Uganda - January 19 & 20

On the way from Entebbe to Tororo we stopped to see the "source of the Nile." I'm not sure exactly how much relationship this Nile has with the river flowing through Egypt, but it is the same name. The spot was beautiful with several sets of rapids. Entertainment was provided by individuals floating down the rapids with plastic jars as flotation devices and a disabled performer doing acrobatics (which is apparently a high status skill in Uganda).











On the way to Tororo we drove by the Kayoro/St. John's Clinic and pulled over to look at it as all cheered. It was a great birthday present for me (today is #66). We arrived in Tororo in the late afternoon (later than scheduled), and the one meeting we were supposed to have had become two. While the groups often have a loose geographic connection, they sometimes do not. But in order to get assistance from Give Us Wings, a group must meet certain requirements and be recognized by the government. Ugandans seem to be very emotional and very happy. Of course, they were greeting their friend Mama Mary (Mary Steiner, founder of Give Us Wings), but I think that even without her we would have been greeted warmly. The women (most of the groups' members are women) have a high-pitched cry that is used as a sigh of welcome and joy, and we were all hugged and welcomed. I was very glad I had my headlamp with me as it was quite dark by the time we arrived at the second group.

The groups were sorry that Mary is retiring as Director and may not be visiting so often. They presented gifts; among them was a live chicken which a local staff person (not especially rural) ended up holding -- very gingerly.


The next day (Jan. 20) we visited the District Hospital in the morning. While it is seemingly the best government hospital in the region, it was DREADFUL. There was an apparently well-trained and concerned man in charge of the malnutrition section, but he had no formula and no food for malnourished babies and children. People (mothers) came there, but there was no help for them.

There are only two doctors; most of the medical care is by nurses, some well-trained, some not. The director of nursing seemed to be intelligent and caring, but she has no tools. Families have to bring their own bedding for the patient and do most of the care, including feeding. Many were cooking meals on the grounds of the hospitals for themselves and for patients. Vendors also sold food to those who had money to pay. We had been asked not to all take pictures so I don't have any to include -- for which you can only be grateful.

Some brave souls from GUW stayed at the hospital to volunteer in the afternoon -- not my thing. So Betsy and I went off to assist the Mari group at farming. (Yes, I said farming.) The Mari group consists of families with at least one member who is disabled. Since those who are disabled are not accepted in Ugandan society, they have a very difficult time. Their spirit, however, is shown in their renaming the Mari Disabled Group to the Mari Abled Group.

Betsy and I were trained in the use of a hoe and helped the group clear part of a field that they hope to plant in February. It was amazing to see people who had only one usable leg balance while hoeing. I had difficulty doing it with two good legs.










After a couple of hours of this, we rested, and Mary came to talk to the group about money-making ventures. A local volunteer had taught them jewelry and basket making, but they didn't have a marketing plan about where they could sell their products (except to us, which Mary pointed out was not a large enough market!) I bought a lovely small basket made by this woman.

The volunteers who had been at the hospital joined us at Mari. Often two translators were needed because both the native Ugandan and Swahili were spoken by residents. One of the translators was Faith Margaret, a young woman who has to crawl on hands and knees because her legs don't function (probably polio as a child). She is amazingly intelligent and articulate, having just completed a diploma in accounting. However, given her disability, finding a job is going to be even more difficult. When Faith Margaret is sitting, there is no indication of a disability.

We were more than an hour late returning to the hotel (a pattern for the trip, I think). This may the place to include pictures of our "interesting" bathroom as illustrated by Cammie. Using the toilet involved stepping up on the edge of the shower; one then sat with feet in the shower. Never could figure out why it was constructed like this.

Uganda (Entebbe) -- January 18, 2011

Despite a bedtime of 3 a.m., I woke up at 8 and got up. Discovered upon checking with the desk that the internet provider had had problems which was the cause of the disruption.

After a good breakfast, I walked around the hotel and grounds. This is certainly a far distance from my recent accommodations. It is quite lovely and very luxurious. Apparently the hotel was built with the hopes of being a business and conference center since there are some very nice meeting facilities. There do not appear to be many people staying here at the moment. Sam told me that the original owner had gone bankrupt when business did not develop as planned, and the building was purchased by the Imperial hotel group.

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of the contrast with my previous Ugandan lodgings.

Welcoming visitors at the entrance

I sat outside enjoying several cups of coffee and wrote some blog material on Word while awaiting an internet connection. I will try to post as much as I can today since tomorrow we leave for Tororo on the volunteer portion of the trip whereby I will probably again be out of internet range. Also did some resting, having laundry done, repacking, etc., etc.

The other 11 volunteers on the trip (4 of us are from St. John’s, my church which paid for the building of the clinic in Kayoro Village) will be arriving tonight on the same 8:15 flight on which I arrived six days ago. A lot has happened in those six days!

Uganda (Bwindi to Entebbe) -- January 17, 2011

We left Buomo at 8:40 a.m. after taking a few minutes to go to the park headquarters so I could purchase the official photo of the Rushegura family for a souvenir and also to the closest shop to buy some miniature carved gorillas as gifts for some young friends (and one for me). I wanted to patronize the local community carvers.

There was some lovely scenery, particularly at the start -- looking back at the mountains

The ride back to Entebbe was just as bad as the drive from Entebbe, except that we didn’t hit the dreadful traffic jam in Mbarara. We stopped at the same place (Agip motel and restaurant) for lunch. Upon arrival I found four of the six people who’d been on yesterday’s marathon trek. We took a “reunion” photo. Since I’d seen the wife of the remaining couple at the camp just before we left, there was confirmation that we all survived and were still mobile.

Arrived at the Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe a little after 7 p.m. This is luxury and opulence! Had a good dinner, paid for a day’s worth of internet, and retired to my room to catch up on my blog. I got so involved that all of a sudden it was 2:30 a.m.! At that point the internet connection disappeared. Didn’t know what was wrong but decided that was a sign that I definitely should go to bed!

Uganda (Bwindi) - January 16, 2011

Today began pretty much the same as yesterday. The general briefing at park headquarters at 8 a.m., some detail by our guide Stephen about the gorilla family we’d be seeing (the Rushegura family), and off in the vehicles for only a 20-minute ride to the start of hiking. Today my group, also only 7 instead of the permissible 8, consisted of 5 Americans and 2 Italians, a mother and daughter. I was not the designated slow person today! And, as it turned out, the person so designated was a much slower slow person than I had been. Of course, she had 10 years on me (celebrating her 75^th birthday with this trip) and a bad knee so I can’t feel too overly proud of my comparative “speed.”General Briefing showing how far we should be from gorillas

Stephen, guide for our group, showing us the picture of the gorillas in the family we would be seeing

As we started off I was concluding that today was easier than yesterday, despite being a little tired and sore. The path was generally easier, with steps having been created for the steep beginning making the footing easier. My porter Olivia (yes, there is equal opportunity in the portering business) didn’t have to do as much pushing as Caleb did yesterday. It should be noted that all 7 of us chose to hire porters, although the daughter of the designated “slow” leader generally had her porter being a second helper to her mom; the daughter had just completed the Kilimanjaro hike so had proved herself to be in fantastic condition.

While this trail was easier than yesterday’s (fewer downs and ups once the ridge line had been reached and steadier footing), there were times when I felt the misery quotient might be higher. We spent an hour going on a narrow path with foliage high on both sides hemming us in but open to the hot sunshine. Bugs swirled around, not biting but being really annoying. Little did I know about misery. . . .

We kept going and going and going. I think we did walk farther than yesterday, but we also walked much slower. Five hours into the hike (it was 2 p.m.), we hadn’t yet reached the gorillas. The trackers came back toward us, creating a more direct path – but one that was difficult in that it was freshly-cut foliage, not cleared, so footing was treacherous. I couldn’t see the actual path, and there were many surprises of rocks, stumps, holes, etc. Olivia saved me. She held my hand, supporting me as needed, and guided my steps. After a miserable hour of this and a brief stop to eat a little bit, we reached the gorilla family. It was already 3 p.m.

The misery was made worthwhile because the viewing was SPECTACULAR!! This family was much closer than yesterday’s and in a more open area so observing and picture taking were far better. One young gorilla snuck up behind the ranger and reached out to touch his pack. Another touched two of the women who were sitting on the ground, one on her foot, the other on her waist. It was phenomenally exciting. We were typically fewer than the regulation 7 meters from the animals and were really able to see them.

We were reluctant to leave, but it was already 4 p.m., and we had a long way to go – as it turned out, a long, incredibly difficult and miserable way! Either because of where the gorillas were located in terms of the “established” paths or because we were so late/so slow, or perhaps both, the trackers again created a more direct route – using their machetes to slash their way through the rain forest. It was hardly a path and extremely difficult as we first headed almost directly up and then quite directly down. Poor Olivia got quite a workout supporting me in both directions. Then to add to the misery quotient, we stumbled into red ants!

(A digression about red ants – We were warned that these fiery biting creatures were in the forest and told we should tuck our pant legs into our socks to discourage their crawling up our legs. I did that, but had very short socks making the tuck not as secure as it should have been to begin with and by this point exhaustion and the roughness of the path had pulled the pant legs partially out of the socks. Yesterday the ants did not find us; today, as we pushed out way through thick foliage underfoot and on all sides, they did. Not only did they crawl up my legs, they crawled down from my neck. Given the condition of the pathway, there wasn’t really the opportunity to do a thorough cleaning out so I’d be getting a bite every couple of minutes, would reach down or up and try to find and get rid of the creature. I succeeded dislodging the last ones only after we’d reach the actual path, and I could go up the trail away from the group, drop trou, and get rid of the last 3 of the ants. Definitely an experience, one which I hope never to repeat.)

We spent 90 minutes working our way up and down this improvised path until at 5:40 p.m., we finally reached the actual established path.

The end of the "path" with the last person, the oldest and slowest, being helped down

Of course at this point we were still at least an hour from our final destination. The path was reasonably good, but I was so tired that I needed Olivia on several occasions. And I totally relied on my walking sticks for support. (Thank goodness my Y work has increased my upper body strength; I needed it!)

At 6:20 we had reached the flat but still had a 20 to 30 minute walk to reach the park headquarters. At that point the final disaster hit. It began to rain – not just rain but pour down in a tropical gully washer. The path turned into a muddy river which was ankle high. I was soaked to the skin. It was the appropriate culmination for this trek! We arrived at the headquarters just about7p.m. – 10 hours after beginning the hike. I took my certificate and walked next door to my lodgings, absolutely and totally exhausted. And I’d thought I was tired yesterday… !

With Olivia at the end -- drenched but so happy to be finished

Took a badly needed hot shower, declined dinner even though staff offered to bring it to my tent (I was too exhausted to eat) and was in bed before 9:30, sleeping the sleep of the dead by 9:32. Thank goodness the gorilla viewing had been so spectacular; that’s all that made the day bearable.

Uganda (Bwindi) - January 15, 2011

Didn’t sleep super well so decided I might as well arise early, a little after 5 rather than waiting for the 6 a.m. alarm. I figured I could use the time to find things in my suitcase and organize a bit more for the morning’s trek. WRONG. The electricity wasn’t working. So I tried to do things with a flashlight – not very successfully. I figured that with breakfast starting at 7 a.m., there’d probably be electricity at 6 a.m. Nope. 6:30? Nope. As I wrote that last “nope,” the light (on which I’d hopefully pulled the chain some time ago) came on. It’s 6:40; so I had to scramble.

The day of trekking began at 8 a.m. at the Park Headquarters which was about 100 feet from my lodging. There was a general briefing which included direction to stay away at least 7 meters from the gorillas, not to touch them if they should happen to come closer, and not to go out on the trek if you're ill. With our DNA makeup so similar, we could pass on viruses to them against which they have no immunity.

There are seven families/groups of gorillas in Bwindi which have been habituated to humans. Three of the groups are tracked from the Buhoma location. Because a maximum of 8 people can be in a group, no more than 56 people per day can be issued permits (at $500 each); the maximum number from this location is 24.

I was assigned to the Habinyanja family which had 19 members but has been reduced because a defeated silverback took four of his ladies and left. All are given names and are recognized by the rangers working with them. Unfortunately, the Habinyanja family was located farthest from the park entrance so after the briefing was completed we had to get into our vehicles and drive, on those terrible roads, for an hour to get to the starting point. Our walking didn’t begin until 10 a.m.

While 8 is the maximum number, there were only 7 tourists in our group. I was the only American; there were 2 Germans, 2 Australians, and 2 French. Porters were available, at $15 a day, to carry one's pack and provide assistance as needed. I was the only one in my group who elected to hire a porter; I figured the money was well worth having someone carry my pack and it helps support the local economy. At this point I felt some “wimpiness” was a sensible approach. Each porter works only with one of the gorilla groups, depending on what part of the village he is from; the number of young people who want the opportunity is so large that frequently they work only one day a month. Also accompanying each group were two guards, armed with quite impressive-looking rifles. About 40 forest elephants live in Bwindi. They are seldom seen but could be dangerous if stumbled upon. The guards would fire over their heads to scare them away. We did not encounter any. . . .

After about 15 minutes of the uphill walk, I had to stop to catch my breath. I knew in my head that this would be physically difficult: Mountain or highland gorillas are going to live up in mountains which must be climbed to reach them. The name “Bwindi Impenetrable Forest” gave a good clue that the rain forest would be quite dense, making walking difficult. And I had a report from the friend of a friend who had done it, that it was quite difficult. Nevertheless, the reality was more difficult than my mental image.

Minnesota is flat, and a couple of months of setting the treadmill at an uphill pace did not fully prepare me for the mountains. So I was designated the "slow" person who must go right behind the ranger in order to set the pace and assure the group keeps together. I was the oldest in the group, perhaps by 10 to 15 years over the next oldest who is a German man who probably does "Volks marches" every weekend! A couple of our members just returned from jaunts up Kilimanjaro. Thus I didn't feel too bad about my designation. (Perhaps some rationalization to protect my ego at work here?)

The trail was quite difficult in parts, moderately so in others. While walking I kept being thankful that 1) I was 32 pounds lighter than at this time last year, 2) I had brought with me my walking sticks which I found to be essential, and 3) that I had had the good sense to hire Caleb, my porter, who not only carried my pack but pushed or pulled as needed to keep me moving. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the trail, could tell exactly what was coming up, and directed me as to the best place to put my feet to get around obstacles such as tree roots. While generally heading up, the path also had downs, resulting in more ups, making the whole trek even more challenging. These are not typical American trails which receive maintenance and being in a tropical rainforest, they are constantly overgrown.

Trackers had started out about 7 a.m., well in advance of the trekking groups, in order to locate the gorillas. They and the ranger (named Sunday) leading our group were in touch by walkie-talkie so the ranger knew where to take us to reach the gorilla family the fastest. We were fortunate that after only 2 hours of walking, we reached the gorillas. Most started out up in the trees but came down and fed in several locations around us. It was incredibly exciting to see them so close and not behind bars or glass. The silverback (the dominant male and leader of the group) tended to plant himself, not moving around much. Most of the members meandered a bit, looking for choice bits of greenery, and the kids tumbled and played. Because they were located in an area with lots of trees and were generally at least 30 to 40 feet away, photography was difficult (using a flash was not allowed). Here are a few pictures that would definitely not make National Geographic but do prove I was there. I'm hoping to get some better pictures e-mailed to me from two members of the group who had better cameras, but these are what I have now.

Coming down from the tree

The silverback (leader) in a contemplative mood

Female -- blurry because darkness required the shutter to be open a long time

The young play around the silverback who doesn't seem to notice/care

Because the photographic opportunities weren’t so great, I spent much of the hour we were allowed to observe watching various members with my binoculars. The most entertaining was a male “teenager” lying on his back on a tree limb, beating his hands on his chest in true Tarzan movie fashion. He may be small now but has big aspirations! The “babies,” of six months to a couple of years, were also quite entertaining as they tumbled around; the moms were quite tolerant.

At the end of our hour as the ranger was dragging us away, Maraya, known as the “bad boy” of the family, rushed at us doing a threat display. I had the feeling that he knew we were leaving and used the opportunity to show us and the other gorillas how big and brave he was. (Anthropomorphize much?) It was a great end to our gorilla experience.

After walking back down the trail for 20 minutes or so, we stopped to eat our packed lunches.

Then onward and, mostly, downward – with my hand on Caleb’s shoulder for balance and support much of the way. We arrived back where the cars were waiting at 3:30 p.m. Then we had the one hour car ride before arriving back at the camp. It was a long, but very successful, day. However, I desperately needed a shower. I was drenched through from the inside out – tropical rain forests are, indeed, hot and humid.

My wonderful porter Caleb. He has three children!

At dinner that evening I sat with three Australians, two of whom had been with my group. Delightful people, and I got some possibly useful information and material for the upcoming volunteer trip to Kayoro Village.

To bed, exhausted, at 10 p.m.

Uganda (Bwindi) -- January 14, 2011

The entrance to Buhoma Community Restcamp showing the reception area which wasn't actually in operation at the time that we arrived (a bit later than guests usually arrive).

There are five bandas like this and a few permanent safari tents as well as a hostel/dormitory building.

These lodgings are owned and operated by the community closest to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. When emphasis began being put on research and tourism with gorillas in the early 1990's, the community decided they should take advantage of the possibility for employment/income for its residents. Training was provided, and the community runs the facility.

It’s 9:40 p.m. on Friday, and I’m sitting on the bed in my tent, and I’m EXHAUSTED. We left Entebbe this morning at 7:40 in grayness and light rain which continued on and off throughout the day, although there was sunshine along the way as well. We arrived here about 8 p.m., over 12 hours on the road. Taking out the coffee and lunch breaks, it still was well over 10 hours of actual driving time. Although I was just a passenger and dozed through parts of the trip, it was still tiring. The condition of the roads range from “not bad” to “indescribably awful,” with more of the latter than the former. And portions of the “real” highway were under construction, presenting another set of driving problems. Driving through a large town (learned there is only one city in Uganda – Kampala), half the road was being resurfaced, requiring traffic to alternate and huge back-ups – as well as gridlock and a lot of independent driving techniques, especially motorcycles which pretty much drove wherever they wanted.

When I wasn’t sleeping and Sam, my guide, wasn’t concentrating totally on driving, we had some interesting conversations. We talked a bit about politics and the several wars which recently took place in Uganda. It’s Sam’s opinion that there won’t be more wars in the immediate future; people are just too tired to support any rebellions. I also learned that Sam was instrumental in starting the organization of tour guides in Uganda and is currently the president of the 300-member group. They work to increase professionalism among the guides and now have a government-recognized certification program. It helps to increase the quality of the guides – and also the pay they can command from the tour companies. Seeing the skill needed to drive on these roads, I believe training is essential. Sam reads the road the way a sailor reads the waves, moving back and forth and shifting appropriately in order to create the best ride possible. Ugandans officially drive on the left, as the British do, but really take whatever part of the road is in the best condition.

A bit more complaining (and to get it off my chest), the late arrival meant it was dark when we got here. My night vision isn’t great, and I hate not being able to see, orient myself, and organize so I’m a bit discombobulated. I’m in a self-contained tent rather than banda (room). While I like having walls between me and the world, the bandas don't have attached toilet and shower facilities which the tent does, just a zip of a tent flap away. The tent has an electric light bulb (of maybe 50 watts) in each “room” but doesn’t have an electrical outlet. My camera batteries are over in the dining hall so they can be recharged. It’s rather hilarious to see approximately 20 electronic devices, mainly phones, being recharged.

My tent -- exterior and interior

Don’t know when this will be posted (not surprisingly, no internet access) but I’ll try to keep up in writing as things happen – as long as the battery holds out or I can use the electricity in the dining room. I’m sure things will look brighter tomorrow. At least I should be able to SEE!!!

Uganda ( Entebbe) -- Jan uary 12 & 13, 2011

Here I am at the Entebbe Backpackers' Hostel and Campground, located on a dirt road near the airport, and, yes, there is WiFi. The world is amazing, isn't it? . . .

The plane from Amsterdam arrived at the Entebbe airport on time at 8:15 p.m. last night (Wed., 1-12). It took a while to get luggage and even longer to stand in line at Passport Control to pay my $50 and obtain a visa. There was a driver awaiting me with his sign "frances shirley" which I concluded must be me, and he drove me to Backpackers' arriving about 9:30 p.m. I was slightly confused because I'd been told that the driver providing airport transportation would be the same person who would be my driver/guide for the next four days. Not true. This fellow was a hostel employee who knew nothing about who would be picking me up and at what time on Thursday. Ah, well -- the first step in flexibility and not worrying. I figured 9 to 9:30 a.m. would be a reasonable pick-up time so set my alarm accordingly.

Entebbe Backpackers' has individual bungalows with bathrooms. My room is large with double bunk beds. It has a lot of windows but unless one wants to be open to the world the drapes must stay closed, resulting in a very dark room -- particularly given that the wattage of the one ceiling light can't be more than 25 watts. I did a little unpacking/organizing, carefully arranged the mosquito netting (after first using my duct tape to cover a hole), read a bit, and turned off my book light at 11:30 p.m. Would have been a good night's rest -- except for the 3+ hours of lying awake from jet lag from 3 p.m. on. Of course, had returned to a SOUND sleep by the time the alarm went off at 8:15 a.m. Went over to the reception area at 9 a.m. intending to ask the staff to telephone the number I'd been left. Just then the guide pulled up, and the day began.

My room is at the back of this grouping -- 3rd from the left, 2nd from the right.












There are a number of campers with their
tents set up on the grounds.












We toured around the Entebbe area for about 6 hours. Entebbe was originally the capital of the country so has many government buildings. I'd hoped to be able to see something of Kampala, the current capital, as well, but it's 35 kilometers away, and roads are not good. Entebbe has a large area and a population, my guide guessed, of over 1,000,000 -- but there is not a "downtown" as I envision a city. Certainly there are no high rise buildings or commercial center, unless they're far away from the area we viewed.

We visited a large, sprawling, market. Although I'm told there are others within the Entebbe area, this one is the biggest and most central.










The market had meat, hanging like in butcher shops of yore; fish, mostly tilapia from Lake Victoria; and a large variety of produce. I especially like the artistic mounds of potatoes!

We visited the site of the founding of the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda -- location primarily a result of the priests' boat having problems and landing at this point. There is a plaque and statues and a church to mark the spot.
I had a lovely lunch at the Lake Victoria Hotel -- very upscale. I ate outdoors, overlooking the grounds and swimming pools. It was expensive, in comparison with basic Ugandan restaurants, but not bad. Roast chicken (breast & wing) in a mushroom sauce with chips (French fries) and a cole slaw garnish was 18,000 Ugandan shillings, about $8.50. Given the elegance of the surroundings, I thought that was reasonable.
In our travels around the city we observed many kinds of transportation. Lots of people walk; no sidewalks so people walk on the roads, adding interest to the driving. There are vans seating up to 14 people which function as buses but are called taxis. (Taxis for one person to one destination are known as hire cars.) Motorcycles also serve as taxis for one or two passengers; the drivers are typically young men and, without helmets, one takes one's life in one's hands!
Yes, we have here a down vest, a jacket with fur-trimmed hood, and a stocking cap. It's 70 degrees!!!!!!

Because Entebbe is located on Lake Victoria, boats also are a means of transport as this one, coming from an island, shows.
I spent over 2 hours walking in the Entebbe Botanical Garden, escorted by a young man named Dixon (his last name; first is apparently too complicated for foreigners to try to pronounce or remember). Most of the trees and plants are local, but some have been imported from other places. According to Dixon this Garden is a positive legacy of Idi Amin who frequented the area and caused it to be created in an area which had housed a coffee plantation.

Dixon with a handful of cinnamon bark in front of a cinnamon tree.






















Cactus growing tall and a crocodile tree (check roots)

The Botanical Garden is located right on Lake Victoria, making for some lovely views.
The Botanical Garden is host to three families of vervet monkeys. I was watching two adults with a baby at the right side of the path. The baby was suckling vigorously while another adult monkey groomed the mom.















My concentration was broken as the whole family (of about 50+ members) rushed across the road in front of me. It was slightly unnerving, but they largely ignored us.









The baby, who had been nursing, decided a ride on mom would be more fun.














Returned to the hostel about 4:30 and have been working on this blog -- as well as dealing with some e-mails. Once this is posted I'll return to my room to organize and pack for tomorrow's departure for the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We'll be leaving at 7:30 a.m. for what might be an 11 hour drive. It seems unlikely there'll be Internet access there -- but I wouldn't have expected it here, so. . . .