You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Apr 16, 2005 02:00 PM Kalambo Falls - did you hear?
MPULUNGU - what a name! - It was evening when I disembarked my cargo boat in the sleepy port on the Lake Tanganyika... I got Zambian visa on arrival for 25 USD and... unpleasant adventure... Young Zambian customs checked my luggage in details... even pills in the first aid kit.... it took about half an hour... then they asked if I have a gift for them... Sorry no gifts...
I walked in the dark to the village where I met very nice lady - Beauty - the headmaster of the school. He helped me to find accommodation in the guest house /21000 kwacha for the room with shower/ and to change money...
Today - Sunday - we took a trip to nearest township - Mbala and then bumpy road to Kalambo falls /like 35 km one way from Mbala/ - it was worth! The fall is 225 m high and they say it is second single drop fall in Africa! One more great waterfall to my collection... And one more experience: there are bad but also nice people in Zambia...
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Apr 15, 2005 02:00 PM Take Tanganyika by cargo ship!
Good luck came back to me!
Yesterday I was waiting 6 hours in the Port of Kigoma.
Will they embark me or not? Will they?
Yes, I am sailing on the cargo boat "Ndaje" south - to the Zambian port Mpulungu...
Sun, pleasant wind on a deck and navy-blue lake around - wide like a sea... With the mountains of Cango on the horizon... It is more then 700 km - fortunately it is direct sail - they announced that we will reach destination after 27-28 hours... Hurrah!
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Apr 13, 2005 02:00 PM Bad news: I am locked in Kigoma... - Tanzania
Lake Tanganika - surrounded by mountains is beautiful...
Today I visited the village of Ujiji just 8 km south of Kigoma - where once Stanley found David Livingstone - there is fenced monument located surprisely not on the shore but some 800 m inland - the level of the lake is much lower now. But what a place!
Bad news: the famous steamer "Liemba" /ex-German war ship/ cruising Lake Tanganika is out of service since one month! The other Tanzanian passenger boat is also broken - waiting for the spare parts. It is Africa....
How can I get to Zambia now? Three days by train to Dar es Salam and another two days by bus or train to Lusaka.... There are no available rail tickets in 1st and 2nd class till 21st April... Third class... Five days in the heat...
There is single airline who operate Kigoma-Dar route but they charge hefty 190 USD per one-way!
Cargo boats? The response is: we do not know when and they are not authorized to carry passengers...
Are you keeping your fingers crossed?
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Apr 11, 2005 02:00 PM Walking through the border - to Tanzania
No boat from Bujumbura... I decided to use land solution:
by crowded matatu along the Lake Tanganika to Mabanda.
Then shared taxi to the border village Mugina. On the outskirts of Mabanda there is Burundian post - you need to get exit stamp here. They left you from the taxi at the Mugina market place... If you do not want to pay the porter put your pack on your back and walk: 1 km to the last Burundian soldier, then 2 km uphill to the real border line /nobody but pole there/ and again uphill less then 1 km to Tanzanian border post.
It takes a lot of sweat but at the same time you will see and photograph beautiful mountain panoramas...
From Tanzanian post /visa on arrival - 30 USD for 15 days transit/ walk again to the village of Manyovu - ca 2 km.
There at the market place wait for matatu... Direct road to Kigoma on your map is unpassable - go via Kasulu - it will be still breath-taking journey - by junk car on 10-years old tyres down the muddy, slippery hills... -wow!
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Apr 10, 2005 02:00 PM Bujumbura - the boat is broken!!!
I am in the capital city of Burundi - Bujumbura on the Tanganika Lake. A lot of UN soldiers here... Curfew at night...
Goods in the shops and imported food are very expensive...
Stay in the safe hotel Le Doyen for 20000 burundi francs;;
Very bad news: I planed to take from here the boat to Tanzania, but the boat since few months is broken!!!
There is another cargo ship but they do not know when it will depart... Bad luck...
Maybe I will be forced to take unsafe and bumpy road route....
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Apr 08, 2005 02:00 PM Kigali on the hills...
I am in the capital of Rwanda. It is worth to recommend this place to all travellers who want to escape from the usual heat and humidity of Black Africa. Kigali lies in the mountains - located on the hills - it is not easy to explore on foot but you can always jump on the matatu - minibus which cost just 100 franks per ride. On the black market in front of the post office they pay 560 franks per USD. There is plenty of internet places who charge 500 franks per hour. I stay at Kigali Hotel - run down institution but safe and inexpensive - they charge 6500 fr per room with a bath. Sorry cold water only and sometimes water shortages but you will have omlette breakfast included...
It is must to visit Genocide Memorial at Gisozi quarter - mototaxi cost 400 fr. You will find there a lot of info on the history of Rwanda. Entry is free...
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Apr 07, 2005 02:00 PM The beauty of Lake Kivu... - Rwanda
Rwanda is green and hilly... It is worth to go to the west of country where the mountains meet the waters of the huge lake Kivu. Landscapes are beautiful. I saw them from once-a-day bus fro Gisenyi to Kibuye. There vere more then 100 people on the bus /I was the only tourist/ and it took 5.5 hours on the bumpy, gravel road. Up and down... But what a views!
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Apr 06, 2005 02:00 PM My gorillas... not in the mist!
Yes, this is the place many people dream about...
In Rwanda, on the slopes of the Virunga volcanos you will find
few families o mountain gorillas...
It cost a lot to see them in their natural environement
but I decided that it is worth to pay the price once in your life...
I was very lucky - the family of 10 come out of the jungle to eat the bark of eucalyptus trees...
I saw them /and photographed/ on the open space in their full glory... Unforgetable... they walk sometimes just 1 m from me!
The rangers speak english and are very knowledgeable...
The time of the visit is limited to one hour - at the end the family went back to the jungle I took also few pics in dense forest...
What a day!
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Apr 05, 2005 02:00 PM Motocycle to the border...
In the Ugandan town of Kabale I stayed in the Visitours Hotel - they offer to the visitor the most expensive room they have. Ask for the room with shared bath - it will cost you less /6000/.
Kabale lies only 24 km from the border with Rwanda and there is no problem to find transport to the border crossing on the main highway - the ride cost 6000 TSH. But I made a chice of more adventours route - by once-a-day bus to Kisoro via mountain, gravel road climbing to the clouds with spectacular views - almost 3 hours for 6000 TSH.
Kisoro is not interesting. The motobike-taxis wait there to take you to the border crossing Cyanika - they charged 7000 for the bumpy, 11-km ride.
Formalities are simple for tourists, no extra payments. You can change the rest of your tanzanian currency to franks. Just take care - let they not cheat you - 1 TSH is worth 0.33 franks!!.
Picturesque volcanos are in the clouds above you!
Welcome to the new country - RWANDA !!!
Minibus will wait for you to take you for 400 fr to the nearest town - Ruhengeri... Enjoy!
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Apr 04, 2005 02:00 PM Uganda - 50 bananas for 1 USD!
It took me long 7 hours by bus to move from Kampala south - to the town of Kabale - it is about 400 km. Bus was a nice junk, but the people very friendly... Bus is departing when full - no timetable. The price of the ticket is negotiable - ask local people for the local price first. I paid 15 000 TSH. We drove through banana country - on the stops people always offer food through the windows - the bottle of mineral water /0.5l/ cost 500 - and this is also the cost of the bunch of bananas - 17 pieces. 1 USD is worth 1750 Tsh so for 1 USD you can get 50 bananas... Bon apetit!
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