Uganda - The Pearl of Africa

"The person who has not traveled widely thinks his or her mother is the best cook".

-Ugandan Proverb (does not apply to our mothers)

Leaving Tanzania we had both been very ill for several days. When we felt ready to board our 16 hour bus (when are you ever ready?) and off we went. One breakdown, a bus change, two border crossings, several problems later we arrived in Uganda 35 hours after departure and at midnight. Emerging from the garbage filled, cramped, sweaty bus we stepped out into the dark streets of Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

Uganda is a country filled with a tumultuous post-independence history. Much of the remnence of Idi Amin’s rule is still visible today and glamourized in the book and movie “The Last King of Scotland”. The country is poor, the people are very kind and the land is lushly beautiful. When John Speke first arrive he declared it the “pearl of Africa” and one would be hard to argue today.

A few days spent in the busy streets of Kampala and we hitched on to a budget safari heading to Murchison Falls National park in the North West of Uganda, along the Congolese border. Having not planned or budgeted for a safari we were thrilled to jump in our little vans with pop off roofs for a few days of camping in the national park.

Driving into the park monkeys, baboons, warthogs, and buffaloes scurried around our vehicle. Spending dusk at the Falls we watched the sunset over the source of the Nile and listened to the animals in the distance.

At dawn the next morning we grabbed a ferry across the river and drove into the densest part of the area. Seeing the array of animals in this savannah setting was utterly surreal. It was not as packed with animals as areas like Kruger, the Serengetti and Ngorogoro crater but it was stunning for us.

As our van drove through the tall brush all the animals in the area had stopped and looked our way. Suddenly out from our left sprung a pride of seven Lions almost into the side of our truck. We had accidently arrived in the path of their hunt. Seven lions circled our truck looking beyond us to the animals in the distance that they had been stalking. We stared in awe.

We floated in a tiny boat down the Nile to the base of Murchison Falls. The fiver was filled with hundreds of Hippos, crocodiles, etc. From our small boat we could appreciate the sheer size of the hippos and grace of the elephants on the shore. Very cool three days.

From here we grabbed a bus and headed to the south-west corner of Uganda and an area called Lake Bunyoni. It’s a giant lake sprinkled with several islands and a great place to escape the hectic environment of the mainland. Being awoken by dawn drums and singing from the distant islands, using lanterns as your only source of light and enjoying food that requires 5 hours of warning to prepare you can’t help but relax. We met many interesting people in this area both local and aid workers. Its cross section of populations as you can look into both the Congo and Rwanda from the surrounding hills.

After a few days here we piled into a local shared taxi (10 people in a tiny car with the driver sitting on someone’s lap) and headed to the Rwandan border. We have both been interested in Rwanda for many years due to its recent history and the presence of gorillas. We were about to learn much more about both in the coming days.

We will post these stories in the next two weeks.

Hope your summer is winding down well where you are in the world.

The roof of Africa

"Where there is a will there's a way"

-some idiot that obviously never hiked at altitude before.






We arrived in the Tanzanian unofficial capital of Dar es Salaam in the early afternoon on a bright June day. Immediatley the bright colors of the orange dirt, clothes that people wore and the lush vegetation was welcomed after a year living near the desert. Even as our plane prepared to land on the shores of East Africa the colours of the earth and vegetation were vibrant.


After a day in Dar we arranged an 8 hour bus to the Northern region at the foot of Kilimanjaro. The trip was filled with tiny villages boasting all types of tribes with their colourful clothing, spears and piercings. All attempts to pierce my lips and hunt with a spear proved pathetically futile. We based ourselves for a few days in the larger, friendly town of Moshi.








From this northern city we started our climb of Kilimanjaro. Along with our support staff we also had a Spanish couple join us. They had just gotten married and he was a true, slightly out of his mind, mountain man. But she didn't really seem to know what she was getting into. (this made for rather entertaining exchanges of Spanish passion on the hill - translation: "what the hell have you gotten me into you...".) He planned this part of their trip and glossed over many of the challenges with "no problem, no problem". Loco.






For 4 days we slowly hiked for 7 hours a day towards our final climb. These days were very easy, very slow, very tame walking days. They say the key is to go "Pole, pole" (slowly, slowly in Swahili) and we certainly did that. The final summit day starts at 11pm when we are awoken and prepared to go up. On this final day we cover a 2000m climb (combined day and night) in about 12 hours. We start that day at 3800m and end at 5800m. Victoria (the Spanish girl) fell very ill that night so we went on without her.





In the freezing cold dark we climbed and climbed using our headlamps to find the way. Our lead guide was awesome and sang through what has to be a challenging physical experience for anyone. I just followed behind Tina. She climbed and climbed. I puked. Then she climbed and climbed some more. I puked again. What a tough guy eh? The altitude really played with my stomach and head on this final climb. The walk was steep but the illness would simply come out of nowhere. We continued up at a steady clip.




After 5 hours of climbing we reached the craters edge. Tina jumped for joy. I puked. As we continued along the edge high above the clouds, the sun rose over Africa. It was a stunning. We reached the highest point in Africa just before 7 am. It was a massive moment.





We had to descend all the way down to 3800m right away. I was feeling ill and the drop in altitude was helping. As a side note the Spanish guy climbed later that day when his wife was resting and climbed in near record time. Loco.


After a day of recovery in Moshi we boarded a 16 hour bus for Kampala. At least that was the plan. After some breakdowns, pot holes, dirt roads, no lights, bus changes, etc the journey took an epic 35 hours by bus. We have both been on long, dirty buses in various parts of the world but this was at the bottom. The fun was just beginning. We had entered the "pearl of Africa" - Uganda.


We will post those stories and pictures in a few days.


Hope you are enjoying the summer where you are.

Road Rules

" When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

-Yogi Berra (1925-)

- Oman's interior region is painfully lacking in towns. This sign gives all the info needed.

Apologies for our lack of “blogging” of late. Our school year has just come to a close, good friends have moved on and we are currently preparing for the summer. As well, we went to a Proclaimers concert (which we treated as if they were U2), attended Oman's World Cup qualifying games vs Japan (very sweaty) and made another trip to Dubai (for winter clothes!).

Amidst all of this movement, the temperatures have continued to reach mercury levels we are both unfamiliar with and our heads have begun to spin. Before everyone journeys out on the road for your summer vacation we wanted to explain the road here in Oman.

Oman’s roads are a new addition to the country. As recently as 1970 the country had one paved road running from the Palace to the airport (at least those are the rumours). With relatively inexpensive gas and a population that appears to enjoy owning vehicles new roads are being built by the minute.

This blog is mainly dedicated to an aspect of roads that few in North America are familiar with – the Roundabout. Functionally speaking, they are designed to slow traffic at converging points and allow vehicles to flow in and out of these points with little inconvenience. Realistically, they are the points where traffic races into and out of playing multiple games of chicken and expressing our undying love for our fellow travellers in several hand gestures.

Here in Oman the Roundabout is also used as an avenue for civic pride. The middle of the Roundabouts are decorated with giant books, fountains, etc. Some of the best are included in this blog. Enjoy and be safe on the road this summer.

-Nothing like a giant, glowing lump of Frankincense to say "turn left". Ruwi.

- Anyone got the time? Salalah.

- Sadly, no Mad magazines in the pile at the Book Roundabout. Nizwa.

- Coolest Roundabout. Fort,clock,cultural painting combination. Bravo Nizwa exit. Seeb.

Golden Jugs. Very popular photo op. Muttrah.

- Re-creation of Sinbads boat. High points for creativity. Near Al Bustan Palace, Old Muscat.

We are off to Africa next week and will try to blog while travelling. If not, have a great summer where you are and we'll be back in August.

Searching for new treasures

"Goonies never say die!"
-Mikey (Goonies character, 1985)

We have just completed our first week of days all over 40 degrees. It has inspired us to hide in the air-conditioned house today and finally get out this overdue blog.

Since our last post I have returned from another trip to Cairo. This time it was with our track team that went to the regional meet to compete against teams from Africa, Southern Europe, and the Middle East. The team did extremely well and it was a great time meeting people from all over the region.

Since returning to Muscat we have tackled a couple of things on our "to do" list. Wadi Shab is an exceptional wadi a few hours down the east coast of Oman. We have heard numerous accounts of its beauty prior to Cyclone Gonu of last summer. Since we can't vouch for the stories from the past we headed down to find out the present day state.

Navigating the drive down the coast is easy - ocean to your left and a wall of mountains to your right. Funneling down the coast, just before the town of Tiwi, the mountains break and Wadi Shab bursts through the mountain wall and displays its palm fringed floor and tourquise waters. A breathtaking site that we understand was even more phenominal before the storm. We parked the car and hiked in.

We trekked on the wadi floor, with the towering rock walls straight up on either side. Starting in sand and through palm trees, the journey continous over barren rock and around pools of spring water. The rocks get more and more important as water greets you on all sides. As the water gets deeper and deeper it became obvious we needed to dump our bags and swim on. Finally, our dog paddling got us to "the key hole" - a tiny opening in the rocks just big enough for the top of your head. Struggling through this dark, "aqua tunnel" we emerged into a huge cave complete with plunging water falls. It felt straight out of the Goonies. Only One Eyed Willie's pirate ship was missing and of course Sloth, swinging down saying 'heeey you guuuuys'. That woulda been cool.

As we hiked out of the wadi we realized that you sometimes forget where you are in the world. We passed two gentlemen and exchange pleasentries without raising an eyebrow, before realizing they were walking their donkeys, carrying their rifles and probably wondering why we were dressed so funny. What a great place.

Closer to our home here we also wanted to check out the The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. We pass it at least twice a day since its right next to our house on the way to work. The Mosque is said to be one of the finest in the Gulf and the Sultan went all out, including the worlds largest handmade carpet. What the Great Wall of China is to "Greatness", the Grand Mosque is to "Grandness". Sparing you the numerous impressive details the 416,000 square meter complex can house 20,000 worshippers at a time. None of which would leave saying, "good golly, if they had just spent a bit more on the marble floors this place really would be grand." Rest assured, its pretty grand.

We have been spending our evenings firming up our details for our summer vacation. We will be spending nearly 2 months in Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. We are very excited and already starting to count the days down.

We think of our friends and family often and wish you well in your corner of the world.

A smugglers paradise

"Solitude never hurt anyone. Emily Dickinson lived alone, and she wrote some of the most beautiful poetry the world has ever known... then went crazy as a loon."

- Lisa Simpson

The past few weeks have been filled with Tina spending all of our hard earned Rials on a shopping weekend to Dubai and me hiking and camping in the cool air of the mountains. This past week was our school's Spring Break ("spring" at 40 degrees?), and we set our sights on Oman's isolated northern region - Musandam.

Musandam is a strange piece of Oman as it sits totally detached from the country on the other side of the UAE, as the southern point of the Straight of Hormuz. Go ahead, get out an Atlas. It's there and it's strange. This unique geography has leant itself to a curious history and an isolated development. The rocky cliffs plunging into the sea create fjords and give this region the name of "Norway of Arabia". Very little blonde hair, no high taxes and a complete absence of cross country skiing-Biathletes may call this reference into question but the fjords are impressive.

Until only a few years ago the only way to reach these hardy people was by boat. Evidently, those wily Iranians have been motoring over on small boats (Iran is a mere 45 km away) and bringing illegal cigarettes with them. In exchange they return with a boat load of goats and the task of arriving home secretly. The smugglers are still around today and this "what trade?" exchange has appareantly been going on for many, many years. I guess things would really get complicated if the goats started smoking eh? The gig would surely be up then.

We spent our nights camping up in the hills in the interior of the area. The air was cooler there and the tiny villages we past on the vertiguous dirt road were facinating. Our first encounter with a scorpion prompted us to move sites our second night and we ended up in an Accacia forest. Our days were spent walking through villages, checking out the fort and taking a Dhow boat ride through the fjords. Several dolphins trailed our boat during the trip and we even had the 'privilege' of snorkelling with Jelly fish. We have safely determined that the sting of a jelly fish here is the same as at home. I'd be glad to tell you that I bravely pee'ed the sting off my own body but sadly I didn't have the stomach for that and merely waited out the pain. A good story was missed.

The interesting geography of the area, the multiple border crossings, the stunning scenary and the eclectic mix of individuals that made up the area combined for a memorable spring break. As a final note on the people of the land, the men are famous for carrying a "Jeerz" with them. In the rest of Oman, it is my understanding, that older distingushed gentlemen walk with a walking stick ("camel stick") that signals a certain status. Here in Musandam, the wooden end of the stick is replaced by a sharp medal axe head. It is for work, protection and "keeping kids in line". Classic. I have found a new addition to my teaching strategies.

The Frankincense trail

" Who do you think you are, the Queen of Sheba?"

-UK and Canadian saying, implying the person thinks that they are of great importance.

Since our last blog entry Tina and I have been tangling through the day to day events that keep us all “busy”. Finally we decided to take off with our friends Lucas and Tenielle and head south to the city of Salalah for our 4 day Easter weekend.

Along the northern coastline of Oman is where the vast majority of the population lives. The Muscat area contains the masses and the settlements trickle off in the either direction until you hit the UAE in the West or coast too rugged to settle in the East. South of Muscat there are the long, jagged Hajar mountains running from east to west slicing the country in half. Beyond this range is a desolate, unforgiving desert plateau that stretches for nearly 1000km until it plunges abruptly into the warm ocean at the southern tip of Oman. Where this plunge occurs is the site of the ancient city of Salalah.

Although many have never heard of Salalah it is famed as the alleged home of the Queen of Sheba, the bearer of Frankincense, among the most important trading cities in ancient Arabia, and host of one of the most important wars that nobody has heard of. Admitedly it may not have massive international appeal but it was enough to hook us.

To locals the main draw of the city is the summer monsoon season of constant rain bringing beautiful green hills and vegetation sorely lacking in the rest of the region. As much as we laughed at the idea of this “draw” it really was quit amazing to see vegetation, water and green again. As a side note ruining the serene setting by yelling "Canonball!! Everybody in!!" and plunging into the water, doesn't go over really well with the locals. Who knew?

The first day was spent exploring east of the town. We drove through secluded bays filled with white sand, tourquise water and dolphins chasing schools of fish. In one of these bays lies the site of the Queen of Sheba’s palace, where she controlled the sale of Frankincense in the south with King Solomon in the Holy Land to the north. We continued along weaving around countless wandering camels, passing through sleepy coastal villages, enjoying the green lushness of a flowing Wadi, and finally hiking over the large sand dunes and enjoying the clear ocean that awaited us on the other side. With the increase in traffic at a previously isolated spot I think the local fellas enjoyed us as well. In fact two low flying helicopters flew by as we swam. Everyone was very poilte just very interested. As much as it pains me to admit, I think neither Lucas nor I were of any interest at all.

The second day was spent journeying towards the Yemen border. Taking in Jobs tomb, Frankincense sites, active blowholes and beautiful scenery we forgot one important item. As we climbed through the mountainous coastline that leads to Yemen we became painfully aware of our low supply of gas and the complete lack of places to fill this need. After one Army checkpoint we had to head back as it was clear we’d be out of petrol quite literally in the “middle of nowhere”. Since it was illegal for us to cross at the border anyways, the only thing we missed was the chance to get turned away by a surely border guard. Another time.

Our final day was spent in the town itself and we filled our time walking through the fruit plantations, eating at huts, strolling along the beaches and through the frankincense laden markets. In the market they have a strange combination of frankincense stores, perfume stores, and gun paraphanalia stores. I guess you want to smell nice when you're shooting stuff.

It was in the market that a man bumped into Tina and he was wearing no shirt, a sarong, a large traditional knife on his waist and carried a rifle on his shoulder. Upon further review, he gets the right of way. Naturally, our Aussie mates pulled out their knives and said, "You call that a knife? This is a knife". (Ok, so Paul Hogan wasn't with us but it would have been great) We saw several old men carrying rifles with them around town and these are the Jebali men from the surrounding hills.

It was these men that fought for their independence from a British-backed Oman in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This began as a local fight but the rebels soon began being trained by the Russians and the Chinese Marxists of the time. Many theories abound but a well recognized theory is that the communists of the time wanted control of Oman through this battle so they could control the Straight of Hormuz. The Straight of course, is the mouth into the Persian Gulf. Speculation spins wildly from that point but it has been called a “crucial but forgotten conflict” of the cold war period. We four sun burnt tourists posed no such threat.

In the coming weeks we will enjoy our Spring break that may take us to the Nothern point of Oman, Musandam.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter break and that spring has "sprung" for you wherever you are.