A life size sculpture of an elephant at Lake Bunyonyi Overland Resort
On the early morning of day six we all got up, had our breakfast and lazily got ready to leave the scenic Lake Bunyonyi. I had kept my word to her, I came back to take in and enjoy more of her beauty.
A tent pitched by the shores of Lake Bunyonyi. One of the Bunduz.com crew members spent the night in it.
We had known the Lake Bunyonyi area to be quite chilly in the morning, but on this day it was quite warm. It was as if the lady who the lake is was coercing us to stay longer and keep her company. She certainly is a fine woman; as she only got to show us exactly how she felt on our second opportunity of meeting ;-). She however fell for a bunch that would sadly have to leave her only with another uncertain promise of return. I wouldn’t blame her, we really are a bunch of jolly good fellows! On the other hand, we are adventurers, always in pursuit of a new experience. Soon, we were well on our way to Kampala.
Packing our stuff back into The Beast
The trip down to Kampala was not an easy one, as by this day most of us were quite knackered. This however did not kill the spirit of building friendships while sharing drink for most of us. Bottles popped, liquids poured and throats were quenched as lasting friendships were built. The entire time The Beast growled along as if in approval of the happenings in his belly 🙂
Knackered! Couldn’t resist a nap.
Lasting friendships built!
Bottles popped, liquids poured and throats were quenched 🙂
Many chitchats, bottles and pee stops later, we got to the Equator crossing in Uganda. A town we had been at previously on our journey to Kigali. We made a stop and had our picnic lunch here. Uganda is one of the few countries in the world where the imaginary line that divides the earth into two half passes. The Equator or the Uganda equator crosses into Uganda at a point situated 72km south of Kampala along the Kampala – Masaka road.
Sumptuous lunch prepared by the Bunduz.com crew
Adventurers enjoying lunch at the Equator in Uganda
The curio shops at the Equator offer great shopping bargains. The craft stalls sell souvenirs and handmade products a majority with marks talking about the Equator. Some adventurers took the opportunity to purchase some memorabilia for the trip. I was sad that on this day I couldn’t find a proper fit of t-shirt saying, ‘I crossed the Ugandan Equator.’
I witnessed an unfortunate incident where one of us had to pay for an African drum which he damaged while testing it’s quality of resonance using a Masai ‘rungu’ as a drumming stick! I couldn’t understand why, but then again, bottles had popped, liquids poured and throats had been quenched. 😉
Say cheese!! The entire group of adventurers poses for a photo at the Equator
At this point, there are two cement circles marking the equator line and it is worth stopping for a photo moment. We also watched a a local demonstrate how water swirls in opposite directions in the northern & southern hemispheres at the equator line.
Later on in the evening, we arrived at the beautiful city of Kampala and got caught up in it’s hustle and bustle of people rushing home from the city after working hours. There was a swarm of motorbikes crisscrossing in between cars stuck in traffic while passengers pillion precariously. A busy city Kampala is!
Motorcycles in Kampala city
A beautiful street of Kampala city
We proceeded through the city and out to an outskirt suburb named Butabika, where we put up at the Red Chilli Hideaway, a spot quite popular with overland adventurers. I liked the place immediately, the well manicured lawns gave a sense of rest and tranquil while the swimming pool complete with a sun downer bar felt like the blessing of an oasis to a wanderer in a desert! Needless to say, we all hopped into the water to cool off from the fatigue of our travels as we enjoyed as game of water polo.
Red Chilli Hideway in Butabika, Kampala
The irresistible swimming pool complete with a sun downer bar at the Red Chilli
Later that night after dinner, we celebrated the birthday of one adventurer. A friendship had been fostered among adventurers!
Happy Birthday!
Event: The Ultimate Road Trip
Period: #Day 6 (2nd Jan 2015)
Distance: Lake Bunyonyi (Uganda) – Kampal (Uganda) Approx. 454km
Organizer: http://www.bunduz.com/
Documentary (photos & writing) by: Macharia Njuguna (https://adventurewithmash.wordpress.com/)
Adventure With Mash 