-
Uganda part two -Safaris
Previous posts are at https://lynntowin.ca/uganda/ Village walk After the chimpanzee experience in Kibale, we went for a visit set up for us in a nearby village. Our first stop was grounds of a guy known as the Banana Man, who made juice, beer, and gin from bananas. He was quite a character. Next was the coffee lady who ground her beans for us (a “coffee snob” in my group pronounced it excellent). Then we went to the hut of the village medicine man, and last to a place where women were weaving colorful baskets, dyed with natural plants. On the way back to camp, we passed a big black snake…
You May Also Like
Masai Mara and Gorillas
-
Uganda part one – Chimps
For the first part of this trip, see https://lynntowin.ca/masai-mara Kampala To start the second part of our adventure, we flew Kenya Airways to Entebbe, on Lake Victoria in Uganda. Entebbe is a laid back lakeside city with mansions overlooking the beautiful vistas. The president of the country has two official residences, in Entebbe and in Kampala, the capital. A driver picked us up there to take us to Kampala. Vendors lined the highway, selling sheets, backpacks, apples, you name it. He told us stories of the current president going with an entourage between the cities each day, causing traffic jams. This may have been continued after the infamous dictator Idi…
You May Also Like
Masai Mara and Gorillas
-
Masai Mara
To see the earlier parts of this adventure, https://lynntowin.ca/nairobi-kenya/ We drove for a few hours inland, getting views of the Great Rift Valley that runs vertically through the continent. Our tour leader told us there are 42 tribes in Kenya, all speaking different languages. The Swahili language is common to all, and English is taught in the schools. We arrived at the gates of the park around noon. The gates are there to control traffic on the main roads within the park, that you are required to stay on. There are not fences around the whole park, so the animals can go wherever they want to. Masai Right inside the…
You May Also Like
Masai Mara and Gorillas
-
Nairobi, Kenya
I set off on the my Masai Mara and Gorillas trip, with G Adventures. A little more about it here: https://lynntowin.ca/masai-mara-and-gorillas/ It takes a long time to get to Nairobi from Regina, Saskatchewan. After many hours, I arrived an hour later than scheduled, and border control added another hour. It was 11 pm by the time I exited the airport. Thankfully I had a driver waiting for me. It’s really nice to have that, especially when you arrive at night in a city not known for its hospitality (travellers have nicknamed it Nairobbery). John treated me to a commentary on the way to Hotel Boulevard, talking about the Big 5…
You May Also Like
Masai Mara and Gorillas
-
Masai Mara and Gorillas
How to use credit card points to pay for your trip There are many things to book besides the trip once I’m in Africa. I managed to pay for most of these extras with credit card points. The trip with G is way more expensive than the ones I usually do, because of the gorilla trek. Mountain gorillas are an endangered species, with only 1,000 of them left in the wild. There are none in captivity, attempts to capture them resulted in their deaths. About $2,000 goes towards the national park where they live, and to the guides who track them for you. Since the trip is so expensive, I…
-
Rio de Janeiro
I flew from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro, about 3 hours north. I added Rio to the trip kind of at the last minute, and I’m so glad I did! New country, new currency, new language, Portuguese instead of Spanish. What I did on my last trip to Rio In 2009, 16 years ago, I went on a trip ending in Rio. There, I went to Christ the Redeemer statue, and to a football game at the Maracana stadium. And, I tried to go hanggliding. Tandem of course! I found Paolo, recommended in my Lonely Planet guidebook back then. We talked on a couple of mornings, but the wind…
-
Buenos Aires
We went to the airport in Bariloche for a 2 hour flight north to the capital, Buenos Aires. We landed at the domestic airport, situated next to the Rio de la Plata, widest river in the world. You can cross this river by ferry to reach Uruguay. Buenos Aires is known for its European culture, architecture, food and nightlife. And tango. Recoleta Cemetary We did a city tour, stopping at Recoleta Cemetary. Here, the deceased elite of the country are stored for eternity in mausoleums designed by famous European sculptors. Families own the gravesites, and are responsible for their upkeep. Some sites crumble from neglect, likely since the family has…
-
Bariloche and the Lake District
We left Pucon for a long day of buses, borders, and fabulous views, arriving in Bariloche about 10 pm. There seems to be no easy way to get here, so we used a combination of public bus and private van. We passed amazing views of volcanos and gorgeous lakes along the way. We are now in Argentina, in the foothills of the Andes mountains. Estancia The next morning we set off for an estancia, or ranch, outside the town. After breakfast, our host talked to us about mate, the national drink that everyone in Argentina drinks, and its social importance. Everyone has their own mate cups, and shares the straw…
-
Pucón
We arrived in Pucón, adventure capital of Chile, shortly after sunrise. Pucón is known for its stunning natural landscape, with volcanos, lakes, waterfalls, and thermal springs. The national park containing it is at the north end of the Patagonia region of southern South America. It’s a ski town in winter. The area is dominated by the Villarrica volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Latin America. My view of it from the bathroom window of my room was the best! National Park tour We hopped in a van for a tour of the area. First stop was at the top of a waterfall, where we had to hike down to…
-
Valparaiso
Valparaiso, a major port, is just 100 km or so from Santiago. It should only take an hour or so to get there, right? We went there by public bus. Buses in South America are generally very comfortable, and so was this one, except for one thing – the air conditioning was broken down. The bus driver told our tour leader that it had cooled off a bit, from 40C to now only 33C. We were in the top of the two level bus, and it was suffocating. And we hit a 2 hour traffic jam, caused by a traffic accident, and holidayers from Santiago late in the afternoon on…