Gangster Rap Thursday on the Overland Truck from Rowan on Vimeo.

This video was shot on the overland safari truck that Lila and I were on by two amazing South African filmmakers (and all around superb dudes), Rowan & Misha, who we were fortunate enough to spend some time with in Africa. My only regret was not being there to be part of the shoot. Patrick and Jordy, the two main pimps in the vid, are total rockstars. We miss the ATC crew!

Click here to see more of Rowan’s work.

Lila dances with the kids at an orphanage - Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda

We just uploaded a bunch of new videos to our Flickr site. Click here to view them.

Lila has been asking me to get this video of our wedding band on the site since we departed Lamu. We finally have a great Internet connection in Cairo (gotta love high end hotels:).

When we exited the Lamu House hotel to board the dhow that would take us to the beach for our ceremony this is what we were greeted with. We had no idea that there would even be a band or that they would be accompanying us on the boat or the beach for the ceremony. They were simply amazing. Enjoy!

Pretty self-explanatory

After a night at camp along the shore of the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria, once thought to be the source of the Nile, we set out for the border of Uganda, excited by the idea that we would be sitting amongst the Mountain Gorilla in just a few days time. Perhaps most well known to westerners as the country once terrorized by the megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin, Uganda is still recovering from years of corruption, neglect, and down right horror. To me, however, Uganda seems like a country on the comeback with natural beauty abounding and a generosity of spirit in the people of the country that seems like the result of a nation trying to reinvent itself. In fact, it turned out to be my favorite of the three East African countries that we were to visit.

Colorful locals

As we crossed over the border from Kenya, almost immediately we noticed the change in the landscape. The dry plains of the Rift Valley gave way to rolling hills, the occasional volcanic peak, and endless green fields of papyrus, banana trees, and tall flowing stalks of sugarcane. Cash crops once accounted for a good portion of Uganda’s GNP, but now many of the farmers have reverted back to sustenance farming - growing maize, sweet potatoes, and other crops that go straight to the dinner table. The country side was beautiful and it made for an interesting trip. Every once in a while the fields would give way to small communities made up of adobe huts and brightly painted shops (brightly painted with the colors and logos of a multitude of mobile companies, but we’ll leave this for another time) - fruit stalls, furniture dealers, metal works, and auto mechanics, and a colorful array of locals idly standing by the roadside chatting unable to do much in the sweltering afternoon heat.

Little pink houses for you and me (courtesy of Zain Mobile)

That afternoon we stocked up on supplies in Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city, and rolled into the Red Chili Hideaway just before sunset. Like many of the safari camps that we would visit, the RCH catered to western sensibilities with a pub, television, and the Internet. Somehow staying at these camps seems to take away the sense of really seeing some of the “real” Africa, but being that one of the safari companies first priorities is the safety of their clientele, you can’t really blame them. Much of Africa is still wild and lawless. Knowing this, however, you can’t help but yearn to stop every now and then in a local market in a town in the middle of nowhere to mingle with the people in places that are otherwise untouched by tourism.

Bicycle taxis, Kampala

The following day started with another big drive, but when we eventually arrived at Lake Bunyonyi, what would be our base camp before our gorilla trek, it was well worth it. This crater lake, at 900m, is the second deepest in Africa. The water is clean and blue, and after days of dust and sweat a welcome relief for our crew. The following day we took a canoe ride around the lake with a local guide. Gliding past small lush islands enjoying the cool mountain breeze off the lake was a tranquil respite after several days of bumpy African roads and roasting heat. Punishment Island is perhaps the most infamous island on the lake. Up until the 1960s a young unwed girl found to be pregnant was brought to the island, abandoned, and left to die. If she was one of the lucky ones, a local farmer, not wealthy enough to afford a bridal dowry, might rescue her from the island and claim her as his wife. Africa, still full of tribal life, lore, and customs, allows for many interesting and often disturbing stories like this one. Don’t even get me started on the subject of the circumcision rituals of some of the tribes:(

Lake Bunyonyi

Aside from some relaxing time on and in the lake, frolicking (yes frolicking) with our new companions, Lila and I visited a local village and its school and orphanage. Most of the children at the orphanage had lost their parents to HIV and/or Aids, still devastating diseases in much of Africa. The children were amazing. Shy at first, but their beautiful smiles broke down the barriers between us and soon they reached for our hands and climbed on our shoulders accompanying us around the village walk giggling and chattering all the way. At the end of our walk the children organized into a group and put on a performance for us of traditional songs and dances, pulling Lila into the circle to join the fun. I, of course, hid behind the camera enjoying the festivities from afar. This day will remain as one of the highlights of our trip.

Lila gets a dance lesson

Day three and it was finally gorilla trekking time. We awoke before dawn, Lila having not slept much due to her King Kong phobia brought on by her brothers as a young girl (sorry Matt and Jake, but that’s what she told me). We were met at the camp gate by a local driver who took us by van to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, made famous by biologist Diane Fossey (Gorillas in the Mist), where our trek would begin. When we arrived at our destination a group of professional trekkers were sent to find out where the gorillas would be for the day. By following their trail starting at the place they had camped down the prior evening the trekkers are able to determine where the gorillas will be during the day with a very small margin of error. Gorillas are nomadic so they rarely stay in one place for long. In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park there are over thirty documented families of gorilla who call this forest home, but only seven families that are habituated to human beings. Today we would set out to find the “Red Family”.

Some call him Big Poppa

Three long hours of traversing steep muddy cliff sides through ungroomed bush, tromping across foot deep marshes, fighting the safari ants crawling up our pant legs, and yes biting us, and a few wasp stings later (thanks Katie for hitting the nest first and sparing us the pain), and we finally came across our first silverback sitting serenely like a giant Buddha against the steep hillside munching on a handful of fresh green leaves. As he calmly looked at us with his soulful eyes and slumbered away up the incline I realized how gentle a creature the gorilla was and how much he really was like us - all 400 pounds of him. At that moment our guide alerted us that the rest of the family was at rest on the slope immediately below. We rounded the corner and were greeted by a juvenile hanging Tarzan like from a vine 20 feet up. He eyed us and just to show off dropped to the ground below, pounding his chest in his best King Kong impression, and joined his 300 pound mother relaxing in the soft leaf covering. We found a comfortable spot ourselves amongst the hillside foliage, not more than 30 feet from the action, and Lila, Katie, Sam, our guides and I settled in to enjoy the show. The family totaled nine. One large dominant silverback, two Moms, two juveniles, a baby, a black back (adolescent male), and two more silverbacks that we heard but never actually saw.

A loving family

The hour spent with the gorillas was unbelievable. At one point we couldn’t have been farther than 10 feet from the silveback and blackback as they wrestled in the forest bed just to the right of us. Eyeing us watchfully, but never bothered by our presence. If trekking wild gorilla sounds intrusive, and I have to admit I thought so at first myself, with less than 700 Mountain Gorillas left in the world, and not enough forest to support more, eco-tourism pays entirely for the protection of these amazing creatures and their forest. This, in fact, turns out to be true for most of the animal parks in Africa.

Our hour was up, so we headed back, taking a two hour shortcut that would take us through more swamp, more wasps, and up a 70 degree grade that made our calves burn far worse than the ant bites, but in my euphoric state I really didn’t mind the pain. Once back at the ranger station I bought Lila a miniature hand-carved gorilla figurine as a reward for overcoming her fear that she now carries with her wherever we go to remind her of this amazing day.

Welcome to the jungle

Click here to view Uganda photos. I would say “our” photos, however, we lost our camera shortly before entering Uganda so these photos are courtesy of all our new friends on the ATC truck - Sam, Katie, Simon & Caroline - you guys are wicked!

The rest of our Kenya photos are here.

Our thoughts on Tanzania and Zanzibar still to come…