The one before Easter

Have you been to Kisoro, Uganda? I didn't think so. I'm stranded here for a day, so I have time to write this, knit a sweater after learning to knit, whatever.

I started my swing southwest on Monday, catching a bus to Kabale. I sat next to Phionah, who's now sent me six text messages, in none of which do I have any idea what she's talking about. Got a hotel room in town (for $4) and went to sleep.

Tuesday I headed out to Lake Bunyonyi, a "magical place" with "beguiling beauty [that] defies description". I walked the 9km, more for the walk than to save $2.50. Camped out for two nights on the shores at the Bunyonyi Overland Resort, for which I spent $25 including food and drinks. On Wednesday I joined some people (Leonie, Louise, Tobias, someone else) who were on a group tour--we rented a boat and headed across the lake to Kyevu market, where we all shared 6¢ worth of sugar cane and sat there for an hour entertaining the villagers while we waited for the boatman to return. Leonie and Lou and I played cards (Five Hundred) that night. I lost, badly.

Thursday I walked back to town. I dawdled a bit and missed the bus to Kisoro, so I got my hotel room again rather than try to get a taxi. Friday I woke up too late to catch the first bus, and the second one was full (FULL), so I didn't actually leave town until 1pm. On another bus that was pretty full--maybe 80 people, and a LOT of stuff, on a 50 seat bus. As crowded as any bus or subway I've been on...I stood in the aisle, one foot on the ground and my other knee resting on my bag. For 65km, which took about 2.5 hours. Unfortunately, Kisoro is 80km from Kabale--we got stranded for hours when a truck got stuck across the road. I finally pulled into town at about 7pm.

So today I have all day to get out to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, about 14km outside of town. (I may pay $6 for a ride, I may walk.) This is the one of the parks where the mountain gorillas live, and is contiguous with Parc National des Virungas in DR Congo and the Parc des Volcans in Rwanda. Tracking the gorillas is really expensive and you need to plan ahead, so I'll be climbing a volcano. The park has three, and I'll probably climb Mt Sabinyo (3669m)--Mt Muhuvura (4127m) is higher and might have slightly better views, but the peak of Sabinyo is where Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda all meet. So when you wake up Easter morning, I'll be in one of those places.

Chao!
sg