Bridgetown, Western Australia

I’ve heard people explain dreams they’ve had in which they’d reached some kind of heaven-like place or state of paradise. Where all your family are gathered together, time doesn’t seem to exist, and nothing bad can happen. Everywhere you turn some beautiful, tiny moment is unfolding, and you can tune in to whichever one you like.

This last weekend felt like that for me. It was time for our family’s yearly trip down to Bridgetown, a town in the South West region of Western Australia, approximately 270 kilometres south of Perth on the Blackwood River. We worked out that we’ve been going there for 30 years, since I was about 4 or 5 years old. It’s become such a family tradition that the idea of Bridgetown itself is (for our family) soaked in nostalgic memories of happiness, togetherness, cosy family bonding, growth, and quiet contemplation. Now the next generation of our family is approaching the age I was when I started going, which provides a opportunity for new memories to be created and the feeling of what “Bridgetown” means for us to be embedded in the hearts and minds of all my nieces and nephews.

Whenever I close my eyes and think of Bridgetown, this is the image that comes to mind.

Most of our memories of Bridgetown are etched in the confines of the farm stay accommodation we always stay at - Lucieville Farm Chalets. Imagine simple, cosy chalets in a picturesque farm setting. This is where all of those perfect moments have unfolded, and just looking at the chalets on the river instantly evokes a warm feeling inside.

The great thing for us is that because we’ve been there so many times, we never have to deliberate on what to do while we’re there. The options are perfectly limited. We (mostly) always do the same thing while we’re in Bridgetown - walk through the forest one morning, set up a fire by the river for dinner and toasted marshmallows at night, go to The Cidery one afternoon for a taste of the local brews, and relax on the balcony and admire the view. The phone signal on the farm itself is non existent (unless you’re with Telstra), which is an added bonus, and reminds you to switch off from the instant gratification of social media and mobile phones, and just enjoy the next moment.

I can’t remember having a bad time in Bridgetown. And yet I came away from this weekend feeling incredibly lucky that the events in all of our lives had led up to this moment, and allowed the last 4 days to unfold as they did - effortlessly, perfectly, unforgettably.

The Revival

After almost 7 years since my last post, I’ve decided to reactivate my blog and domain. There’s a few reasons for this. The idea had been rattling around in the back of my mind for a while after a few people reached out on Reddit and asked to see content from a previous post. Secondly, it’s a good excuse to practice my writing (and thinking) skills. And thirdly, I’d poured so much of myself into the recounting of previous trips that I’d like it to remain accessible as a memento of my previous trips for family, friends and strangers, as well as allow me to begin posting retrospectively on old trips which I’ve taken and not updated the blog (either before the blog existed, or during this recent hiatus).

Kigali, Rwanda

Today we visited Rwanda. As this was just a day trip from Bunyonyi, we were on a fairly tight schedule to make it across the boarder, spend a day visiting a few sites, then getting back across the border into our Uganda accommodation. The drive into Rwanda took a couple of hours, and it quickly became clear the driver was in a rush. They were absolutely flying down the highways, taking corners far too quickly (we heard the tyres screetching a number of times), and although we joked about it in the car, I think all of us were at least in part legitimately concerned about having an accident. But we survived, and made it into the capital of Kigali.

Kigali, Rwanda

The first stop was a grim experience at the Genocide Museum. I’d only just recently learned about the Rwandan Genocide of the early 1990s, and found a podcast to listen to on the drive over. The gravity of the atrocities quickly dawned on me, which only became more apparent as we entered the museum. The museum was a horrific account of what happened in Rwanda during the genocide against the Tutsi people during the war, and I found myself wanting to learn more and more about what actually happened, the history behind it and the impact on Rwanda and African history since. I learned about the UN’s involvement during this period, and ended up reading a few books written by the UN General in charge of the peacekeeping mission at the time, after I returned back home from the trip.

We were all in a sombre mood after the museum, but still had a few more sites to hit up - mostly related to the genocide still. Later we visited the spot where Belgian UN Commandos were killed, and then had lunch at Hotel des Mille Collins. The hotel became famous after 1,268 people took refuge inside the building during the genocide, and the story of the hotel and its manager at that time, Paul Rusesabagina, was later used as the basis of the film Hotel Rwanda in 2004.

In Rwanda I bought a football kit for Dad, and a kitchen magnet which still sits on my fridge and reminds me of my experiences in Rwanda, and the history of its genocide. My little time in Rwanda left an outsized impression on me, where I become increasingly curious to learn more about just how tragic the genocide was. It was (and is) hard to get my head around how we as a species can turn so dark and inflict such unspeakable horrors upon each other. After reading Shake Hands with the Devil by Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, I watched the film Hotel Rwanda, and then read Dallaire’s second book about the crippling PTSD he experienced following his time in Rwanda. It still fascinates and saddens me, which is why I’ll never forget my time in Rwanda.

A daily reminder of Rwanda





Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

We spent most of November 1st driving. We stopped at a local craft store for some good coffee, and as per a very loosely kept tradition, I bought a football shirt from a roadside shop, right next to the equator. Our accomodation in Bunyonyi had some fantastic views over Lake Bunyonyi, and the bar there had a version of Guinness I’d never seen before, which is supposedly popular in Africa. A bit tired of camping, I upgraded my accommodation to a cottage, and it’s here that we set off to see the mountain gorillas - a bucket list experience I’d been thinking about doing for years.

With the group about to start our trek

The day we set out for the gorilla trek was November 3rd. It was absolutely incredible. It was another early start, and a 2.5 hour drive to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. After arriving, we were split up into smaller groups, each one assigned a family of gorillas to track down (the local trackers had set off earlier in the morning to find them, so we had a plan of how to get there). We were warned that, depending on how far away the family was or if they had moved, it could be anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours to locate the family of gorillas. And whilst some walking “paths” were well worn, we’d likely be having to cut our own way through the forest at some point. On top of all that, we’d be fighting bugs, mosquito, and any other surprises that might fall our way.

Mid-trek: no gorillas spotted (yet)

We set off on our group and, luckily, ended up having the easiest experience out of all of the groups. After about 1.5 hours of trekking e came up close and personal with a family of gorillas, and one of them even came up and was trying to play with us. One ran up to Shaun and hit him (playfully), and then started doing roley-poleys, rolling in to my legs as the guide pulled me away. Whilst this young gorilla was friendly and outgoing, the silverback of the group sat at the back and observed everything happening around us. I was glad he did, because he was absolutely huge, and I don’t think I’d have been able to hold my nerve if he started heading towards us. We hung around this family of gorillas for about an hour, and it was far better than anything I could’ve expected for this experience.

One of many gorillas we got up close and personal with

Our time with the gorillas was up, but the experience wasn’t over yet. As we started to walk away, the young playful gorilla came running over through our group, bowling over a few of our members. The guides said it was just “being playful”, but it certainly was an unnerving experience to be around wild animals, and I kept checking over my shoulder to see what the silverback was doing. Luckily he stayed in his spot and we were able to get away in one piece, starting to the long journey back to our campsite for a well earned beer - while we waited for the rest of the groups to make their way back.

Kampala, Uganda

Kampala

Early start (4:30) today. We packed up our tents and then hit the road for Kampala, Uganda. A long day of driving (11 hours). We make a few stops, but there’s hours on end of driving in between. And it’s impossible to get a decent coffee anywhere.

Crossing the border into Uganda


At 2pm we rolled into Java House which was a welcome surprise. Finally, good coffee! And we only had a few hours left of driving. We made it to the camp site around 5pm, and not long after news spread around the group of a couple who were recently murdered on their gorilla trekking tour. Whilst I still felt “safe”, it is unsettling to hear about these kinds of things happening, to tourists doing exactly the same thing you are, in exactly the same place.

We had some beers by the pool, and welcomed some new campers into our group during dinner. Tomorrow it’s another early start and a long day of driving, but at least there’s a good coffee stop along the way.

Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

Lake Nakuru National Park

The days are flying by here, so much so that I’ve missed a day of journaling yesterday. We travelled to a new campsite at Nakuru and had our first night of camping. For years it had been a bucket list item of mine to camp in a wildlife park, awakening to the sounds and sights of animals roaming around. Whilst there were none of the Big Five immediately outside our tents, it still scratched the itch that I’d dreamt up of one day living through.

Camping in Africa

The wildlife here was really impressive and we spotted a whole heap of animals. The most impressive encounter being a family of rhinos, which we spent about an hour just watching. We’re on the move again to our next camp site, driving through the countryside of Kenya which is a clean, green change from the dirty and dusty towns we’ve been driving through before. I don’t think there’s any activities today, but tomorrow we head into Uganda.

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

We set off for our two days camping in Maasai Mara, stopping off at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint. It was a few hours drive total, and a really bumpy road at the end. We visited a local tribe in the afternoon, then entered the reserve and spotted quite a few animals - elephant, buffalo, zebra, hyena, lions with cubs. This was my first ever experience of safari in Africa, something I’d been wanting to do for years. It felt amazing to be standing at the back of the jeep, looking over the expanse of land with animals roaming. This is exactly what I had pictured when I started thinking about planning a trip to Africa.

Day 2 in Maasai Mara was another big day. I was up at around 5 AM for the hot air balloon ride. It was nice, but the weather conditions weren’t ideal - it was quite foggy, so we had to fly low to get a view of any of the animals. We finished with a champagne breakfast with Sadhbh and Dan from my tour group, but I’m not really into these overtly luxurious activities. Later that day we went back into the national reserve, driving around in the Jeep until about 6 PM. We saw loads of animals, it was never ending. The tour group is still forming and getting to know eachother. There’s about 20 of us. I feel more comfortable getting to know people in smaller groups, in larger groups I feel a bit disconnected and go into my shell a bit. We’re on the road again tomorrow with more camping on the menu.

Nairobi, Kenya

This is the first post of a series where I’m retrospectively reflecting on a recent trip to East Africa. It’s now July 2024, but for posterity the date of this post will be set to the date I was actually in each of these places. These posts are based on my journal entries I kept throughout the trip.

So, I’ve made it to a new solo trip. This time, East Africa. It feels good to be getting back to solo travel, something I haven’t done since before COVID. It’s a welcome feeling, getting back to exploring the world, being curious about everything, and dialling up the amount of entropy in my life. Here’s to this trip. To Africa, to adventures, to solo travel, to meeting new people, and having completely new, unpredictable circumstances.

I had a layover in Dubai. Tired and uncomfortable, I wandered around the airport in search of caffeine. I managed to get a short (expensive) long black from Costa coffee. I love how when you’re travelling, and feel a bit worn out or alone, getting one small thing right (in this case, coffee) makes everything feel okay.

Everything feels better after coffee

I almost missed my flight from Dubai as I was waiting at the wrong gate (they don’t announce flight details over the PA at Dubai airport), and it was thanks to a chance conversation with an Indian man that prompted me to check the displays for my gate again. I rushed off to Gate A19a and got on board to Nairobi. Only to sit on the plane for an hour or more before finally taking off.

I finally tucked in to bed at 7:30 PM after a meal at the hotel. After an excellent 10 hours sleep, I packed my day back and set off. Despite being told it’s not safe to walk around Nairobi, I decided to take the plunge. What’s the point of travelling to Africa if you’re not going to take some calculated risks! I’ve the walking tour starting in 30 minutes so thought it would be cool to walk into town, get a coffee and take some money out, and explore Nairobi on foot. I felt so happy on the inside. Being back in a position to travel, see the world, just be in the moment and notice things. It’s such a great feeling, it’s hit me on numerous times in my life and I feel so blessed to be experiencing it again.

My room at The Heron Hotel in Nairobi

Today I did the Nai Nami walking tour, run by a guy named Tsunami. Him and his pals are (in their words) recovered thieves/drug addicts who live in the slums. They showed us around downtown Nairobi which is pretty sketchy. We had lunch at a local lunch joint, and in the afternoon I visited the museum of Kenya - the highlight of which was seeing Turkana Boy, a nearly complete skeleton of a Homo ergaster youth who lived 1.5 to 1.6 million years ago! This specimen is the most complete early hominin skeleton ever found. Tonight I’m meeting up with the G Adventures group, and actually feeling a bit nervous about it!

Last night we had the group meeting. We had to go around the table and do introductions, which is always nerve wracking when you’re in front of a group of strangers. The people seem nice of course. I had a terrible night sleep as I kept thinking about having to get up early and pack. Early the next morning, we split up into 4WDs and set off to Maasai Mara National Reserve for a few nights.

Kalinzu Forest & Lake Mburo, Uganda

The day following our little jaunt into Rwanda, we drove a few hours to Kalinzu Forest Reserve. It was raining pretty heavily, and water was leaking from the air conditioning vents (the joys of budget travel). On top of that, at the next accomodation (Leopard Rest Camp), there were limited room upgrades available. They were snapped up pretty quickly, and so most of us ended up setting up mattresses in the “conference room”. Not ideal, but it was only for one night. I also didn’t really want to put a tent up outside in case it rained and my gear was soaked. Interestingly - there were one or 2 bats perched up on the ceiling of the conference room, which added to the ambience.

The camp offered a “coffee experience” which was actually pretty cool. The host brought over some locally farmed and roasted beans, we grinded them using an oversized wooden mortar and pestle, and enjoyed the freshly brewed coffee with some bananas - both were surprisingly delicious. We sat around the fire in the evening and turned in relatively early. Before going to bed however, someone in the group found out about a couple murdered in the area recently while they were on tour at the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Whilst it was probably unlikely to happen to us, it was interesting to see our guides handle the conversation, and really what could they say? Yes it was possible, and no there’s not really a lot they can do to avoid it - if some crazy terrorists from across the border happened to run into us at the wrong place at the wrong time. I was already resigned to accepting the risk - I was already this far into Africa, a long way away from home, and there wasn’t really an option to do anything else. Funnily enough, the camp had actually hired some guards to patrol the camp site (not sure if it was just for show or they were actually equipped to stop a terrorist attack - one of them only had a bow and arrow).

Making fresh coffee, Africa style

On the morning of the 6th November, we ventured into the Kalinzu Forest to see the chimpanzees, and also visited a tea plantation, stopping for a brief lunch by the bus afterwards.

We headed back across the equator in the Lando (Uganda is one of the few countries int he world where you can cross the equator on land), and then headed to our accommodation for the night at Nile River Explorers River Camp.

Unwinding with the group at Nile River Explorers Camp

Barcelona, Spain

I was getting tired of moving every few days, so I spent an extra couple of days here - I figured there'd be plenty to do. What I'm realising however is that I'm becoming less inclined to the do's and more so to the who's - and making meaningful connections with people. Not sure if that's a sign of my age or something that I've picked up through my involvement in things such as The School of Life conference.

Luckily, I found this. Whilst at the conference in Lisbon I met Victor, and he encouraged me to contact him when I arrived in Barcelona. When I arrived he gave me plenty of tips on how to navigate the city, and we spent a few great nights out on the town with his mate Andres - full of fantastic food, wine, conversation and laughs. This to me is more important than sightseeing - and it gives the city, the trip and my experiences geniune meaning.

Casa Batlló, one of Antoni Gaudí’s masterpieces

I did tick off a few sightseeing "must-do's", which mainly revolved around Gaudí architecture. While I'm not an architecture buff by any means, I felt a sincere and precise moment of awe when I walked inside Sagrada Família that I won't forget for a long time.