Update : 28.02.2006
Place : Kibuye/Rwanda
Day : 136
Distance traveled : 18,004km

Last I was at the airport going back to my car in a somber mood after seeing Buket and Alican off at 5:00am on the morning of January 27th, feeling the gloom of loneliness. At times like this, the best remedy for me is to sleep. I am planning to return to the hotel and sleep till 9:00am.

Leaving the airport, the gate on the exit side was closed. I stopped in front of the barrier and honked my horn. A soldier came out, first approached to right window. When he realized there was no steering wheel there he saw me sitting on the left and walked around the front to the left side. Inside I say "I don't have the energy to deal with this, just skip the interrogation and let me go." I rolled down the window. He asked me why I hadn't stopped when I was driving in. I told him that I saw the gate open, still slowed down by the sentry box, and when I saw no one I simply drove on. He didn't like my response. He opened the gate; told me to pull over to the side a little further down, get out of the car and follow him. Great! At that moment I was tempted to gun it; while they take their time figuring out my license plate with traditional Ugandan slowness combined with the morning grogginess, I would be already out of sight and I am sure they would forget about it. But the voice of my conscience protested against this thought and I did as I was told. He pointed to the sign at the entrance, the one that has a huge "Stop!" written on it.

- Can you read what the sign says?
He said.
- Yes.
I said,
- ... It says "Stop!"
- So why didn't you stop then?
- Because the gate was open and I didn't see anyone around.
- We put this sign up here so people would stop.
- How about the barrier then? Shouldn't you have the gate closed if you want the people to stop?
- We keep it open because it saves us from opening then closing all the time.
- How could I have possibly known this? There was a barrier here and the gate was open. When I didn't see anyone around, I didn't think I needed to stop. And there wasn't anyone standing outside either.

Anyway, as our conversation went on in this manner two more soldiers stepped outside with a mocking expression on their faces. I suppose I am in the position of a cockroach. I keep telling myself not to act on impulse but after a while I have had enough. I was already not in the best of spirits and this situation wasn't helping. I lashed out, "Ok then, I got it, I am in the wrong. What now? Fine? Jail? Don't play with me at this hour of the morning. Do whatever it is that you need to do." One of them said, "We will go to the command post, the commander will decide on the fine". "Alright then, let's go. But I will have to tell your commander that the barrier was open." Whoa! Now you are being a spoilsport. Why did you have to say that? The mocking expression on their faces turned into a serious one. The one who ordered me out of the car said, "The fine will be very high." It was my turn though, "That's fine" I said, "Whatever it is, I accept the consequences". They mumbled "We didn't intend to punish you" or something to that effect, to which I responded, "Ok then, excuse me for this time and let me go. Next time I promise I will stop." "Look if you don't stop you will be penalized." "Alright" I said. There is no way I will be back. I drove away cursing and grumbling.

That day after breakfast I checked into the Golf View Hotel where I would be spending the next few days. I write the name of the hotel in my update more often than I normally would, because I want it to be etched into the memory of the readers. In the evening, I went downtown; checked my e-mails in an internet café, and then had dinner. It was the night of power cut so it was pitch black everywhere. I went to bed relatively early. The next morning, worked on my updates in the garden after breakfast. I needed a break in the afternoon, so I decided to visit the Wildlife Education Centre praised in the guide book. What happened next, I won't repeat since I have already written about it all in the "buffer update" where I basically gave you the bad news.

What followed after the theft of my camera bag, laptop and wallet was a complete nightmare. I could not, for the life of me, convince the hotel management, reception and staff to call the police and get them to come over. I called the police station many times myself which didn't work either. The guy who answered the phone kept asking me the same questions each time I called, as if he was hearing about the incident for the first time although more than likely it was the same person. It was driving me mad.

I get the hotel staff to call the hotel manager from his mobile phone and ask where he is. "I am at the police station" he says. Then I get them to call the police station to ask if he is there and they say he isn't. We call the manager again and he says he just left the station. I ask if he is heading back to the hotel, they tell me he is. Hours pass no one appears. From 20:30 when I found out that I was robbed, till 23:30, I tried to get someone to do something about it, to no avail. At the end I realized my efforts were in vain; I took a Xanax tablet which I was keeping for times like these, and hit the sack. I slept through the night. After a good night's sleep I woke up with energy. Took my shower, shaved and had my breakfast. I told the German father - daughter whose room was burglarized along with mine, that the best thing to do was for us to go to the police station ourselves. They were in the same opinion. The day went by as we went to the police station; tried to get the people there to actually move and do something; gave our statements; got the official report written; brought a detective back to the hotel; instructed the detective on how to do the police work; argued with the hotel management that they should pay the required fees for the police report. In the meantime, I had my own argument with the manager as well but despite all these and the advice from the chief of police, hotel management remained complacent and nonchalant at which point I was really close to losing it. In the meantime I did some thinking: Should I continue after replacing all that was stolen or should I put an end to it here? I mentioned previously; I wasn't backing out because of fear, anxiety and uneasiness. After this second burglary I felt I had enough. I was tired of having to go through the same things again. And I had no enthusiasm left in me for the rest of the trip. I was sick of it, for lack of a better term. Because of the depressive mood I found myself in, I wasn't in a position to make a healthy decision. As long as I stayed there, nothing was going to change. If I were going to replace all that was stolen, it had to be done in Istanbul; it wouldn't be possible to find any of it in Uganda. Getting someone to buy and send them over to me would take a long time and possibly present problems at the customs. On top of it all, any extra time I spend in Uganda would mean spending more money. Taking all these into consideration I decided to return to Istanbul, spend a few days getting over the incident. I would then make up my mind and follow through with my decision. On Monday night we went to the airport to see off the Germans and buy myself a return ticket to Istanbul. Did I say there was no way I would ever go back to that airport again?

Meanwhile the day after the burglary, on Sunday, I sent an e-mail to the Turkish girl whose web address was previously sent to me by a friend of mine, claiming that she lives in Uganda. I got a reply soon after and she included her mobile phone number in her e-mail. I found out later that Meltem, the Turkish girl who is living in Uganda made it to the headlines of the newspapers as "The Girl Who Sold Her Ferrari and Went to Uganda". I never heard of it, naturally, if I continue being selective on which newspaper I read I will never know about what's going on in the world. Anyways, remembering the dictum "There is no friend to a Turk but a Turk" and called her, assuming that if there was a Turkish community in Uganda Meltem would know them. Sure enough, my problem in Khartoum was solved by the help of the Turkish community living there.

- Hello Miss Meltem! This is Ali, the one doing Turafrika, the one who is traveling alone in his car…
- Oh hi, how are you?
- Not good.
- What's wrong?
- I was robbed.

This was the gist of our short conversation and Meltem said she would call me back after doing a little research on what can be done. That evening we had a few more phone conversations but not much of a progress. On Monday I tried my luck by calling the Turkish Embassy in Nairobi. Since we don't have an embassy in Uganda, Nairobi office is looking after this area. I think it was the first secretary, I spoke with Mr Utku. He said the embassy is unable to help in matters like this. True, it is a personal issue so I guess that's why. At the same time, during the ordeal in Khartoum Ali bey, our Ambassador at the time, thankfully, had shown great interest into the matter... In the afternoon my mobile phone rang. There was a Ugandan number on the screen that I haven't recognized. I answered the phone. "Good afternoon Ali bey. My name is Baris. I am sorry to hear about the incident. Adnan bey called me a little while ago and told me that our Ambassador, Vural bey contacted him and told him about the situation, asked him to extend any help he can. He will phone you soon but he asked me to call first." Wait a minute. Who is Baris? Who is Adnan bey? What is happening? Never mind. Shortly after Adnan bey called. He called again, and then again. A little later, our Turkish Ambassador to Nairobi Vural bey called. I was dazed and also spoilt by all the attention and these calls, I even forgot about the incident. Next day I packed up and went to Kampala. There was nothing else that could be done in Entebbe.

Now let me tell you a bit about the Turkish community.

Let's begin with Meltem. She has really sold her car, never mind that it wasn't a Ferrari, and moved to Uganda. I hear you ask why Uganda, for the love of gorillas, I say. This love was born after reading the book "Gorillas in the Mist" and then seeing the movie. First she has traveled to Uganda as a tourist and seen the gorillas with her own eyes but then she has returned to settle down here. She pushed away an enviable career after successfully completing her education... So what does she do in Uganda? She runs a tourism agency with her Italian born English business partner. They organize safari tours for people visiting Uganda (or neighboring countries). It is a brand new company so she is working on getting it on track. In the meantime she is constantly under pressure from the Turks living in Uganda to become Turkey's Honorory Consul to Uganda. I personally think she can easily do it and she would do a great job representing Turkey. By the way, for those who are interested here is Meltem's webpage URL:

http://pigmelerledans.blogspot.com

Next, Baris... Do you remember Kyoto Japanese Restaurant from my previous update, which was one of the three restaurants Buket, Alican and I had to pick from for our dinner. And remember I said if we picked Kyoto Restaurant a surprise was waiting for us? Well Baris is the manager and one of the partners of that restaurant. Other partners are also from Turkey but they live in Kenya. Baris has both worked and trained in the tourism sector. He went through years of in-house training in his family's hotel-restaurant establishment in Fethiye as well as studying in university in tourism area. He has lived in England for a while and returned to Turkey in the aftermath of the earthquake to help as a volunteer in the disaster stricken areas. After doing volunteer work here for the United Nation's Aid Organization, he was sent by the same organization to various parts of the world to work in emergency aid programs in many countries, including Afghanistan. Such a brilliant background, fluent English, communication and interpersonal skills set him, as well as the company he is running, up for a bright future. I am pretty sure that soon enough he will reap the benefits of already making himself a name in Kampala, a promising African capital. I never had anything to do with gourmet and my lack of interest in it is the reason why I am not one to frequent Japanese restaurants. But I have to say the service and food quality, organization and discipline in Kyoto which clearly surpasses Ugandan standards by far is a direct reflection of Baris' personality and his extensive knowledge and experience in restaurant business. He has undertaken the voluntary work of keeping the Turkish community together in Kampala, without expecting anything in return. Kyoto is nearly a meeting place for all and Baris seems to have assumed the position of "Marko Pasha" in the community. If you are visiting Kampala you have to eat at Kyoto. (Dear George R R; Kyoto is a decent place that you can take your guests to, I recommend it wholeheartedly.)

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant
39 Shimoni Road, Nahasero, Kampala
Tel : +256 41 237078
N 0° 19.390'
E 32° 35.195'

Adnan Bey; we couldn't meet face to face due to his busy schedule of business travels but we did plenty of talking on the phone. From what I was told, he moved to Australia at a young age, completed his education and got a job at Ericsson. Later he was commissioned to run various international projects of the company. I think his title is Ericsson Uganda's General Manager and his job takes him to some African countries where projects are being implemented. I met his wife at Kyoto Restaurant by chance but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to meet Adnan bey.

The three people I mentioned above: Meltem, Adnan bey and Baris have been very warm and friendly to me; they have taken great interest and tried their best to help me out after the incident. I will never forget their support and I would like to extend my gratitude from here to them and also to our Nairobi Ambassador, Vural bey, who personally took interest in the matter and was very kind to call me, although he had no formal obligation to do so.

There are other Turkish people living in Uganda besides the ones I told about above. Each of them has a different story... Osman and his son Kemal, and his partner an Iranian Azeri, Vahit. Osman came here with nothing and now manufactures household furniture, kitchen and bathroom cabinetry with his partner in a manufacturing facility slightly bigger than a workshop and smaller than a factory. And there is Oguz, who is teaching German language in Uganda while waiting for the requirements to be fulfilled for his application to work as a teacher in Istanbul Boys High School, and his wife Esther, working at the Dutch Embassy. Mehmet is running a jewelry store in Kampala. Cihan and Mithat are wrought iron master craftsmen who started in Sudan and ended up in Kampala. Mithat's wife Azize is responsible for logistics at Kyoto. Their daughter Türkü (what a beautiful name). Tekin and Yilmaz, carpenters and cabinetmaker master craftsmen. Kazim buys leather in Uganda and ships it over to Turkey, and stays in Kampala periodically. Numan was a taxi driver in Turkey; left his job and came to Uganda. His chosen vocation is to help everyone. Woodwork master Mustafa worked in renovation of Sheraton Hotels for many years in the Middleast; his final stop was Uganda to work in renovation of Sheraton Kampala and he decided to settle here. And finally, Ibrahim and Semsi; everyone aside these two characters need to get a special mention.

Why did all these people come to Uganda? Ok, I can understand Sudan and Kenya but why Uganda. What attracts these people here? A separate and in depth article can be written on this topic. It would be worth it even to come back to Uganda to work on such an article.

On Tuesday I packed it up and drove to Kampala as I mentioned earlier. I checked into the Shangri-La Hotel that I have previously selected. It is a boutique hotel which is an extension of the Kampala Club frequented by the VIP's in Kampala and it provides excellent security. To avoid any confusion, let me tell you it's nothing like the Gold View Inn Hotel in Entebbe. After I settled in I called Meltem and we met at Pap Café which Buket, ALican and I have been to before. Meltem is the first Turkish person I met who is resident in Uganda. Adnan Bey phoned in the afternoon and told me he had to leave for Cameroon early in the morning the next day. He was very kind to ask if I had anything planned for the evening, much to my appreciation. Later Baris called; wanted to find out where I was staying, and told me he would come and pick me up at a certain time. Anyway, he came to the hotel with his car and the first thing he asked was where my car was. I showed him my car. "Whoa! I have seen a car in Kampala with a Turkish license plate, what else can I wish for?" he almost kissed the plate. That night was fantastic. Baris told everyone and almost the entire Turkish community showed up. I put myself in their shoes; here comes a "nut" in his car all the way from their home country, they have been away for so long. I thought it'd be very exciting for them. I had great time telling everyone my story. Then I made them tell me theirs. We chatted for hours. I had an amazing night, hope they did, too.

The next day, in a last attempt to find my laptop and camera equipment I went to as many computer and camera shops as I could find in Kampala; left detailed descriptions for the stolen items and my mobile phone number with each one of them, so they could SMS to let me know in the event of any news. It was a bit of a mission impossible but I wanted to try every possible way just in case… That night Baris and I decided that it might be a good idea to put an ad in the newspaper for 2 days. One that would promise a reward for the stolen items. On Thursday I met with people from two big newspapers and put the ad in for Friday and Saturday. That day Baris arranged with Uganda's most popular television channel WBS an interview that would be broadcasted during the evening news. In the afternoon the television crew came over and recorded the interview and shots of the car. It was originally Baris' intention to record an interview that would put pressure on the authorities to take action but frankly, I didn't have it in me to complain too much in front of the Ugandan people about the weakness of the country. I missed the news, so I have no idea how it looked. The last item on the day's agenda was to go to the stolen goods bazaar in Kampala. It didn't help much at all. One of the aghas we spoke with there didn't sound very hopeful. At the bazaar they sold mostly parts stolen from the cars.

That night I left my car at the car park of Baris' restaurant and took a taxi to the airport early the next morning. To tell you the truth I was a bit befuddled on the way back home. My return home wasn't in the plans. Seeing my wife and son again after one week, spending another two weeks at home, getting together with people I miss, seeing my dog again; it was all going to be great but on the other hand until now I have been able to stick to the program I have carefully prepared, except for a slight change in the program due to a delay caused by a minor mishap. But this incident turned the entire program upside down. And most importantly I have lost my enthusiasm. I was even considering canceling the remaining part of the trip.

The two weeks I spent in Istanbul changed my thoughts and reinforced my determination to complete my journey. During this time I barely managed to replace the stolen items as well. Still there was something missing from my initial enthusiasm. I feel this way even today. Frankly, I don't feel the closeness I did prior to the incident; I feel very much like a total stranger. I am not able to build relationships with the locals as I used to. It is almost like being on a business trip. Not sure if I can shake this feeling.

I went to Kyoto as soon as I got off the plane on Saturday, February 18th. Baris was waiting for me. I spent part of the day in Kyoto, and the rest in Baris' house eating eggs with pastrami and the baklava that I brought back with me upon request.

I spent my second day in Kampala this time around at Mustafa's house, invited to Ibrahim's BBQ party. After stuffing our faces with the delicious meal that included various kinds of meats, pilaf, salads and Azize's dessert we headed to Kyoto and spent time there before we all turned in for the night.

Barış was showing off his skills as he prepared the salad.


Who could resist this table? Oğuz, Barış and Meltem (front, from left to right). Mehmet at the back, check out his T-shirt!


Numan (left) and Barış

There were general elections in Uganda on Thursday, February 23rd. In the general elections people elect their president, parliament members and the local administrations.

After Idi Amin's despotic regime was overthrown in 1979 and Milton Obote returned to power, Uganda could only find peace following the military coup in 1985 and when Yoweri Museveni and his party NRM (National Resistance Movement) took over the government in 1986. Recently people haven't been speaking fondly of Museveni and his party which has ruled for the last 20 years. During these elections Museveni has been using unpleasant methods to sabotage Kizza Besigye's election propaganda efforts. Besigye was arrested after he addressed a public rally. Some of the rallies have been dispersed by the police using violence. During these rallies individuals who are claimed to be police or "NRM supporters" used guns that killed some Besigye and FDC supporters. These events increased tension and meanwhile inadvertently helped Besigye as well as leading to concerns regarding vote rigging and the suspicion that Museveni might manipulate the election results. At the end of the day, everyone is expecting a chaotic post-election environment no matter which side wins. It is even said that some of the Indians and the white minority who fear the consequences of such post-election chaos have at least sent their families abroad.

Under these circumstances I had to change my Uganda plans. I have already decided to postpone the mountain gorilla experience to Rwanda, the strong objection from people around me against visiting Karamoja, which was something Semsi put in my head initially, and the disappointing reports from UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) made me realize that my time in Uganda has come to an end and that it is now time to leave.

Although I have read from various sources that there are armed robberies in the region, I really wanted to see the Karamojong, whose life in Karamoja remained unchanged for thousands of years as they kept the civilization at bay, something rarely heard of.

On Monday morning I head to UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority). If UWA gives me an encouraging response I will go to Karamoja by myself. Unfortunately UWA advised that I shouldn't go there. I thought if this is what UWA advising against it, it is probably better not to do it and I drove south, towards Mbarara.

I spent that night and the next day in Mbarara. I had to finish my Uganda updates and also get back into the travel mood.

The first night, I went to a farewell dinner of an English doctor couple whose service term ended. I was invited by Jose whom I met via Meltem. He is from Spain and does volunteer work for the United Nations. It was a very pleasant dinner with a large group of volunteers. The next evening Jose invited me for dinner to his place which he shared with 2 others. Everyone made their own pizzas and enjoyed it. After dinner there was chatter by the fire in the garden but I left them to their conversation about the UN policy regarding the provision of generators. I somehow found my way back in the dark and returned to my hotel which had a generator, hence shone brightly in the night. Ahh, the civilization!

I got on the road to travel to the border town, Kisoro on February 22, before 12:00. The next morning I was going to cross the border to Rwanda and the eventful Uganda part of my trip was going to be over and done with.

I drove up and down on the roads snaking through the green mountains and valleys.





On the Nbarara-Kisoro road... Nature.




...and the children

I checked into Hotel Virunga in Kisoro in the afternoon of February 22nd. And I was given the bad news. The border was going to be closed on the Election Day till Thursday February 23rd. This meant my time in Uganda was extended for one more day. There is not much to do in Kisoro which is a small town, a largish village. All I do is reading, working on my update and lazing around. In the hotel there are a few tourists waiting to cross over to Rwanda like myself, and a Polish mountaineer (my guess) in his sixties. The next day he will be climbing Karisimbi (4,507m). I wish him all the best along with some good sense. He wishes me the same, hearing that I am on a trip like this all by myself. In the morning we bid each other goodbye.

During the Election Day about 25 crazy nutters arrived on a busruck or a truckus (a cross between a bus and a truck). Travelers from all over the world, ages 20 - 80: Swedish, Australian, you name it. They are traveling around the Uganda - Rwanda - Congo triangle. My God, the noise makes it impossible to stay in the food hall. I take refuge in my room. The sound of the heavy rain drumming on the metal roof which was louder than the noise coming from them, made it a little more bearable.
I left the hotel and headed to the border early in the morning on February 24th. I left the country with no problems. Now I am back on the right side of the road again.

Dear friends, who are still following this page with perseverance!
As I wrote before, along with my laptop I have lost the address records of hundreds of people who have been kind enough to send me messages to date. When I asked, some of you sent me a line to help me rebuild my database. But I don't remember there were this few of you. Or rather, I don't believe we have so few left who still follow the page. I would like to kindly ask those who hasn't had a chance to yet, to please send me a message (blank would be fine although I would rather prefer reading a couple of lines from you) via the contact page of the website to help me with my records.

Also, I have lost all the e-mails that were waiting for me to write a reply. They were messages that required thought and time to reply to them and of course they shared the same fate as everything else that got stolen. I would like to ask you (you know who you are, if you are still reading all these) to please resend those e-mails.

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