we have wheels - short wheel base landrover with nothing but a steering wheel, diff lock and a spare tire - all set up and ready to SAFARI!! Suze and I have been banging around the capital (Kampala) in the car today today getting all our supplies organised for us to leave early tomorrow morning. We've packed up the gear we are taking with us (the bulk of our belongings will be staying at Red Chilli backpackers here in Kampala for our return).
the evening for us so far (9:30 pm here) has been spent in the bar/restaurant at our hostel eating a nice dinner and having a couple of beers, it is actually the first chance of the trip we have really sat down and just enjoyed each others company alone, we have always been with other people either during the day at BCC or in the evenings at John and Lyns or somewhere else for a meal for all of the time we've had up until now - so it has been a great day and evening, just the two of us.
in case I have not let you know - and I think i have not - we are no longer heading to Murchison Falls tomorrow but Queen Elizabeth instead, the ferry service that connects the two sides of the park together at M.F. is not operating... you can get across but not with your vehicle - which would have meant the additional cost of hiring a 2nd vechile on the other side, something we are not prepared to do, so the plans have gone back to Queen Elizabeth. something that those of you who were worried about the whole LRA safety issues will be happy with!
We love our car, we've yet to give it a name I realise - that will have to be done tomorrow - it is great to have the freedom it offers. Suze has been doing some amazing navigating for me today around Kampala. although all the guide books and most people you will speak to advise against driving here we have found it really quite easy, you just need to have the right attitude. the bigger your vechile the more right you have to the space you are trying to fit in - smaller vechiles will get out of your way and you just need to make sure you get out of the way of the ones bigger than you! we have fully comprehesive insurance dad so don't worry about a thing! plus i have been practicing Ugandan driving in Mbale for a couple of days driving the pick up back and forth to BCC and out into the villages and even doing the staff run on our last afernoon with 15 passengers in the minibus navigating around the less than sane traffic in Mbale. we feeling pretty good about the driving - the next challenge will be avoiding hippos and lions in our camping sites!! Much much love to you all - we will try and fill you in on our adventures as they happen, if not we will be back at these monitors in about a week to recap the week that was out in the wilds of Africa... L