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20th november - 8th december

Overlanding across Afica in our Land Rover Defender: Uganda

Andy Lees
2006-05-14 18:47:09

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but anyway the guide was taking her back and it certainly wasn't our decision to make.
fort portal - 30th november
we headed south towards fort portal. on the steeply convex, compacted mud roads the ugandan drivers showed themselves to be the most reckless and arrogant we have encountered so far (yes, even worse than the syrians and egyptians). hogging the centre of the road they hurtled towards us in a succession of unwarranted games of "chicken" in which they seemed undetered even by the land rover's bulky front end.

fort portal rests in the foothills of the ruwenzoris, africa's highest mountain range and the divider between uganda and the congo. we were lucky, arriving late in the day the mountains were clear of the usual cloud that obscures their view and we were able to appreciate the massif. from where we were standing the mountains looked like gentle giants, not the jagged peaked monsters we were expecting. we made camp at atamabere caves campsite; a beautiful site in a stunning location.

unfortunately, our stay was tarnished by a young employee who despite his best efforts to look after us - by acting as a guide, chef, waiter - he managed to rub us up the wrong way. this he did by pulling up a chair whilst we sat sipping a well deserved beer, to tell us how underpaid he was, how his sponsor for his studies had died, his ambitions to be a tour guide but insuffient funds to start a business and how easy it must be to do it in england, but then it's not possible for him to get a visa blah, blah blah. now, we don't like to be rude and we listened patiently, but we weren't about to be his saviour and you got the impression that he tried this sob story on every unfortunate 'white' guest that arrived. what his charming nonagenarian employer who happened to be the brother of the current minister for tourism (who happened to be visiting) would have made of this i don't know.

the area was beautiful ...