21 Feb

We have arrived at a Backpackers in Kampala after a few very tough days.

We left Bakoba On Lake Victoria where we met a South African working in Tanzania and Uganda by the name of Dennis Schoeman, brother in law to Vince!!  We were heading for the Uganda border afterhaving spoken to Dennis and a number of ex-pats working in the area about the political situation in Uganda while elections were under way.  Reports were good so we headed to the border, reached a funny little border post in a very poor area by the name of Mutukula.  We found a big difference between the villages in Tanzania and Uganda, Uganda seems to be more posperous with a lot of formal agriculture and none of the huge tracts of dessert and erosion from over grazing that we found in Tanzania.  you could build a house in the canyon left by the erosion in places.

We were heading for the Queen Victoria National Park as we had heard that it is one of the few national parks that will let motorbikes in.  Travelled hard to a camp called Jacana Camp on the shores of Lake Albert, very nice but way out of our price range and no motor bikes allowed in the park!! So now we were 11km into the park on our bikes just getting dark and we needed somewhere to sleep.  So we headed out and found a really nice lodge called Kingfisher Lodge and had of the best showers there since we left home - they don"t know how to make a decent shower at most lodges in Africa!! 

We decided to keep moving if we could not get into the park and head for Murchinson Falls, we bumped into a German couple along side the road, they were on two bicycles through Uganda and also felt that everything in Africa is too expensive with everything in dollars, so not just us poor South Africans!  They warned us of a gravel road, about 200km ahead of us which is in a very bad state of repair, and they were not wrong!!

Traffic on this road was really busy and it got worse and worse as we went as did the road.  Larry was in front with me fairly close behind as we had just caught the edge of a rain storm so the dust was not too bad.  I called Larry on the intercom to say that the locals were fascinated with his bike and watch him wizz past and don't see me coming up behind.  No sooner that had I said that when I came to a gentle rise with a bike on the wrong side coming straight towards me, I hooted and then he got into a wobble and I swerved hard to miss him but all too late, he was still watching Larry behind him at this stage and we hit head on!!  Larry was down in the valley and took a while to turn on the narrow road and only after I failed to appear.  I was down in the road and so was the bicylce and the locals started to gather.  I must be honest I was surprised at how helpful and pleasant they were at this stage, we were asked not to move anything until the police got there.  the OC of the local station arrived on his bike, Larry had arrived back and I had gingerly picked myself up, a very sore knee, wrist and chest, the two on the bicycle, one had a broken arm and the other a very small cut in his groin.  All very lucky to be alive.  And then the negioations started, we need to pay for transport, treatment, local help, etc, etc.  The hospital was 12km away and we must pay $100 to get the two locals  there!!  We were very lucky to have the most patient and polite policeman there in the whole of Uganda, he very calmly dispersed the crowd and calmed eveyone down and told the taxi driver that he was to take the two injured people to hosptial for 50 000 Uganda Shillings about R150.  We also had to give another 50 000 shillings to the locals for helping.  We now had to proceed to the police station in convoy, my bike is badly damaged in the front, mianly cosmetic to the tank covers, mud gaurds and then the head light is gone and one idicator hanging by a thread, but still running, although the steerinf was jamming a lot, against all the broken bits. 
And it is now raining hard and we are all drenched through.

The family of boys were called and we were told we could do one of two things, either pay the family or take the matter to the courts which will take any number of months and we were very clearly told it doesn't matter what happened it is our fault as were are international people and have no rights in Uganda.  It would be much better to pay the family and get the matter finished.

The family arrived and demanded $700 for treatment and transport, what did we pay Comesa insurance for?  We were told that we would have to pay and my bike could not travel that late at night so we would have to spend the night at the local guest house.  Across the road, was the guesthouse, but was more like a prison, with tiny cells, and a single bed.  So, we rather opted to put up our tent behind the police station.  Remember, this is Africa.  Pics will explain more.  With hundreds of onlookers, we put up the tent, shooing the crowds back to make room.  I then climbed in, while Larry continued to pack away etc.  Vincent, the policeman came and chased the community away.  There was absolutely nothing there, no water, toilets no lighting of any sort.  We spent a very long lonely night, in the back yeard of the huts,  with the pigs and cattle around our tent all night and lots of village noise, we were up bright and early to pack our tent and get ready to pay the family and move on.  We were very surprised at how pleased the family were and we were told that this was more money than they could expect in a year, the father was smiles all around!!  We left the village with still 90km on gravel heading for Kampala and as far from that village as possible in one day.

We arrived here after a long hot ride to the normal chaotic African traffic and we are both very tired and hungry and decided to take any place that looked half way decent, so have landed up at a backpackers with a nice big soft double bed!!  We also have free internet, so will have a chance to rest, catch up on pics, and try to work out how to get the bike fixed.  The bruises will fix themselves!

Going to rest now, more soon

S