Mount Elgon -Preparations

Four days full of experiences behind me. It’s a pity that I did not have a pen and paper to record the adventure on situ. Besides pen and paper I forgot to take many other things with me, like toilet paper or a mattress (just to mention few). That happens when you have to pack in a hurry and three people are waiting for you to get ready. Well, despite being the worst prepared trekking trip I ever heard of, I’ve made it to the peak of the 8th highest mountain in Africa. I have to thank few people for that. First of all Nandish, who made it possible in the first place, took me to Mbale and even came back to bring the tent I forgot in the car. Also I am very glad of company and help of Ben and Carrey (Scottish couple working in Oxford) whom I met in the Uganda Wildlife Authority office and who formed our little expedition with our guide Tom. Without you I would not have made it to the Wagagai, which is the highest of the caldera peaks of Mount Elgon. Naturally, thanks for Tom for showing the way & animals on it and for helping out with the tent.

So after lots of hustle with the food and packing we jumped to matatu (the minivan come taxi) and while sitting there with 10 other people, crowded as usual, I realize that I forgot to take the tent. Fortunately, we had not left the “station” yet and I jumped out the car before it took off, or tried to take off, as the engine did not start without people pushing the car and while that operation was underway N. came back to bring me the tent. So I made it to the same matatu with Ben and Carrie and we were on our way to Budadiri, where the Sassha trekking trail starts… and hell of a ride it was, roads were bad, engine was weak, fuel was supplied to it by a canister inside the passenger space, the fuel run out, we had a puncture and everytime the engine was stopped we had to push the car to get it going! but it was fun  and we made it to the Rose’s Last Resort, where beer tasted really good after the petroleum fumes and pushing. The service was really good, but came with a miscalculated price tag in the end, which I did not bother to complain at the time. The place itself is nothing fancy, but the atmosphere was great with expectation of a great trekking trip and late arrival of three danes (Nina, Lisa, Sina). The girls were having a break from voluntary work in an orphanage in Kampala and were going to take the same four-day route.

When shopping for some vegetable and fruit, me, Ben and Carrey were cursed by some local shamanistic lunatic, who followed us after being chased away by rock and stick holding shop owner. Maybe the curse worked only on me, as I definitely had my share of misfortunes on the trip…