Happy Easter to everyone back at home and here in Uganda! Although it is always a bit difficult being away from home on holidays, today was a good day.
I slept in a bit this morning, had the usual delicious breakfast at my guest house, and then met Ellen and Yvonne to head to church services. Ellen (a NICU nurse) has been traveling to Uganda and volunteering at Mulago Hospital for more than 10 years, and during this time she has been attending the same church. Despite the fact that it is a Catholic church, I figured it was better to go to church with friends than on my own. I have been to Catholic services in the states (and one other service here in Uganda!), but none quite like this one. The priest was very nice but, well, he liked to talk. A lot. And there were no less than four offering collections. Yes, four. And lots of singing and clapping of hands (I enjoyed this part!). When all was said and done, the mass lasted 2.5 hours. I don't think that I have ever been to a church service quite that long...
After mass, we headed back to the apartment for delicious scones and tea. Then I had a lazy afternoon reading my book and napping. I did get out for a run, though, so I don't feel quite as lazy. =) We have dinner plans for tonight. We are going to have Indian food, which isn't the normal Easter fare, but at least it won't be alone!
To everyone at home, enjoy your Easter egg hunts. Please save me a Cadbury egg for when I get back. Yummmm...
Sunday, March 31, 2013
March 30, 2013 - Aero Beach
The Easter holiday is a big deal in Uganda, so we have been treated to a four-day vacation away from the hospital and clinics. Many people leave the city for the holiday (making traffic crazy on Thursday night), but others stay around and just enjoy the time with family and friends. I was a bit bummed out and worried that I would be lonely this weekend, as I had no plans and many of my friends here had either left to go back to the states or were also headed out of town for the holiday weekend. But no worries! Just make new friends! =)
One of my housemates, Jane (a pediatric neurology resident from the UK) invited me to go to a "beach party" in Entebbe with a couple of her friends. I wasn't exactly sure what this would entail, but it sounded like fun and it would get me out of Kampala for a bit, so I took her up on her offer.
The first adventure of the day was just getting to the beach party. We frequently use a "special hire" to get from place to place in Kampala, as the other options are less than ideal. Basically, a "special hire" is a personal driver who you call up to take you to and from places (it's like a taxi except personally owned cars without meters). However, it costs a lot of money to take a "special hire" to Entebbe (about 45-50 minutes by car), so we opted for the local way, which is the matatu. (There is also one other local option, called the boda boda, but this is terrifying. You hire a man on a motorcycle to drive you where you need to go. There are no helmets and no way to hang on. And they drive like crazy, often on the roads and sidewalks. I have committed to never utilizing a boda while I am here...)
A matatu is essentially a van, squished with lots of people, that take certain routes. They are crowded, dirty, and confusing, but very cheap. It's nearly impossible to know which route the matatu is taking, so you just yell out "Entebbe? Entebbe?" until one of the drivers invites you in to their van with anywhere from 12-16 other people.
Similarly to Nepal, the drivers and cashiers work together, with the driver honking their horn, driving like a crazy person, and stopping on a dime while the cashier hangs out the window (at least the van door was actually shut!) shouting and waving at people, and banging the side of the van. Anyone and anything can get on a matatu at any point along the route. Live chickens? Of course. Sacks of potatoes or a huge bunch of plaintains? Definitely. A small desk that someone purchased and needs to get back home? No problem; it can squeeze in here somewhere. Just watch your head when the matatu stops quickly, or you could end up with a huge welt on your forehead from the desk leg smashed in your face...
At one point, we had to switch matatus in downtown Kampala to reach our final destination. We were dropped off at the "taxi park," which was essentially a parking area where there were probably at least 70 matatus. I wish I had taken a picture; it was ridiculous. Luckily, Jane's friends, Anna and Kersten, knew the ropes and were able to get us successfully to Entebbe. Thank goodness...
After a brief stop en-route for delicious pizza, we arrived at our final destination: Aero Beach in Entebbe (which borders Lake Victoria). It became quickly obvious as to where the name came from, as there was a large passenger plane very close to the beach.
It appeared to have crashed there a while back (the beach is very close to the airport), though it wasn't completely destroyed so hopefully there were no casualties in the accident.
The beach was quite nice, though we were unable to take advantage of the cooling effects of the water, as Lake Victoria is swarming with nasty parasites and bacteria who will do a number on a poor tourist's skin and internal organs. But it was nice to look at.
Despite our inability to enjoy the water, it was a very nice day. The weather was wonderful: not too hot, but just enough sun.
There was volleyball, soccer, and sack races. I was encouraged to participate in the sack race by my new friends, but quickly realized that I was not as skilled as I once was as a grade schooler. Still, it was a lot of fun.
At one point, there was even a camel on the beach! Not sure why, but entertaining nonetheless.
As the day was winding to an end, we tested our luck with a matatu back to Kampala. There were many interesting experiences en route, but we made it back to the taxi park without much issue. From there, we walked back to our guest house, stopping for an amazing rolex along the way (no, not the watch - it's a delicious Ugandan food, but I'll describe it a bit later). As we were walking, we noticed increasing lightening. And then the thunder started. And the wind began picking up. But we made it back to the guest house just as the clouds opened. Good ending to a great day!
One of my housemates, Jane (a pediatric neurology resident from the UK) invited me to go to a "beach party" in Entebbe with a couple of her friends. I wasn't exactly sure what this would entail, but it sounded like fun and it would get me out of Kampala for a bit, so I took her up on her offer.
The first adventure of the day was just getting to the beach party. We frequently use a "special hire" to get from place to place in Kampala, as the other options are less than ideal. Basically, a "special hire" is a personal driver who you call up to take you to and from places (it's like a taxi except personally owned cars without meters). However, it costs a lot of money to take a "special hire" to Entebbe (about 45-50 minutes by car), so we opted for the local way, which is the matatu. (There is also one other local option, called the boda boda, but this is terrifying. You hire a man on a motorcycle to drive you where you need to go. There are no helmets and no way to hang on. And they drive like crazy, often on the roads and sidewalks. I have committed to never utilizing a boda while I am here...)
A matatu is essentially a van, squished with lots of people, that take certain routes. They are crowded, dirty, and confusing, but very cheap. It's nearly impossible to know which route the matatu is taking, so you just yell out "Entebbe? Entebbe?" until one of the drivers invites you in to their van with anywhere from 12-16 other people.
At one point, we had to switch matatus in downtown Kampala to reach our final destination. We were dropped off at the "taxi park," which was essentially a parking area where there were probably at least 70 matatus. I wish I had taken a picture; it was ridiculous. Luckily, Jane's friends, Anna and Kersten, knew the ropes and were able to get us successfully to Entebbe. Thank goodness...
After a brief stop en-route for delicious pizza, we arrived at our final destination: Aero Beach in Entebbe (which borders Lake Victoria). It became quickly obvious as to where the name came from, as there was a large passenger plane very close to the beach.
The beach was quite nice, though we were unable to take advantage of the cooling effects of the water, as Lake Victoria is swarming with nasty parasites and bacteria who will do a number on a poor tourist's skin and internal organs. But it was nice to look at.
As the day was winding to an end, we tested our luck with a matatu back to Kampala. There were many interesting experiences en route, but we made it back to the taxi park without much issue. From there, we walked back to our guest house, stopping for an amazing rolex along the way (no, not the watch - it's a delicious Ugandan food, but I'll describe it a bit later). As we were walking, we noticed increasing lightening. And then the thunder started. And the wind began picking up. But we made it back to the guest house just as the clouds opened. Good ending to a great day!
Friday, March 29, 2013
March 27, 2013 - Karuma Falls
En route back to Kampala from Murchison Falls National Park, we stopped at a small waterfall along the way, known as Karuma Falls.
Karuma Falls is located within the town of Karuma, which is essentially just a short stop-over point for most truck drivers. Part of the falls can be viewed from the bridge that spans over the Nile; however, photography is strictly prohibited on the bridge, as our guide warned us ahead of time. In fact, there are soldiers posted on either side of the bridge to guard it from photography, and they will pull over and fine any car that even slows down while on the bridge. According to my travel book, the soldiers view photography as the Eighth Deadly Sin. In my mind, they are probably using the "fines" to purchase food (or most likely, drink) in Karuma, as this is what almost all traffic officials do within Uganda.
Instead of risk the wrath of the soldiers, we stopped just short of the bridge and took a small dirt road back towards Karuma Falls. From there, we were able to go on a short hike to see the falls. (And the views were even better than from the bridge, so there!)
Karuma Falls is located within the town of Karuma, which is essentially just a short stop-over point for most truck drivers. Part of the falls can be viewed from the bridge that spans over the Nile; however, photography is strictly prohibited on the bridge, as our guide warned us ahead of time. In fact, there are soldiers posted on either side of the bridge to guard it from photography, and they will pull over and fine any car that even slows down while on the bridge. According to my travel book, the soldiers view photography as the Eighth Deadly Sin. In my mind, they are probably using the "fines" to purchase food (or most likely, drink) in Karuma, as this is what almost all traffic officials do within Uganda.
Instead of risk the wrath of the soldiers, we stopped just short of the bridge and took a small dirt road back towards Karuma Falls. From there, we were able to go on a short hike to see the falls. (And the views were even better than from the bridge, so there!)
March 26, 2013 - Paraa
During our travels to Murchison Falls National Park, the goal "location" for starting and ending our game drives, as well as starting and ending our river safari, is a town called Paraa. It does appear on some maps of Uganda, surprisingly. From what I could tell, the "town" of Paraa essentially is composed of two small ranger stations (one on each side of the Nile) and the ferry that moves passengers and vehicles across to the other side of the Nile once an hour. So that means, the town is composed of two buildings and one boat. I guess its significance is that is the only location where someone can cross the Nile within Murchison Falls National Park. They do have these enormous, spinning globes on either side of the ferry sites, which make for fun pictures. =)
After our "visit" to Paraa on Monday morning, we headed out for our final game drive en route back to Kampala. The scenery was beautiful, as usual, with frequent change in topography from forest to prairie to swamp land. We saw very similar animals as on our previous game drive, although the trip started out with very close viewing of a group of baboons. They are funny creatures, who seem to be very intent on keeping on another clean...
We were lucky enough to see a group of lions on our second safari, as well. Two of our co-travelers were sitting on the top-back of the bus when they pointed out the group of three lions in the distance. I'm not sure how their eyesight was that good, as I could only really see them through the camera, but it was amazing to see them in the wild.
A trip on an African safari would not be complete without the quintessential vultures sitting in a tree, which we were obliged to see on the second day. There were about seven African white-backed vultures sitting around on a dead tree. They weren't as ugly as I had expected (unlike some of their other vulture relatives), but I was pleased when we drove away. For some reason, vultures just give me the creeps!
When we were able to leave the park, we came across an enormous group of giraffes, all together in the same location. It was incredible. Other times, we had only seen 2-3 giraffes together; there had to have been at least 50 in this group. Our guide said that he had never before see anything like it during his 10 years of experience.
After that, it was goodbye to Murchison Falls National Park, and back to Kampala. It was a great trip.
After our "visit" to Paraa on Monday morning, we headed out for our final game drive en route back to Kampala. The scenery was beautiful, as usual, with frequent change in topography from forest to prairie to swamp land. We saw very similar animals as on our previous game drive, although the trip started out with very close viewing of a group of baboons. They are funny creatures, who seem to be very intent on keeping on another clean...
We were lucky enough to see a group of lions on our second safari, as well. Two of our co-travelers were sitting on the top-back of the bus when they pointed out the group of three lions in the distance. I'm not sure how their eyesight was that good, as I could only really see them through the camera, but it was amazing to see them in the wild.
A trip on an African safari would not be complete without the quintessential vultures sitting in a tree, which we were obliged to see on the second day. There were about seven African white-backed vultures sitting around on a dead tree. They weren't as ugly as I had expected (unlike some of their other vulture relatives), but I was pleased when we drove away. For some reason, vultures just give me the creeps!
When we were able to leave the park, we came across an enormous group of giraffes, all together in the same location. It was incredible. Other times, we had only seen 2-3 giraffes together; there had to have been at least 50 in this group. Our guide said that he had never before see anything like it during his 10 years of experience.
After that, it was goodbye to Murchison Falls National Park, and back to Kampala. It was a great trip.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
March 25, 2013 - Nile River Safari
After our amazing game drive on Sunday morning, we came back to the campsite for lunch and some relaxation during the heat of the afternoon. After we had all eaten and were falling asleep due to our full bellies and the heat outside, we again headed down to the ferry launching site for our afternoon adventure. We loaded ourselves on to two different boats, which would take us up to the base of the falls, as well as allow for viewing of wildlife that tend to spend most of their time along the riverfront.
The river safari was a great way to see new (and some old) wildlife, while at the same time enjoying the beautiful river and the wonderful weather (no raining on us that day!). Animal highlights of the trip included:
1. Hippopotamuses (or hippopotami? or just hippos?). Hippos were everywhere in the water, lingering along the waters' edge for about 20-22 hours of each day to keep themselves cool. Smart idea, especially when temperatures reach 90-100 degrees in the heat of the afternoon at Murchison Falls National Park. The hippos tended to spend time in large herds, though our guide told us that the herds are composed of only one dominant male and the remainder are females or calves. Once the male calves get too old and pose a threat, they are kicked out of the herd and either live a solitary life or join a "bachelor herd." If a new male hippo wants to challenge his way in to the herd, the two males will fight to the death. We saw signs of these fights in some of the hippos, including scars and lost ears. Ouch.
At one point, one of the hippos started swimming towards our boat and I thought he was going to challenge us, but he gave up part way there. Thank goodness...
2. Black-and-white colobus. Near the bottom of the falls, we saw these amazing black and white monkeys hanging out in the trees. At first we only saw one, then realized that there was a group of them. Black-and-white colobus is the most common forest monkey in Uganda, but can be difficult to see at times, due to their permanent dwelling in the trees. They are able to jump extreme distances, up to 30 meters, which is an incredible sight to see.
3. Elephants. Always exciting to see in the wild, it never gets old. This one was eating (what a surprise...) right along the river.
In addition to animals, we saw a few reptiles along the route, including:
1. Nile crocodile. They can be quite elusive at times. And when they want to move quickly, watch out! They are fast! The Nile crocodile is the largest living reptile, growing up to lengths of 6 meters. They are capable of killing a wildebeest or even a lion that strays too close of the crocodile near the river, but tend to survive mostly on fish.
2. Nile terrapin. Cute little turtle sunbathing on a rock next to the river.
Despite seeing all of the neat animals and reptiles along the Nile, I have to admit that I was probably most enthralled by the birds. I have never been much of a "birder" before, and still wouldn't consider myself one, but there were some amazing birds along the Nile River. The best ones (in order of my favorites...):
1. Black-headed weavers. These birds were amazing. Not only are they absolutely beautiful, but they are constantly working on their perfect little nests. They are called weavers because, well, they weave their nests out of straw, grass, and twigs. And I bet you can guess what color their heads are...
Perhaps the best part about this bird species, is that the males are always hard at work making the nests. The nests are usually circular or oval in shape, located at the end of a thin hanging branch. The branch is stripped bare of leaves to protect against snakes. The males work diligently at their nests, carrying the building components piece by piece until the nest is complete. They then woo the female weavers with their impeccably built nests. If the females are not completely satisfied with the work, they will tear the nest apart, causing the males to start all over again. Haha; I think this is hysterical!
2. Red-throated bee-eater. A close second to the black-headed weavers, these birds are just plain gorgeous. They make their nests in the tough sand walls that border the Nile river.
3. Grey-headed kingfisher. Beautiful coloring, they appear almost regal.
4. Pied kingfisher. Still regal in appearance, but less colorful.
5. African fish eagle. Come on, who doesn't feel slightly awed at the sight of an eagle? God bless America (or in this case, God bless Africa)!
6. Saddle-billed stork. The largest of the storks found in Uganda.
7. Goliath heron. Simply based on the name, it's obvious that this bird is big. It can grow to be 1.5 meters in height. Less beautiful than the other birds, but impressive based on its size.
And you thought that was all? Not quite! One of the main purposes of the boat safari was to see the base of Murchison Falls. Perhaps not as impressive as the top, but still beautiful and a sight to behold!
The river safari was a great way to see new (and some old) wildlife, while at the same time enjoying the beautiful river and the wonderful weather (no raining on us that day!). Animal highlights of the trip included:
1. Hippopotamuses (or hippopotami? or just hippos?). Hippos were everywhere in the water, lingering along the waters' edge for about 20-22 hours of each day to keep themselves cool. Smart idea, especially when temperatures reach 90-100 degrees in the heat of the afternoon at Murchison Falls National Park. The hippos tended to spend time in large herds, though our guide told us that the herds are composed of only one dominant male and the remainder are females or calves. Once the male calves get too old and pose a threat, they are kicked out of the herd and either live a solitary life or join a "bachelor herd." If a new male hippo wants to challenge his way in to the herd, the two males will fight to the death. We saw signs of these fights in some of the hippos, including scars and lost ears. Ouch.
2. Black-and-white colobus. Near the bottom of the falls, we saw these amazing black and white monkeys hanging out in the trees. At first we only saw one, then realized that there was a group of them. Black-and-white colobus is the most common forest monkey in Uganda, but can be difficult to see at times, due to their permanent dwelling in the trees. They are able to jump extreme distances, up to 30 meters, which is an incredible sight to see.
3. Elephants. Always exciting to see in the wild, it never gets old. This one was eating (what a surprise...) right along the river.
In addition to animals, we saw a few reptiles along the route, including:
1. Nile crocodile. They can be quite elusive at times. And when they want to move quickly, watch out! They are fast! The Nile crocodile is the largest living reptile, growing up to lengths of 6 meters. They are capable of killing a wildebeest or even a lion that strays too close of the crocodile near the river, but tend to survive mostly on fish.
2. Nile terrapin. Cute little turtle sunbathing on a rock next to the river.
Despite seeing all of the neat animals and reptiles along the Nile, I have to admit that I was probably most enthralled by the birds. I have never been much of a "birder" before, and still wouldn't consider myself one, but there were some amazing birds along the Nile River. The best ones (in order of my favorites...):
1. Black-headed weavers. These birds were amazing. Not only are they absolutely beautiful, but they are constantly working on their perfect little nests. They are called weavers because, well, they weave their nests out of straw, grass, and twigs. And I bet you can guess what color their heads are...
2. Red-throated bee-eater. A close second to the black-headed weavers, these birds are just plain gorgeous. They make their nests in the tough sand walls that border the Nile river.
3. Grey-headed kingfisher. Beautiful coloring, they appear almost regal.
4. Pied kingfisher. Still regal in appearance, but less colorful.
5. African fish eagle. Come on, who doesn't feel slightly awed at the sight of an eagle? God bless America (or in this case, God bless Africa)!
6. Saddle-billed stork. The largest of the storks found in Uganda.
7. Goliath heron. Simply based on the name, it's obvious that this bird is big. It can grow to be 1.5 meters in height. Less beautiful than the other birds, but impressive based on its size.
And you thought that was all? Not quite! One of the main purposes of the boat safari was to see the base of Murchison Falls. Perhaps not as impressive as the top, but still beautiful and a sight to behold!
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