MAd4Travel

JUNE 2024

The early completion of our Mountain Gorilla tracking meant we had several hours to relax before we embarked on our afternoon activity.
Our afternoon couldn’t have been any more different to the morning. From mixing with affluent western tourist, able to afford the expensive permit required to visit Mountain Gorilla’s, to visiting one of the poorest communities in Uganda.
A Batwa community (see below) live a short walk from our accommodation and we had signed up for a guided visit. Once registered at the community office our first stop was the Rushaga Community school. Our guide introduced us to the head teacher, who explained how the school functioned then showed us around.
The school has two categories of students: Bakiga students whose parents can afford to pay plus orphans and Batwa students without access to any funds. Classes are offered to children aged between 3 and 13 and lunch is provided every day regardless of the ability to pay. Some students stay in the dormitories on campus. This is to help them focus on their school work, which would not be possible in the home environment. For those students unable to pay for their schooling, charity organisations have stepped in to help the finances.
We were then shown around the campus. The school has 3 main wings each housing 3 to 4 classrooms. The buildings are cement with tin roofs and encircle an uncovered courtyard. An additional building provides dormitories, one for girls and one for boys. School funding is a major issue. The buildings need renovating and some beds in the dormitories don’t have mattresses. The irony is that the school and Batwa community land is sandwiched between Rushaga’s most expensive lodge and the Bwindi National Park. What an unfair world.

Rushaga village

Rushaga School in the background

We left the school campus, pledging to make a donation once we got back home (which we did). From the school we entered Batwa community land. A cluster of basic dwellings surrounded by small cultivated plots. A local group danced and sang for us then demonstrated how they used to live before being evicted from their forest home. We left wishing we could have donated more to help them but our Ugandan Shillings were limited. If nothing else, this made us even more determined to do something when we returned to the UK.

Batwa People

Although we were on the move again the following day, we did have time for an early morning birding walk. We were met by a birding expert and his two assistants, all of which live locally in Rushaga. What followed was several hours of very enjoyable bird watching, first along the access road to the village then to the edge of the forest. The number of different species spotted was amazing but only possible with the keen eyes of our expert birding guides. This was a great way to start the day and we were so glad we had added it to our Bwindi itinerary.

Looking for birds with the Guide and his 3 apprentices

Birdwatching Team

Sun Bird

One of the many birds we spotted

From Rushaga we drove the short distance to Lake Bunyonyi.
It was a dirt road to begin with, past terraced crops clinging to the steep hillside. Along the roadside, young children were minding the family goats whilst the older ones were in charge of cattle. We passed large sacks of crops, mostly potatoes, that had been hauled out the valley ready for collection from the road side. As usual, water was being transported in large jerrycans with plugs made from green bananas. Earlier that day, Anne had tried her hand at carrying a 20ltr jerrycan of water and now understood how heavy and difficult it was.

Photograph assistant

20 litres of water on your head is not easy task, the owner of the Jerrycan is a bit concerned I will dropped it and she will have to go back to the river

You child carrying water back home

Back on the main road we pass field of sorghum, lots of which were ready for harvesting. Sure enough, we were soon passing their dark seeds drying in the sun. It was on this stretch of road that we finally got to see the bird we had been looking out for. Uganda’s national bird and the one displayed on their flag, the Grey Crowned Crane. A male, female and two young ones were slowly moving through a field next to the road so we stopped for photo’s.

Grey Crowned Cranes, Uganda National Bird

It was back on dirt for the final stretch to the lake, up and over small hills and several stone quarries. Men, women and children could be seen smashing large boulders in to small stones of various sizes. A hammer seemed to be the implement of choice, but worryingly, no safety glasses or foot wear could be seen. The prepared stones were then piled by the roadside for collection.

Stone working

Stones ready for collections

Our accommodation was on Kyahugye Island in the middle of Lake Bunyonyi.
This required us to be ferried across with our luggage then driven in a buggy to the top of the island where our eco-resort was. On arrival, we found out that we were the only guests. Our own private island, at least for the night anyway.
Our cabin was a short walk from the main building, down towards the shore. The front deck looked out over the lake and was quite idealic. We could walk around the island if we wished but choose to relax and enjoy our cabin instead.

On our way to Kyahugye Island

Lake Bunyonyi

The following day we retraced our steps and were soon on the road again, this time heading north east. For the past few days we had been in Uganda’s highlands but now we were returning to lower elevations.
As we descended the scenery changed. Terraced farming had been replaced by banana and pineapple cultivation, together with much of the land given over to cattle grazing. Another impromptu stop gave us the opportunity to learn more about the growing of pineapples. The farmer was happy to show us his crop and explained he was in need of a bit of rain to finish off the ripening process.
As our journey progressed, you could see we were in a more affluent area. In Uganda owning cattle is an indication of wealth and we were now passing some fairly large herds.

Ankole Long-Horned cattle

Pineapple preparation

Mobile shop on bicycle

Market day

Bags of charcoal by the road side

Around lunch time we had reached Lake Mburo, our base for the next two nights. Our lodge was perched on a rocky outcrop with views out over the national park. No fences, which is the case for all of Uganda’s national parks, meant that wildlife could roam freely around the lodge. During our stay, we shared the rock with Olive Baboons, Vervet Monkeys and Banded Mongoose to name but a few.

View from the Rock

Banded Mongoose

Olive baboon raiding a bin

Our stay was less busy than had been the case in previous days. We enjoyed the environment and ventured into the park on only two occasions.
After an early dinner and as the sun began to set, we picked up a park ranger and embarked on a night drive. Night drives can often be disappointing in terms of sightings but this one offered lots to see. Our ranger, who was very knowledgeable and found some rare nocturnal residents with his spotlight. Two Bushbaby’s, a couple of Genets, a Bush Duiker and a White Tailed Mongoose were the highlights. As we entered the park to start our night drive we were surprised to see local people walking out with bundles of wood. We were informed that this was all part of a local agreement (see below).

Owl on the night drive

Our second excursion into the park was the following day. The wildlife was plentiful and active on this cool but bright morning. We positioned ourselves at a couple of water holes and were treated to a constant flow of activity. In particular it was nice to see Eland. Africa’s largest antelope but also one of the most elusive. The sight of a Topi was a first for us.

Sun rise over the park

Reflection

Warthogs

Buffalo at waterhole

Topi

Elands

With our relaxing stay at the rock complete. We continued our journey north back to where we had started, in Entebbe.
Today we would pass through the fruit and vegetable growing region of Uganda’s centre. Stalls lined the road selling the products that were grown in the fields behind them. Tomatoes, avocados, water melon, passion fruit, papaya, it was all there. On the road, overloaded trucks ferried produce to central markets whilst Boda Boda’s delivered locally.
One section of our route took us close to the shore of Lake Victoria and here a different product was for sale. Men would hold up the fish they had caught that day hoping that someone would stop and buy. They were doing a good trade.
After lunch new things caught our attention. A large Chinese owned rice paddy seemed out of character for the area and sweet potatoes were now the crop of choice.
As we reached the outskirts of Kampala and before we turned towards Entebbe. The towns became larger and manufacture goods were now on display. A whole road selling just drums and stalls made way for large household items in the more central districts.
Finally we reached the more sedate lakeside area of Entebbe and our guest house for the last night in Uganda. A comfortable room and attractive garden was just what we needed after a long day on the road.

Fruits and vegetables market

Market stall

Police check point could cause some serious tire damaged if you don't stop

All the tour stoping for lunch at the same location

Lunch stop at the Equator

Kampala Traffic

On our last day in Entebbe , street signs

Uganda driving school

Our flight wasn’t until late afternoon, so we had most of the day to relax in. We stretched our legs around the neighbourhood outside the guest house. We were close to the presidential building so it was no surprise to see lots of big houses. We invited Innocent for lunch on our last day, which was taken on a restaurant terrace looking out over Lake Victoria. A perfect way to end an incredible trip.

Lake Victoria

Expecting the two hours we had allocated for check-in and security at Entebbe airport to be more than sufficient. We were surprised by just how long it took. Our bags must have been checked at least four times and border control was painfully slow. Not the fault of the officials more the travelling public.
In the end our flight back to the UK went as planned, arriving just about on time.

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Batwa people in Uganda
Also known as the ''Twa'' people, the Batwa are one of the indigenous African pygmies who originally lived in Bwindi impenetrable and Mgahinga equatorial rainforests before their designation as national parks.
The Batwa were known “as the keepers of the forests”. This is because they lived in harmony with it for thousands of years.
However, in the 1990’s the Batwa were evicted from their forest home, as their presence was deemed to be in conflict with national park policy. The Ugandan government provided them with land on the edge of the forest but did little to help them transit to a new way of life. As the government retained ownership of the land the Batwa now occupy, they don’t even have the security of a permanent settlement.

Lake Mburo National Park Community Agreement
As we understand it. To gain support for the national park creation an agreement was reached with the local communities that border the Lake Mburo National Park.
The agreement was that local people could earn money working in the newly formed park by providing ground maintenance. They could also take the wood created from tree pruning. The ground maintenance involves clearings away some of the dead foliage then undertake a controlled burning. The burnt ground then produces new succulent growth for grazers to feed on. The burnt soil also releases minerals craved by the wildlife in the park.

Tourist Numbers
Although it was only the start of the high season, we were surprised by the low tourist numbers. Most of the lodges and camps we stayed at were fairly empty. The lack of US and Canada tourist was one suggested reason. Since the 2023 murder of two tourists in the Queen Elizabeth National Park by DRC militants. The respective governments have put Uganda an amber warning category. Although that is the same category allocated to the UK, due to the perceived treat of terrorism, where tourist number don’t appear to be affected.

The Language of Uganda
In Uganda the most spoken language in the capital city is Luganda, followed by English (also the official language since 1962). English is also the language of business and judicial matters. Most spoken after Luganda and English is Swahili. This language is more common in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania. Swahili is taught in schools as an optional additional language. Uganda is a multilingual country with over 70 generally estimated languages spoken. Of these, 43 fall into four main families—Bantu, Nilotic, Central Sudanic and Kuliak.

JUNE 2024

The plan for the day was for a leisurely start and then a drive through the Queen Elizabeth National Park to our next location at Ishasha in its southern section. We were therefore taking our time, listening to the bird song and enjoying our deck for the last time when we thought we heard the trumpet of an Elephant and it sounded fairly close.
No sooner had we gone back onto the deck than a whole family of Elephants passed through the trees just in front of us. The deck was elevated and although the Elephants were no more than 5 meters in front of us we felt completely safe. In fact, we were now in a perfect position to watch, photograph and film wild African Elephants going about their daily business. We think we counted 20 in all, a large matriarch, several smaller females, a few young adolescent males and some very young babies. They filed past almost in a row, browsing on trees as they went by. The largest at each end with the babies in the middle for protection. We must have watched them for about 30 minutes until they disappeared out of sight. With Elephants in the camp it meant that our movements around it, going to breakfast, bag collection, etc, required the company of an armed guard.

Elephant in the back garden from our lodge deck

Somewhere to rest your truck when there is an elephant traffic jam

Toddler elephant following mum

After all the excitement we ended up leaving camp a bit latter than planed but it was well worth it.
We rejoined the main road through the park and after letting a family of Banded Mongoose cross in front of us, progressed the few kilometres to the southern section turn off. The road was now dirt once more and tree lined. A few Olive Baboons made an appearance by the road side but the main visible wildlife were thousand of butterflies. So many white ones that it looked like it was snowing. But as we looked more closely it was evident that there was quite a variety of species and colours.
Further down the road we encountered small groups of Vervet, Black & White Colobus and Red Colobus monkeys. All feeding on their chosen vegetation.

School children greeting us as we pass

Vervet monkey, mum and baby

Black & White Colobus resting

Black-and-white Colobuses crashed out

But the highlight of this drive for me, was the spotting of a male Leopard in a tree. We had been admiring our first sight of Lake Edward and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the distance, when Innocent stopped the vehicle. He then pointed at a tree in the distance, saying “look there is a Leopard in that tree”. How he saw it with his naked eye whilst driving we will never know. But sure enough he was right. Although without the assistance of binoculars you could barely see it. We waited for a while to see if he would come down, but his only movement was to make himself more comfortable. We therefore carried on to our lodge.

Looking for Lions

Water deliveroo

We were staying at the Enjojo Lodge, which translates to Elephant Lodge, for the night. It was very quiet and we seemed to be almost the only guests. Another comfortable Safari Tent with a shaded deck plus a beautiful dining area with views over a waterhole.

Troup of Olives Baboons

Elephants wanted to cross the road

Those tourists could do with a shower, they need to move so we can cross

No climbing lions, but lots of Kobs

Trees, but no climbing lions

Sun set over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the background

This part of the Queen Elizabeth National Park is famous for its tree climbing lions and that was what we hoped to see on our afternoon game drive. The word around the camps was that your best chance of seeing them was close to the DRC border, so that’s were we went. Three hours of searching however, didn’t produce a single sighting. In fact most wildlife seemed to be pretty elusive this afternoon, except for the ever present Ugandan Kob. We later learnt that no lions had been seen for several weeks and were believed to have crossed the border into the DRC’s Virunga National Park. Disappointed yes, but we had seen them in the northern section, so not too much.

Our next day started with a very informative chat with the restaurant staff, during a leisurely breakfast, providing us with an insight as to how Ugandans view their neighbours (see below).
We now left the Queen Elizabeth National Park and made our way to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. A short drive through the park got us back on to a main tarred road and a further short drive found us in the small town of Kihihi.
Our first stop was at “Save Wildlife Uganda”, a community project with an important goal. Their aim is to “foster sustainable conservation through active community participation, promoting human-wildlife peaceful coexistence and empowering woman for a better future”. We were met by the centre co-ordinator who explained what they were trying to achieve and showed us around the complex. We were introduced to the ladies weaving and sewing and learnt about the struggles many of them face. Anne even had a go at weaving. We were interested in buying one of their creations so were shown into a small shop connected to the centre. The quality was so good, we bought several items. A very worthwhile stop for anyone who is in the area, they also serve locally grown coffee.

Save Wildlife Uganda Community Center

Local woman learning new skills at the Save Wildlife Uganda shop

Save Wildlife Uganda shop

Our second stop in town was to pick up some provisions for Innocent’s mum. Visits to local shops are always interesting and informative, and this was no exception. A small brick building, about 6m x 3m, stacked from floor to ceiling with everything a local shopper could want. Two engaging shop assistants ensured we had everything we needed. Then our journey continued once more.

General store Kihihi , where you can fin everything (just like at the Samaritaine!)

General store in Kihihi

Kihihi Hight Street

Again it wasn’t long before we left the main tarred road and headed up into the mountains on a dusty dirt road. When the “African Powder” settled, the views were amazing and photographs were required at a number vantage points. Tea and banana plantations filled the valleys below us and as we reached the higher elevations Irish potatoes were the crop of choice. At 2,270 meters we went over the pass and began our decent. Now the crops became more varied, including coffee and sorghum.

Mountain tea plantation

Tea waiting collection

Mountain View

Banana stall

Market day

Pineapple delivery

Bricks ready for sale

Lunch was taken in the small town of Muko, in a delightful place by a river and lake. It was also a privilege to meet Innocents mother and father who dined with us.

Muko lunch stop with Innocent (our guide) and his parents

Local Ugandan Beer

Our guide with his parents and us

Once back on the road, it wasn’t long before we were climbing up into the mountains again. A variety of crops filled the lower slopes, similar to what we had seen earlier in the day, and “African Powder” filled the air each time we passed another vehicle.
What was new though, was the small scale iron ore mining. Most of this activity took place right on the road side, with pick axe and shovel wielding men doing the work. This often created a partial obstruction of the road, especially when a truck was being loaded.

It wasn’t long before we noticed a change in the mountain slopes. They were now covered in thick forest and we knew we were getting closer to Bwindi, our end destination for today. Sure enough, we soon arrived at our accommodation in Rushaga. Rushaga is a small town right on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to Mountain Gorilla’s, which we were hoping to see the following day.
Our accommodation for the next two nights was a luxurious secluded safari tent with terraced views out over a valley to the thickly forested mountain slopes beyond. Locals cultivated the land in the valley below us whilst birds filled the trees that surrounded us. We even had a resident Augur Buzzard who perched on a branch barely a meter away.

Our safari tent in Rushaga Camp

View from our cabin safari tent in Rushaga Camp

Local farmers carrying crops

Sunbird outside our deck

Just before dinner we were treated to dancing and singing from a local community group. They also brought along some of their craft work, which was available to purchase by any interested guests. We couldn’t resist, and bought a few items. Especially as it helped support that community.

[Photo’s - Community Group dancers]

The next day was another big one for us. We were going into the Bwindi Forest in hope of seeing Mountain Gorilla’s. An early breakfast and short drive to the national park headquarters got us started.
A briefing on how to behave in the forest and around the Gorilla’s, should we find them, was delivered by the park rangers. Entertainment was then provided by local dance group. Which gave the rangers time to allocate guests into tracking groups (see below). Six groups of eight guests were then assembled and each allocated a ranger guide, three trackers and a couple of porters. Those groups had names which corresponded to the habituated Mountain Gorilla troop they would attempt to locate.

Before leaving for Gorilla tracking, ceremonial dance to wish us good luck

The tracking groups then headed off in to the forest, but in different directions. The direction chosen was influenced by the last known location of the troop the group were tracking.
We followed our ranger/guide, Florence, up a steep forest path. With a tracker at the front of the group and two at the rear. Close by us in the middle was Agnes our porter (see below). As the forest path narrowed the trackers and porters also provided a helping hand where needed. Although we didn’t need much help other members of our group welcomed it.
After about 30 minutes and with the forest closing in all around us. We all stop and Florence whispers “there they are” and points down into the gorge below our feet. The initial elation of having found the troop so soon was soon deflated by the thought of how we were going to get down to them. Undeterred we put on our face masks (to protect the Gorilla’s from human diseases) and our gardening gloves (to protect our hands whilst using the foliage to assist our progress). A suitable decent point was identified and we all (now only five of the original seven, as two had turned back) carefully negotiated the steep slope down to where the troop were feeding.
The troop consisted of seventeen members headed by a twenty seven year old silverback. Although we couldn’t see all the troop members from our various vantage points, as we followed them through the forest. We were in the presence of the silverback, several females and young ones of different ages. The silverback, who had fathered seven of the offspring, seemed comfortable having us around. Even when we followed them as they moved through the forest. Most of the time the silverback lounged on the ground feeding on leaves and branches close to hand. Younger ones moved around much more, both on the ground and in the trees around the troop. The very young clung to their mums and barely ventured further than an arms reach away. One of the mothers had a baby that was only 3 month old and climbed a tree in front of us for additional security. Every so often the silverback would give out a deep guttural sound. This provided instructions to the troop as to what he wanted, move on, stay close, etc. Our hour with the troop seemed to fly by and it was then time to get ourselves out of the gorge and back to park headquarters.

A group of tourist entering the forest

Our Porter in Bwindi forest

Silver Back hiding behind a leaf

Checking on his family

Mum with her 3 months old baby going up the tree for security

Thoughts for food

Beautiful silver back gorilla

Mountain Gorilla mum with 7 months old baby

Need to have my nails done

As we walked back to the park headquarters, talk was all about the amazing experience we had just had. Also how privileged we are to have had that experience and how lucky we had been to find the troop so quickly. We even had the bonus of a brief Blue Monkey sighting on our way back.
We paid Agnes for her services and tipped our guide & trackers once we got back to park headquarters. Then were presented with a Gorilla Tracking Certificate to mark the experience.
The pack lunch we, or more accurately Agnes, had carried in and out of the forest was eaten back at our accommodation. Whilst reminiscing about our incredible morning.

The early completion of our Mountain Gorilla tracking meant we had several hours to relax before we embarked on our afternoon activity. More of that in Uganda in Part 4 ….

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

A Ugandan’s view their neighbours
Although just one persons opinion it was interesting to hear how Ugandans view their neighbours. First of all he confirmed something we had already witnessed: Ugandans are very welcoming, both to short and long term visitors. Because of the location of our conversation, he had most to say about the people from Rwanda and the DRC.
He said Rwandan’s come to Uganda to trade and often stay for longer periods of time. They stay to escape the oppressive laws in their own country. Originally put in place to create stability but now making normal life unnecessarily challenging. Some minor offences carry a prison sentence.
The people from the DRC are particularly nice he said. They are very law abiding and respectful and because of this are welcome to stay. Often they do stay, escaping the troubles that have blighted their own country for so many years.
Tanzanians come to trade. They are very business driven and don’t often stay beyond their trading trip.
Kenyans come on holiday and enjoy walking.
Regarding the South Sudanese, they come to Uganda to escape war and famine. The Ugandan people are generally happy to accommodate refugees on their border provided it is not too detrimental to their own way of life.

Mountain Gorilla Tracking Groups
The maximum number of guests in a Mountain Gorilla Tracking Group is eight. The rangers allocate guests based on their assessment of levels of fitness, taking advice from the tour guides. The fittest groups will track the Gorilla troops expected to be furthest from the park headquarters and the least fittest to those expected to be closest. Age, physique, impediments and tour guide influence play a large part in being allocated to a group. We later found out that my age and Anne’s shoulder issues were a key component to the group we were allocated.

Gorilla tracking porters
Gorilla tracking can take anything up to six hours to complete. Because of this, each guest is advised to take at least one and half litres of water with them, plus a pack lunch and waterproof clothing. This, in addition to camera equipment, works out to be quite a heavy load. When considered that all of this has to be carried through difficult terrain, having the help of a porter makes perfect sense. It also provides a good income for the local people who provide this service.

=====JUNE 2024===

Leaving Murchison Falls National Park we traveled south to our next location.
Instead of following the main road out of the park we turned west soon after Paraa check point, where we received a friendly and amusing greeting.
A young attractive female National Park security guard approached our vehicle, and announced with a broad smile on her face: “Hi, I’m Marion your new daughter-in-law”, to which we replied: “We would love to have you as our daughter-in-law, but we don’t have a son”, her response was “Not a problem, I will find you one”. And with that she checked our papers and walked away, with the broad smile never leaving her face. One example of the friendliness of the Ugandan people we encountered throughout the country.
A short dirt road section connected us back to one that was tarred and our journey south continued.
We were now travelling parallel with the shoreline of Lake Albert, but most of the time, too far away to see it. As our journey progressed, Innocent explained what we were seeing around us. The rich fertile soil and weather of central and south Uganda provides ideal conditions for farming a great variety of crops. Something we would be reminded of during the rest of our trip.
We were just learning about cassava (Manioc or Yuca, a staple food in Uganda and a drought-tolerant crop) when suddenly we stopped by the side of the road. Innocent pointed out a family of cassava farmers preparing their crop and then suggested we go and see what they were doing. Although the visit was unplanned the family welcomed us and showed us what they were doing. They even let us try our hand in the preparation process and showed us where and how they lived (see below). An amazing and very memorable experience, especially as communication was difficult. The family only spoke their regional language which not even Innocent could communicate in. Instead we got by with facial and body expressions.

Cassava also called Manioc or Yuca depending which country you are in

Shredding cassava roots

Family home

This was a full day’s drive which gave us plenty time to observe our surroundings and engage with Innocent about what we were seeing. There was so much to see we never got bored.
Before our lunch stop we passed a great variety of fruit and vegetables crops being grown together with the farmer families selling their produce by the roadside.
We learnt that of the large number of trucks we were seeing, many had crossed the border from Rwanda and the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) to either deliver produce or buy stuff to take back. We also found out how to assess the age of a vehicle from its registration plate (see below).

Truck going back Rwanda after passing the police check

Local shop and product on display

Crops for sale

Coffee drying and other staples of food

We briefly discussed religion. Following Innocent’s enquiry, we informed him that in the UK more people identify as having no religion than any of the recognised faiths. He confirmed that this isn’t the case in Uganda, where 99% of the population identify with a faith. Catholic, Church of Uganda and Muslim faiths account for most of the population.
The provision of drinking water piped into individual home is almost unheard of in most of Uganda. Instead water has to be collected. The more wealthy can afford to pump ground water from beneath their property, then store it in giant black water tanks on the roof. Community storage in this fashion is available to others in the cities. But for the majority, fetching water is a daily task. The lucky ones have a water pump close by to collect potable water, but for many it’s a long walk to a stream or river where the water quality is unknown. For those who need to collect water the next issue is how to transport it. Yellow jerrycans are the container of choice and generally hold 10 or 20 litres. The age of the water collector signifies the size of the container. The very young carry 1ltr, progressing to 5ltrs then 10ltrs, with adults expected to carry 20ltr cans. The larger cans are generally carried on the head. Multiple containers require the assistance of a bicycle or motorcycle.

Transport Water

By the time we stopped for lunch our knowledge of Ugandan life had increased enormously. Lunch was taken at a hotel around half distance, which also provided shade to kept the vehicle cool whilst parked. We were also able to see cassava in its finished form. A paste like substance known as Karo.

Karo, it's cooked cassava

Parked for lunch

After lunch we continued our journey south with more things of interest to be observed from the car. One thing in particular caught our attention. A field full of cotton plants, in itself not unusual. But an armed guard sitting in a watch tower looking over the field of workers was. This became much clearer when we realised the workers were prisoners, denoted by their orange jumpsuits.
Towards the end of the drive we passed through the town of Kyenjojo. Its name means Elephant crossing. In times gone by Elephants would regularly cross the town going to and from the Kibale forest. Something that seldom happens now.
The final stretch to our accommodation in the Kibale National Park would normally require crossing the busy town of Fort Portal. However, Innocent knew a short cut, which worked out quicker and more interesting. A turning of the main road took us on to a bumpy dirt road and entered the Kiko Tea Estate. The estate covers around 530 hectares, most of which is covered by tea bushes. As well as the rolling hills covered in tea, the estate includes a village for the workforce with all the usual amenities. Our drive through was fascinating especially as many people were out on the streets, sadly due to a funeral taking place.

Tea plantation

We emerged from the estate onto the road that dissects the Kibale National Park. From here it was just a short drive to our accommodation. Our home for the next two nights was the Kibale Forest Camp. A tranquil place deep in the Kibale forest, set in manicured grounds with comfortable Safari Tents for the weary traveller. To our surprise, Pamela, the lady we shared the Victoria Nile boat trip with, was staying at the same place. So we had diner together.

The next day was a big day for us and one of the key activities we had come to Uganda to experience. We were going Chimpanzee tracking.
Today there are very few places in the world that provide a chance of seeing Chimpanzee’s in the wild and Kibale National Park is arguably the best. As we left our forest retreat our hopes were high. A short drive got us to the park headquarter where we joined other wildlife enthusiast with the same desire.
A briefing was then delivered by the park rangers in respect of what we might encounter in the park and how to behave in the presence of Chimpanzee’s, should we be lucky enough to find them. This also included the mandatory wearing of face masks when with the Chimpanzee’s, so as to not transmit any human related illnesses. We were then split into groups of six, allocated a ranger guide and two armed trackers. The guns were just a precautions should we encounter Forest Elephant and need to scare them away.
Each group went to a different starting point in the forest and by 08:30 the tracking had begun. There are several groups of Chimpanzee in the Kibale National Park but their location is not monitored, so skilled trackers are required to find them. Chimpanzee’s communicate with each other using what appears to be a high pitched screams and it was this that was to be used to locate them.
It wasn’t long before we heard the first set of Chimpanzee calls and the tracking began. To begin with we followed well marked forest paths, constantly changing direction, until the rangers pinpointed were they might be. It was at this point that the going got tougher. We were now scrambling through thick undergrowth, up and down steep slopes. But it was worth it, because after about a hour we were standing in the presence of our closest relative.

Kibale Forest

Cutting our way through the forest to find the Chimps

Whilst keeping a respectful distance we watched them interact with each other. Every so often a new member of the group would appear from the dense forest and greet the others. Some members were in the trees while others were lounging on the ground. Although not habituated they were used to the company of humans and didn’t seem concerned by our presence. We did our best not to get in their way but on the odd occasion that we did, our swift movement avoided any conflict. Our allocated time with the Chimpanzee’s seem to fly by and when it was time to leave most of the group had moved on in search of food.
All that was left was to retrace our route back to the forest pick up point and to reflect on this incredible and privileged experience we had just had.

One just came down from a tree

Are you lot going to be much longer?

A leaf is better than a flower

Too much, this too much!

Spending time with the Chimps

Resting after breakfast

Thoughts for the rest of the day: What I am going to do!

We had no further activities planned for the day and were happy to relax in the beautiful environment of our forest camp. As the sun peeked through the forest canopy we sat on our deck reliving the amazing experience we had just had. We were treated to another one. First a Black and White Colobus monkey made a brief appearance in a tree in front of us then a Red Colobus monkey sat feeding on a branch just around the side of our Safari tent. What a day!

Red Colombus

The next day we were on the move again. Still heading south with the Queen Elizabeth National Park our destination. A brief stop in the small town of Kanyanchu to photograph a Chimpanzee statue and a chance encounter with the Banana Man (see below). Then we left the Kibale forest and started another fascinating drive.
It wasn’t long before we left the main tarred road and turned into the hills along a dusty dirt road. The dust created along these types of road is known as “African Powder”.
This part of Uganda is full of crater lakes, some quite large and many filled with water. This ready source of water has aided the irrigation of the small privately owned banana plantations that can be seen everywhere. We stopped to photograph a couple of the most scenic lakes, including the one that is featured on the Ugandan 20,000 Shilling bank note, Lake Nyinambuga.

One of the Crater Lake, the one on the Ugandan Shilling Notes (money)

The Chimp Statue, just for tourists like us

As we progressed along these hilltop roads there was lots to see, as usual. People were dressed in their Sunday best cloths as they made their way to church. Young children where always ready to wave as we drove past, to which we responded with a wave back. Boda Boda motorcycles were everywhere, transporting huge bunches of banana’s and multiple passengers. It was at this point that we realised that lady’s sat side saddle on the back of the Boda Boda, looking very elegant in the process.

The crater lake hills and banana plantation in the background

Once back on the tarred road we continued our journey south. It was at this point we started to see a different type of industry to farming. Factories started to appear, a large cement operation at Hima followed soon after by Colbert mine. However, the change of scenery didn’t last long and after the bustling town of Kasese, the greenery reappeared. It was also at this point that we crossed the Equator, moving from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern. A road side monument was being constructed to mark the point.

The Equator, big display to come in the future (not sure when)

Soon after the Equator we turned into the Queen Elizabeth National Park (formally known as the Kazinga National Park until HRH visited in 1954) and arrived at our Safari Camp. Here we had a palatial Safari Tent with a vast deck that provided views out over a saline lake. Salt is harvested from the lake and provides employment for a small number of workers. It’s also a stop over for a large flock of Flamingoes, which happened to be there during our visit.

Flamingos

The day was completed by a late afternoon game drive. With the highlight of seeing tree climbing lions. Two adultescent cubs were first spotted resting up in a cactus tree (see below). Then the mother and three older cubs appeared. With the family all together the younger cubs descended the tree and began to play with the others. We watched them for as long as we could, but with the light fading we had to return to camp.

Lion (young one) coming down the tree

Tree Climbing Lions

Best suncream ever!

The following day we had an early morning game drive and were lucky to spot an Eagle Owl hunting. Then after lunch it was a boat ride along the Kazinga Channel. The Kazinga Channel dissects the park between the northern and southern sections with water flowing east to west. From the higher Lake George into the larger Lake Edward.
We boarded our boat at the small town of Kyambura and were joined by two other tourists. We started down stream and soon realised that the channel was full of life, plenty of different birds, Hippo’s, Croc’s, Elephants and even a buffalo wallowing in the shallows. Our knowledgable boatman helped with bird identification and explained how the residents of Kyambura made a living (see below). Our time on the water raced by, but we fortunately got back to the jetty before the rain arrived.

Young Nile Crocodile

Malachite King Fisher feeding it's young one

Baby Water Monitored Lizard

Flock of White Egrets

Hadada Ibis

Elephant leaving le Channel

Kazinga Channel resident

Back at the safari camp we dined to the sound of Hyena’s and Lion’s in the distance. Before being escorted, by armed guard, back to our tent. As the camp is not fenced an escort is required after dark, in case you meet one of the other park residents on your way back. More of Uganda in Part 3 ……

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Vehicle ageing from its Registration Plate
All Ugandan vehicle registration plates start with the letter U (for Uganda). The next two letters normally indicate its age by the date of registration. Therefore the oldest vehicles would start with UAA and the newest (as of 2024) would be UBQ. This knowledge provided me with another form of amusement during long road journeys. However, the condition of some vehicles didn’t seem to align with there assumed age. This confusion was cleared up when I found out that many vehicle were bought second hand from the UN, then registered on year of purchase.

Cassava Farmers home
The family of cassava farmers we met were kind enough to show us their home. A circular dwelling made from wooden poles and mud plaster. A single story building with a thatched roof. Inside there was room for two adults and some young children, plus a general purpose area. Access was through a small doorway where a cloth curtain shielding the inside from unwanted insects. What was surprising was how cool it was inside.

Traditional abode

Banana Man
During a brief stop in the town of Kanyanchu we noticed a bright yellow car with banana themed phases written all over it. We approached the car and was greeted by the driver. He told us about his social media activities and where we could follow him online.

The Banana Man Car

Cactus trees of the Queen Elizabeth National Park
Before becoming a National Park this area was for grazing cattle. To protect their livestock from predators at night, they built Boma’s (enclosures). The herders used cactus trees to build their Boma’s, which they had brought in to the area from what is now the DRC. When the area was made a national park and the herders ejected, the cactus trees remained and are now found throughout the park.

Cactus Tree

Kyambura and the Kazinga Channel
The small town of Kyambura is sandwiched between the east and west section of the Queen Elizabeth National Park. The creation of the national park has restricted access to the land the locals once used to cultivate. That now means there is a heavy reliance on fishing in Kazinga Channel. Fortunately, the fishing in the channel is pretty good. The only draw back is having to share it with some formidable other residents. Just three weeks prior to our visit a fisherman lost his life, taken by a Nile Crocodile, while wading in to the water to cast his net. Hippo’s used to be a hazard as well, during the night they would wander in to town looking for grazing. However, the recently installed solar generated street lighting seems to have now deterred them. On the plus side, employment in tourism has created some new opportunities.

Fishing village Kyambura

JUNE 2024

It had been almost 24 hours of travelling by the time we emerged from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda. A journey that had taken us from our home on the south coast of England to where we stood now, being greeted by our driver/guide, Innocent, in the hot Ugandan sunshine. A taxi ride to London Heathrow Airport was followed by fourteen hours in the air, via Doha’s vast and sprawling International Airport (see below) where we spent a few hours to change planes.
As you can imagine we were pretty tired by now, having not slept much during the flight. But this did not stop us from observing our surroundings as we were driven the short distance to our accommodation for the night. The route to the guest house gave us our first glimpse of Lake Victoria (see below) and our first “African Massage” (see below).
An early diner, washed down with Uganda’s excellent Nile beer, and a full night sleep completed our first day in Uganda.

We awoke the following morning to the sounds of the Hadada Ibis and knew we were back in Africa. It was an early start, 05:30am, to our first full day in Uganda. A light breakfast, then Innocent whisked us of to the nearby Nakiwogo boat jetty, for our visit to the Mabamba Swamp. The area around the jetty was full of market stalls, selling mostly fruit and vegetables but also cloths and hardware.

Market in Entebbe

Ferry just coming in and unloading produce at Nakiwogo Jetty

Innocent introduced us to our boatman and soon we were on our way across one of Lake Victoria’s large inlets. We hadn’t noticed how windy it was when we were on land but it was a different matter now we were on the water. The further from the shore we got the choppier the water. By the time we reached the middle the waves were higher than the boat. I for one became a little concerned at this point. Conversely our boatman seemed calm and unconcerned as he skilfully negotiated the waves and after about an hour deposited us in the serenity of the Mabamba Swamp. At this point we transferred to an Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Boat in the company of a UWA birding expert.
Our mission was to find the rare and elusive Shoebill, a bird that only resides in this part of Africa and is listed as vulnerable. However, it was our lucky day, as no sooner had we entered our first swamp channel, standing in front of us was a majestic Shoebill. Well over a meter tail and weighing in the region of 5kg this prehistoric looking large grey bird was hunting in the shallows. It didn’t seem concerned by our presence which meant we were able to spend quality time watching it. With our mission complete there was still time to explore more the narrow swamp channels and observe the multiple bird species that live within it. With the one hour birding safari complete we returned back across the inlet, which thankfully was far less choppy now, to meet up with Innocent again and start the long drive to Murchison Falls National Park.

Your boat to Mabamba Swamp (from Entebbe)

Shoebill, a monogamous bird, will lay up to 3 eggs but only 1 will live on and the stronger will kill it's siblings

Mabamba Swamp

Jacana bird

Outside of Entebbe and on the outskirt of Uganda’s capital city Kampala, the traffic became congested. This meant that progress was slow but did allow us to observe people going about their daily business, most of which seemed to be conducted close to the road side. Products for sale were on display outside in the open air and consisted of everything imaginable, including large items such as beds. What ever you wanted it seemed that someone was selling it. Whilst we gazed out of the car windows, Innocent had to deal with the crazy traffic. Road rules seemed not to exist and Boda Boda motorcycles (see below) weaved between cars and truck almost without a care in the world.

Driving through Kampala

Outskirt of Kampala

Outskirt of Kampala fruit market

Once clear of Kampala the roads became much quieter and we made good progress. We were now passing through rural Uganda where most the inhabitants were subsistence farmers. Although many seemed to be able to grow a surplus to trade in the small towns we passed through. We broke our journey with a few stops, a couple to stretch our legs and one for lunch.

Bananas for sale

Pit stop at local town market to buy some fruits for the road

Fruit market

Road side trading

It was late afternoon by the time we arrived at the entrance to the Murchison Falls National Park. Innocent took care of the paperwork whilst we watched Olive Baboons roam around looking for food and mischief.
A tarred road runs through the centre of the park, running north to south. Built with Chinese funding, with the aim of making access easier to their oil and gas operations north of the park boundary. We followed this road north, first through the densely forested southern section of the park, where baboons lounged along the roadside and monkeys peered down from the trees, then across the Victoria Nile and into the northern section. Once across the bridge the scenery changed completely. The landscape was more open and antelope could be seen grazing.
After a short section of dirt road and as the light began to fade, we arrived at our accommodation. A large lodge with views across the Albert Nile and beyond. Tired but excited by our first full day in Uganda, we dined then crashed out in our comfortable room.

Entrance to Murchison Falls NP

Sunset over the Albert Nile

It was another early start to the next day for a morning game drive. Now away from the main tarred road and on narrow bumpy dirt roads we were able to appreciate the rolling savannah scenery to the full. Wildlife was plentiful, including the Ugandan Kob, a new antelope for us. It was nice to see Giraffe in greater numbers than we had seen anywhere else in Africa (the Rothschild sub species resides in this part of the world). Bird life was everywhere and a good sighting of a Marshall Eagle (world largest Eagle) was a particular highlight. Views from this elevated section of the park were spectacular with the River Nile visible much of the time.
What was unusual was to see Palm trees as they are normally associated with north Africa. Innocent explained that they are an invasive species brought into the park by elephants migrating from South Sudan. The seeds, deposited in the dung of the elephant, thrive in the manure fed fertile soil and are now all over the park.

Murchison Falls National Park

Mother and young Kob

Male Kob

Murchinson Falls NP with Heartbeast and Palm Trees in the background

Rothshild Giraffe

Bushbuck

Martial Eagle, the biggest eagle in Africa

Patas Monkey, endemic to Murchison Falls NP

A leisurely lunch and a bit of relaxation around the lodge was followed by the afternoon activity.
A 40 minute drive back down the tarred main road got us to the bridge across the Victoria Nile. Just below was a small boat jetty with a number of river boats awaiting custom. We were booked on the 3 hour round trip to see the bottom of Murchison Falls. We joined another 10 tourists and began our journey up stream. Action on the riverbanks kept us entertained as we slowly progressed. Hippo’s, Croc’s and a variety of bird life were on display, even Elephants were seen drinking and bathing.
The force of the water was too great to get close up to the falls but they produced a spectacular sight from our safe distance. We then returned to the jetty to complete the trip. A pleasant enough afternoon, but a few too many tourist for our liking.
Back at the lodge it was beer and cocktails whilst we watched the sun go down.

Big smile on a Nile Crocodile

Elephant family

African Fish Eagle drying its wings

Bottom of Murchison Falls

Another early morning start to the next day and another boat trip on the Victoria Nile to look forward to. But things didn’t go to plan. Soon after leaving the lodge we came upon a young bull Elephant in the middle of the road. He was content feeding at the roadside and had no intention of moving any time soon. We made plenty of noise to encourage him to move on but he was not budging. We were soon joined by a couple of park rangers, none of us going anywhere. Finally the only option was to go off-road and go round him. Which we did, pleased to have a vehicle with the capabilities to do so.

You won't pass until I am ready to stop eating! which is going to be awhile

We were now late for the boat so Innocent phoned ahead to explain our predicament. Progress was now swift, that is until we came across a family of Spotted Hyena’s crossing the road. We had to stop and watch for while until they disappeared into the bush. We eventually arrived at the boat jetty to find that our boat had already left. Not a problem though. A another boat was waiting to speed us to the tour boat. Finally we boarded the tour boat and joined another customer for what was to turn out to be a very enjoyable morning on the water.

Spotted Hyena

With three like minded tourist in the boat and a wildlife expert in control we slowly traveled down the Victoria Nile to its delta in Lake Albert. This time the boat trip was much more to our liking. Plenty of time to study the birds and mammals around and to get some good photographs. Pamela, the other tourist in the boat, was a keen birder and had some serious photographic equipment to capture everything she saw. We all got on very well which enhanced the experience. The birdlife was amazing with another Shoebill sighting, albeit in the distance. The Shoebill sighting was only possible by climbing on the roof of another boat, under the instruction of our park ranger.
Large pods of Hippo’s congregated in shallow inlets. Several large Croc’s lined the river bank. Water Monitor Lizards lay in trees and bushes close to the water. Best of all though were the Elephant sightings. Several lone Elephants feeding and drinking in the shallows plus a visit of a whole family just before the trip ended. The family consisted of several young, one of which was having a great time playing in the water.
Although the boat trip was predominately geared to wildlife watching it did have the bonus of seeing Lake Albert from the lake itself. Once we reached the Victoria Nile delta and before turning back, we cruised into Lake Albert. Another one of the vast African lakes. As we paused to admire this great expanse of water or guide explained how it supports the people living along its shores. It came as no surprise to find out that fishing is the main occupation for the lake-side communities, both on the eastern shores in Uganda and western shores in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is also a similar story to most regions of the world, that over fishing has depleted stocks resulting in a smaller catch. This fact became even more poignant as we observed numerous small fishing vessels boobing about on the lake surface during our return to the Victoria Nile.
A fantastic morning on the water.

Male Olive Baboon waking up!

Olive Baboons lounging

Malachite Kingfisher

Red-Throated Bee-eater

Hippo

Hippo out of the water are not common sighting during the day

Pied Kingfisher

Nile Crocodile

Young elephant playing in the water

Itchy bum, nice tree scratch

Lake Albert

Fishermen on Lake Albert

There was now still time to visit the top of Murchison Falls before returning to the lodge for a late lunch. From the falls carpark we were accompanied by Phillip, a park ranger, to the edge of the Victoria Nile. At this point the river is a raging torrent, squeezed through a 7m gap before tumbling 43m to continue its journey. A very impressive sight indeed. However, we were not looking at the original falls. In 1962 a storm flow caused the route of the river to change and created what we see today. To distinguish between the two falls the current one is called Freedom Falls, as it coincided with the country’s independence. Phillip was full of interesting facts and legends which made the experience even more enjoyable. Such as it used to be believed that there was a snake at the end of the rainbow, which is formed by the spray, sucking up all the water. But especially the marriage story (see below).
The boat trip and the falls experience was enough excitement for one day. So we returned to the lodge for food and relaxation.

Victoria Nile going over into the Murchison Falls

Throat of Murchinson Falls

Victoria Nile leaving Murchinson Falls

It was now time to leave Murchison Falls National Park and travel south to our next location. More of Uganda in Part 2 ……..

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Doha International Airport
Doha Hamad International Airport has got to be the largest airport complex we had ever seen. Surprisingly, considering the amount we travel, this was our first visit.
The first thing you notice is the heat. It was around 06:00am when we arrived and the temperature was already 33C before the sun had risen.
An air conditioned bus shuttled us to the terminal building. A swift and efficient service but one that took about 20 minutes to complete. The airport complex is so big, because of the amount of air traffic it handles, there are limited Jet Bridges available for direct access to the terminal building. Albeit still dark, airport lighting provided us with a good view of the complex as we made our way to the terminal building. Covering an area of 22 square Kilometres it’s a vast aircraft carpark.
Once in the terminal building, you joined thousands of other traveller most of which were searching for their connecting flight. This requirement is catered for by large departure screens everywhere plus terminals that will read your ticket bar code and direct you the gate you need. If technology is not your thing, then there are helpful staff at the information desks.
Doha presents itself as the “Best airport in the world”, an accolade that it is surely a contender for.

United Nations
The United Nations has a large presence in Uganda and has done so for many years. It provides aid and economic assistance throughout the country from its base right next to Entebbe airport. Large warehouses and administration buildings line its own aircraft runway with planes, helicopters and other vehicles parked nearby ready for use.

African Massage
Although Uganda’s main roads are in pretty good condition. Once you leave them this is no longer the case. Large potholes peeper the untarred surface and provide a bumpy ride for the occupants of any vehicle using them. The bumps and shakes provided by these roads is known locally as a “African Massage”. For which we had many during the next two and a half weeks.

Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is the fourth largest lake in the world and one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately 59,947 km2 (bigger than Switzerland) its Africa's largest lake by area. In terms of volume, Lake Victoria containing about 2,424 km3 of water and occupies a shallow depression in the centre of Africa. Its average depth is about 40 m and a maximum depth around 80 m.

Lake Victoria

Boda Boda Motorcycles
Boda Boda motorcycles are usually Bajaj Boxers, made in India. They are cheap to buy and maintain and have an extended seat to carry passengers and anything else that needs transporting. Usually the rider doesn’t own the motorcycle and just rents it on a daily basis. This is the most common form of taxi in Uganda, normally ferrying people short distances around town or to neighbouring districts, for a fee based on the distance travelled. Items carried are not restricted to people. During our time in Uganda, I think we saw everything imaginable being carried on a Boda Boda; animals, bananas, pineapples, wood, gates, furniture, you name it we saw it. Originally these motorcycles were used to transport people across East African borders and that’s where the name seems to originate. The price of a new motorcycle starts at US$1,000, but secondhand they are much cheaper.

Boda Boda

Boda Boda loaded

River Nile
The River Nile is the longest river in the world. Its source is at Jinja in Uganda, as its waters exit Lake Victoria. It then travels 6,650km north to exit into the Mediterranean Sea. Its only major tributary is the Blue Nile that is sourced in Ethiopia and joins the White Nile in Sudan.
Its journey through Uganda starts at the source when it leaves Lake Victoria. The northerly flow takes it through Lake Kyoga before being squeezed through a narrow gap at Murchison Falls. The flow then turns west into Lake Albert, which is considered the end of the Victoria Nile. The waters exit Lake Albert and flow north, now known as the Albert Nile. Finally exiting Uganda and flowing into South Sudan.

“Change a Tyre”
This is an expression used by the the river boatman in reference to a wild toilet stop. You can request a “change of tyre” whilst out on a boat trip and the boatman will find a safe place to stop and let you out. He will direct you where to go and provide you with paper and shovel. You are then required to bury your deposit and clean the shovel before returning to the boat. An experience we fortunately never had to have.

Cross river marriages
The legend goes as follows. In the past, before colonial rule, two tribal groups wished to cement a degree of friendship and cooperation. To do so, a man from one tribe would request to marry a women from the other. The problem was the Victoria Nile lay between them and at this point paddling across was not possible. But it was also the narrowest point in the river, so the solution was to pole vault the gap. If the man was successful he could marry the women from the other tribe. Failure to make it across usual meant the disappearance over the falls. Many young men weren’t convinced about the process. That was until the tribal chief proved it could be done and from then on no-one had an excuse.

31 March - 04 April 2024

Third visit to Taipei
Following a train journey from Hualien we were back in Taipei for our third and final stay.
Upon leaving Hualien, we didn’t know how lucky we were. If our itinerary had brought us to the area a few days later, this text would be very different. More explanation is provided later.
The weather forecast had threatened thunderstorms so we were lucky to stay dry during our walk to the apartment. For our last stay our accommodation was in the Datong district, a bit closer to the centre than before. Any exploration of the area was put on hold as more thunderstorms rolled across the city. It did brighten up in the early evening, allowing us to get out to see the Ningxia Night Market, which was just around the corner. The market was alive with activity. People queuing to buy all sorts of food, some off which we didn’t even recognise. Most took their food away to eat but a few were dining at pop-up restaurants. What was going on interested us more than feeling the need to purchase something.

Night Market near where we stayed

Night Market queue for burst and crispy squid. The queue is really long

The crispy squid stall that has huge queue, must do something different that the other one selling it as no queue there

The much sought after crispy squid

Squid parts before it burst and become crispy

We arrived just before the rain

For our first full day we never expected to spend its interiority wandering around one road, but that is what we did. The historic Dihua Street is totally absorbing, so many shops selling so many different things. Herb shops, fruit shops, tea shops, mushroom shops, shops selling fish and animal parts, the list is endless. That’s not to mention the side streets were you can find handcrafted products. Look around you and you see architecture dating back to the 1920’s and before. A total contrast to the modern building that surround the area.

Dihua Street

Dihua Street walkway, a must visit tourist place in Taipei

what you can see in Dihua street

Mushrooms shop, looks like expensive food

Our lunch stop on Dihua Street

More varied products on sale, not sure what they are but it is food!

Architecture in Dihua Street, some buildings are over 100 years old

Some street art

Another speciality shop in Dihua Street, bit disturbing

Dihua Street

Dihua street shop

Street Art

Out of character for us, we did some shopping. This shopping was a pleasure and not the burden we usual associate with it. None more so than our visit to a Tea Shop in Minsheng W Road, its Chinese name translates to “Hop Kee Tea Shop” and business card suggests a name of “Ho-Chi”. We wanted to buy a tea set to properly appreciate the tea we had purchased in Taiwan. This turned out to be just the place. The girls were super helpful and explained everything we needed to know to make a very special purchase. We even had a tea ceremony and tasting thrown into the experience. What a lovely way to spend an hour.

Tea Shop

Selection of tea pots in the tea shop. Small tea pots, big prices

Selection of Taiwanese tea

Although briefer, there were other memorable shopping experiences during the day. The purchase of a handcrafted bracelet from a street trader, who made it to measure. From a small shop selling unique designed items, inspired by the environment of Taipei. Where we bought some place mats and a purse.

In addition to the shopping, people watching had its own enjoyment. Shop owners displaying their goods, shoppers deciding what to buy and people using the street to get from A to B. It was even a location for wedding photography.

More traditional dress persons

Girls in traditional dress

Is it a wedding proposal or a theatre scene? We were outside the theatre

We had been waiting for good weather to visit Taiwans tallest building, Taipei 101, and the next day was such a day. A clear blue sky and humid heat greeted us as we left the a/c of the apartment. Fortunately it was only a short walk to the Metro and the comfort of air-conditioning again. This efficient and affordable mode of transport whisked us off to the 101 stop where we emerged right in front of the aforementioned building. As modern buildings go this one is very attractive.

Modern Taipei

Taipei 101, its called 101 because of the number of the floors (101)

Inside the complex the first five floors are given over to high end department stores and a food hall. We were only interested in the view from the top so immediately bought our tickets and made or way to the elevator. It took us all of 37 seconds to get from the 5th to the 89th floor, in what was the worlds fastest elevator (only surpassed in 2016). From there the views over Taipei and beyond were amazing.

Taipei from 101

Areal view of Taipei

Aerial of Tiapei

At 508m-tall, Taipei 101 was the worlds tallest building until 2009. At that point Dubai’s Burj Khalifa took that record at 828m. Unlike the Burj Khalifa, you can go right to the top of Taipei 101 (the 101st floor). We decided not to pay the extra and were content to be restricted to floors 88, 89 & 91. The 89th floor provided a comfortable, air conditioned and indoor viewing platform. Also providing various props for these wishing to get the best selfie. Floor 91 allowed us to go outside and walk around half the building circumference. High safety rails prevented anyone falling over the edge and a security guard ensured every one behaved. Although it was only us out there during our visit. Floor 88 housed a massive damper, used to stabilise the building during earthquakes!

Selfie on floor 89 of Taipei 101

More selfies

The Taipei 101 damper, very important for earthquakes

It was around mid-day by the time we had finished at the 101 and our thoughts turned to lunch. Back on the Metro to Taipei’s Main Station, lunch in their top floor food hall, then back to the apartment to get out of the heat. The shade temperature was now in the mid-30’s.
We left it to after dark before going out again, now slightly cooler. A 20 minute walk got us to the Tamsui River and the Riverside Park. Walkers and cyclists were going up and down along the shoreline. Multiple outdoor karaokes offered the chance to sing to passers by. A group dance secession was in full swing in a small plaza under some trees and mobile bars offered refreshments of all kinds.

Wall art on the river side

Dance class on a plaza in the river park

River and reflection

Karaoke night on the river side park

Street type arcade, very popular in every city we visited

So much going on all around us you don’t know where to look next. This city is even more alive at night than during the day. On the way back to the apartment we called in on our local night market again. Even more busy and longer queues than a couple of nights before.

Night Market second visit

Night market food stall, anybody for a bamboo stick?

More night market food

Very popular dessert but we don't know why

Although we were awake soon after 07:00, there was no need to move as we only had one activity planned for the day. However, even if we didn’t have a need to move the earth had other ideas. Around 08:00 the whole building started to shake violently, we hung on to each other and hoped for the best. We immediately recognised the shaking as an earthquake, having encountered them before. But this was the most violent and long lasting we had ever witnessed. We debated whether we should leave building but decided it was safe to stay.
After shocks then continued for the next 2-3 hours gradually getting less severe.
Most modern buildings in Taiwan are designed to withstand an average earthquake, and ours fortunately did a good job. No damage at all could be detected.
News channels around the world were soon reporting on the Taiwan earthquake. The epicentre was a few kilometres of the east coast and close to the town of Hualien, where we had been a few days earlier. At a magnitude of 7.4 it was a powerful one. A building in Hualien partially collapsed, killing one person. There were landslides in the Taroko National Park, were we had been a few days earlier, also killing several people. Part of the main east coast highway, which we had driven a few days earlier, slide into the sea. And Tsunami warnings had been issued for the coasts of Japan and the Philippines.
We later discovered that the earthquake magnitude was between 5.0 and 6.0 in the area of Taipei where were staying. Pretty scary, but we survived it unharmed. Which may not have been the case if it had happened a few days earlier (see below for further details).

Landslide in progress due to earthquake (courtesy of Taipei Times)

Enter the building where our apartment was, and there is the sign to an underground defence shelter, we didn't need to use it

With everything quietened down, at least in Taipei, we ventured out to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art. Another very hot day, so we searched out shade as we walked. This also allowed us to discover more interesting things about this amazing city. This time we found ourselves in a road that specialised in hardware shops. We had seen something similar in Vietnam many years ago. But these shops were smarter, more organised and specialising in certain products. So not to directly compete with their neighbour.

Each shop has its own special products on sale, guess which one

Hardware shop

The exhibits in the Museum of Contemporary Art were weird to say the least. But they kept us entertained for about 2 hours. Entrance to the museum was free todays, in case evacuation was required due to further earthquakes or after shocks. A pleasant lunch in the museum cafe, then it was back to the apartment to collect our luggage.

One of the room in the Museum of contemporary art

The museum of Contemporary Art

Mid-afternoon we transferred to our airport hotel. Our flight back to the UK was early the next morning so it made sense to be close by. We had the option to use the quick and efficient Metro or the slower but more convenient taxi. Earlier that day the Metro had been disrupted by the earthquake and was still being closely monitored due to the aftershocks. So taxi it was.
Pre dinner cocktails followed by a very nice meal in the hotel restaurant completed our day. An early morning wake up call and a shuttle bus to the airport terminal then completed our stay in Taiwan.
During the planning for this trip we had the usual excitement about visiting a new country and exploring all it had to offer. However, our stay has far exceeded our expectations, we have been blown away by Taiwan. The people, the culture and the environment have all been incredible.
With limited time left to explore this planet we have a short list of countries we would very much like to re-visit, Taiwan has now been added to that list.

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Taiwan Earthquake 3rd April 2024
The April 2024 Taiwan earthquake was the most powerful since 1999. Its epicentre was a few kilometres out at sea off the east coast town of Hualien. Worldwide monitoring equipment provided slightly different reading of its magnitude but census was it registered approximately 7.4. Therefore in the powerful category.
Although felt throughout the island the town and district of Hualien was affected the most due to it proximity to the epicentre. The magnitude was still greater than 6.0 in Hualien and neighbouring districts, and more than 5.0 around the capital Taipei to the north. In the west and south of the island the magnitude was less but still felt.
Structural damage to buildings in Hualien and landslides in the neighbouring Taroko National Park, claimed 17 lives and injured more than 1145 people. At the time of writing, 14 April, the 405 people who were still trapped, mostly in tunnels, have been rescued and there remains 2 people still missing.
Reports and pictures from the Taipei Times are very familiar to us as we spent a week in the area. Only leaving for Taipei 3 days before the earthquake. We consider ourselves very lucky, people have died and been injured on the trails we walked and roads we drove.
Taiwan is used to earthquakes, but one of this magnitude really stretches the well organised rescue and medical facilities they have available. The government are constantly looking at ways to safeguard lives during such events and building design guidelines are already in place to mitigate against earthquakes. However, following this latest event immediate reviews are being undertaken to identify some older buildings that need improvement.

Leaning house of Hualien after the Earthquake

Landslide caused by the Earthquake blocking the road that we had travelled down a few days previously (courtesy of Taipei Times)

Rock fall after the earthquake in the Taroko NP (courtesy of Taipei Times)