarter but surprisingly the road improved and we started to climb the hills.
It is the end of the dry season so I was prepared that there will be not much water in the Sipi Falls. But it is still impressive.
There is a choice o accommodation in Sipi. The closest to the fall is Lacam Lodge. For those on the tight budget Moses Camp offers banda huts (10000 per person).
In fact there are three falls - I took a local guide (10000 after bargaining) to find the path to each one. In addition you have to pay 1000 entry fee at each fall - not too much. The full loop to the 3 falls took me 5 hours - take the serious hiking shoes - the path is rough... Great views, wonderful countryside and African heat... I like Sipi!
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Mar 09, 2011 07:00 PM Mbale, East Uganda... the only mzungu on the bus!
They said that the bus from the capital to Mbale goes 3 hours, but it took me more then 4 hours to get there. I have been warned that there could be road blocks on the route, but fortunately not today. For 12000 UGX I got a front seat in "Elgon Flyer" bus. Soon the seat next to me was taken by the black lady - the teacher from Mbale. Nice person except that she had very wide bottom, so I had a little comfort... And of course I was the only mzungu on the bus.
There were many police checks on the route, but they are formal only. I crossed Nile River again in Jinja. Three hours later a big mountain appeared on the horizon - that was Mt Elgon.
Provincial town of Mbale lies at the bottom of this big mountain. It was too late to continue the trip to Sipi, so I decided to spend the night in Travellers Inn (room with bath 25000 UGX) and to go onward next morning.
It is hot, hot, hot... I like Mbale -it is very colorful, vibrant - especially the bazar. Big mango or avocado fruit cost 500 UGX. Loaf of bread - 1500, an egg - 300. That will be enough for my dinner!
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Mar 08, 2011 07:00 PM Escaping with a crowd...
I was in Uganda 6 years ago. It changed. The ride on boda-boda (motorcycle taxi considered to be unsafe) cost already 2000 UGX. (For 1 USD they pay here 2370 UGX). My prioryty was to put my application in the South Sudan "embassy". Done!
Then I went to the Kampala Backpackers at Rubaga with a hope that I will find a group for the National Parks excursion. Sorry... I found just few travelers there and they are not interested. On the Rubaga Hill I saw nice Catholic Cathedral...
Matatu (public microbus took me back to the city. The are where the public transport have a hub (taxi and bus park) is still overcrowded and very polluted. I saw there police cars and a shouting crowd. You know about unrest in Libya. But who knows about unrest in Uganda after the last elections. Soon I the only mzungu=white man found myself in the running crowd - the police cars were just after... I survived. But that's how it looks like here... But it is still exciting to me to be here.
Anyway - tomorrow I plan to take the intercity bus to the east - to the Mt Elgon area - the paradise for nature lovers...
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Mar 07, 2011 07:00 PM Flying to Uganda...
Best wishes to all ladies on the International Women's Day!
It was sunrise time in Warsaw when I took a flight to Brussels and onward to Entebbe in Uganda. The big Airbus 330 of Brussels Airlines had only limited number of passengers (like 25% of the capacity) so I trave in the comfort. Except poor meals and "Children size" beer can served during the flight. Iafter some 10 hours in the sky it was already dark when I landed in Entebbe airport. Welcome to the Black Africa! Warm air, smells, voices, music... Different world!
The "visa on arrival formalities took me just 3 minutes: you have to present arrival card, 50 USD and they will give you the stamp for 60 days!
At night it is safer to take a taxi to the distant (40 kms) Kampala. Ask people at the plane about sharing the car - it cost 25 USD - not a bad deal. Almost at midnight I landed in the "Tourist Hotel" - not a cheapest one but budget and conveniently located in the center of the capital of Uganda...
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Mar 06, 2011 07:00 PM Seven hours on the rails
Due to the works on the main Gdansk - Warsaw railway track I was forced to go to Warsaw around - Via Torun. I took me almost 7 hours.
Sunny but frosty day...
It is good to have friends - they were waiting for me on the Warsaw Central station. I spent a night in their hospitable house... Thanks Asia and Jurek!
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Mar 05, 2011 07:00 PM Back to Africa!
Thirty five thousands miles from frequent flyer program (plus taxes) cost me a return ticket from Warsaw to Entebbe. And I fly! It was interesting to follow South Sudan' fighting for the independence and their referendum. I think that it is now the good moment to check how the nature looks like and how are the people in this inaccessible for the long time corner of the Black Africa. By the way I would like to see those interesting places in Uganda, like Sipi Falls which I did not see during my first visit in this country. I believe I will manage to do that before the rainy season will come in April.
Please keep your fingers crossed, my friends!
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Mar 01, 2011 07:00 PM Lisbon after years...
Lisbon welcomed me with a lovely sun and the unpleasant driver of the 44 bus who refused to take me with my backpack from the airport to the city. I took the next bus (no 745) and here it was OK. I stay in the well-organized Lisbon YH at Corvo street - just 100 m from the airport bus stop.
I was in Lisbon with my son Chris years ago. Now it is even nicer with its wide avenues, squares, monuments.
I took a long walk to Belem Tower enjoying the views of the river and the high bridge... Sorry to be here only one day. But it is time to fly to the snow...
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Feb 28, 2011 07:00 PM Bye, bye Azores!
The airport in Ponta Delgada - the capital of Azores was named after the Polish pope - John Paul II - that is very nice to me.
It is time to say bye to the cloudy Sao Miguel...
During my stay I visited five of the nine islands. I believe - the five most interesting. I planed to visit six but due to the cancelled flights and bad weather my Pico Island visit was cancelled.
This trip was not so expensive - mostly because the off-season prices of the accommodation. If you plan to come here is the season book the 3 available youth hostels well ahead (Sao Miguel, Terceira and Pico) - their prices are low and the same all over the year.
Today I fly back to the continent: the weather in Lisbon is nicer then here: sunny and 15 deg Celsius. I hope to have lovely break there!
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Feb 27, 2011 07:00 PM By car around the island... A trick..
Sometimes, if your time is limited, local transport rare and many places to see it is worth to rent a car. Here, on the Sao Miguel Island I rented little fiat panda just for 30 euro per day plus insurance if you wish... I was surprised when I got a car: fuel status: empty. They say it is normal - you have to return also empty. But it is the trick. If you wan't left them the excess of the fuel you have to calculate precisely how many kms you will drive and what is the fuel consumption of the car. I did and those tricky guys at the return had even less fuel than at the beginning. :)
Sao Miguel is not large: 300 kms is enough to see most places.
I have been to the viewpoints in the mountains, the hot springs and waterfalls. The Nordeste - easterm part of the island is very picturesque with high cliffs like on Flores...
I was driving whole day, landing at dusk in the youth hostel, mantained by the very hospitable young people. Recommended!
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