The trip from Cheptebo to The Ugandan Border - 25th Nov

Today John, Mary and I would be parting company. We would leave Cheptebo and drive through Eldoret and from there to the Ugnadan border at Malaba. I would get out there and cross the border whilst they continued their own journey to Kitale.

Samuel said to the border was only 4 hours, and then to Kitale another 2 hours. For me the journey to Mbale in Uganda would be about the same.

John and Mary had told me several times that the views from viewpoints in the valley were spectacular. They told me we would drive high up the mountain side on the edge of the Kerio valley and be able to look back down the valley.

There was torrential rain throughout the night and the morning broke dry with low cloud, mist and cool. If the sun was going to burn the cloud off it was going to take some hours.

We left Cheptebo and 8.30 and started the drive up, and up and up the mountain side. Instead of the view opening up before us it closed in as we got closer and closer to the cloud base, eventually entering the cloud and driving along in mist/fog for several kilometres. The road was so steep that broken down trucks were at regular intervals. A couple with sheared prop shafts lying on the road. They would not be going anywhere in a hurry. Another truck was having its whole front axle/transmission replaced at the roadside. That is what I call roadside service.

We got to Eldoret about 12.30 and, as it was a large town, stopped to do some shopping and a comfort break. The Nakumat supermarket was vast, an air conditioned store on two floors containing everything you could want. This was such a contrast to the street market and traders just outside the door.

Samuel then said only 2 hours to the border - wrong, it took another four hours. The road is the main transport route for trucks into Uganda and other African countries. The roads were bad and as we got closer to the border they became atrocious.

The trucks are so heavy that they had created HUGE ruts in the tarmac, so deep that a car driving in the ruts was in serious danger of grounding and taking the exhaust or sump off. The bad thing was that if you got the car wheels in the rut it was like driving in tram lines. Samuel did a great job of keeping the car clear of the ruts by driving most of the time on the opposite side of the road. This side was very good as the trucks heading back to Mombasa were empty and therefore the road damage was sleight.

We got to the border just after 2pm, 6 hours after leaving Cheptebo.

I said good bye to John and Mary and headed off to the border helped by David and Samuel. I was (quite) quickly released from Kenya then a 500 metre walk across 'No Man's Land' to the Ugandan customs. As I left the customs shed I heard a voice from behind shout 'Dave' and there was Charles waiting for me, he and Gertrude had left Kampala at 5am to be at the border for our planned 12 meeting. They had been waiting since 11am. OOPS.

Then the immigration to get my Visa. After a long wait and paying 40 pounds I had my visa and was officially in Uganda. We said Goodbye to David and Samuel and off to the car and quickly on the way.

David and Samuel headed back into Kenya and continued their journey to Kitale. They arrived at Kitale at 6pm, 10 hours on the road. They were safe but tired (exhausted).

I think we will think again in the future before doing this kind of single trip in a day.

Charles, Gertrude and I headed off to Torroro where I could get some money changed and get the car filled with fuel. Gertrude was also meeting her daughter, Damiel, who works as a doctor in Torrorro and the two of them had planned to travel back down to Kampala today from Mbale via public bus.

At Torroro the bank would not change any of the sterling notes I had and my Nationwide visa card was rejected by the ATM, despite having worked in Kenya....Gulp. I resorted to using my credit card to get money, a very expensive way of doing it, but needs must. Hopefully things will be better in Mbale.

We headed for Mbale, the road was better and worse. There were no ruts in the road, but the ruts had been replaced with pot holes. Charles spent the whole journey either weaving from side to side or driving down the dirt at the side of the road to miss the pot holes, some as big as bath tubs.

They say that the only driver in Uganda that drives in a straight line is a drunk driver.

Half way to Mbale the rain started again and did not stop. The pot holes were worse as you either could not see them as the road was flooded, or if you could see them they were full of water and you did not know how deep they were.

At Mbale we found the guesthouse I had booked over the internet. Gertrude and Damiel insisted on examining it for me and inspecting the room to make sure I would be safe. It got the seal of approval. They even asked to see the next best room, which turned out to be the 'Executive suite' which was only another 4pounds per night. You could have held a party in it, but what impressed them most was the bowl of complimentary fruit on the side board. Damiel said that the extra money was worth it just for the fruit.

It was now too late for Gertrude and Damiel to travel safely to Kampala so Charles would take them to find lodgings for the night.

Charles came back to the guest house to have dinner with me, as we had not eaten all day, then it was an early night.

Shattered, I needed a good night's sleep as I would be meeting Akol Lucas tomorrow to discuss the proposal he had made for help to Bees Abroad.