Mizungos in the Mist
I have just come back from a trip to a place above and beyond the realm of normal holidays. About 6 months ago, my girlfriend suggested that we travel to Uganda to try and catch a glimpse of some gorillas. At first, I was quite apprehensive. The holiday had all the makings of a nightmare, Africa and a package holiday. Only a year before I travelled to South Africa for a friends wedding. The wedding was in Johannesburg and it scared the living daylights out of me. A city ruled by fear where people don’t stop at stop lights after dark, children are kidnapped without ransom in mind and barbed wire is replaced by electrified fences. The rest of the country (with exception of the wine regions) all had the scent of fear in the air (Despite this, I do think that the country has some amazing things to offer, so don't let me put you off!). When I came back I decided that I’d prefer to try some other places before heading back to Africa.
However, my girlfriend is the adventurous type and therefore I decided to throw two sheets to the wind and go. We booked a tour through Guerba Intrepid that would see us sharing a safari truck with up to 21 other people for two weeks of touring and camping.
When we arrived, it turned out there were only 7 of us and the country was more than amazing. The source of the White Nile, cold bottle of Nile beer and more animals than you can shake a stick at all made it a memorable experience. No only did I see gorillas, but we also saw hippos (they came right up to our tents to graze), lions (these again were in our camps), elephants (one even charged our truck), warthogs (they were always running away) and chimpanzees. It was more than I could ever have wished for.
Of course, the country has it’s problems. In the late 1980’s around 30% of the population was HIV positive. Now this is down around 6% supposedly down to great management of the disease, but I wonder how much of this is down to people dying and isn't being helped by the US's supposed demand that any support for combating AIDS has to focus on abstinance and not contraception. Furthermore, the legacy of Amin and years of financial mismanagement have deeply scarred the country. Roads that were once straight and smooth could now be classified as off-road and infrastructure is in many places crumbling almost to the point of disuse.
However, overall Uganda gets my recommendation of the perfect country to get an introduction to Africa. The people are friendly, the animals wild and the scenery breathtaking.