{"id":5284,"date":"2023-07-20T08:20:34","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T08:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zoa.com\/2023\/?p=5284"},"modified":"2023-08-14T17:53:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T17:53:56","slug":"drc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoa.com\/2023\/travel\/drc\/","title":{"rendered":"Congo (DRC)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Please sit down with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and let me entertain you with a long<\/em> story of how I spent three weeks crossing the heart of Africa, from Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Although this wasn’t an easy trip, I experienced some of the most scenic parts of equatorial Africa, saw lots of birds and met hospitable, friendly people all along the way. I traveled mostly by bus and boat. To be precise, I used ten buses, vans, cars and motorcycles; seven ferries, motorboats and canoes; and one airplane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I’d expected equatorial Africa to be hot and steamy, it was pleasantly cool and dry because summer is the dry season in between central Africa’s two wet seasons, and I was above 1500 meters elevation most of the time. Climate change doesn’t seem to have come to central Africa … yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A beach bar in Entebbe next to Lake Victoria<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The daily ferry from Entebbe to the Ssese Islands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I started my journey in Entebbe, crossing the north end of Lake Victoria by ferry. Lake Victoria is the third largest lake in the world, after the Caspian Sea and Lake Superior. The Ssese islands are a small archipelago in the northwest corner of the lake inhabited by fishermen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bugala Island, the largest of the Ssese Islands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At certain times of the year, Lake Victoria can be stormy. Strong winds create high enough waves to enable people to surf along the sandy coasts. On the day of my crossing, the lake was as smooth as …. well … a lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I spent three nights on this island. Here’s my beach bungalow at the Mirembe Resort Beach Hotel<\/a> and the view from my doorstep. This island is unknown to western tourists. The Ssese Islands are where Ugandans living in Kampala come for their weekend getaways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fishing is the main employment and source of income in the Ssese Islands. When the weather is rough, the fishermen drink and play Parcheesi. In their spare time, they do other things that aren’t good for their health. 30% of the population of these islands is HIV positive, compared to 6% nationally. Local health officials explained to me that these islands have four systemic problems: The fishermen have a lot of free time. They’re homeless, so they sleep in different beds every night. They make lots of money compared to the rest of the islanders.. Because of the islands’ isolation, they tend to be forgotten by Uganda’s national health services and the international NGOs. The HIV clinic on Bugala Island<\/a> is looking for volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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