I used the MOVE ride share app to get a taxi to the Kigali airport. The Move cars are only Volkswagen’s in much better condition than the regular taxis and the trip cost RWF18,000 or US$14. The hotel will call a regular taxi and it will cost you at least RWF25,000 or US$20. Well before you enter the airport there is a checkpoint where your luggage is scanned and sniffed by a dog and you are searched, I was the only car there, can’t imagine what it would be like if there was a crowd. After that it was plain sailing, Immigration only took a minute and Security had a whole body scanner, the first one I have seen in Africa, did not have to remove my laptop from my backpack or drink the water in my water bottle. There is also a currency exchange that has US$ where I changed the last of my Franc’s. Rwanda was a surprise, clean, organised, civilised with modern facilities. Short flight 28 minutes to Bujumburra.
Before you arrive in Burundi you must go online and fill in a form and print the Entry document, it is only valid for 30 days starting from the date of application. I had to do this twice because the first time was earlier than 30 days and it only tells you this on the Entry document after you have completed the application and it is in French. Anyway it is not a big problem because the whole process only takes a few minutes and Entry is granted with no fuss and no charge at this point. When you arrive at the airport you must go to a counter and show your Entry document, next to another counter and pay US$90 cash for the visa and get a receipt, then to a third counter where a full page Visa is stuck in your passport and a stamp on another page. Finally to a fourth counter where you have to connect to the Airport Wifi and go to a webpage where you fill in all your details again and you download an Entry permit and now you are free to enter Burundi hahaha. Next you baggage will be scanned and out of the airport, a ride into town costs US$20.
Heading out of Kigali
Kigali Airport
Rwanda
Rwanda
Bujumburra Airport
Bujumburra Airport
“One of the smallest countries in Africa, Burundi’s land is used mostly for subsistence agriculture and grazing. Deforestation, soil erosion, and habitat loss are major ecological concerns. As of 2005, the country was almost completely deforested. Less than 6% of its land was covered by trees, and over half of that being for commercial plantations.Burundi is the poorest country in the world by nominal GDP per capita, and is one of the least developed countries. It faces widespread poverty, corruption, instability, authoritarianism, and illiteracy.” – Wikipedia
Bujumburra on the shores of Lake Tanganika was flooded in parts due to a 2.5 meter rise in the water level of the Lake. Population 1.2 million, roads in poor condition, buildings dilapidated, no fridge magnets hahaha and nobody had heard of a Souvenir Shop. There were many UN Agencies and NGO’s, I had never heard of most of them, charity is big business here. Hotel prices are high because they are booked out by the UN and NGO’s. A restaurant will have 100 items on the menu but the only ones availabe will be Chicken and chips, Omelette, Pasta and Pizza hahaha.
Entebbe to Kigali another very short flight 36 min, while they may be short flights they still cost US$250, a bit like the Caribbean short expensive flights. This time bus to the aircraft and walk to the terminal when we landed, at least it wasn’t raining. Immigration was slow again but I was processed in 2 minutes and being from a Commonwealth country it was free. There is an MTN phone shop just outside Arrivals where we wasted 30 minutes trying to get a faulty SIM card to work, some of these people don’t know what they are doing. Withdrew some cash from the ATM next door, there are 2, choose Ecobank, lower fees. The taxi driver (organised in advance US$20) stopped at an Airtel shop a bit further on and I got my SIM card there RWF 5000 or US$4 for 2GB per day and unlimited calls and SMS valid for a month, started working immediately and no problems for the duration of my stay.
Heading for Entebbe, rush hour traffic going into the city
Enter Entebbe
Duty Free
Rain
Inside
Lake Victoria
Lake
Rwandaa
Rwanda
Rwanda
Dirt roads
Russian Mil Mi-24 helicopters
Rwandair
Kigali
Stadium
Arena
A hard earned thirst
The local drop
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Kigali – The first thing I noticed was how clean everything was and how good the roads were. The backroads are dirt and a mess but the paved roads are in good condition and well maintained. There actually are pedestrian crossings and cars stop for pedestrians, very civilised, not much traffic compared to Nairobi and Kampala. Population is only 1.3 million. The people here are significantly smaller than the people in Kenya and Nairobi. The roads do not have names only Letters and Numbers.
Kandt House Museum – the history of Rwanda written on boards with photos, very interesting.
Olympic Record
An Expedition caravan of 3000 people
There is no Uber here so I used Moto taxis, there are thousands of them and the riders must carry a helmet for their passenger, cost less than a US$1 for a ride. If it rains you get wet as I did once hahaha. Some of the bikes are electric and there are Battery Exchange Stations when you need a refill. There is an Uber like app called Move with very few cars. This is a city of steep hills and walking anywhere gave my dodgy knee a workout. Hotel Rwanda, watch the film. The Genocide Memorial is a park with mass graves. The Campaign Against Genocide Museum, no photos allowed, nothing much in there anyway, boards with photos and words.
Nairobi to Entebbe Airport which is the airport for Kampala, Embraer 190 small aircraft and a 35 min flight. No boarding bridge here, walk down the stairs and then walk to the terminal. There have been a number of films made about the Israeli raid on Entebbe airport to rescue hostages in 1976.
Nairobi Freeway
Enter the Airport
Waiting
Boarding
In the air
Lake Victoria
Landed Entebbe Airport
Airtel Money – A bank
CJ’s a good place to eat
The Menu
Kampala – Capital of Uganda with an estimated population of 4 to 7 million people hahaha estimates vary and it is growing. It is part of the Buganda Kingdom which has a King and it’s own Parliament that is separate from but comes under the Uganda Parliament. The King is only King of Buganda not the whole of Uganda. It is packed with people and Boda Boda’s (motorcycle taxis). I was given the same warnings as Nairobi but people also said it’s not as bad as Nairobi, you still don’t see anyone using their phone in public. They have Uber, a little more expensive than Nairobi but still the most convenient way to get around. I did not try the Boda’s, still getting used to the idea hahaha.
Idi Amin ruled as President from 1971 to 1979 a brutal despot who killed upto half a million of his people. The victims were members of other ethnic groups, religious leaders, journalists, artists, senior bureaucrats, judges, lawyers, intellectuals, foreign nationals and anyone he felt like killing.
The Uganda Museum, interesting and in need of some TLC.
Uganda Museum
Uganda Museum
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Banana Beer
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Jinja on the banks of Lake Victoria is the source of the Nile River. I hired a car and driver and it took 2.5 hours to drive the 80 km, cost UGX 300,000 or US$80.
Breakfast
Boda Boda’s
Shiva Temple
A bit of freeway
Stadium
Trucks coming from Kenya
Source of the Nile
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Speke
Is it or is it not the Source
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Speke Memorial
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Fishermen
From here to Egypt
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Bridge over the River Nile
Sugarcane
Good roads
Flat tyre
Nice
Brewed in Uganda
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Buganda Palace which also has Idi Amin’s torture chambers on the grounds, the Royal Mile a very nice walk and at the other end the Parliament of Buganda. The Royal Mile is lined with sculptures of animals which are the totems of the various tribes of the Buganda Kingdom. From there I walked to the Gadaffi mosque, being Friday it was packed and I could not go inside.
Buganda
The Palace
Idi Amin Canon
Torture Chambers
Torture Chambers
500,000 killed by Idi Amin
Bark Cloth
Bark Cloth
Bark Cloth Art
The Palace Gates
The Royal Mile
The Tribal Totems
The Tribal Totems
The Tribal Totems
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Buganda Parliament
Buganda Parliament
The KIng
Tribal leaders visit the King
Tribal leaders visit the King
Buganda Parliament
The Royal Mile from the other end
The old King
Buganda Parliament
Buganda Parliament
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In need of TLC
The Gadaffi Mosque
Promenade
Boda Boda’s
Pizza
Independence Monument and the Uganda Parliament.
Independence Monument
Homeless
Independence Monument
Independence Monument
The First President
Big Boy
Wedding in Progress
Impala
Kampala
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Uganda Parliament
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Between 1885 and 1887 Mwanga II, the Kabaka (King) of Buganda ordered many Christians to be burnt at the Stake. A church has been built on the site in Namugongo. Once again I hired a car and driver for the trip there and back on a Sunday cost UGX 100,000 or US$26.
Nairobi – Capital of Kenya. The Greater Nairobi Metropolitan Area has a population of about 7,000,000 people, definitely a big city
The first thing I was told by everyone I met in Nairobi was “keep you phone in your pocket, do not take it out in public”. The second thing was “keep the car windows up and the door locked”. Do not walk around alone at night. All had personal stories of theft. The security guards at my hotel would not let me wait outside for my Uber, wait inside and we will open the gate when the Uber turns up. All compounds have tall walls topped with barbed wire and electric fences with security guards armed with machine guns. Very intimidating and similar to the advice I received in Kingston, Jamaica. I still managed to get a few photos when there was nobody close to me. Did not see any tourists wandering around, most tourists get picked up by the Safari Tour company from the airport and dropped back there after the Safari.
I normally use Google maps on my phone to navigate but this was forbidden so for the first time I used my Samsung Galaxy Watch to navigate. People just think you are late for an appointment if you keep looking at your watch hahaha.
The National Museum is quite well done, Azu’s Leather makes traditional leather products, Jamia Mosque, Java House good place to eat, the Basilica of the Holy Family Cathedral, All Saints Cathedral has beautiful stained glass, Karen Blixen Musuem from the Out of Africa film, the Railway Museum very interesting with a huge collection of rolling stock.
Perth to Mauritius to Nairobi is the shortest and fastest route. Mauritius Airlines from Perth 7.5 hour flight, 2 hour layover in Mauritius where I had to go through the rigamarole of immigration and customs and security and get a Boarding pass because they do not have a Transit procedure, only one counter, very slow and annoying. Next Kenya Airways to Nairobi 3 hour flight, the trip was booked through Kenya Airways. Both airlines were good no complaints.
Arrived in Nairobi at 2240, long queue at Immigration, they have a seperate queue for UN personnel and later I saw that the UN has its own little town within Nairobi with their own red vehicle number plates. This is the biggest UN base in Africa. After picking up my luggage I withdrew some cash from an Absa bank ATM where there is a 6.5% markup, a very poor exchange rate and an ATM fee, can’t get ripped off any more thoroughly. I was told later the cheapest way is to bring US$ and go to a Money changer of which there are many, do not change money at the banks they are a rip-off.
Next to the Safaricom Shop which is just outside the Airport exit on the right where I bought a SIM card with 8GB data plus minutes and SMS, cost Ksh 1,100 started working immediately, the staff are fast and efficient. It was pouring with rain, Uber to my hotel in the city area was Ksh 1,400. There is a Toll road that will cost 300 and if you ask the driver to use it which is recommended during the day due to the traffic, you will have to pay the Toll charges. At midnight the roads were deserted.
When I checked into the hotel the Booking.com price was in US$, they used an Absa portabe ATM and it would only let me pay in Australian dollars not US$ using their conversion rate which was about 20% more than the going rate so I said I will pay the official Mastercard rate as shown on their website and I will pay in KSh, remember this or you will get ripped-off again. You will also get charged a 3% bank fee on top of you bill, this is standard in Kenya. I only had a day in Nairobi before I went on a Safari to the Masai Mara.
Perth Airport
Perth Airport
Perth to Mauritius
Wings
Camera View
Coming in to land
Landed
Airbrake
Mauritius to Nairobi
Mauritius to Nairobi
Broadwalk Mall
The local drop
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I booked a private 3 day Safari to the Masai Mara National Park through Balu Travel (Morris Mutiso). I found him through Safari Bookings, a very useful website. Cost of the 2 night 3 day tour included a private Safari Van and a driver and accommodation at the Sarova Mara Game Camp, a luxury tent resort inside the National Park. Cost US$850 plus 3% bank fee of US$25.50. You have to pay 50% at the time of booking. I also went on a tour of the Masai Village US$20 and I gave the Driver a US$30 tip which I was told later was double the normal tip hahaha. I would rather give directly to someone than to Charitable organisations where 80% of donations are swallowed up by the Administration. The driver also did not tell me he had 4 children and one of them had Downs syndrome, one of the many stories I have heard over the years, told to boost the tip.
Day 1 starts with a pickup at 0700 and then a 5 hour drive from Nairobi to the National Park stopping once at the Rift Valley Lookout / Souvenir shop and another Souvenir shop stop later. They both have clean toilets. Check-in and lunch then a rest and out at 1500 for a drive around the park, we saw many deer and a few lions. There are usually about 7-8 vehicles roaming around and once one of the drivers spots the lions or anything else interesting he radios all the others and everyone heads to that spot. It started to rain and we saw some sorry looking drenched lions, headed back at 1800.
Rift Valley
Rift Valley
Rift Valley
Rift Valley
Rift Valley
Traffic
On the road
Souvenir Shop
Souvenir Shop
Souvenirs
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Cattle = Masai Gold
One of many Churches
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Church
Masai House
School
Villages
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On the way to the Market
Regular Police check points
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Market
The Market
Walking Gold
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Mosque
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Masai Mara National Park
Masai Mara National Park
US$100/day off peak and $200/day Peak
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Sarova Mara Game Camp
Masai Mara National Park
Sarova Mara Game Camp
Sarova Mara Game Camp
Sarova Mara Game Camp
Sarova Mara Game Camp
Elephants
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Hyena
Hyena
Jackal
Bird
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Raining
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Drenched Male
Mama and Baby
Day 2 – Masai Mara NP – Breakfast and left at 0730 and returned at 1645, the earlier you leave the more chance you will have of seeing animals. As the day gets hotter they disappear into the bush and come out again when it is cooler. The camp gave us a packed lunch.
A very large mosquito net and NO mosquitoes
Giraffe
Mother and Baby
Mother and Baby
Elephant Family
Elephant Family
Birds
Deer
FIFO
Lions
Zoom in
Lions
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Spot the Mama and Baby
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The Van
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Stream
The Border – Kenya and Tanzania
Crocodile
Pretty
Mara River
Hippo
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New Bridge
Mara River
Old Bridge
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Lunch
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Warthog
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Cheetah
Cheetah
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Old Man
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Hyena cooling off
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The Tent
Day 3 – left at 0800 and a short drive to a Masai village, they did a welcoming dance and showed me the inside of their guest house and invited me to stay the night free of charge. They also made a fire using a stick. After that to their souvenir shops to spend some money, which I did not, they wanted KSh 2000 for a fridge magnet and came down to 500, the same thing is available in Nairobi for 150 hahaha. Stopped at the same two places on the way back.
The advertisements for Masai Mara National Park Safaris will tell you that you are going to see the Big FIVE ie. Lion, Elephant, Hippo, Rhino and Leopard but there was no sign of any Rhino or Leopards. I do not think there are any in this park or we would have seen them.
Zagreb to Regensburg to Veghel to Hastings to Perth – time to head for home 1,700 km to Hastings. Then flights from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur and KL to Perth 14,800 km. Not the favourite part of my journey dealing with airport bureaucracy and being cooped up in a metal tube.
Zagreb to Regensburg – freeway all the way, now that Croatia is in the EU no need to get a stamp entering Slovenia, tunnels and mountains beautiful scenery. Overnight stop in Regensburg.
2023 Tracks
Heading out of Zagreb
Tunnels
Toll
Old EU signs
Border
Another Border
Tunnel
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Tunnel
Tunnel
Tunnel Toll
€10.50
Mountains
Castle
Mountains
Clouds
Tunnels
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Bridges
Detour around Roadworks
Backroads
Backroads
Food
Regensburg, Germany to Veghel, Nederland – a regular rest stop for my weary A.
Smart Car, capable of 150kph
Farms
Solar and Wind
Dark clouds
Blue skies
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Grapes
Take your pick
Frankfurt
Traffic jam
Traffic jam
Expensive
Truck park
Hoilday traffic
Nederland
Horses
Veghel to Hastings – part of my annual commute. Book your Tunnel Ticket from France to the UK a few days before your departure date as the price can double if you leave it too late. Started out in a drizzle which means I had to get fully dressed including my helmet before going out, luckily it only started after I had loaded my bike, not nice. Cleared up after an hour. Next the Antwerp nightmare, traffic backed up for 10 km and a sign said 38 min to the other side of the city but they now have a Bus and Taxi lane which I rode down and avoided the queue hahaha. Still slow going and more traffic around Ghent. Arrived at the Tunnel check-in and managed to get on an earlier train, boarding took ages with the new Brexit rules meaning that everyone has to get their passport stamped. I thought that was the end of my troubles but then just a couple of miles from the finish I got stuck at roadworks for 30 min hahaha.
Veghel Centrum
Heading out of Veghel in a drizzle
Antwerp traffic jam
Blue skies
The Tunnel Check-in
Boarding Pass
Passenger Terminal
Immigration queue twice, France and then UK
Crawl
Crawl
Scanners
Finally
Wait
Only 2 bikes
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English countryside
Last fill – Expensive
Rehydration therapy
Rehydration therapy
Rehydration therapy
Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur to Perth – Malaysian Airlines has one of the fastest journey times, one of my favourite airlines.
Cervignano to Zagreb – this time I took the freeway all the way rather than the back roads through Slovenia, too hot to dawdle. The Slovenia vignette is €8 for 7 days and I can use it on my way back in a few days. This stop was to visit friends which meant eating and drinking large quantities, it is a Croatian tradition and I always do my best to oblige the locals.
Misano to Torriana to Cervignano – late start from Misano so I stopped at Torriana for the night and continued on the next day. Freeway all the way, blue skies and 34c a bit warm in the sun with my jacket on.
Fraforeano to Misano – freeway all the way and a very congested freeway it was. During the school holidays the whole coast is packed with people from all over Europe. I got around the traffic jams by riding down the emergency lane, one of the benefits of riding a motorcycle hahaha.
Heading out
Farmland
Tolls
???
Misano Motor Racing Circuit – I was invited by my Norwegian friends to join them at the circuit where they were participating in a Rehm Race Days meeting. The Lady of the house was riding her track bike a BMW S1000 RR with slicks. These race days are amazing and a great way to experience riding/racing on a MotoGP track.
Pfaffnau to Fraforeano – meant crossing the Alps from Switzerland into Italy, this is always a highlight. I never go through the tunnels, always over the top of the Alps, this time through the Gotthard Pass, beautiful views, winding roads and blue skies, motorcycling heaven. There is no toll for the Gotthard Tunnel, I noticed a long queue of traffic waiting to enter, it happens every year at this time.
Heading out
Mountains and Lakes
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Tunnels
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Enter Italy
Autostrada
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I spent a few days in this area looking around.
Portoguaro – a medieval town used by the Doges in Venice to get away from the humidity.
Chris's space 