Car all packed, i-pod at the ready, happy campers seated and belted -ROAD TRIP! Two minutes down the road and my pride and joy, the prada of Kampala, decided to die on me, dang and blast! I had only just picked it up from the garage yesterday after a routine service and had paid the equivalent of $150 for men in overalls to tickle its tummy. What could it be? Well, many hours later in a garage eating sandwiches in a 'dead' mice infested slum, myself nor the mechanic were any the wiser of its problems!
Our camping trip to Lake Albert would have to be rescheduled;other smaller cars couldn't possibly fit in my 4 pairs of essential footwear!
There was nothing for it but to have a boozy lunch (after a good old scrub!) at a 'beach' bar and re-think the long weekend plans. It only took one sip of a mojito for the words "Ndali Lodge" to slip out. We had originally planned to stay at this lodge for one night, at the end of our camping trip, but...aren't we worth it!! I don't think I had finished speaking when my friends quickly agreed, Plan B sounded like a fabulous idea!
Once we drove through the slums of Bukoto and past the 30km of roadworks and potholes (which need a posting all of themselves!), our shoulders started to relax and we sighed a sigh of contentment -we were finally out of Kampala!
Fort Portal and the crater lakes around them is one of my favourite areas of Uganda, if not my top spot; its luscious farming areas and tea plantations, all overlooked by the towering Rwenzori Mountains. On the agenda for the weekend...not very much at all! Bliss!
