Barry, my travel agent, had managed to score a first class seat for me between Sydney and Johannesburg (J’Burg) and return, so it was only the trip between J’Burg and Kampala that I was confined to cattle class, which for 5 hours is fine with me.
trip 1
25th January Sydney – Mauritius
29th January Mauritius – Johannesburg
1st February, Johannesburg – Kampala
12th February, Kampala – Cape Town
19th February, Cape Town Mauritius
25th February, Mauritius Sydney
Don't ask me why there is an imposing bust of comrad Lenin in a suburban park of Port Luis in Mauritius. But there were fresh cut flowers on it, he might have had some relos here.
For the first stop over (3 days) I had not really planned anything like holiday since we had just started a survey and there was plenty for me to do. So Moevenpick resort was not really of great holiday value to me, but offered a quite acceptable working environment.
Since the clientele in this establishment seemed to be largely recruited by Neckerman (or what was once Neckerman Reisen) Duesseldorf and Dueren were significantly over represented, compared to Durban or Dublin.
The pleasant upshot of that was, that they offered quite nice bread rolls for dinner and breakfast and cheese and cold meat were plentiful on the breakfast menu.
After 3 days I was whisked back to the airport for my flight to J’Burg.
This tends to be a short stop over destination for me, where I have my standard hotel in Sandton, one of the many suburbs of J’Burg (and an upper class one at that) The good thing really is, that my hotel is only a short walk away from the Nelson Mandela Plaza where there is a huge shopping centre as well as a big open space (Plaza) surrounded by lots of different restaurants. That gives you a good choice between Italian, Thai, Greek, African cuisine, and other culinary destinations. And since these types of shopping centres are often the nucleus of public life, they also incorporate a lot of the social activity which the good burgers of J’Burg might like to engage in. So it’s usually a lively atmosphere.
On the 1st of February it was time for me again to pack my bags and get to the airport for my trip to Kampala. Due to the fact that a new administrative company had taken over the airport, a few things were still a bit on the slow side, in particular as far as luggage handling etc is concerned. That delayed the flight a bit, but J’Burg airport is pleasant enough to spend a few hours in ‘airport mode’ there. And I still had to buy a few mobile phones for some of my boys in Kampala. So shopping was on the cards. It is also – before Kampala – the last opportunity for me to buy Mc Baren Mixture, my pipe tobacco. And of course a few gigantic blocks of Toblerone which go down a treat with my boys in Kampala (they never buy any chocolate, it’s a real luxury for them)
This time around my plans for Kampala were more focused on preparing my next visit and that of 8 of my overseas friends for my 60th birthday party. Mum had asked that we visit the grave of her son Geoffrey who died in 2004 in a motor cycle accident and is buried a fair way outside Kampala, resting under the watchful eyes of grandma,
the clan elder who is responsible – amongst other things – for the graves of the clan. And there were some administrative things to sort out. And last but not least, there was a very sick computer which needed a lot of TLC (tender loving care) to be de-bugged and equipped with new defence mechanisms against the ravages of the cyber world.
Hence I spent the first few days collecting some proposals for the 3-4 day safari in May and also tried to sort out the restaurant for our birthday dinner. And the Sydney Hotel
(yes such thing exists in Kampala) needed to be checked out as it was destined to serve as accommodation for my overseas visitors in May. It has the big advantage to be located just around the corner from Masaka Road (where our house is) and since it is an African hotel their prices are seriously below those which one would expect to pay in places like the Sheraton etc. And it provides, what a traveller needs, a decent bed, a small bathroom with toilette and shower and is very clean. And for that kind of service you pay just $25.00 the night, instead of $250.00 for a room in any of the international hotels.
I got myself three different quotes from 3 travel agents and decided for Rachel and her “Let’s go Safari” Her proposal came on time, at a reasonable price and with the kind of detail which one would like to see when making a booking like that for 10 people. A brief check of the various lodges which Rachel suggested, made me finally decide on Mihingo Lodge at Lake Mburo (1 night)
and Buhoma Lodge in Bwindi for 2 nights. Both choices proved to be excellent.
It was then that I became aware of the permit system which governs the visits to the Mountain Gorillas and I was just in time to snap up the last 10 permits in two groups which were available for the time I had in mind. Those permits are the most expensive single item in the whole 4 day trip at US$500.00 per person. About the same amount needs to be spent on 3 nights accommodation, 2 four wheel drives with driver for transport, all meals and any other charges applicable. And whilst US$950 might sound expensive for 4 days, it is more than worth it and offers a lifetime experience which all my guest and Moses and I enjoyed tremendously in late May.
For the visit in the bush at grandmas we packed some picnic lunch and it turned out to be a very pleasant daytrip into the middle of the bush, worlds removed from the huzzle and buzzle of Kampala.
I can’t talk with Grandma since she does not speak English. But her interaction with her daughter (Mum) and the boys as very lively and interesting to observe. Johnny played a trick on her by suggesting that I will stay over night with her in the village. She looked at me and asked: “what does he eat” to which Johnny answered truthfully with ….some cheese and bread, and for dinner he likes white wine…. Grandmas’ response was swift and clear: “Take him with you, we don’t have this ort of things”!
Grandma, though, likes the occasional beer. However, so that it does not look like beer, she tends to fill the beer bottle into a water bottle and drinks it from this less conspicuous looking container!
After 11 busy and happy days in Kampala I made my way to Cape Town. Checked in at the Ocean Tide in Sea Point. I even hired a car which I took over at the airport to drive myself to C’Town. The little car was then to be rested for a few days since my clients thought it to be fun to provide me with lots of work for those days. (see above)
But even the most serious clients can’t stop me from taking the occasional tour, whether it is down Chapman Drive to the Cape of Good Hope, the wine country or some of the surrounding areas around Table Mountain, Signal Hill etc.
These areas are the obvious attraction in C’Town apart from Waterfront, where you can indulge in shopping and wining and dining.
And then there was the little bar, not far from my apartment on the waterfront and with wonderful view of the Ocean, where I became a regular every night after dinner (which I made myself in the apartment) Got to know a few people there, sat outside in the little beer garden and enjoyed a nice glass of wine and a pipe.
That makes even working during holidays a bit more tolerable. However, all those wonderful suggestions which the 6PC members had made for my 7 day visit still have to wait for a next time, some time in the future, maybe in 2009, who knows.
On the 19th of February it was time again to pack the oyster into the car and drive myself to the airport for my flight to Mauritius, via J’Burg. Last opportunity for pipe tobacco duty free (and dirt cheap, compared to what I have to shell out in Sydney for a pack). Some 8 hours later I landed again in Port Luis
and this time took over a little tinny car which served as my transport for some excursions on the island.
Mauritius 21st February, 2008
letter to a friend
…..Yesterday when I responded to your e-mail, my sitting position was not really conducive to longer writings. I have to take the lap top into the lobby because the WiFi network does not work in the room. (how useful is that!) But at least it works in the lobby which is easier than carrying around a memo stick which then is not recognised by the computer under normal guest login but needs the administrator to log in. (as it happened in my first hotel here)
Funny thing was, when I was sitting there, receiving and sending e-mails, a mildly sleazy Brit set opposite making Skype calls to the UK speaking with some Insurance companies and ensured his partner on the phone with booming voice that he was calling from a ship in the middle of the Indian Ocean!! You would be surprised how much money can be shifted from one account to the other via Skype and from the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Arrived here on Tuesday night and suddenly realised that I had to drive my rented car some 60 km across the Island in the darkness of night. However, I made it remarkably well and only missed one turn off, which was easily corrected. The car is a tiny shoebox on wheels and I have yet to find out, who built it. I suspect the Koreans are responsible for it.
The Maritime Hotel could aptly be named the Maritime Museum, as the predominantly German guests have, at a rate of 90%, already reached pensioners age. At close to 60 I am spring chicken here. Well, all is relative.
The animateurs are regularly hunting me down in order to inform me about the wanders of the water world activities and are regularly disappointed when I tell them that I sit in my room all day working or take my own car and drive around the island. The latter I am yet to do.
I had to smile about your comment about mobile reception in Jenolan caves. No my dear, in the cave, you won’t have reception at all. They were not built with mobile communication in mind. But I would say, outside you might not have too much of a problem. Remember, the worldly metropolis of Lithgow is not very far…….After a few days work and a few days of excursions and exploration of Mauritius I arrived back in Sydney and ultimately Green Point on the 20th of February.
