Getting around in Uganda

Once we had recouperated we headed out to Murchison Falls with Jason & Jennifer, a couple we met at a backpacker's in Kampala. Our trip began at the Kampala bus station where the first of many unpleasant experiences at this location took place. But first I should explain a little about how transportation works in Uganda.

There are a couple of options for getting around via public transport; Boda-bodas (where you squeeze behind the driver on a motorcycle taxi), Matatus (creatively decorated minivans with a supposed maximum of 14 occupants, but usually double this), pick-ups (open trucks with any number of people and cargo clinging on the back for dear life) and coach buses. Boda-bodas, matatus and pick-ups are inexpensive and run frequently however the drivers behave as if they are trying to escape a natural disaster. This is unusual since the pace of life in Africa is generally very relaxed; the population subscribes to a loose interpretation of time known as "African time". Inexplicably these drivers careen around traffic at lightening speed filled with beleagured passengers who are clearly in no hurry at all. We can't understand it. Anyway, these modes of transportation are frequently deadly and we have seen the several totalled matatus lying at the side of the road as evidence.


We refused to risk our lives so despite the inconvenience we always took the coach buses. In Uganda there is no such thing as a bus schedule. At first we didn't understand why no one could provide us with this information but after our first journey it became clear. The buses leave only when full. Waiting times, once aboard, are usually anywhere from 2 to 4 hours before you even start driving. They often take this opportunity to replace the tires and service the breaks while you are sitting on board. Assuming they are qualified mechanics (this is a big assumption) this hopefully makes the journey a little safer!


During this time the station and the bus itself are crowded with hundreds of vendors selling everything from high heels to pharmaceuticals, plastic-wrapped plates of food and portable stereos (think of the kind you probably owned in 1989 - who is manufacturing these anymore?). It's not a peaceful wait. Every five seconds we hear "MUZUNGU!" ("whitey") and then have some random object shoved in our face. "No, no thank you, I don't need a fish gutter today". While we found this pretty annoying the locals seemed to appreciate the convenience and were able to accomplish all of their weekly shopping.


Now I'm sure you will understand how it was possible for someone to steal Jennifer's backpack in the midst of this chaos. We're pretty sure the culprit took it from the luggage rack above their seats then passed it out a back window. They lost some pretty important belongings and we felt horrible for them. That was the worst of many incidents at the bus station during our time in Uganda, including inadvertently causing a fist fight in a mob, witnessing a jerry can of water being thrown at a man from a first floor balcony and finding ourselves the target of many different scam attempts. (Being seasoned backpackers now we don't fall for the scams, but all in all it still doesn't make for very pleasant travel.)


Anyway, we made it to Masindi in once piece and found an interesting place to stay for the night. Let's just say that in daylight it seemed like a nice enough place and the price was right, but as the night progressed it became clear that this was not a 'family' establishment. I guess sometimes it's better to stick to the Lonely Planet guidebook recommendations!


We arranged a driver to take us from there to Murchison Falls National Park where you can see lots of wildlife along the Nile river. Our driver was making lots of ambitious promises and at one point assured us that he could find us tigers, whales and perhaps some beavers. Hmmm. Our first stop was a protected area where you can track chimpanzees in their natural habitat. It seemed like a good (and much less expensive) practice run for seeing the mountain gorillas. We exercised our legs on a 4 hour hike through the forest. Our park ranger was very knowledgable and we dutifully followed his path. We smelled the chimps (they stink). We saw their nests in the trees. We saw the remains of the fruit they had been eating. We heard them calling to each other and beating a tree. But we did not see the chimps. The park ranger was extremely determined but eventually even he had to concede defeat. It was the first time since January that he couldn't find them, and in all of 2006 he only missed them once!


We continued onward to Murchison Falls, reportedly the most powerful waterfall in the world. (After backpacking for so long we have noticed that every attraction has some claim to fame - the longest, oldest, deepest, widest etc. etc.). We took a spectacular 3 hour boat trip up and down the Nile which more than made up for the chimp dissapointment. We saw water buffalo, hundreds of hippos and some monstorous crocs up to 4 metres long! The falls themselves were lovely and probably the most picturesque I have seen.


After spending the night at a camp near the Nile we headed back to Masindi. While exiting the park there seemed to be some kind of dispute over park fees between our driver and the rangers. This escalated quickly into a heated argument and before we knew what was happening our driver floored the car and made a break for it past the gate. We were pretty scared - I kept waiting for bullets to hit the back of the vehicle - but nothing happened and we got away safely. Stragely, a few minutes later he stopped the car, paused for awhile and then turned back to pay the money. He had remembered that he was supposed to bring another group of tourists to the park later that day!