Into Uganda

The first three days of the trip have gone well, but not smoothly. The group of people is OK, although only 2 of the 6 of us are making the trip to Cape Town. The other 4 get off when we cruise past Nairobi in two weeks, at which point we will gain 4 new people for the trip.

We had our first hiccup yesterday when we tried to cross the border from Kenya into Uganda. We arrived at the border to find that it was being blockaded by Kenyan truck drivers. Apparently there was an accident in Uganda involving a Ugandan military vehicle and a Kenyan goods truck. This led to the Ugandan military personnel shooting and Killing the Kenyan driver. So we had to make a 2 hour detour to another, smaller border crossing that was still open. We drove through villages along a dirt road, going no more than 20 mph. As we drove past schools, all of the kids ran out of the school and lined the streets, waving and saying "Hello!" or "Jambo!". It was amazing to see how happy they were to see us, though apparently they never see any tourists like us. This is most likely because when we got to the border crossing we found out that they don't issue tourist visas, like the other borders do. Our guide did some smooth talking and got our passports stamped anyway.

Once into Uganda we made our way to Jinja, where we camped along the Nile River near its origin. It was pretty cool to listen to the Nile rush past as I tried to fall asleep. The best part may have been the showers, which were on a cliff and overlooked the river.

We now make our way to south western Uganda, where we will trek in hopes of seeing a family of mountain gorillas.

In Kenya, finally

I have made my way to Nairobi from Delhi, which was a little tougher than expected. My flight out of Delhi was delayed by 9 hours, which resulted in my running through the airport in Dubai at 2:15 AM to catch a 2:35 AM flight. Somehow, both my bag and I made it to Nairobi OK.

I haven't gone too crazy exploring Nairobi yet, but I have enjoyed what I have seen so far. After coming from Delhi, though, almost anywhere else you go would seem clean and uncongested, and for that matter modern.

I meet up with the tour group that I will be with for the next 9 weeks tonight. I am ready to get the trip started. The more I read the plan of events, the more excited I have gotten. The first two weeks entail exploring Kenya's national parks and going to Uganda to see gorillas in the wild. The best part of the trip is the many options that will be available. Many days you have the option of some interesting trips (rafting on the Nile, walking through the savannah with lions raised in captivity, a wine tour in South Africa) or visiting the local villages (helping out at the schools and visiting hospitals). I will be in Zanzibar for 4 days, on a house boat in Zambia for 3 days, spending three days on an island in the Ockavango Delta and visiting Victoria Falls. Through in all of the wildlife (I should be able to see the big 5), and it will be a great experience.

I will try to post once a week, when possible. I don't expect that I'll be able to post pictures too easily, though. In Nairobi, one of the more advanced stops, the internet speeds have been very slow to download even word documents.

Tiger Safari

I have just returned to Delhi from a three day trip to the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve. I did two days of truck safari looking for the elusive tiger (only about 20-25% of the people who go looking actually see one) and got lucky to come across one. Here are some pictures:

It was pretty amazing to see this big male tiger. We spotted him initially walking across a clearing and followed him as he walked down the road. It had its tense moments, though, when he turned to face us, at which point the guide put the truck in full reverse. If he decided to charge, we would have been easy pickings (there was no weapon in the car, either). We were able to spot him a little further on in the trees, watching us intently. He was none too pleased with our following him (notice the tail straight up in the first picture, a sure sign he was mad).

Here are some pictures from the Taj Mahal:

The Taj Mahal and the beautiful carving and jewel inlay work that covers all of the surfaces of the structure, both inside and out.


Next stop is Nairobi and the start of the African adventure.

Back in Delhi

The train trip through Rajasthan is over and I am back in Delhi. The experience on the Palace on Wheels trip was great. In the span of seven days, we travelled from Delhi to Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chitturgah, Bhatapur and Agra. We visited numerous palaces and forts, beautiful gardens and ate at some of the finest hotels in the region. Aishwarya Rai was staying at one of the hotels we ate at, although I didn't see her (it wasn't for lack of trying, though). The train itself was OK. The food on board was good by my standards (and my standards for Indian food are not that high) and the rooms were small but adequate. The hardest part was sleeping on the train. The train would travel at night and made frequent stops to take on water and supplies, and some of the stops were not so subtle. I would often wake up to find that I had slid a foot or two down the bed. All in all, the trip was an excellent way to see all of the major sights in a short amount of time.

On the final day we visited Agra, home of the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal. These are two of the most impressive structures I have ever seen. The Red Fort is a magnificent fort constructed out of red sandstone. The carving of the stone is excellent and the fort and its palaces are stunning in their craftsmanship.

Not far from the Red Fort is the Taj Mahal. Going into the visit to the Taj Mahal, I wasn't sure what to expect. It has been referred to as one of the Wonders of the World and the hype that surrounds it incredible. I prepared myself to say "That's it?" and to be disappointed. I was wrong to do so. The Taj Mahal is more beautiful, more elaborate and more awe inspiring than I could have ever imagined. It is far and away the most impressive structure I have ever seen, and I found myself unable to take my eyes off of it while I was there. From afar, it looks like it is painted on the horizon. As you get closer, it gets more incredible as the fine detail and the grand size of the buildings of the complex become apparent. The intricately carved designs, with the vibrant color and fine detail of the precious stones inlaid into the massive blocks of marble are perfect; if a mistake was made the entire block was scrapped. That the entrire complex has perfect symmetry (the only break from symmetry is inside, where one casket is in the center and the other off to the side). It has earned its reputation.

I will be spending the next few days in Delhi before heading to Corbett National Park for a few days. I hope to spot wild tigers and elephants, among other species, before returning to Delhi to catch my flight to Nairobi in the middle of next week.

I'll post pictures from India next week.

India, India, India

The last week in India has been a very eye-opening (and at times nose closing) experience. The poverty is incredible, the crush of people on the streets unbearable and the splendor of the palaces and temples astonishing. Every one of your senses is instantly on the defensive, with the aroma of the open sewers, the constant beeping of horns (every time a car passes another car, or a driver decides to drive on the wrong side of the road), the near unavoidable physical contact with other people, the sight of the ravages of poverty and the terrific spices of the food. It is an incredible place that seems to accept the balance of extreme wealth and the extreme poverty, a remnant of the bygone caste system.

In the past week I have traveled on the Palace on Wheels from New Delhi to Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Chitturgah and today I am in Udaipur. The train has been a great experience, with great service and great people. Compared to the public transportation in India, the train is truly a luxurious service. It is hard not to feel guilty when we pull into train stations and the next train has hundreds of people per compartment for an overnight trip or see buses with people sitting on top.

The highlight so far has been the palaces and forts that we have visited, particularly the Amber Fort in Jaipur. It sits atop a hill, as all of the forts and palaces do, and was the first place that I came across monkeys. Big black faced rhesus monkeys that stroll among the people and run atop the archways and roofs. Udaipur is also a great place (also the cleanest town so far), centered around the Lake Palace. The low point is a tie between the constant battle to walk past persistent street merchants (the national saying may well be "50 rupees. Great price. You like?") and being shut out on a tiger safari. I am going to try to go on another tiger safari before I head to Africa and hopefully my luck improves.

Off Again

Four days until the start of the next trip. The basic path of the trip is set, although no firm plans have been made for the end yet. The itinerary:

1. India I'll spend two and a half weeks in the northern part of India, more than half of the time on a train trip. Aboard the Palace on Wheels, I will visit Jodhur, Jaipur and the Taj Mahal, among other stops.

2. Africa I'll travel overland from Nairobi, Kenya to Cape Town, South Africa over the course of 9 weeks. At the end I have over a week in Cape Town, at which point I hope to go diving with great white sharks.




3. England and Ireland I have about a month and a half to travel around England, Ireland and Scotland. No firm plans yet.

I am looking forward to these trips. The stress level associated with the planning and packing has been much lower this time around. I should be able to update the blog once a week, and this time I will hopefully be able to add pictures as I go.