We haven’t had much opportunity to venture beyond Jinja at weekends as it takes quite a while to get anywhere unless travelling by car.  However, last weekend we decided to head for Sipi Falls, which is about 200Km from here.

We went to the taxi park in the centre of Jinja to start the first leg of our journey.  Rather confusingly, a Ugandan taxi is roughly equivalent to an English bus but actually only the size of a minibus whereas a taxi as we would know it is called a special hire.  The advantage of starting from the taxi park is that you are guaranteed a seat but it also means that you have to wait until the taxi has completely filled before it will leave.  On this occasion we were the first to board. The Jinja taxi park is not as vast as the one in Kampala but there was still plenty to entertain us as we sat waiting to depart.  There were numerous sellers all converging on the bus with a vast array of goods.  I bought a rather nice little watch for 12,000 Ugandan shillings (less than £3) as the battery needs replacing in my original one.  The other advantage of being early is that you can position yourself in the taxi so that you don’t have to keep moving to allow other people off. After about half an hour or so, we were finally ready to leave.

We made up various games to amuse ourselves on the journey.  The first involved guessing the ‘load’ on the next passing boda. So one of us might propose three people including the driver, the other just the driver and a load.  A point was awarded to the person whose boda was first sighted and the first to ten points was the winner.  The other games were variations on a theme featuring either animals or commodities being sold at roadside shops and stalls. In the case of the latter, mangoes and charcoal were the firm favourites.  The taxi travelled northeast through the pleasant plains of Eastern Uganda and we spotted our first rice fields. We were fortunate to be on an excellent quality road with very few stops along the way and so we reached Mbale within about two and a half hours.

Mbale is a ‘city’ very reminiscent of Jinja, although perhaps a little less ramshackle. It is pronounced Mmmbale rather than Murbale and both Chloe and I have had our pronunciation corrected.  As we approached the city we observed a dramatic change in the surrounding landscape with the Wanale Cliffs, a spur of Mount Elgon, dominating the eastern skyline. It was very hot and it took us a while to find somewhere to eat but it wasn’t too long before we were ready to seek out our next taxi.   This didn’t really prove necessary as we were more or less accosted by a conductor asking us if we wanted to go to Sipi and he then escorted us to his taxi.  Again we were the first to board.  This time it was rather more tedious as the taxi circled one roundabout about six time and meandered about the place whilst the conductor tried to persuade others to join us.  After what seemed an inordinate amount of time, we were on our way again. 

I was slightly perturbed when I heard a special hire driver call out that the bus wasn’t going to Sipi and a very friendly female passenger seemed dubious about it too.  However, the conductor assured us that we would get to Sipi for our Sh. 10,000.  Some time later we arrived at an unspecified location and were all told to leave the bus.  The conductor then directed Chloe and I to the back seat of an empty car.  It became obvious that further payment was required. Several other passengers squeezed in, who didn’t seem to be paying, and one of them assured us that we had already given sufficient money.  When we refused to pay it was proposed that we take bodas instead, although these also required payment.  At this point we had a rather heated discussion and our sit in began.  In the meantime the driver returned with a large load for the boot and we were dubious whether the car would even make it up the hill with the heavy goods, six passengers and a driver.  By now the conductor and taxi had disappeared but the cheerful driver jumped in the car and we set off without further mention of money.  We managed to wind our way up the foothills of Mount Elgon despite the weight and state of the car, stopping from time to time to unload or pick up goods and passengers.  On reflection, I do not think that taxis ever go as far as Sipi.  I can only assume that the conductors make arrangements with local drivers, the cost being incorporated into the initial taxi fare.

There are about four or five places to stay in Sipi and we thought it wise to leave the car as soon as we saw a sign for either of the two moderately priced ones. No more mention was made of money as we alighted at the sign for the Crow’s Nest, and the driver gave us a cheery wave as we thanked him and went on our way.  We were immediately greeted by Simon and led the short distance to the reception area.  

The Crow’s Nest is perched on the side of a hill at an altitude of about 1750m.  The very simple accommodation includes a series of terraced log cabins and our room was right at the top with a back door leading to a separate toilet and shower room just across the way.  However, its main attraction is the fabulous view that it affords of Sipi Falls.  For once we didn’t find ourselves dining alone as there were a number of other people in residence. However, the low energy bulbs in both the communal area and our room were so ineffectual, that we were tucked up in bed shortly after nine o’clock! 

Sipi Falls is actually a series of three waterfalls.  Guides are available for a range of different tours of the area, and they are fairly essential not just for navigation but also for paying the necessary access fees to local landowners. Simon is one of the official guides used by the Crow’s Nest and we had arranged for him to meet us at 8am.  He proved to be very punctual and arrived at the same time as our breakfast, which had been preordered for 7am to ensure that we would be ready for him!

The weather conditions proved perfect for walking with white cloud reducing the heat of the sun.  We crossed large areas of pleasant farmland containing a range of crops including maize, runner beans, onions, bananas and potatoes on our reasonably gentle ascent to the smallest waterfall. In addition, we saw the prized Arabica coffee beans.  We paused to chat to a couple of men constructing the roof of a house out of banana fibres, which can apparently last for a year or two. Our route back down took us to a beautiful spot that could almost be mistaken for Dartmoor.  The water was sufficiently deep for swimming but even Chloe restricted herself to paddling as it was so cold. It was then on to the second waterfall where we could stand right behind the base of the fall and hear its mighty roar.

The walk culminated in the descent to the foot of the main waterfall, which has a drop of nearly 100m.  At this point the terrain became much more challenging. Here the guides routinely employ young lads to lead the hikers by the hand and we were very ably and genially supported by Victor, David and Peter.  I was most grateful for their help whilst negotiating the slippery descent. At one point, we had to negotiate unaided a very long wooden ladder with a significant drop below one section of it and I rather liked the challenge. Having enjoyed the awe-inspiring waterfall and surrounding view we had to return by the same route.  Both Chloe and I needed to rest from time to time as we made our way back up the gruelling ascent. It was a great four-hour trip with Simon proving an excellent guide.

As we walked back through the village, a rather gorgeous dog joined us.  He refused to leave our side even when chased by a couple of other dogs whilst crossing their territory.  I had already been asking myself the question whether dogs might be able to differentiate between white people and the local population on the basis that they are more likely to receive a positive reception from the former.  Simon must have read my mind as he explained that this particular dog always seeks out white people to befriend and is actually owned by an American/Ugandan couple. 

Simon arranged a special hire to take us back to Mbale for a very reasonable rate so ensuring a smooth journey home. A Belgian man, who was also on his way to Jinja, joined us.  Once again we were the first to board the taxi.  However, we were very much entertained by people in the taxi park, who seemed very happy just to talk to us even though some had wares to sell.  In particular, we chatted to an old man and then an old lady, the former asking various questions about the United Kingdom but also displaying an amazing level of general knowledge.

You may wonder why there has been no mention of Kibibi. We wisely took the decision to leave her with an American dog minder who has many canines in her care.  Kibibi had already spent the odd day there when Chloe hadn’t been able to take her to work and she would generally come home exhausted after a lot of boisterous play.  It is fair to say that we both had puppy-withdrawal symptoms over the weekend.  Kibibi now walks very nicely on her lead and will sit and lie down on command if the mood takes her or if she thinks that she will get a treat.  She loves meeting new people and playing with the neighbour’s cat as well as one particular security guard. She will chew everything in sight and, unfortunately managed to bite her way right through my sandal strap. The large grass area surrounding our apartment is strewn with rubbish of all kinds, which she avidly eats, and she has earned herself the nickname Kibibi mango.  Our main concern lies in the fact that her tummy can become quite bloated and we are keeping a close eye on it.  There is nothing nicer than being enthusiastically greeted by a very excited, talkative puppy after a day’s work.