We awoke for our final morning at Ngoto Island - if one is willing to look beyond loos that don’t flush unless the cistern is manually filled and cold showers (and a very loud dorm of eight for the 18-24 year old boys/men), we had a fantastic time there.
With most packing done the evening before, we had time to say goodbye to the lovely staff who had been feeding us for the week. We also bade a final farewell to Moses and the team from Kinkiizi Diocese.
Surprisingly, we departed pretty much on time and headed - in true Top Gear style - in convoy into the Queen Elizabeth National Park, a foreign office yellow zone (meaning you should only travel if absolutely essential).
As with all things in life, there are pros and cons. So while the terrorist threat was heightened, we did get to see some amazing animals, including elephants, hippos and water buffalo. We also crossed the equator for a second time this trip (going from south to north) and if I’m being totally honest, the novelty wares off pretty quickly once you’ve done it before.
We were only able to stop off at official information centres/rest points that had armed guards while we went through the park. The reason I mention this is that one of these was opened by Prince Phillip in 2007. We read that he was sent there to avoid any making any gaffes while the Queen attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kampala.
After driving through Kasese, where several MPox cases have been confirmed recently (don’t worry, we didn’t leave the van), we arrived in Fort Portal and the Mountains of the Moon Hotel.
There was great excitement, as even by British standards, the place was pretty nice. We made the most of the luxury facilities, with many enjoying a sauna session, although unfortunately the pool was closed as it had just been treated.
Having all abstained from alcohol for the trip, James declared that the first round at the bar (which reminded me somewhat of an American sports bar) would be on him.
After a couple of drinks we enjoyed our first taste of ‘western’ food for nearly two weeks, with shepherds pie and steak on the menu. After the repetitiveness of Ugandan food, this was like nectar.
Supper done and back to the bar, where we were able to take control of the fairly large speakers. Will displayed some questionable DJ-ing skills, but a great time was had by all the ‘young people’ nonetheless. With an early start the next day, the bar was empty by 11:30pm, with the prediction of several sore heads…