Yearly Archives: 2012

Mellow Malawi

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Mike and I easily slipped into our roles as one takes the passports and the other our carnet de passages and started the procedures. I just love how in Africa you can just hand over the passports without the actual owner being there, sometimes they ask to point out the person in the passport, and normally being the only white people at the border, it is not hard to spot either one of us in the seas of local people. This system makes our border crossings more efficient and we are normally completed within an hour. Sure enough this wasn’t anything different. We were back on our bikes and heading for Mushroom Farm. I spotted a poster at the border, as I read “COLD Beer, HOT showers, on TOP of the world, HOME cooked meals” I knew we had to visit this promised land.

Leaving the border behind us, we drove parallel to Lake Malawi. As the mountains on the right of us, rose up out of the ground forcing the road to cut closer and closer to the lake to it eventually sandwiched us between. The views were just breath taking, but the heat kept us rolling forward just to give us a little relief from the breeze.

We stopped at a tiny village for a bottle of water and an ice cold coke. The first hole in the wall supermarket only had juice cold, he sent us next door where he knew a lady sold only cold coke. Glulping down the coke, I couldn’t help but think this would make the perfect coke advert. Two dusty, sweaty bikers in bum fuck nowhere getting relief from the sweet taste of coke, as the perfect amount of condensation rolled down the edge of the glass bottle. Strapping down the new bottle of water, I drank the remaining drops from the old bottle. I looked about me, trying to find a place to put the used plastic bottle. While doing so, I noticed a lady holding out her hand with her left hand touching her elbow. This is the very polite way to either ask or offer something. I quickly realized she was asking for the bottle. Handing it to her, a smile lit up her face and I felt good I was giving her something to recycle or most likely to sell for a few cents, but that few cents would go a long way in her family.
A few kilometers later, we reached our turn off to Mushroom farm. Following what started out as a sandy road but quickly turned into dried up riverbed! We found ourselves navigating around huge boulders and tight corners, climbing virtually straight up. Within the short 10 km we rose up to 1000m above lake Malawi. When we finally arrived at our destination, we were taken back by the view. Mushroom Farm was hanging on the cliffs edges with a few scattered huts and camping sites also just tethering on the edge. Like always, we planned only to spend one night, but we couldn’t help ourselves we decided to stay two and on our day off we would take a walk up to the village.

Because of the remote location, there weren’t to many guests, so we got chatting to the owners and the Dutch couple which were working there as managers. They recommended our next guesthouse in the town of Mzuzu called Mzoozoozoo. With a wave goodbye, we rode back down the steep road, passing a couple on two old Royal Enfield’s. Stopped at the bottom, we discover the lady is from Australia and her husband is from Germany. They rode down the west coast of Africa but shipped their bikes from Ghana to Namibia with two guys, both called Tony. This is really a funny coincidence as I have been speaking to a Tony off and on since I was in Turkey andI am due to finally meet this guy in Lilongwe! The happy couple gave us some tips to where to stay in Malawi but due to the heat we had to get back on the road.

We arrived into Mzuzu quite early, but that was ok, I wanted to find some shoes and we had to pick up some new drugs from the pharmacy. We rode around the town, asking everyone where Mzoozoozoo backpackers was, despite Mushroom Farm telling us that everyone knows where it is we discover, that this was no true at all. After an hour of searching up and down, following different people’s directions we thought it was about time to stop, have something to eat and drink before trying again. After the usual Malawi dish of chicken and chips for lunch, we got back on our bikes. This time we saw a bunch of overlanders in 4×4 and motorcycles at the petrol station. We asked them where have they come from and where are they heading, but their replies were really distant and disinterested. However, we did discover they would have no idea where the backpackers was. Then a trinket tout came up to me “Where are you from?” he asks “New Zealand” I replied, “ah, Kiroa Mate” laughing I asked “Do you know where MzoozooZOO is?” He quickly gave us directions and which we followed and found it within a few seconds. It was so stupid. It was down the only street we hadn’t searched!

Rolling through the gates of Mzoozoozoo, we instantly fell in love with the place, there was a usual car rotting in one corner of the garden, in another was a caravan and under a tree was an old Goldwing. An elder guy rambled out of the main house and introduced himself as Ray. We were instantly taken to a place where we could set up our tent while we sip on a cold beer. I wondered how long we would end up stuck at this laid-back guesthouse. That afternoon, we completed our chores in town and we re-tied the rubber around Mike’s broken suspension. He knows he should also do a layer of copper wire to help hold it into place but we are just too lazy to go to those lengths so we just re-wrap the old rubber knowing we probably have to do this again shortly.

It seems Mzoozoozoo is the place for all expats when passing through drop in for lunch or just a coffee to chat and catch up with all the gossip, because I got to meet a fallow Kiwi who now lives here and runs a popular overland truck stop on the coast of Lake Malawi. We would have dropped in there, but we are a bit tired of the overland truck stops and people that like to party on them. A little bit later over a beer we got talking to Ray, he took us out to show us his 1979 Goldwing. He also travels around Africa but more slowly than us and in better style! He gives us more suggestions for Malawi and a hot tip for our next destination.

That night, Mzoozoozoo took off and a party was in full swing. The owners of Mushroom Farm turned up and it was a great night. But the strange thing was, we got to meet the actual owner of Mzoozoozoo and it turns out hes only here in Malawi for 3 months per year and the entire time he is here he is drunk from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed. He was starting to scare a group of girls who were just backpacking around, but the owners of Mushroom Farm came to their rescue. But you could see these girls would be checking out tomorrow. It was a pity because you could tell Gerald (the owner of Mzoozoozoo) was just trying to be friendly and nothing would come of it.

Mike and I rose early, knowing full well we should leave today. We have just seen the bad side to an expat life and I sure as hell didn’t want to slip into that. So we wave goodbye to our new friends (the ones who were up and about that is) and headed for the shores of Lake Malawi.

We arrived at Tony’s place on the shores of Lake Malawi, as we walked into the restaurant area looking for someone to help us, we find him asleep spread awkardly over two chairs. He woke to our voices and we were able to check in and order some lunch. We ended up staying for four nights due to the weather closing in and lucky for us we were the only guests in the entire place except for the last night! Over those four days, we got to know Tony (the owner) quite well and pretty much only ate chicken and chips or soup for the entire time! After four days, we decided to make the long 400km ride to Lilongwe despite the weather just to change our diet!

We got lucky, the day was overcast and threatened to rain but we only felt a few drops. We arrived into the small capital without a hitch and found our guesthouse easily. It was one recommended to us, but on arrival, we could see that there were only kids bumming around running the place and the lack of water saw us only having one shower over our entire stay there. I have to say it was disappointing but it didn’t really matter, as I was there to meet Tony. The guy who I have been in consistent email contact for almost a year now. Just recently, Tony has also been invited to become a Jupiter Traveller. We spent the day chatting about or journeys and plans for the future. He had been in Lilongwe for over a month now desperately trying to sell his motorcycle. He had a few nibbles but nothing serious. I heard from him a few weeks later and found out he managed to sell his bike and he headed off to Australia to work and save some money for his next adventure.


We couldn’t stand to stay at this guesthouse a day longer, the very next day we took off south to Mozambique hoping to arrive at the border that day and cross over. It wasn’t the perfect ending to a country but we did really need to get a move on as we had friends and family arriving in South Africa and we had to be in Johannesburg to meet them!

Welcome (back) to Tanzania

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Dust is engulfing my motorcycle and me. My eyes are stinging and I feel my energy has sapped as I hit another invisible pothole, which throws up yet another cloud of sandy dust. It has been a long three days, and now it is pitch black as we arrived into township of Mbeya and check in to the mission guesthouse – dirty, exhausted and very hungry.

Three days ago, we entered into Tanzania. The country almost feels like home for the both of us, we know some of the language, we know the culture and we know what the food is like. The only unknown thing for us was what the road condition was going to be. We set out from Kigoma the most northern town on the edge of Lake Tanganyika, which is the longest lake in the world and we decided to travel down the only road that runs parallel with the lake.

On our first day, we hit the dirt road full of energy and excitement. The road was in fairly good condition, we could travel at decent speeds, which not only kept us cooler in the hot temperatures but also our engines.  Half way through the day, when stopping for a break, I noticed I was lacking a shoe. It normally sits under my elastic net with its brother. However, I could only see one. Deciding there is no point in carrying the other, I dropped it on the road, hoping someone finds them and reunites the two shoes once again.

It was still a long day in the sun, we arrived into Mpanda late in the afternoon, my bike was running on the smell of an oily rag. Pulling into a petrol station, we saw the attendants shake their heads, no fuel. We drove on to a guesthouse and we checked in. Lacking my own shoes, I slipped on a pair of hotel sippers and went in search of some new flip-flops and something to eat.

Not long after dinner, we crash into bed and didn’t even wake when a storm hit and drove rain straight into the room drenching everything within a 1meter radius, including us in our bed! In the morning, we went in search of fuel. Every petrol station was empty. We eventually struck a deal with the local motorcycle taxi drivers, paying twice the normal price. But who knows when the next tanker would come to town and we only have a 15 day transit visa, therefore we don’t have the time to hang around waiting for fuel to arrive.

Not long after leaving town, we came to the start of Katavi National park, when I took a quick glance into the river, I thought it was just full of rocks, but on second glance, I realized it was actually hippo’s wallowing in their own filth! I’ve never seen so many hippos in one place. Just as I got started taking pictures, Mike spotted a sign – NO stopping the vehicles and NO photography or you have to pay for the park entrance fee. I looked around and spotted a man walking towards us, we quickly packed up and started driving into the park. Mike is was the lead and I spot buffalos hiding amongst the trees, I didn’t want to stop and worry Mike that I’ve disappeared so I carry on behind him. We both spotted some more, but stopping the bikes we realized we were surrounded by tsetse flies and were forced to move on.

We tried to make several stops in the park, but tsetse flies forced us on. Eventually we found a spot just outside the park. That is when Mike told me he felt his suspension break. Looking at it, we could see he was right, the seal had popped and oil was everywhere. We carried on, travelling slower hoping it will help the shock last longer. Eventually we arrived into Sumbawanga and checked into a mission. We looked at the shock and decided it can travel the next 300km on asphalt to Mbeya where we will tend to it there and decided what we should do.

We were both tired, and needed a day off the bikes, but since the GPS and our map told us it is going to be asphalt we pressed on to Mbeya.  Within a few kilometers from the township however, the road turned into a major construction site. There were trucks everywhere, the road snaked from one side to another, vehicles acting crazy, as their drivers are confused about where they are meant to go.  Potholes, bull dust and these drivers were pushing me to the limit. What was meant to be a short 330 kilometer drive was turning into an all day mission.

Stopping for a break, we got speaking to an Indian road construction worker, I had to laugh after I told him, this was a terrible road, and he said, “No, this is a terrible place. I came all the way from India for this!” This made me feel a lot better, as I was never going to do this stretch of road again in my life, whereas this poor Indian man had to do it every day.

After topping up my motorcycle oil levels, I put everything back in its place, or I thought. A few kilometers later, my bike was feeling strange. I couldn’t accelerate properly and I felt a tugging to one side. I let another kilometer slip past as I tried to work out what was going on. But before I could do so, I felt a huge tug and then I heard a bang. Stopping my motorcycle as fast as I could, I leaped off to investigate. As it turned out I had forgotten to re-attach my bungee cord and it had wrapped itself up in my axel and disk break. Even though I was annoyed at myself for not being more careful, and putting myself at some risk. I was glad it wasn’t anything else more serious.

Mbeya is a small town, but it fulfills our needs. I have just came down with a cold and need to have some rest days. We found Mike a new 17-Inch tire, we changed our oil and my brake pads.  Then Mike wrapped strips of rubber around his suspension shaft to help support it as we knew we wouldn’t be able to find a replacement until South Africa.

This also changed our plans, originally we had planned to head into north Mozambique and spend some time in the desert there, but with Mike’s broken suspension, we think it will be better to face Malawi instead and tackle its problems of lack of fuel. I prepared my motorcycle with adding an extra two 5-liter containers filled with fuel on top of the four-liter bladder I normally carry. Now I am set for Malawi.

Want to see more pictures – click this link to be taken to Flikr to see the whole lot!

On another note:

I want to introduce two websites:

Created By Danielle  & Amidst Journeys

In a nut shell my savings have run out, therefore I am trying to do the impossible and that is to work and travel at the same time.

As you know I have a few bits a pieces for sale and have recently made a new website for all the beautiful things as you can see here at Amidst Journeys. The other site I want to introduce is Created By Danielle. This is my portfolio as a graphic designer and website builder. Please consider me for you next project as I am “Cheap as Chips” but can give you amazing and quick results. Thanks a lot, Danielle

A New Pair Of Shoes

Posted on by in Kenya 2 Comments

 

I hate shopping, I just wish it was like looking for a new plug-in for your website! In this cartoon, I draw the perfect world for me, where everything from our shoes to our hair cuts are made up from a series of plug-ins to create a new but simple life!

For those not geeky – a plug-in is a software component that extends specific abilities to a larger overall software. For example, some website bowers require a flash plug-in. Without the flash plug-in you would not be able to read part of the website that requires this particular website.

Unusual Hitch hikers in Burundi

Posted on by in Burundi 2 Comments

Border crossings are always a bit nerve racking, but since I entered Kenya for the first time back in February, I have been extremely lucky until Burundi. On the Rwandan side, we were stamped out of the country in seconds and that included the carnet de passage. However, on the Burundi side, as we parked the motorcycles we were greeted by a guy who acted completely drunk or stoned who decided he was going to be our helper and take good care of our motorcycles. I really love these kind of helpers, the ones who don’t actually want to help, the ones who don’t actually do anything and in the end try to get something out of you. Sorry buddy, but your woes are not our problem and we have been travelling for way to look to give you a piece of our pie – even if it’s only a coke you are after. You might think I am acting really harsh but if I gave a hand out to everyone who asked me, I would be worse off than them.

Lake Tanganyika, Burndi

If only we had a few more days, camping on this beach would have been really nice.

While we obtained our visa and got stamped into the country, I kept one eye on the bikes. I wasn’t so worried about our gear as we had decided to take our helmets and my tank bag with us. But you never know, he was that out of it, he could have easily tripped over his feet and knocked over the bikes. After we got our visa we then had to tackle the customs guy who had never seen a carnet de passage before in his life! But I will give him credit, he looked at it and slowly worked out the paper work and we could finally leave.

The one thing I really hate at border crossings is the last guard, he or she is always decided they want to see our documents before opening the gate for one last time. Normally, we have to pack them away in order to drive to the gate, therefore when they stop us we have to dismount, unpack them, hand them over and wait until they flick through the many stamped pages in our passport completely confused before they eventually give up and let us pass. This time, I decided I wanted to avoid this charade by giving the documents to her first while we were still off our bikes. So as Mike and I walked from the customs office back to our bikes we had to go past the officer. I handed her our passports and documents and said can you please check them before we drive up to the gate. She shrugs me off and hands the passports without even checking them and now I wonder what she is going to do when we come back with the bikes.

Lake Tanganyika, Burndi

Lake Tanganyika.

Of course, my thoughts were right, our personal drunken guard wanted money or a coke. In fact everyone in the car park now wants a coke and has surrounded both bikes. I was super happy that my bike started on the first kick and we moved to approach the gates, The guard lazily came over to us and asked me for the documents. I let out a sigh, of course you do, less than 2 minutes ago, I was handing them to you and now you want to see them! Grumpily I said, I just gave them to you. She looked at both of us, someone said something about the motorcycles in French, and she opened the gates. “Welcome to Burundi” I think to myself. If this is what it’s like at the border I wonder what the people inside the country are going to be like.

Not even one kilometer passed and already the vibe of the country changed. People were waving out and clapping their hands to get our attention as we drove past. Actually, if there was no border you would actually think you were still in Rwanda. The countryside is completely developed for agriculture, not a single square inch left undeveloped. The biggest difference in the two countries is how the people and cyclists thumb a lift.

Mike Looking At Congo, Burundi

Mike looking across the lake to Congo, dreaming of yet another adventure maybe?

The whole country is a mountain range that only drops down around Lake Tanganyika. Being incredibly lazy, no one wants to push their bikes up or even down hills, so they grab hold of any passing truck with one hand and somehow arrange themselves so they end up sitting side-saddle. Normally, there would be about four to six guys lined up across the back of a truck with about the same amount of hitch hikers hanging onto the back of the truck above them. It was such a dangerous system, luckily for me I never saw an accident, but I can imagine that its must happen a lot, as these trucks are travelling around 60km/hr around sharp corners with massive cliffs on one side and a huge drop on the other side.

We arrived into Bujumbura early afternoon, with the hotel prices way out of our budget at 55 Euros per night at the cheapest place, I contacted Sarah through “couchsurfing” and asked if she and her flat mates wanted two smelly bikers for two nights. We had a blast at Sarah’s house, straight away Sarah and her flat mates took us in and instantly befriended us. Sarah gave us her very own room to sleep in and after a quick shower, we were invited out to dinner with the others. French was flying around the table thick and fast, despite not understanding them 99.9% of the time I found myself enjoying myself.

With a three-day visa, and one mission, Burundi was slightly more of a bucket list country. For the past couple of countries, I have been having meetings with a few nonprofit organizations who focus on business incubation. It is a small job for Mark Phillips who has set up a NPO (nonprofit organization) with a partner, called B’ginnings.

B’ginnings mission is to reduce poverty be educating the worlds businesses and communities, by connecting entrepreneurs in developed countries with those in less developed ones by teaching and guiding them through the process. I have been Mark and his partner’s ears and eyes on the ground here, arranging meeting in a select group of companies here in East Africa and getting a general feel of the company that Mark is interested in setting up a connection with. Personally, I love doing these meetings, you meet some amazing people and Burundi Business Incubator was no exception, they were well establish and had a great variety of businesses they were helping the locals develop.

After my meeting, Sarah showed us to the most amazing French bakery, we sat, we drank good coffee, we ate quiches and chocolate éclairs and we all got stuck into free Wi-Fi. A boring afternoon for some, a luxurious one for me. Before we knew it, our one full day in Burundi was over and we had to head to the Tanzania border.

We rode south along the edge of the lake, until we hit the edge and our only option was to climb over the mountain. The customs building was 20km north of the border in a small village. We headed there first and were stamped out of Burundi. However, before we headed towards the Tanzanian border I wanted to have something to eat. We ended up riding back into the village despite the strange looks from the police and sat down to a coke and a Bruschetta (BBQ meat on a stick), before heading back past the customs building on onwards to Tanzania.

The Kings Palace In Rwanda

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We had spent the night in a small town not far from the Uganda / Rwanda border, but then because Rwanda is such a small country, distances between towns are so short, today’s goal of Gisenyi, was a mere a 60 km ride away. 60 km is nothing to us as we usually travel between 200 to 400 kilometers (depending on destination and road conditions). We tried very hard to take our time with everything. We slowly packed our bags and loaded our bikes, but we still hit the road at nine in the morning. We then tried to take it casually and ride slowly on Rwanda’s beautifully paved roads through sweeping hills and pasted pristine rice fields, but less than an hour later we reached Gisenyi.

Danielle Standing In A Tea Plantation

Danielle Standing In A Tea Plantation

Gisenyi is small border town situated on the lake’s edge with its two-shack border post that backs onto Goma in DR Congo. We check ourselves into a hotel where for the first time they offered free laundry service and car washing. I thought that was a joke until I woke the next day to discover my bike looking nice and shiny for a change!
The shiny bike did not last long as we took a small dirt road for 120 kilometers. We thought it would be another short day so we bided our time with lots of stops for photos, but we soon realized the road was full of potholes that forced us to travel much slower that we normally would. At five pm, just after a storm had rolled past, we finally arrived in the small township of Kibuye.

I was stunned at the beauty of the place. It looked exactly like the Marlborough Sounds where I grew up as a kid. We got a room at St Jeans Guest House, which overlooks the lake and its many coves. We had planned to stay one night, but we fell in love with the place and decided to stay another day and try to get some work down without being distracted by the view!

Danielle and Lake Kevu

Danielle and Lake Kevu

Homemade Wine Glass

My Homemade Wine Glass

The following day we rode on to Kigali where we met with Eva, a German woman who had lived in Rwanda for the past four years. I got in touch with Eva through “Couch Surfing” and asked if she would like to have two smelly bikers for two weeks as paid housemates. Fortunately, for us she said yes and opened up her house to us. It turned out it would be slightly more expensive than staying in a hotel, but for two weeks, we would want to spread out and have a nice place to work.

Eva House, Kigali, Rwanda

Eva House in Kigali where I spent all my meals!

When in Kigali, you cannot miss visiting the Genocide Museum. I had been to genocide museums in Cambodia on my first motorcycle adventure back in 2008. I was surprised to find for the first time an organized museum full of informational boards. However, as I walked around this complex, I did not react the way I thought I would and how I did back in Cambodia. I found the museum doesn’t actually shed / rub the horror of the situation on to you and I left without really feeling connected to it at all. I guess, I’ve watched one too many blood and guts movies in the past or maybe the museum should have been located in one of the many churches where they killed thousands in one single sweep.

Genocide Museum

Genocide Museum

As it turned out, Eva had to fly to Germany for a business meeting and we stayed on an extra few days to look after her house. Since I had extra time, I decided to wash my sleeping bag. After getting instructions off the internet and help from my friends, I was set to wash the bag for the first time since I bought it. I know that’s disgusting but I was scared to wash it in case I broke the bag and rendered it useless. However, it turned out to be easy, just a lot of hard work and Mother Nature did not help one bit. As I laid it down on the ground to start drying out a massive hailstorm swept over the city and even flooded parts of our house! I then spent the next 5 days gently pulling the feathers apart and making sure it dried evenly and fluffy, I think it’s going to be another four years before I try that again!

Our time in Kigali ended and we packed up and left for Burundi. The best thing about Rwanda is that it is so small. You are only doing short days, therefore feel freer to stop, and so we took a small detour to visit the Kings Palace in a small town called Nyaza along the way. The traditional huts are replicas of the original ones that originally sat on the adjacent hill. We were shown around the several different huts and the newer Belgium built palace. It gave us a better understanding to what life was like as a king during those times.

The King, Rwanda

The King who traditional Palace we visited

The Kings Cows

The Kings cows, which you will recognise I’ve seen them in Uganda and later on in Burundi.

The Kings Traditional Palace, Rwanda

The Kings Traditional Palace

Tradtional Beer Bottles

Traditional Beer Bottles

After a question and answer session with our fellow group about our trip, Mike and I rode on to Butare for the night before crossing into Burundi the following morning. Butare was a cute village with all its buildings in the Art Deco style. We stayed in a historic building, which used to be a hotel for Belgian people and had a terrible history of keeping the black people out of its gates to make sure the Belgians would not have to socialize with the black people.

Goodbye Rwanda. I am still amazed how fast you have developed in the past 20 years for an incredibly small but beautiful country.

The Rubber Shop

The Rubber Shop

Coffee Aromas

Posted on by in Australia;Africa 3 Comments

I am watching the sunset over the flat plains of Uganda, from our perch high above on the edge of Mt Elgon. It has been a great two days here, but tomorrow we must move on and head towards the sunset. Mike and I are back at Sipi Falls, because we just had to show my Auntie Chriss the falls and of course the view. But instead of staying in the strange little cheap place we found last time, we decided to stay at a slightly more upmarket lodge, including full board. Even though it lacked electricity, it was still a good deal. Mike and I pitched the tent that came with the car on the edge of the cliff, right next to the falls. When I zipped open our tent this morning, the view in front (and below!) was just magical – it doesn’t come any better than this!

Sipi Falls, Uganda

Sipi Falls

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the gorillas seems like months ago, but it took only a few days driving like mad to get back to Kampala. We were only allowing ourselves two days to return in time to meet Mike’s sister at the airport in Entebbe. Before we left, we saw a group following the rangers down the formidable mountain, to see the gorillas.Each of us mentally counted at least three ladies who are going to need to be carried up. I think the village was waiting anticipation to go and collect the lot of them at the bottom of the hill a couple of hours’later!

Lake Muleke

Lake Muleke in the South of Uganda

As we drove north, we slowly learnt about the Ebola outbreak in Kibaale. We researched on the internet what that actually means, and how we can limit our exposure and reduce the risk of contracting Ebola. With all the hype in the media, it quickly became apparent just to avoid any contact with people. So, no hand shaking, no riding in a bus (not that we do that anyway) and washing hands frequently especially after touching money! Kibaale was the epidemic centre, but after a doctor who treated the first patient was transferred to Kampala, Kampala became a small risk too.

Women in Uganda

Women in Uganda

Between us, we had decided on just picking up Mike’s sister and heading straight out of town to Jinja instead of worrying while staying in Kampala. Then, two nights before she was due to arrive, Mike got a phone call from his family. His sister had been diagnosed with whooping cough and she could not come anymore! Mike was quiet, I presumed he was worried about her and disappointed she could not come. It was a real pity. I was really looking forward to meeting her too!

The Source Of the Nile

The Source Of the Nile

The Source Of the Nile

The Source Of the Nile

We quickly did what we had to do in Kampala and drove on to Jinja beforeheading straight up the mountain to Sipi Falls, where we are now.

The past two days in Sipi have been great – relaxing, watching the view and taking a couple of small walks into town. Yesterday, Chriss, came down with the usual travellers tummy bug and spent much of her time in close proximity of the toilet. Luckily for us, she recovered enough in the afternoon to take a tour through the coffee plantation.

Unripe Coffee Cherries

Unripe Coffee Cherries

Our guide took us through a banana plantation, across a tiny wooden rickety bridge, down a dirt path to a small mud house and asked to sit down on some tiny chairs. Tiny children sat on the ledge of the house eating bbq corn on a cob, staring at us and giggling in between bites. Two were a bit more adventurous and would come up to us to look at our cameras, our skin colour, our hair and our clothing. They were so inquisitive. They were comparing Mike’s gruff with the lack of facial hair on their father’s face and pulling Mike’s sleeve up to see what kind of arms he had and how much hair was on his arms. It was so funny to watch, I was in fits of laughter. Until they came over to inspect me! I had to laugh even louder when the young boy was telling his family I look very smart in shorts.

Coffee Bean Cherries

Coffee Bean Cherries

Then our coffee tour really began. Our guide showed us the coffee shrubs with the tiny green (unripe) cherries. It was not the season for coffee but there were a couple of shrubs with some red cherries on them. These were the ripe ones. After squeezing them, a little white bean popped out encased in a thin film of white goo. Normally they then dry this for a couple of days until the white goo is dry and falls off with a bit of light pounding in a mortar and pestle. For our tour, they had some prepared earlier.
They then pour the beans into a tray and flick the tray into the air, hoping the wind will catch the light flaky husks and just leave the beans.

Flicking the Husks Off

Flicking the Husks Off

Danielle Making Coffee

Danielle Making Coffee

Roasting Coffee Beans

Roasting Coffee Beans

They then took the tray into the kitchen where we met the wife of our guide. She showed us how they roast the dried beans over the fire in their kitchen. Meanwhile the children were filing in and out of the kitchen grabbing loose roasted coffee beans off the floor, walking off happily chewing on the beans. Wow, my mother would not let me try coffee until I was 14 years old!

As we watched how the beans were cooking, our guide and his eldest son, pounded away on already roasted beans in a mortar and pestle, until they had filled three huge bags of ground coffee for us to take back to our tent. I am not sure if I am going to be able to sleep with all the coffee aroma around me!

Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans

Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans