Tag Archive : Holiday

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Monkeys, monkeys, monkeys

2018-12-29 | Uganda | 2 Comments

Spending many hours on the roads you start noticing different details, what looks like unattended wilderness is fields with clearly marked boundaries of hedges. You will see fields with tomatoes, climbing beans and sweet potatoes. There are banana fields and fields were the cow’s grass. Even the steepest hills are used for farming.

On the short ride to Kibale National Park (only! 3 hours) we saw baboons on the road – they will steal food out of your hand if they get the chance. They are quite aggressive.

At the Kibale Forest Camp we had an early lunch with an amazing soup (again) – in Uganda you get the most amazing soups everywhere you go. I don’t know how they do it, but sauces and soups are fantastic.

After lunch Sofie went on chimpanzee trekking. They followed the chimpanzees for 3 hours – it was an amazing experience. I had to pass since my legs were still to sore after the gorilla trekking in Bwindi. It’s crazy but both my big toes have injuries after the experience. The nail on my left big toe has turned blue. My right big toe has been broken twice and the toe is a bit swollen where it used to be broken.

Well – this is what happens when a Dane from one of the flattest countries in the world thinks she can climb steep mountains without any training first.

In the afternoon we went on a guided walk through a swamp where we met a lot of different monkeys – red-tailed guenon, red colobus & black and white colobus. We saw monkeys everywhere, when you know what to look for, they are suddenly all over, in all the trees, jumping and eating.

Our last night together before Sofie will fly home and celebrate New Year’s with Rasmus in London.

We love elephants

2018-12-28 | Uganda | No Comments

From the top of the mountains to the savanna in Queen Elizabeth National Park – from gorillas to elephants. On the bumpy roads we passed volcanoes, villages, farms on the steep hills, mosques, churches, tea plantations – all over we see ongoing constructions of petrol stations and houses.

We arrived early at the Simba Safari Camp and had time to relax all afternoon. On the evening game drive, we saw a tree climbing lioness with her cup and a lot of antelopes. During the next morning’s game drive, we saw two lions and a lioness in the distance, not pictures were taken since they were to far away. We met waterbucks, antelopes, vultures, eagles and a group of elephants with a tiny baby elephant maybe only one month old.

You spend so much time starring and searching for the animals that your eyes gets tired. You stare at the grass, the cactus trees and the bushes in the hope of seeing an animal. When you finally spot an animal it’s like winning, a victory, a rush. I could look at these amazing animals for hours.

In the afternoon we went on a boat ride on the Kazinga Channel – filled with elephants, hippos, water buffalos and crocodiles. Amazing, so many animals and birds – eagles, storks, pelicans and our favourite the kingfisher (and many many more). The boat ride was a nice smooth break from the usual bumpy rides. We could have stayed there for many hours just slowly passing by the many animals and birds, watching.

Gorillas in the mist

2018-12-26 | Uganda | 2 Comments

On the road again for 7 hours between Lake Mburo and Bwindi Impenetrable Nation Park – an ‘african massage’ on roads that gets washed away during the rainy season. Incredible what can be transported on these roads. Arriving at the Rushaga Gorilla Camp with sore bodies we got a massage and could enjoy our ‘tent’ in the middle of the forest. Not like a tent I have ever seen before, the most luxurious tent with a porch with a view over the national park and the steep hills with farmland. We are 2.000 meters above sea level.

Early next morning in the mist we set out to find and get close to the mountain gorillas – a group of 8 tourists, our guide, 2 rangers with AK47’s (just in case) and several porters. Armed with walking sticks and the help from our porters we began walking downhill on the steep and slippery slopes. Taking only small steps on the hillside with 30-60 degrees drop.

When you walk like this your toes gets pushed to the front of your shoes making your toes ache. Your legs are shaking trying to avoid falling. Your brain is overloaded trying to focus so much on keeping your balance. After spending a couple of hours walking down and down and down everybody was tired, almost exhausted.

Luckily the Nkuringo gorilla family was not far away and within a few minutes we got so close to them we could almost touch them. If we hadn’t been so tired after the walking, we would have cried. I was the most fantastic experience I have ever had. The family has 14 members 2 of them silverbacks and 2 baby gorillas. They didn’t care about us, hardly noticed us.

We stayed at least an hour with these beautiful creatures before we had to leave them and say goodbye. They are endangered and must be protected, only a few permits are given every day to visit them.

After a short break for lunch we began the walk – remember we had to climb the same steep slopes we came from. Already tired from the walk downhill it was a struggle for many of us. I had to give up halfway up the hills. Instead I was carried out in a stretcher.

Amazing team – 12 men came running (running!) downhill on the same slopes we had walked on with baby steps. 3 teams of 4 men took turns in carrying me uphill. They walked fast and switched places without even stopping on the way. Sofie’s work as a waiter in a 4-storage building turned out to be the best preparation – she completed the climb uphill and wasn’t even exhausted, only a bit tired. Impressive.

A hippo Christmas

2018-12-24 | Uganda | 1 Comment

After a long journey with 2 different planes leaving Copenhagen Saturday evening we arrived in Kampala, Uganda Sunday afternoon. Our guide Morris picked us up in the airport and got us checked in to a nearby hotel. Monday morning, we started the long drive (6 hours) to Lake Mburo Nationalpark.

When driving these distances on bumpy roads at some point you get into a zen-like state looking out the window, watching the landscape and villages passing by. It’s a bit like meditation, in the beginning you try to organise your thoughts, but at some point, you stop thinking and just follow the flow – waving to the kids waving at you at the side of the road. Occasionally dozing of while your kidneys gets a good shaking on the road.

When driving these distances on bumpy roads at some point you get into a zen-like state looking out the window, watching the landscape and villages passing by. It’s a bit like meditation, in the beginning you try to organise your thoughts, but at some point, you stop thinking and just follow the flow – waving to the kids waving at you at the side of the road. Occasionally dozing of while your kidneys gets a good shaking on the road.

After a late lunch at the Rangeland Mburo Lodge we go for a game drive – meeting tree climbing lions, zebras, vultures and the best of all meeting the one hippo greeting us – my daughter’s best Christmas present so far. Celebrating Christmas this way is the best way.

1 week to take off

2018-12-15 | Denmark | No Comments

Plane in Kastrup
– Airport of Copenhagen

The departure date is getting closer, all the final preparations need to be done. Long check lists have been made – booking transport and accommodation, planning with many people, making sure all vaccinations and medication are in place and so on.

I now where I’ll be staying until the 13th of January – Sofie (my daughter’s birthday). We will leave Copenhagen on the 22nd of December arriving in Entebbe, Uganda on the 23rd of December. We will start a roundtrip and hopefully see a lot of nature, animals (mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, hippos etc.). On the 30th of December Sofie will fly back to London to celebrate New Year’s. I will then be on my own staying in Kampala for a week.

The 6th of January I will fly to Kigali, Rwanda and stay there for a week. On the 13th of January I will fly to Nairobi, Kenya. This is what I have arranged so far. The rest of the planning will happen later – I know I want to stay approximately 1 week in each country. I also know I would like to spend time understanding the history of each country, visiting interesting site, experiencing the nature, tasting the food, talking to people.

First of all, I look forward to spend a week with my daughter, just the two of us, talking and being on an adventure.