First stop: Uganda

I've been away almost a week and this is the first chance I've had to sit down and put some thoughts on the blog - it's been pretty manic here and that means I've seen a lot so have loads to tell you all :)

Firstly, this post is coming to you from the lovely oasis that is the Kabira Country Club, a posh resort hotel up the road from Judith's flat - today we're swimming, having a sauna and making the most of the free wi-fi access.

This is my last whole day in Uganda as I'm flying to Nairobi tomorrow afternoon and it's been really great and definitely feels like I've been away longer than a week! For Easter weekend Judith and I went on a road trip with her friends Marcel and Kiki to the south west of the country, crossing the equator on the way. We drove a couple of hours from Kampala and camped in the beautiful Lake Mburo national park on Friday, where we shared our site with a chilled out hippo and loads of warthogs. On Saturday after a 6am bush walk to see hyenas, zebra, topi, buffalo and waterbucks, we headed further south through Mbarara to Kabale, a vibrant town at the foot of the mountains that border Rwanda. There we had an ear-splitting dance session in a club that would give most of the soundsystems at Notting Hill Carnival a run for their money and fell into bed slightly worried that Marcel, our designated driver, has malaria...

Driving on the roads here is a nerve shredding business and even though Marcel was very cautious and had our full trust, we were glad that on Sunday he could more or less have a day off - we were headed to Lake Bunyoni and one of its islands for the day and night and as it's only a couple of miles from Kabale along a dirt road with very little traffic we arrived, nerves and fingernails intact, by lunchtime. Lonely Planet likens the Lake and its islands to The Shire of the Hobbits and it's easy to see why: rolling hills, meandering waters, cultivated terraces and canoes expertly guided by those used to needing to get somewhere quickly in them or not so expertly by the likes of us... The tranquility of the island was briefly disturbed by Judith and I getting a fit of the giggles over dinner - I'm sure it's back to its laid back normailty by now.

So, first impressions of Uganda are that it's a lush and fertile place, Kampala can be a bit hectic but in general the people are very polite and friendly, to the extent that a bus will wait for you top cross the road (no mean feat) for several minutes, just patiently wait. I've learnt some traditional dances and seen stunning scenery, drunk waragi (like gin but femented from millet) and eaten an Ethiopian buffet that had me wanting the room for third and fourth helpings but not finding it. I'll get some photos posted at some point when I have a bit more time - they're worth waiting for.

And as for me and my general state of wellbeing, it's good. There was one wobble the other night but I'm putting that partially down to hormones... I'm still catching up in my travel journal and will do a bit more in a minute after a dip in the pool - determined to keep it up even if it is just bullet points...