Hello Africa tell me how you doing?

[michnus]

Having a relaxing few days in Fort Portal, babana porage with goatmeat taste as funny as it sounds

cont...

[michnus]

Hanging around for a few days at one place allows us to really take in the local vibe. You get to talk with the locals where we buy our beers everyday. The old grocer who sells us our eggs and bread every morning greet us with a huge grin everyday.


False advertising?! yes they lie the fuckers, this stuff is like petrol!
Stay out of big African cities, the small ones are the better choices you get to meet the real locals in these towns.

Port Fortal is a charming little African town. *We ended up stay for 5 nights, enjoying the local cuisine and drinking spots. *We found beef fillet for less than 5$ a kilogram, beers at about .50$ and a camping spot walking distance from town.


Many of these shops in small towns


There's the odd Custom bike build off specialist. Using sheet metal cut off's

This one runs a BSA engine, hell knows from where, what year or cc's,the welding on the bike was scary stuff

Vespa's, Chinese bikes, British bike's they work e'm all

[sandalscout]

Originally Posted by michnus

Scary or not, I like this bike! Different and cool.

Still totally digging this report, keep it coming!

[michnus]

The Ugandese love their bikes. They do not have to be fast but they must look American-ish and have lots of colors.

Close up of the engine of that same bike

[michnus]

cont............

Loads of hotels in Uganda, not the best but the names make up for lack off luxuries


The new iSelf drive banana bicycle----------------------------------------------Older model push banana cycle
Ugandans got a real "can do" attitude, nobody wait for the goverment or others to help them


Real wood rapped in cloth, cost around 20usd all one size----------Ugandans are hardworking people and use whatever they can to manufature products.



The two Dutchie's with their new fire place, cheap cheap, 1$


Uganda Croc's this is where Alibaba got his shoes
Time to leave for Bwindi forrest..............

[tmotten]

Originally Posted by michnus

Are they spear heads?

[michnus]

Yes, many Africans are still very strong on tradition and having or carrying a spear is a sign of man hood. They do not use it much for hunting any more.

In Kenya and Tanzania you will not see a Masai without a spear, all of them carry spears.

[Johno33772]

Awesome...keep it coming.
....this ride report makes me homesick! I can't wait...I'll be eating Biltong & Prawns this Thursday, headed home for a week

[poolman]

I will keep this brief... Absolutely Amazing!!!

Thank You,


.

[michnus]

halfway! And travelling just above the speed of sound

Although we were allowed in the parks with our bikes, we found it too expensive to overdo. At $120 per visit for the two of us on bikes it can become a bit hectic, especially if this excludes all other expenses in the park like ferries, camping and guided tours. Again – we fail to see where all this money is going! Campsites and lodges are mostly run privately, roads are not maintained and facilities run down. We did however found quite a few roads that borders or crosses the parks. This made for some interesting riding.

Gorilla trekking is for the rich American and European travellers. $500 per person to trek is not cheap and then you still need to pay for park fees and very expensive accommodation. Visitor stats show that most of the trekkers are from the USA and UK. In 2009 11000 people did the Gorilla walk, you can do the maths on that excluding all the other money they earn. We hoped to get the gorilla experience the ‘cheaper’ way and ended up staying at the Bwindi Forest, Buhomo Community Lodge for three days in the hope that the gorillas would visit the border of the park. No luck, but we stayed in a ‘tent’ lodge with an amazing forest view, visited with the locals over Nile beer and learned more about how the community supported themselves and the school.



On our way to Bwindi the road we wanted to take on T4A showed on the GPS bad roads do not drive. In the end it was one of the best decisions we took to go that route. They are really scenic and traverse through the most beautiful hills and forest and small villages we have ever seen. Most of the dirt roads and in bad shape but do-able at slow speed, in fact it is possible to circumnavigate Uganda and never see a tar road.


Mountain and more mountains near the Congo border. The thousand year old volcanoes offer stunning views


Before descending into antoher river crossing, the roads were really bad. It's muddy red soil when dry allows good traction on the switch backs and steep descent


Roads to Bwindi snake through some stunning forest roads, it was some of the best days riding in a long time.

[michnus]

Small villages every where along the road. All of them plant tea or some crops for themselves.


The road going up to the Gorrilla gate at Bwindi forrest


Had a great time with some locals at the a bar while waiting for the damn gorillas.


Tented camp at Bwindi forest. The gorillas did not want to grace us with their presence. Why tent when you can have a nice view and tent like this with dinner and breakfast included for backbackers rate?


Local artist did the painting for me on the nose


Tourist stuff is their sole means of income. They still earn enough to make a living.




You are allowed to walk around some of the park areas, if the gorrilas are there at the time lucky for you. We did not see any the we were there, but walking around the forest is really special. The bird life and flora is just spectacular.


Neil and Silvi, "our freezer" doing the philanthropic thing and donating binoculars to all the guides.

All in hind sight, maybe we must have docked up the money and go walk with the rangers to see the Gorillas. It is not like you get there every day and seeing a near 1.5ton Silverback mere meters away must be unequalled experience.

[michnus]

Impossible to try and capture the beauty of Uganda and the views. Taking some time enjoying the surroundings, possible to see the Congo border.


Stunning roads leading through South part of Uganda, helmet just sticking out.


The riding from Bwindi forest to Lake Bungonia was one of the most relaxing enjoyable experiences I ever had on a bike. It feels like we are entering a Jurassic park world with the super size trees and ferns.








Lake Bunyonyi is a stunning lake nestled between the mountains and hills surround it. It is as close to a hobbit fairly land you can come. The bigger size opens in a new tab


Overlanders campsite next to the lake.


Our campsite for a few days


Intensive subsistence farming around the lake has changed the land scape into this


They sure prune trees a different way in Uganda

[tmotten]

[michnus]

Time to leave lake Bunyonyi. We wanted to get to Sssese Islands in lake Victoria for some island living. It's rural riding all the way. As usual we got away late and had to find a place to sleep near Mburo game park. And with standard practice the privately run lodges are situated inside the national parks. We ended up at the gate of Mburo just to be told to pay again for entry. Well, no, how about we just camp here at your gate?! Not at all came the answer. After a bit of debating and persuasion from us the second gate keeper allowed us to set up camp behind his house.



Wild camping next to a lake on our way to Lake Victoria


Most beautiful sunsets


Most of the roads are dusty, the rainy season started and the roads suddenly turn into mud monsters.


Life is on a slow cruise


Puncture repairs is often, the dirt roads used by all and Donkey-cards shed all kids nails and parts


Wild camping is fun! And in a place like Uganda it is even better. Many of the main roads run through games parks and it's easy to just park off the road for a night.


Uganda is the BEST country for riding bike and viewing game.

[michnus]

Show a kid a camera and you will have loads of fun, laughter and smiles




Waiting for our ferry to Sssese Islands we were entertained by the local bike taxi riders.


European fashion got nothing on them. This is how they roll


Lunch, eggs and some bloody tough hard oily koekies


But local honey at 1$ a bottle makes everything good. Branded foods like KFC and McDonalds on such a trip are just plain wrong, luckily there's none.