THE JOURNEY FROM KENYA AND ACROSS UGANDA IN 1966

Transcription

1 THE JOURNEY FROM KENYA AND ACROSS UGANDA IN 1966 Pa 1 of 2: Kenya We have no expeced ha ou second gand safa n Eas Afca woud become damac. Wh ou expeence fom he fs safa n 1965 was ease fo us o pepae he necessay equpmen and povsons fo a hee-week safa. We saed he p on Augus 13h and euned sound and safe on Sepembe 4h. In he od VW 1961 "Beae" we dove amos 5000km and used abou 90 gaons of gas. I was an economc p fo an od ca, consdeng ha had aeady dven some 100,000km on Afcan oads. The engne of he ca an we houghou he whoe p, bu we go one fa e. We dove a a good speed, aveagng 65km/h compaed o 55km/h used n ou pannng. The speed was acheved pobaby due o beng abe o dve ong sagh oad seches ha we came acoss n Uganda. We cossed he Equao sevea mes on ou safa hough Uganda. Fs e me descbe he whoe jouney oue o and fo n Uganda and eunng home o Mombasa agan. We dove o Naob sayng hee fo wo days poceedng o va Lake Navasha Moo Edoed Tooo (n Uganda) Jnja - Kampaa o Enebe. Fom Kampaa we connued sagh noh va Bombo Kakoge o Masnd Paaa Chob n Muchson Fas Naona Pak. Then we uned souh o Masnd Homa Fo Poa o Mweya n Esabeh Naona Pak. Afe vsng Lake Geoge and bypassng Lake Edwad we connued souhwads va Ishasha o Kabae fom hee o eun nohwads va Mbaaa Masaka o Kampaa. The fna eg was a sagh dve va Jnja back no Kenya o Edoe - Naob and fnay back o Mombasa. A hose mes Kenya was ceany ess expensve han Uganda by abou 15% a. We had o pay 10% ax on any b f was no pad n cash, and we had o pay fo fu boad n hoes n Uganda, some 40% moe han we had pad n Kenya o Tanganyka. The fue pce go hghe as we aveed wes. In Kenya gas was Sh4.80 pe gaon; he hghes pce I pad n wesen Uganda was Sh6.10 pe gaon amos 30% moe. Aso, we had o pay fo adu fees fo Vesna because she had uned 12, hus becomng "memsabh kdogo", o "young ady". The ecen poca unes n Uganda may have caused cean nceases o genea vng coss oo. The umuuous poca suaon seemed o have camed down by he me we saed ou safa. Uganda had acheved s ndependence on Ocobe 9, The Kabaka of Buganda, S Edwad Muesa II, had become he fs pesden of Uganda, beng he kng of he ages and mos nfuena be n he new sae. Ye on May 24, 1966, he fedea Ugandan amy aacked he oya compound n Mmengo by sheng he paace wh he kng apped nsde. He fough hs way ou of he bunng budng and escaped fom Uganda o exe n London, whee he ded n myseous ccumsances. The monachy of Buganda and much of s auonomy was evoked, aong wh ha of ohe fou Ugandan kngdoms soon afe. Subsequeny, Pme Mnse Mon Oboe changed he od consuon, unng he sae no a epubc n The safa saed whou a hch hs me. We dove fas fo he fs 270km on a amac oad up o Mo Ande. Roadwok saed fom Kbwez so we dove on he od oad, he wos pa of hough Ema and Suan Hamud. A fs we hough ha dves wee geeng us, hodng a hand on he fon wndows of cas comng owad us. Insead of a geeng was a wanng sgn ha he oad secon had oose muam and sones fyng hough he a, smashng agans ca wndows. Ths became cea o 1

2 us he momen we saw he fs ca wh a cacked gass pane. Fom hen on Ljjana kep he hand agans he fon wndow when we saw an appoachng ca. We saw que a o of boken gass aong he oad so I had o sow down as cas passed. A ea hazad was o dve behnd a sow oy o o oveake one, whch coud esu n a cacked wndow a he vey begnnng of he safa. A ef he show-down of he hoses and he Gea sand and beng boohs a gh. Founaey we aved n Naob safey and go o he Fa-Vew hoe, whee we sayed a yea ago, beng happy wh he accommodaon and he food. The nex monng we hough we woud vs he Naob Naona Pak some 10km ou of own. Fo an hou o so we cused on he esabshed eahen pahway, ye we saw ony a few aneopes and gaffes. Fusaed, I uned off he egua oad ono a dy ve bed, and we soon found a hno camy chewng a a dsance of abou 25m. Supeb! Some me ae Vesna hough she saw ons n he shade of a ee, bu when we go cose he "on pde" uned no a goup of wahogs ha we dsubed wh ou appoach. So we gave up seachng fo ons a mdday and euned o he ex o vs he anma ophanage hee befoe sang back o own. The audence beween wo aces n fon of he Gea sand and n he access oad o he Race couse of Naob a gh. Afe unch Ljjana and I yeded o Vesna s ongng o vs he Ngong Race Couse o wach he hose acng. Ngong Couse was suaed n a peasan aea wes of he own, and I ooked amos ke a pak wh a o of fowe beds a aound he ace ack. The gandsand was fu of vsos bu we pad ess fo he open sand, whee hundeds of peope wee movng feey aound. Of couse hee wee he beng boohs, a few beow he gandsand and ohes n a baack nex o he hoses dspay feds. We sayed hough sx of he seven aces bu we dd no be. I was neesed n he peope and he acng pocedues, wheeas Ljjana pad moe aenon o he ades' fashon show. Vesna an o and fo beween he hose dspay feds and he ace ack, 2

3 commenng excedy on he hose's chances n he aces. I emaned a mysey o us how she coud know abou each hose's geneaogy and s acng achevemens. On he way back o own we waned o vew he mkng of venom fom posonous snakes. One shoud no beeve wha s wen n ous gudes, bu fs pu a ca o he saon. I had o make an offca vs eay on Monday so Ljjana and Vesna wen wndow shoppng un we me a he Thon Tee coffee ba of he New Saney Hoe. A Vesna s ns s enc e,we ooka ax o heco yndon Memoa Museum, whee we spen af ewhou s.j oyadamson saqua e esofs ome100 nd genouspeop es po a s neesed us vey much, and we odeed he mos movang book wh hese aacve poas. Vesna was moe aaced by he bd showcases wh he exceen and fascnang coecon ha he museum hed. We had enough cuua and naua educaon so afe unch we wen o a cnema, bu ha dd no un ou we because was bong seeng he same move agan, despe Audey Hepbu n sgoodac ng.af e ha was me ohav eagood esf o hen gh, as omoow we woud sa ou safa a as. The meeng-pon a Thon Tee coffee ba. Ihadenoughofd v ng n he own s h ongandhapp yd ov eon he a macup ohe Rf Vaey Escapmen. We sopped jus fo sho o have a spendd vew down ono he Navasha Lake befoe we uned no he Lake hoe, whee we had sayed a yea befoe. Afe sgnng n we dove o he Abedae Range. Fomey hee wee n hs egon a few age esaes of whe fames; now Kenyans had many sma fams wh vesock scaeed a ove hs vas ange. As we neaed he mounan ange we had o cmb a seep snaky eahen ack hough eucaypus foess and a bamboo woods. Soon afe we came o he gae, and afe payng he eny fees, we connued he cmb up o he peak a ove m ASL. We go o he ookou a Fo Jeusaem afe some 10km dvng on a wsng ack cu no he mounansde. Fom hee we had a maveous vew down ono he Nyandaa Range and Navasha Lake some 1.000m beow. We decded o push on ove he Abedae paeau a say m ASL despe he couds gaheed n he wes wanng of a comng an. We passed a sma ake and sevea meadows wh many fowes n hgh gass, dove ove sma books and hough dense foess, up and down he naow pah. Absoue sness engufed us a any bef 3

4 sop excep fo bds' chpng o ohe anma sounds comng ou of a dense geen ve. Abou fve km fom Fo Jeusaem we came o a ack eadng owads he waefas Guu and Kagua. We had jus aved a a soppng pace afe dvng down a seep ack when he fs andops fe. We vsed he Abedae Naona Pak a he enance wh a hu a gh. Noneheess we waked fo some 10 mnues and jumped ove ocks n a sma seam good fo ou fshng o ge o a sma gaey. Fom hee we had a cea vew of he 250m hgh Kagua Waefa some 500m away. A naow pah ed ove sppey ocks o ano hep aceandihad o sk,des p elj j ana swa n ngs.the ewe enohand a s on he uppe pafom bu he vew down he Guu Waefa was absouey a mus. The wo waefas cascade down, spayng wae a ove dependng on he wnd. Ths spay woud ceany dspay he fu anbow coous f he sun wee shnng. I woud have sayed onge and aken moe phoos had no been fo he an. I was hgh me o eun o he ca because he ack n "back coon so" (= oam) woud become vey sppey when we. Wh he umos cae and n fs gea I made safey ou of hs quagme. I was founae fo us when saed o ha, makng he de ease and ess sppey, so we made good speed o he man oad, whee he an sopped. Hee ae vews fom he ookou pon of Fo Jeusaem and he Kagua waefa a gh. 4

5 Dung he sow descen we sopped sevea mes jus o vew he andscape and o sen o he sounds of naue. We saw he mounan dee jus fo a bef momen, and sevea Coobus monkeys ushng hough he banches. Ran saed agan so we dove on fas o each Lake Navasha, ha bahed n he sunse beow us. We me wo cas gong uph and wshed hem good uck and success. A downpou h us when we passed hough he gae as we ef he Abedaes. We wee back a he Lake Hoe jus n me fo 5 o'cock ea. Afe ha sma snack Vesna wen o check he cows ha gazed neaby whe Ljjana ook some es ha she pacuay needed afe he nevous sae up hee a he waefas. A ef Vesnaobse vesgu awa e f a wos epsandabe da e sbeau f uf owe s. Noneheess we waked fo some 10 mnues and jumped ove ocks n a sma seam good fo ou fshng o ge o a sma gaey fnay. Fom hee one had a sagh vew on he 250m hgh Kagua Waefa some 500m fa ony. A naow pah ed ove seazy ocks oano hep aceandihad o sk des p elj j ana sdes pa andwa n ngs.thee wee no handas a he uppe pafom bu he vew down he Guu Waefa some 230m hgh was absouey a mus. The wo waefas cascade down ove sevea ess hgh baes spayng wae couds a ove dependng on he wnd decon. Ths spay woud ceany dspay he fu anbow coos f he sun woud shne. I coud say onge and made moe phoos had no be fo he sang an. Ljjana and Vesna, my wo gs, pose a oadsde and n a meadow of he Abedae. 5

6 I was hgh me o e u n o hec abec ause he ackex cav a ed n b ackco onso ( = oam) becomes ahe sppey when weed by he an. Wh he oumos cae and n he 1s gea I made safey o ge ou of hs quagme. I was a mee foune fo us when he ha saed havng gan sze of say 5mm as happened on he equao m ASL. The ha made he de ease and ess sppey so we made speedy o he man oad when he an sopped hee. Funny! The sevce had deeoaed n he Lake Hoe snce ou vs as yea, bu he food was s good. The hoe chages wee he owes we had on ou safas. Ths hoe was he ony one n whch we dd no have a bahoom whn ou oom; we had o shae he ba h oom w h woo he ooms gues s. Dung my monng conempaon and makng noes I head some shoong comng cose o he hoe. I wen ou o he ake, wonde ngwhak ndofhun ngwenon n hab ds sanc ua y.i wasab ackdayf o he whe-faced coos, whch wee no ked n he sancuay because ohe knds of bds moved away fom whee hey nesed. Abou en hunes wee shoong he coos a he noh end of he ake conoed by a ange. Vew fom he boa of he pennsua n he Navasha Lake. When hs acke sopped, Vesna and I hed a owboa o vs Cescen Isand. We dd no see many bds excep a few comoans, heons, and pecans, and a numbe of dead coos enanged n he eeds of wae es. We found ha we coud wak dyfooed fom he shoe o he sand. The ake wae eve ose up un 1964, when saed doppng agan, and nobody knew he eason fo hese peodca changes bu s deph neve exceeded say 10m. Thee s a age shaow egon moe o he souh of he ake whee one coud wak ove fom eas o wes shoe and anohe smae hough much deepe one of abou 25m whee one coud do he wae skng. I was no woh go ng he ef o25k m ona a hebadea hen ackasiwo edofa s ange c unch ngno s e ge ngfom he fon axe on ou ca. On ha afenoon we hed a mooboa wh anohe famy o expoe he ake. The boa had wo moos wh popees n a speca casng ha enabed o cu hough he weeds. Aso, he dve woud change he oaon decon o ge off he newned oos. Ths was a ahe ceve assemby and he boa p coud be a peasan advenue povded he weahe dd no ge wose. I was ahe coo ou on he ake and a cod wnd bew fom he Abedaes. Thee was nohng o see ou hee n he open of he ake so we uned back o he shaowe egons dense wh hck eeds and cane. The boa go suck n mud jus 6

7 when somehng boad and bown-gey sood up ou of he muddy waes. I was a hppo, movng qucky no he eeds o hde, ye s wde backsde suck ou of he eeds wh s dangng a s vsbe. The boa dve moved ou of he shaows and he hppo go ou and sped amazngy fas no deepe waes, dsappeang fom ou vew. A few momens ae as we oued aound ha sand of eed and bamboo, anohe huge hppo appeaed, bu vanshed n deep waes amos nsany. We had seen hppos comng ou o gaze nex o he cows n he ae hous of he day a few mes. The eun was no peasan as saed o an n he Abedaes, fom whee we coud hea he umbe of hunde. Founaey we euned o hoe dy and jus n me fo 5 o c ock ea. A buffao akes a mud-bah ef and famngoes and a few hppos enjoy he same one a gh. Afe dnne Vesna wen o see he cows gazng, as had become he oune. Ljjana and I sa on a unk nea he shoe, senng o he que ha suounded us. We emnsced abou he had yeas ha had peceded ou move o Afca, whe we enjoyed he geneness of hs pace, s que and anquy. Ou sma famy moved o hesudanbyendof1961 habec ame TheGa e of eedom f ous.nowwemov e feey hough he Eas Afcan counes so he comng o Kenya n 1964 seemed ke TheGa e ogo denage sof a.wehad os opoumed a on o e u n o hep esen eay as hee was no pace fo any homesckness afe a. Jus fee he geneness of hs pace, s queness and anquy of naue. Enjoy hs gf o you fe now. We vsed Menega cae agan jus a bef sop befoe poceedng weswads. 7

8 Then we go up and caed Vesna, as we needed a good es befoe we poceeded o he unfama secons of he safa n he monng. The nex day we ef he Lake Hoe a 09:00. We had pomsed he coupe fom Aden fom yeseday's boa p o show hem how o ge up o he Menega Cae, so we sopped a Nakuu o expan he way. Then we fed up he peo ank and poceeded o he unfama wes of Kenya a as. We made he fs 20km fas on a sowy ascendng amac oad. The nex secon was moe wndng and seepe as he oad wen up he Mau Escapmen. The Hghand Hoe was ou nex sop. Sepaae houses wee bu n od Engsh sye and he whoe seup gave a we kep mpesson. Afe unch we wen wakng ove spendd meadows owads he neaby gof couse, and afe he ea, Vesna wen o de a pony fo an hou o so. The gof couse of Moo was pobaby unque n he wod a ha me. Thee wee hee seches abou m ong cu uph hough eucaypus and pne foess. The hee open cus wee n a cascadng ode and n beween hem wee hozona nks wh geens. The gof couse had ony nne hoes bu measued some egh km a a hegh of some +2750m ASL a chaenge a hs hegh!. We me a ady who coud no foow he husband payng a game so she joned us and showed us a few shocus hough he woods. Ljjana and Vesna sand n fon of he house we had ou oom a Hghand Hoe n Moo. One had a spendd vew of he pans fom he gaden of Hghand Hoe. Afe dnne we wee ed fom he waks and he fesh mounan a. We wee happy o have a wam bah and caw no he bed wh hck bankes. Thee was an open heah whee we coud keep he fe gong a ngh, because was bey cod, ahough we wee on he equao n Afca. The nex day we connued ou waks ove he meadows coveed wh a hck gass cape on whch a few sheep heds gazed. A gazee o aneope came no sgh bu v an shed henex momen.vesna ookmo e d nghou sand ov ed hepony B anke. The es of me she spen n he bay bowsng hough he many books conaned. Ljjana had he b an dea ov s M.Ke gh ey sf a mf om whe e heho egoak nd of fne camembe cheese. In he afenoon we found he pace, whee we wee shown he fam wh s beaufu gadens, and he poducon of bue and cheese whch we had o as e.thes ogan: Mo ocheese- p eases! andwedec ded o e u n na fongh o buy some cheeses, We had o eun o he hoe fo was amos 17h o c ockand hes e nmanagemenk eps c u es.we ea yenj oy edous aya he 8

9 Hghand Hoe, bu he nex day I had o dve some ong 525km o Enebe n Uganda, so we needed ou es. A ef Vesna pe f o ms af ehe dng esson she has had fnay. On Sauday we ef a 09h and wee on he man oad o he wes soon afe. The good amac oad wound up beween he mounans Mau and Lodan, whch wee boh foesed and had hck undegowh. We cossed he equao a Tmbooa a an eevaon of abou m, dvng no he nohen hemsphee agan. We w neve foge he aeys of mmosas ees n fu boom on boh sdes of he oad fo que some dsance. The vaue of hs egon s n s foesy, and hee wee a few vages whee mbe men ved. Sheep-b eed ngwaspa of hepeop e s ncome he e.the oad descended n a few shap cuves o Edoed a abou m, passng by panaons of ea and coffee as we as cae-beedng fams. The seeng of he ca and a sgh sway of he fon axe wee a b woyng. Vesna and Ljjana s n ou oom n he Hghand Hoe a Moo. Rgh ae he gof-cou se g ass-mowe s a Moo. Edoed was a sma own wh ony hee paae sees. Thee was a poce saon and a cou as we as some may baacks on he man see. Ljjana and Vesna wen o he neaby make whe I fed he ank wh peo. They euned happy hodng a bag of age beans ha one coud no ge n Mombasa. 9

10 Abou 10km of ou of Edoed we ef he amac, dvng on a muam suface. As conaned oose sones,lj j anas a ed hew ndsc een g ee ngho d aga n.is owed down o 40km/h, feeng bady when he ca coaked wh a gndng sound f I h a pohoe o a age sone. The muam mpoved a b when we passed Bodeck Fas and he andscape changed o a sem-dese wh ow gowh and shubs. I had no aned hee fo some me and dus whed up on he oad. Vesna ess a he Hghand Hoe y pond ha was swmmng poo once upon mes. We me a goup of boys wh whe-washed faces, naked excep fo a unc ke a Masa. Ljjana waned o make moe pcues bu I was n a huy o each he bode, expecng a ong wa hee. The boys had been ccumcsed and expeed fom he homes fo a few days. Afe a sho sop fo a quck pcue, we dove on, wh he boys unnng afe us. The dvng demanded my fu aenon, ahough I coud no avod evey pohoe o sone. Evey me he ca squeaked o whned I wnced. Pcues fom wo bef oad sde sops: ef he ccumcsed boys and an exposon a gh. A 12:30 we go o he Kenya's bode and he pocedue was bef, so we wee on he oad n no-man s anda as.w h nasho mewepass edbyto o omoun a non he gh-hand sde - cacaeous ock n he fom of a wao, known as he naona monumen - andamode ng s schooon he ef.theugandabo dep oc edu e ased onge as hey had o hooughy check sevea documens and f n foms n a scky ho hu wh a shee mea oof. Founaey, I jumped he queue as an Engsh coupe had some pobems wh mssng documens. On eavng he bode saon we passed by he gae of a cemen facoy whose budngs ooked ahe decep. The pan was fay od and coud poduce ony ow10

11 quay cemen. By some mace he counysde suddeny changed and we coud no beeve a he geeney on boh sdes of he oad. The change came as we ef Wesen Nyanza o ene he Bungoma egon. The amac oad wen on beween hck foess, wh a few ceaed aeas wh houses and gadens wh peny of fowes and paw-paw and banana pans. We noed some dffeences n how he peope dessed as we as he dweng consucon o vage ounes compaed o hose n Kenya. The speed m was 90km/h on amac, ahough he affc nceased as we go cose o Jnja. Uganda was no he fa couny ha I had magned. The oads wen up and down bu wee mosy sagh fo many komees. Jnja was an ndusa own on he shoe of Lake Vcoa, whch s he souce of he Vcoa Ne. We had a ea-sop a he hoe hee bu had o dash on o Kampaa, passng ove he Owen Fas dam, a age hydo-eecc powe saon. Vas panaons of suga cane seched amos o he hozon, and hee wee some ea panaons on he hs. We have cossed he Equao sevea mes on ou safa hough Uganda. The counysde changed, wh moe vages wh houses encosed n gadens gowng mosy bananas. The wde amac oad aowed good pogess bu aso caed moe affc. I dd no see much of Kampaa as I had o concenae my aenon on poss pocamng oad maps say n some 200m dsance, bu I dd no noce a snge one aong he way. Howeve, hee wee many shops wh Indan ownes and a numbe of moden budngs wh moe shops. D v ngby mynose, wef o owedaw de oadw nd ng h oughsev e asma ownshps. Suddeny we saw he wde waes of he Lake Vcoa wh a few sands as we eneed he own Enebbe. I was a sma own wh sevea offca budngs and houses of pubc sevce bu aong he akeshoe, whee we found he Lake Vcoa Hoe oo. The hoe was he mos expensve one of Uganda n hose days. We amos pancked as he concege coud no fnd ou esevaon a fs. Bu a as we go a oom wh a bacony oveookng he ake. Beow ou bacony was he swmmng poo, and Vesna wen sagh off o have a quck swm. I was soy ae ha I had no foowed he exampe. We caed ou acquanances n Kampaa (he sse-n-aw of ou Mombasa dens) and hey aved soon afe. We had a ong cha abou sgh-seeng n Kampaa whe Vesna had me o vew he TV. Dung he news she ead a magazne, as ha was of no nees fo he. When he vsos ef we wen o dne n he hoe esauan. The food and sevce wee fne bu pces wee exoban. Afe dnne was me o ge a pope 11

12 es, pacuay he dve, who was vey woed abou he ca. I decded o seek some hep a he VW sevce saon n he monng. The monng was du and coudy pefec weahe fo sgh-seeng. Fs we wen o he much-pased boanc gaden ha one coud dve hough. I was a ahe dusy vs, due o he ack of an and he cas dvng hough whng up a o of fh. The genea ack of upkeep and he foage gey wh deposed d was no nvng a a. The boanc gaden n Khaoum was n much bee shape despe he pevang cmae hee. So we ef he gaden whou akng a snge pcue and connued oung Kampaa, aka "he own on seven hs". We made a bef sop a he Gand Hoe, bu n od coona sye, whch enabed my ades o nspec he cuo sas and shops hee. The Gand Hoe had a spendd ocaon ha was so desabe ha consucon had saed on a new Apoo Hoe jus oppose. A ef av ew ofkampa a sdown-own and anohe pcue aken nea he own cene. We connued down he man oad, eneng an aey of a ees nhabed by zons of bas, aka "fu dogs". The bas wee a ea nusance bu he muncpay kep hem as he bes "dudus" exemnaos he bes nsecs kes. Howeve, he bas made such a acke haonec ou dha d yheaone sown voce hee. Aso one had o wach whee one sepped as hee was a o of muck and fh eveywhee aong he aey. No fa fom he bas' ocaon hee was a huge hospa compound - pobaby he ages n he whoe of Afca. The hospa had a possbe depamens and povded ooms fo he Makeee Unvesy Schoo of Medcne. The Schoo of Medcne was he ony one n Afca n hose days. Kenya saed he pocess of esabshng such a schoo of medcne n Naob bu woud ake yeas o accompsh hs ask. Thee was no pon n cusng hough he vas compound so we connued o anohe of he hghes hs of Kampaa. On op of hs h sood he empe of he Baha' Fah egous sec. The Baha' Fah s he younges of he wod's ndependen egons. Is founde, Baha'u'ah ( ), s egaded as he mos ecen of he messenges of God ha sech back beyond ecoded me and ncude Abaham, Moses, Buddha, Kshna, Zooase, Chs, and Muhammad. We eneed he empe whch had nne cones - oneco nef oeachof hewo d s e g ons.the e g ouss ec sf sca y mosy suppoed by he US now. Ousde he shne hee was a spendd vew a aound, ncudng he ohe sx hs on whch Kampaa was bu. Cusng fo some me, we moved back and foh hough he Mengo Cy Counc and hen he Kampaa Cy Counc. Lae we eaned hee wee fve kngdoms n Uganda, of whch he Buganda kngdom was he odes and geneay mos deveoped by he 12

13 poud Baganda be. I was fou monhs snce he fedea govenmen had pu down he "muny" of oca ba auhoes n favo of cenazed govenmena. We eneed Mengo Cy, he capa of Buganda kngdom, and wen o see he chuch ha Engsh mssonaes had bu some 100 yeas befoe. They had educaed he Bagandas bu wee n consan dspue wh Fench mssonaes, who bu anohe chu ch,s.pau sca hed a,on henex h.the a eone ookeda mos keno e Dame Caheda n Pas bu was bu of fe-baked bcks. Nex o he chuch sood an open hu, unde he oof of whch wee sevea huge dums. The we-known Buganda dummes used hem o announce a dange o a fe and woud ansm news houghou Uganda. The empe of Bahá'í Fah egous sec had been bu on op of anohe h. Ljjana and Vesna accompaned by ou fends s on a bench n he empe neo a gh. We euned fom he Namembe h o downown Kampaa, whee a he mpoan gov e nmenbu d ngswe ec us e ed, ke hepa amen,h ghcou,andf o mek ng s paace on a ake. Of a he offca budngs, I ked bes he one on whch a age sgn ead "Mengo Muncpay - A Depamens". Imagne a sae ha has a s depa men s nones ng ebu d ng!weapp oached hek ng spa ac ega ebu wo senes jumped ou fom behnd and mooned o us o move away "maa moja", ha s, nsany. We oued aound he paace suounded by a 2m-hgh bck wa and noced a few bues hoes, bu no seous damage fom he wake aack. Founaey he Uganda peope dd no know ye he njues caused by a ea wa. Howeve, was hgh me o have ou unch and o ge d of he dog ha Vesna had asked o ake wh us on ou monng ou. I canno emembe o whom beonged, bu I suppose was fom ou fends n Kampaa. The dog, a sem-asaan, smeed bady and was esess mos of he me. I made me nevous wh he squeang so I coud no concenae on wha I waned o enjoy. Aso, he dog's moanng emnded me of he "whne" of my ca ha shoud go fo he bady-needed sevce he nex day. Afe we deveed he dog I coud eax, bu scoded Vesna fo akng he dog wh us. 13

14 Ljjana neuped my epoaches, admng ha was he dea as she ped he dog s ay nga oneaouf ends home.so hawas,bu s av edmygoods p sf o he es of day a eas. In he afenoon we dove up he Rado H, fom whee we had a pefec vew of he whoe cy and Lake Vcoa no so fa away. On he h sopes hee wee moden dwengs encosed by age gadens. These esdena aeas wee he bes pas of Kampaa, pacuay when had been anng. Howeve, I go ed of dvng fo an houandaha f h ough hesea eas,pa cu a yv ewedf om hed v e ssea.ev en he amaby and fendness go esome and bong, so was me o ge back o Enebbe. Obvousy he Indan nfuence pevaed n he cy, kep cean neay o Euopean sandads, ye I mssed he fa of an od own ke Mombasa n he cy of Kampaa. The caheda of Kampaa bu of bcks on one of he hs and he chuch neo a gh. Back a he hoe, Vesna wen sagh o he swmmng poo, and Ljjana ook peasue n ookng a he woven baskes she had bough. Weavng objecs of dy gass o pam eaves was he adona home ndusy n hs egon. We ef Lake Vcoa Hoe eay Monday monng and dove o Kampaa. I ef Ljjana and Vesna downown o do some wndow shoppng and o buy some suppes fo he upcomng ong safa dve, hen I dove o he VW sevce saon, whee he manage, a Geman hmsef, nspeced my ca afe had been hosed up. He expaned ha he fon axe was fxed o he chasss by fou bos n he 1961 VW modes. The epas woud cos USh850 and I woud have o wa sx days fo he new pas. The pce dd no mae, bu we nended o connue ou safa and panned o be back on Monday nex. The fon axs pae hed fou bos o he chasss ye hee wee fne cacks on he ef sde of hs pae. Somebody had ed o wed a few n he facoy gaage. The gh sde seemed sound so he Geman advsed me o dve caefuy, avodng shocks o he fon axe caused by pohoes o cacks n he oad. By Jove! how coud one avod hoseonuganda smu am oads?a s o heeng neeex p a nedhow o emov e heca buge ng n case squeaked a he smaes quve. Shakng hands, he Geman wshed me "Has- und Benbuch" ("Beak neck and egs") and a safe eun on Monday nex. 14

15 I was amos mdday when I dove ou of he VW sevce saon, woyng abou he ong dves n he comng week. I me Ljjana and Vesna a he ageed downown pon, whee goods wee socked n he ca. We wee eady o sa he week-ong safa, fs o he noh and hen down souh, foowng he wes of Uganda. A mdday we ook he man oad o Bombo - Kakoge - Masnd o ou goa of Paaa n Muchson Fas Naona Pak. On he way ou of Kampaa we passed he huge compound of he hospa. I made me wonde whehe we woud eun safe and sound o he VW sevce saon n Kampaa o end up n hs hospa. Who coud e? Howeve, was hgh me o have ou unch and o ge d of he dog ha Vesna had asked o ake wh us on ou monng ou. I canno emembe o whom beonged, bu I suppose was fom ou fends n Kampaa. The dog, a sem-asaan, smeed bady and was esess mos of he me. I made me nevous wh he squeang so I coud no concenae on wha I waned o enjoy. Aso, he dog's moanng emnded me of he "whne" of my ca ha shoud go fo he bady-needed sevce he nex day. Afe we deveed he dog I coud eax, bu scoded Vesna fo akng he dog wh us. Ljjana neuped my epoaches, admng ha was he dea as she ped he dog s ay nga oneaouf ends home.so hawas,bu s av edmygoods p sf o he es of day a eas. I was peasan speedng up he amos sagh amac oad, bu I head a whee cove fa off, dsappeang somewhee no he bush. I noced ha he "band-new es" wee wo ndowncons de ab yandwehadc hanged he ea eon hed v e s sde fo a eseve e. The manage of he VW sevce saon hough he "band new es" wee acuay enovaed od es. Ths was obvousy done a he facoy gaage, whee I was had been od ha band-new es wee mouned on my ca especay fo hs safa. Basads! Wha ese coud happen o us, I wondeed. I dove hs sagh sech of an unduang oad fo some ong me. Soon afe Bombo he oad suface uned no muam, and somewhee I made a wong un, so I had o eun a sho dsance o ge back ono he gh ack. Anohe bad sgn? The muam oad was we kep up, and was amos sagh, bu wh ups and downs so we coud no see fa. Seemens became scace as we dove hough gassy pans ha wee pobaby mashy n syncne. We saw many heds of gazng cae bu hee wee no age fams ke hose n Kenya n some egons. We cossed sevea bdges and I mssed he coec un agan so afe unng back, I had o 15

16 oveake a csen uck agan. The dve waved happy o us evey me we passed hm. I hoped woud no necessay fo he uck o ow us o ou obvousy muua goa. The oad was smooh, amos as f somebody had oned he muam. Ths made dvng easy and smooh so we eneed he sma odey own of Masnd. We passed onasho s e chof a mac heposbu d ng, hed s ccomm ss ona e shouse, Ba c ay sandg d ey sbanks,amode nsc hoobu d ng.e c.igope oandwed ov e on owads Guu and he Muchson Fas Naona Pak some 90km away. Fs he naow oad passed hough seppe couny wh hgh gass, hen we eneed a hck foes and came ou of a he edge of he escapmen. Thee we had a maveous vew of he Vcoa Ne Rve, by he as ays of he sun, excep fo some omnous dak couds fa o he wes. Theb dgeove hev c o an e s ap dswehad oc ossonouwayno hwa ds. I was 16:30 so hee was no me fo "omanc" sghseeng as we had o each he as fey eavng a 18:30. Vesna poned o a few eephans and buffao heds aong he oue. The seep descen had a suface of coon so, o sandy cay, ha coud easy un no a quagme when we. Soon we aved a he pak gae, whee we pad he enance fees and bough a map. Of couse Vesna enqued abou ons and ohe majo anmas. As I dove on as fas as possbe, Ljjana companed abou my wobby dvng. I sopped, ahough I was unneved a beng some 15km fom he fey andng. Oh boy, he new e on he ea gh whee was fa! Bas! Vcoa Ne apds we saw aong ou way o he Paaa Lodge. 16

17 Pospecs wee bad as he an was appoachng apdy. We a go and ooked fo he eseve e and he jack. Pacng he jack, I go he ca up a e o emove he fa e. When I was pung on he ohe whee, he ca shfed, bendng he gea n he jack. Unfounaey, he sone unde he fon whee dd no peven he ca fom movng. I coud no emove he jack! So Ljjana and I fed he ca enough fo Vesna o pu a boad unde he ea whee, hen I coud pu he gea ou of s hod, bendng by bue foce. I ook hs pcue when we had o sop due o a fa e as bad couds wee cosng n. Afe ha I ensaed he jack and hasy fnshed ha awkwad job. As we fnshed packng a he bs and peces, he an saed. The downpou h us wh fu foce as I saed he engne. The esced vew foced me o dve wh he umos concenaon he as 15km n a way I had neve done befoe. The oad was sppey and a shap un woud ake us off he oad. I aned connuousy and wae sped ove he oad suface so I dove hough shaow dfs a a few paces. One was ahe sky as I had o go hough a vue o deou a demoshed bdge. We ae cossng he Vcoa Ne on one of egua fey boas pyng hs ve. Vesna connued ponng excedy o any age hed of eephans and buffaos, bu my whoe objecve was o ge o he fey n me, and ha made me nevous. Then he an sopped suddeny so we coud see n he shmme of he seng sun he wang fey a he ef bank of he Vcoa Ne. We saw he Paaa Lodge on he oppose sde 17

18 wh a few budngs, some of whch wee unde consucon. We eached he fey n me, and s wo song ouboad moos moved acoss he song ve cuen swoen by a o of an. Whn 15 mnues we wee on he ohe sde. We wee a b concened abou he accommodaon on a consucon se. The ages budng ooked ke a pan, so we jokngy magned ha coud be a facoy fo he poducon of hppo mea. Ou doubs wee soon dspeed as we wee gven "The Roya Coage" fo an addona chage of Shs5. Ths nvesmen was woh of as he odge was abou 25m fom he ve bank and fa enough fom he consucon se. The woks wee fo a new hoe and he ohe ancay budngs fo he saff and of pak managemen. A age numbe of hppos s keep o he sandbank jus acoss he Paaa Lodge. The coage had a wde veandah oveookng he Vcoa Ne befoe fowed no Lake Abe. Fom hee he ve fowed noh unde he name of Abe Ne. Thee was a fshemen's vage acoss he wde waes and hee had o be peny of hppos. The sme was unmsakabe! We noced hppos baskng n he ve shaows some 30m down ve fom ou odgng. I was no jus he hppos' sme; we coud hea he gunng and puffng sounds ke: HO! HOO-HO-HO-HUUUH! The ngh vso a Paa Lodge "Roya Coage" a age hppopoamus 18

19 Thee was no eeccy bu he gasgh was OK fo us. A wam wae showe was wecome afe ha vey had day. Afe a bef es we wen o he esauan, whee we enjoyed a sandad good mea poduced by he Uganda Hoes Ld. Afe dnne we ef he esauan, wakng o he coage aong a foopah dmy by sevea gasghs. I was amos pch dak, ye we noced a dak shadow cose o ou coage. Movng sowy, we coud see he shouee of an eephan bowsng on a bush nex o he house. I ook a few haphazad shos usng he camea fash, wang fo a whe un he ceaue moved owads he ve. (The pcues neve came ou due o he gea dsance!) In he wee hous of he ngh I head a sange munchng nose fom he veandah. I go up and wh camea eady, unocked he doo. The shadow fed he whoe of my sgh by he moon down o he ve. A hppopoamus gazed boadsde some 7m fom me. FLASH! I coud no see anyhng! The nex momen ha massve body vanshed. The esung pcue was fu of he hppo's body. * * * End of Pa 1 of 2: Kenya * * * 19