The one after Passover

Saturday, April 7:
In the morning, I had this weird sense that there were people standing around talking about me outside my tent. Not so weird: there were people standing around talking about me outside my tent.

The tour bus that was staying at the same hotel/campground I was had arranged a show for 8am, before they left town. Basically dancing, singing, native dancer orphan fundraisers. The show field was to be where the manager had had me set up my tent, and they got there an hour early for the show.

Wound up taking a motorcycle out to the park in the afternoon and I camped right outside the park gates.

Sunday:
Turns out, I'm very irresponsible. Remember Allen E., my favourite travel companion/pillow? I left him on Peak 2 on our way down.

I climbed Mt Sabinyo in extreme SW Uganda. At the top--the junction of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To get to the top--not easy. Through acacia forest, really cool bamboo forest. Totally steep in parts and the ladders, OSHA may not approve. Plus, we're at altitude. We (me, Mike the Canadian medical student, a guide, a guard) start at about 2300m (7500 ft) and climb to 3669m (1200 ft, more than 2 miles up). And with three different peaks to get to, there's a bit of down, too, so the total amount you need to climb is almost a mile.

We went up in about 4 hours, which I guess (and I think) is pretty quick. We went slower on the way down, in about 3 hours. With time at the top, the total trip length was about average. I had not the easiest time, and I was pretty sore.

And, again, I left Allen E at the top of Peak 2.

Headed back to town. I finally met Joseph, the local tour guide who Lonely Planet says can be found around town--it took him a full day to find me. I didn't have time to do some much needed laundry, but I got a room anyway to sleep in a bed, which cost me an extra $7.50.

Monday:
The bus picked me up at 5am. We got to Mbarara at about 11am, right about when Phil and Paige passed through on their way back from Queen Elizabeth National Park but we didn't connect. I checked my email to get some financial details from George and filed for my tax extension--I hope the Uganda postmark shows the date... I bought some groceries.

Took a taxi to the town near the main gate of QENP. Up to 22 people, with bags, including 7 people in the first row of benches. The chatter, with thanks to Gary Larson: "blah blah blah mzungu [laughter] blah blah mzungu [laughter]". And "mzungu", for those who've forgotten, is me.

Then I got a shared ride to the park. Nine adults and one baby in a compact hatchback. Including 4 in the front (bucket) seats. For just $3, instead of $17 for a private hire.

It's kinda weird bargaining with a guy, saying you can't afford $17, or even $12. Then, when you agree to pay $3, the whole carload of people has to wait around while I paid my $40 to get into the park--they all probably work there for like $2/day and get in free.

I was alone at the campground. Briefly. Then, just as I was figuring out where to put my tent a busload of 14 year-olds showed up, I paused in my deliberations and let them set up first.

I had a fight with a warthog who smelled bread in my bag. I won the fight, then threw out the bread.

At night I finally did some seriously necessary laundry using some tubs the ranger left for me. I looked over--there's a hippo! Wandering RIGHT by my tent! Hippos look a bit ridiculous, but they weigh about four tons and run faster than I do. They kill more people in Africa than I think all other animals combined--both upending boats and accidentally trampling people when they get freaked and try to get back to the water. (And if you don't die, they may spray dung all over your tent.) So I was a bit nervous camping in their path.

I headed to the bar to ask someone whether I should be worried. The bar was closed, but I got there at the same time as three Ugandan guys.
Ug: "Hey, aren't you that crazy mzungu that walked from Bunyanyi last week"
sg: "Uh, yes. Should I be worried about the hippos?"
Ug: "No."
Ug (to friends): "blah blah mzungu blah Bunyanyi"
friends: [laughter]
sg: "Okay, thanks. See you later."

So I went back, and went to sleep. Fitfully.

Tuesday:
I kept hearing animals grunt, walk past, etc... I assumed it was the warthogs.

At, I guess (from phone records) 4am, I heard more. I peeked out: "hey, that looks like a feline, with babies." I pulled out the Lonely Planet, turned on my headlamp, and looked at some mammals. No spots...nah, couldn't be. LP again. "I think it's a lion." LP again. Peeked out again. Lay down.

Now they're playing with my laundry tubs. Hey, those are, like, four feet from my head....

I tried to take a picture through the ceiling webbing, but it didn't come out.

I saw the campground manager in the morning. "Yeah, it's probably a hyena." "I don't know, it looked awfully feline." "Well, there is a lion around with two cubs." He finds the second tub off in the grass, with bite holes. Lion bite holes.

Wow.

Oh, in the morning I heard the "warthog" grunt again: Nope, they were mongeese.

I wrote some postcards, some with diagrams, some with a list of my activities in a busy first part of the week.

In the afternoon I took a boat ride in the channel. Not overly exciting--I saw some birds I'd seen before, and LOTS of buffaloes and hippos. Some kob. Some waterbuck.

I ate two dinners, and drank a lot so I could maybe actually fall asleep. Then I had to find someone to drive me the 200 yards to my tent because there were four hippos in the road...

Wednesday:
I caught a ride out to the main road with some local university students. They dropped me on the main road. I caught a taxi to Kasese, then a taxi to Fort Portal.

Thursday:
I saw a really nice bus, the nicest I've seen in Uganda, full of Japanese tourists. They came to the restaurant where I was eating lunch and were all dressed in identical jacket/vests and hats. Weird.

Then I took a taxi out to the Rwaihamba market, wandered for a bit, and walked the mile back to the Lake Nkuruba Community Camp Site on one of many nearby crater lakes. (And, as I write this Pastor Bosco is sitting next to me, so here's a link to the orphanage's site...)

Friday:
I'd planned, tentatively, on a (5-6 hour) walk to Muhoma Falls. But I was tired, so the walk was easily abandoned in the (at times heavy) rain.

My tent, which we're calling Doogie, he is not so waterproof. And thank god for earplugs--loud rain in a tin-roofed building, with school lessons for the orphans that seemed to involve a lot of screaming, was not that conducive to reading.

Saturday:
It started raining in the morning again at about 6. I quick grabbed my stuff and ran it to the covered area, then went and grabbed my tent and did the same. Then I hung out there until about noon, by which time the tent was dry, I'd eaten breakfast, and I'd finished my book. I packed up my stuff, slowly, and about 1pm started the 20km walk back to Fort Portal.

I got about half way, by which point I was close enough to feel not too bad about paying ($1.20) for a motorcycle to take me the rest of the way.

Sunday:
I took the day off to stay in town, maybe avoid some rain, make some plans, do a bunch on the internet, and maybe help TY with her taxes. (She didn't need the help.)

Monday:
I finished this entry and loading the pictures I've taken so far on my southwest swing. Now, I'm gonna grab lunch and catch a taxi to the Semuliki National Park.

This coming week I'll see monkeys, hopefully chimps, maybe giraffes, and the most powerful waterfall in the world.

Chao!