I've just spent hours in the internet cafe here in Kisoro, Uganda uploading photos. There's another 140 just from Lalibela in Ethiopia to come, but still, there's plenty of new stuff up now.
You can find the link to my Picasa galleries here, or as always, down a bit on the right hand side of this page under the "About Me" section.
As always, comments appreciated as are emails about how you're doing.
Rwanda tomorrow, Rwanda tomorrow...
I've just gotten off the phone with Alex Mujyambere, a local guide who leads weekly trips to see the mountain gorillas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As I mentioned prior to leaving, I would be taking no unnecessary risks on this trip; only calculated ones. DRC has just earned itself a place in the first category.
The area I'd like to visit surronds the border town of Goma. Unfortunately, according to Alex, the government is no longer in control of the area and his outfit hasn't led trips there for the past 3 weeks. He mentioned that this may change, but for now, he's not going. If he's out, I'm way out. I really want to support the community in the DRC, specifically the gorillas, but with this degradation of security, I just won't be able to. The real shame is that now is when these very rare creatures need our support the most.
So, for now, I'll be looking at tracking from here in Uganda or in Rwanda. Keep your fingers crossed though and maybe I'll be able to get to the DRC afterall.
Okay, I started well with the first four and intended to finish up the rest while on the road, but now I've been to Ethiopia and am about half-way finished with Uganda and still no pre-country synopses! I'd like to apologize and also encourage you to have a quick Wiki-read and look at the CIA World Factbook for the lowdown on these incredible places.
As I'm now in Kabale in the far Southwest of Uganda and I'm on an IBM Personal Computer 300GL (think about 10 years+ old), it's unlikely you'll see the pre-country synopses for a while. I encourage you to check out each country, but I'll try to get those finished when I can. That said, I've still got stories to write from Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ethiopia and now Uganda. They include not one, but two mid-air medical emergencies in which I helped out, a thieving maid episode, and rafting some of the most brutal rapids on planet Earth. Hope that whets your appetite!
Now though, it's time for a steam bath and a sauna...while the internet capabilities of this little border town are minimal, my hotel does have the aforementioned facilities and after a 9 hour bus ride from Kampala, I think I've earned it.
