Philadelphia - May 20, 2013

Arrived in Philadelphia yesterday afternoon for a Road Scholar class, "National Treasures of Philadelphia," one of the Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel) Signature Cities courses.  (The same type as the New York City Five Boroughs class I took last fall.)  With help from the RS information, I took the train from the airport to downtown (for seniors costing only $1.00) and walked two blocks to my hotel.  Pretty slick and very cheap!  An organizational meeting was held Sunday evening with the actual touring beginning today.

Some of the sights we visited today I had seen previously -- on the one day of sightseeing I did here at the conclusion of a HUD training course 13 or 14 years ago.  But they were worth seeing again, and there were brand new places as well.  Started at the Liberty Bell which is situated in a building which tells the story of the significance of the Liberty Bell to U.S. history and mythology and then locates the Liberty Bell so that Independence Hall is its background.

 
Because Minnesota has had such a long winter, the gardens outside the building were almost as exciting for me as the patriotic symbol.  Lovely and colorful!










Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed, now has more security, and reservations are required.  In the same secure area is Congress Hall where the U.S. Congress met for 10 significant years when the capitol was in Philadelphia (between the times when New York and Washington, D.C. were the U.S. capital city).  The two Park Service rangers who did the tours were quite good, managing to make the history quite interesting.

The only original furniture in the room is the chair on the dais in which the person presiding sat.  This chair has a sun carved onto its top, a sun which Benjamin Franklin, perhaps apocryphally, said he was sure was rising rather than setting.

    

The House Chambers

The Senate Chambers (on the 2nd floor)











From here we walked two blocks to the Bourse Building which remains an office building on upper floors but is a tourist area food court on the ground floor.  Had a Philadelphia Cheese Steak sandwich; it was okay but not great.  May have to eat several more to test them out!

Then continued walking in the historic area stopping at Carpenters Hall, where the Continental Congress met.  Unfortunately, it was closed on Mondays, but I suspect there wasn't a lot to see inside anyway.  Then went to Benjamin Franklin's print shop.  It wasn't the actual location of the print shop but was in buildings owned by Franklin near where his home, now demolished, was located.

Public transport back to the hotel for a couple hours rest (and working on this) before dinner.  We had a small private bus which took us to Joy Tsin Lau, a restaurant in Chinatown for an okay, if not spectacular, Chinese meal.  Unfortunately, for me, several of the dishes featured shrimp.  

We then did a brief bus tour of some neighborhoods in the city, especially Society Hill, a residential area just south of the Old City full of lovely 18th and 19th century townhouses and a number of historic houses of worship.  A brief detour into South Philly was made so we could see the Magic Gardens artwork of Isaiah Zagar.  He created mosaics on many buildings on and near the South Street area.  The largest piece of art he did was the two lots which are now the Magic Gardens.  Here are a few pictures; a youtube video can be seen at           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEpXlmdyJ4A

We concluded the bus tour by viewing one of the approximately 3,000 public murals scattered throughout the city.  This is one of the largest and most elaborate.  Originally begun as an anti-graffiti technique utilizing tagging artists, the murals are now done mostly by professional artists.

Uganda - February 9, 2013

This was a travel day -- a LOT of travel.  After the midnight takeoff from Entebbe, the flight was 8 hours, landing us in Amsterdam at 6 a.m. (8 a.m. Uganda time).  I actually was able to get in a good block of sleep during this flight.  Once in Amsterdam I split off from the rest of the group who were booked on a direct flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis-St. Paul.  By the time I had made my plane reservations, the price had increased so much that I saved over $400 by routing myself through Paris and then on to MSP.  Because my flight left before theirs, I would arrive home only an hour later so the effort seemed worth the savings.

My scheduled 8 a.m. flight didn't leave until 9:07 because of bad weather/snow in Paris.  While we made up a little time in the air, I was still left me with only 45 minutes before the scheduled departure of my Delta flight to MSP.  Charles DeGaulle airport is huge, not well organized, and unfamiliar to me.  I rushed like mad and made it -- barely.  There were only a few people left to get on when I arrived, panting, at the gate.  Wonderful for me (if not so great for Delta), there were a number of empty seats on the plane, including the one next to me.  Lots of room to spread out and be comfortable!

Very much enjoyed eating a salad (fresh vegetables and fruit that can't be peeled are not recommended in Africa) and watching two movies:  Lincoln and Argo.  At least I will now have seen at least some of the movies up for Academy Awards.  Plane actually landed a couple of minutes early -- 1:30 p.m. Minnesota time, 8:30 p.m. Amsterdam time, 10:30 p.m. Entebbe time.  By this point I'd been up for 39 hours and traveling for 27 hours.  Should sleep well tonight.

While I made the plane in Paris, my suitcase did not.  So after arrival I had to check on my bag and make arrangements to have it delivered to me on Sunday.  Then home to see Jackson and make arrangements to get Katy back.  It is so good to see my furry family.

Once again, I can say that I'm glad I made this trip even though it was very difficult.  I'm not sure I'd return to Uganda again -- but won't say never.  If Marian/Maliamu, the girl I'm sponsoring for school, and I develop a relationship, it's possible I will want to visit her at some point in the future.  And perhaps the clinic will call me back to see its further development.  But for right now lots of other places are much higher on my travel agenda.

Until my next trip to someplace interesting enough to write about, the blog is finished.

Uganda - February 8, 2013

The volunteer group is now reduced to five.  Patty and Sue were on a 5 a.m. flight to Amsterdam, and Laurie left on a 7 a.m. bus to Kenya where she was going to spend a few days on her own with GUW projects in Nyoga.  After another buffet breakfast (am getting tired of the same food, even when it's reasonably well done), I wandered around the grounds taking pictures of our luxurious surroundings.  Too bad we won't have time to use most of the amenities.

The grounds are extensive, and the hotel quite large.  There was a lot of staff on hand but not many hotel residents apparent. (Of course, many might have been doing business since it was mid-morning when I was wandering around.)

There is a beautiful beach, although I understand that one should not swim in Lake Victoria for fear of picking up parasites which enter through the skin.  Also two pools, one for splashing and one for swimming, were available -- and empty.

The hotel lobby area is huge.  I found it impersonal and not that attractive; to me it appeared the purpose was to impress, not to provide gracious living.

The one amenity I really appreciated, and used, was a lovely bathroom.  In addition to the large shower, there was a bathtub on the other side of the room.  But no time to soak (and it's really too hot to enjoy that anyway).  Air conditioning that works well is not among the hotel's amenities.






We had originally planned to go to the African market in Kampala for a final shopping spree.  After yesterday's disastrous bus journey and the dreadful traffic in Kampala, no one wanted to get on the bus to travel that distance.  There were several shops with local crafts located on the hotel grounds which we decided would be good enough.  I did a little shopping for myself while Cammie, Mary, and Pat did more major shopping for items that can appear in the Give Us Wings boutique at the fundraising dinner.  Here is Cammie making her way from one shop to the next.

The hotel offered WiFi so I spent much of the afternoon catching up on and posting to this blog.  The others began the process of packing the extra suitcases we'd brought (originally filled with supplies for the St. John's clinic) with the crafts purchased for the GUW sale.  Cammie and Mary's room became a packing area.

The room had to be cleared by the 5 p.m. extended checkout time so we packed the bus and headed out for a final dinner.

Sam knew of the Boma guesthouse and restaurant where we had a great celebratory meal.  We had all survived!  Sam and Ham were included in the dinner and given our thanks and a final gift/tip.

On the bus for our final ride -- to the airport.  Arrived about 8:30 with Sam and Ham helping with all our luggage to the airport door.  Then we were on our own to check in and wait for the scheduled 11:30 p.m. departure.  Because of a mechanical problem with the hydraulic lift used for baggage (at least it wasn't a problem with the plane), we were half an hour late in departure.  But we did get on our way. . . !

Uganda - February 7, 2013

This was a mostly travel day, returning to Entebbe from Murchison Falls, a long journey made even more miserable by a series of circumstances.  We had geared ourselves for a 7 to 8 hour bus ride that we knew would be bumpy, hot, and dusty.  But it turned into the road trip from hell. . . .

Arose before 6 in order to get my suitcase to the lobby for a 6:30 a.m. loading of the bus.  Had grabbed a quick bite of breakfast and was waiting for the bus when our guide Sam appeared to tell us that the bus had had mechanical problems, and Ham had taken it for repair.  We would miss the 7 a.m. ferry across the Nile.  Because there is no 8 o’clock ferry, we would be unable to leave until 9.

Problem #1 – now two hours behind schedule.

The bus arrived at 8:30.  We loaded and were waiting at the ferry by 8:50.  No ferry. . . .  The ferry had engine problems and didn’t arrive until 9:40. When we finally saw it take off from the other side, I took this picture showing the "globe" which marked the ferry site with the ferry now in view.

 Problem #2 – now over 2½ hours behind schedule.

We took off on the same poor quality, bumpy, road we had taken yesterday to go see the top of the Falls.  About an hour after beginning the drive, we had a flat tire.  No one rushed out to help.  (We were in the midst of the National Park and just hoped no cape buffalo or aggressive baboons would appear. -- They didn’t.)   

Sam and Ham worked diligently to change the tire while we passengers huddled together a little way up the road where there was a patch of shade.  It was a VERY hot day.  In an effort to amuse ourselves, some of our more agile members attempted ditch yoga.

Problem #3 – now more than 3½  hours behind schedule. 

Because a sharp rock had punctured the tire, we knew we would have to stop at the first decent-sized town to get it repaired.  We exited the park via the Kichumbanyobo Gate a few minutes after noon and arrived in Masindi for tire repair half an hour later,  Fortunately the gas station was quite nice, had a great rest room, a store where we could buy cold drinks, and a table in the shade to sit and wait.  Children were returning from school; three girls (primary 2 so maybe 8 years old) looking incredibly cute in green gingham uniform dresses came over, curious about this group of white folk sitting out by the gas station.  A bit before 2 p.m. we continued on our way with a now-repaired tire.

Problem #4 – now almost 5 hours behind schedule.

We continued a short distance to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where we were scheduled for lunch and a trek to see the rhinos.  The “lunch,” which was a really excellent meal eaten at an outdoor platform near one of the small lodges where visitors can stay, was finished at 4 p.m. 

 We then went to see the animals.  Rhinoceros were native to Uganda but became extinct there in 1983.  This sanctuary is the result of an effort to reintroduce them to the country.  Adult white rhinos were obtained from Kenya and from the U.S. (Disney in Orlando) and are successfully reproducing.  The sanctuary is completely fenced, and two keepers/guards are with the rhinos 24 hours a day to protect against poachers.

Our guide gave us information about the rhinos and our behavior when in their vicinity.  Since they're very short-sighted, if they become agitated, one needs to step behind a tree where they'll be unable to distinguish people.  In addition, these groups of animals are quite habituated to their human guards so are relatively calm as long as they hear the familiar voices of the sanctuary staff.

The guide was in radio contact with the guards who were with a family of rhinos that was fairly close.  He led us on a short walk to where we found a family group of a mom (Bella, a 12-year old from Kenya) and her older boy (Augustu, 3 yrs.) and baby girl (Bella Dona, 9 months) plus a visiting 3-year old “boy” who likes to hang out with Augustu (a play date, I guess).

                           

Here is the family group.  Although Augustu is only three, he's quite big for his age.  

All of us were particularly taken with the visiting 3-year old since his name is Obama.  He's the first Ugandan-born rhinoceros since extinction occurred in 1983.  The reason for his name is explained in his poster on display at the center's administrative building.

It's amazing how close we were able to get to these animals who are indeed wild.  This is because white rhinoceroses are less aggressive than black rhinoceroses but primarily because they are habituated to having humans around so are less disturbed by our presence, so long as we're well-behaved and accompanied by sanctuary staff whom they know.  This picture of Cammie shows the proximity of the rhinos.

At 5:30 we got back on the bus for a predicted 3-hour drive to Entebbe (of course, time predictions by Africans are often understated).  Shortly after leaving the Sanctuary, we reached a tarmac road which was a huge improvement over the roads we had been on.  We reached Kampala about 9 p.m. (well behind the predicted time frame) and then hit dreadful traffic as well as incredibly bad pollution -- not surprising given the quantity of traffic just sitting there emitting fumes.  We finally got free of the Kampala traffic and were moving quickly toward Entebbe and our hotel when the police motioned us over and pulled Sam and Ham to their vehicle.  Apparently the flashing blue lights which we had noticed represented the movement of the President of Uganda.  There is some secret indication clear to Ugandans that it's the president (rather than police moving to an accident or something else) because Ham later said he realized what was happening but too late to stop in a timely manner.  The police finally let them go, without a ticket being issued, mostly because they had a busload of white tourists who were on their way to the airport (a bit of an exaggeration, but a reasonable excuse).

Problem #5 (5 1/2 hours behind schedule)

We proceeded to the Imperial Golf View Hotel, where we had stayed for one night upon our arrival in Uganda.  They were full, because of a conference, and upgraded us to their sister hotel, the Imperial Beach Resort Hotel.  While it was a more luxurious hotel, getting there and registered took more time.  We finally were settled in our rooms by about 11:15 p.m.

Problem #6 (6 hours behind schedule)

While we all loved the Rhino Sanctuary (food at lunch and opportunity to be up close and personal with rhinos), the rest of the day was pretty awful.  But we survived.

Uganda - February 6, 2013

Today we were scheduled to drive to Kaniyo Pabidi Forest, at the southern edge of the Park, to do chimpanzee tracking.  I really wanted to do this, but concluded, along with the other travelers, that a 2 to 3 hour bus ride each way with 2 to 3 hours of trekking while at the chimpanzee refuge would be too much.  The bus trip here on Feb. 4th and yesterday's 4+ hour game drive had done us in -- particularly for any activity requiring extensive bus riding.  And we knew we faced an 8-hour day on the bus tomorrow in order to get to Entebbe for our return home.  So good sense prevailed, and we decided to spend a relaxing morning and then drive to the top of Murchison Falls for a picnic lunch.

Left the Lodge at 11:45 for the bus ride to the river where we, and the bus, got on a ferry to go to the south side of the Nile/Park.  Here we are driving onto the ferry and then halfway across.  Passengers must get off their vehicles for the journey and stand on a side platform from which I took the picture.

On the other side we found the road just as dreadful as on the north side -- bumpy and dusty.  I was sitting next to Ham (pronounced Hahm), our driver so got a clear view of the road, and how bad it was.  Ham is an expert in reading the road reducing the bumps as much as possible, but it's so bad, there isn't a lot one can do.  The misery of the 1+ hour drive each way confirmed that we'd made the right decision in electing to skip the chimpanzee reserve and and possible 3 hour drive.

 












 















Although this was not officially a game drive, we did see a warthog as we waited for the ferry.  He was happily exploring the garbage can -- empty, but apparently he had hope.

 














We also saw some cape buffalo thoroughly enjoying a wallow in the mud.

Murchison Falls is quite lovely.  Explorers Samuel and Florence Baker saw the falls in 1863 and named them after the geologist Sir Roderick Murchison, then President of the Royal Geographical Society.  The Falls provided the backdrop for the 1950 movie, The African Queen.  A second waterfall broke through from the side, supposedly on the day of Ugandan independence in 1963 so is called Uhuru Falls.  We walked around for 30 to 40 minutes taking pictures from all angles.  At a certain point (3rd picture) a rainbow was visible.

Ham then took our box lunches to a nearby pavilion where we enjoyed the lodge-prepared food.

We left the Falls area a little after 2:30, determined to make the 4 p.m. ferry (otherwise would have had to wait until 5 to get across the river).  Back to the Lodge at 4:15, grateful to be "home."  It is VERY hot, the worst it's been.  The temperature inside the bus was 100 degrees F.  Not comfortable. . . .

So off to the pool.  No elephant visitors this time, but I availed myself of another banana boat drink in the pool bar.  (I could get used to this!)  Clean-up, dinner at 7:30, packing up to leave, and to bed at 9:15.  A good night's sleep will be necessary to survive tomorrow's bus trip.

Uganda - February 5, 2013

Up at 5:30 to prepare for our 7 a.m. departure on our game drive which lasted until a little after 11:30.  The roads were bumpy and dusty, but we were out for the journey, not the destination, so it was more tolerable.  The bus riding does exhaust one, however.

The game viewing was not as spectacular as on safari in Kenya and Tanzania, a trip I made in 2001.  The numbers of animals are not as great (Idi Amin killed off animals as well as people during his regime), and there are no zebras in Murchison Falls National Park (there are in other places in Uganda).  But we saw a variety of antelope, the different names for which I often forget, but which are beautiful and here in large numbers.  I think the names, in order of the pictures, are oribe, waterbuck, Jackson's hartebeest, and kob -- but an antelope expert might correct me on this.  I think I have the names down, but the next one I see I can't remember.

We saw a number of Cape Buffalo, large and generally mean.  One doesn't want to cross a cape buffalo!  There are birds which love to perch on their backs in order to eat insects; good for both bird and beast, I guess.

We saw elephants on the drive but got much better views later in the day.  (Nile boat trip and pool -- more on that later.)  The same was true of hippopotami.  We did see several giraffes, my favorite animal, although most were pretty distant.  There was one reasonably close.  Uganda giraffes are Rothschild Giraffes, a type not widespread in Kenya or Tanzania so I'd only seen this type in the giraffe sanctuary in Nairobi.

There were red colobus monkeys and a few types of birds, including the African fishing eagle that we saw several times at spots along the Victoria Nile.

We returned to the lodge a bit after 11:30 where some folk rushed to the pool.  Patty, particularly, was eager to begin the celebration of her 60th birthday today with an adult beverage at the pool bar.

After lunch we went down to the river to begin our afternoon river trip up the Victoria Nile to the base of Murchison Falls.  The one-way distance was 17 kilometers.  Robert was our guide/pilot/game spotter.

We saw a lot of hippopotami, mostly as lumps at the waterline, but occasionally one yawned or stood for us to see them better.  Backside views were especially common.

There were also a number of crocodiles.  Apparently they rest and digest with mouths open. 

A large flock of African Skimmers went flying all around us with a clap of the hands of one of the boat crew.  After briefly circling, they once again settled on the shore.








We got several close views of elephants as they came down to the river to drink.  Since they can't run well in water, we could get closer than would be wise on land.

About 4:30 p.m. we reached the falls.  There was a narrows beyond which we couldn't go with the boat -- too dangerous.  But we had the chance to enjoy the beauty and take pictures.  Zoom lenses helped.

After returning in slightly shorter time (going downstream), it was time for rest and relaxation in our luxurious lodgings.  The reception is lovely (and the staff very pleasant).  And look at the room and the bathroom.  There's a real shower, with a shower curtain!

 

 In addition we had a very nice patio which overlooked the pool -- and which, of course, my roommate Pat could use to dry her laundry.

Upon completion of our sightseeing adventures, I decided I needed an adult beverage at the White Nile Bar at the pool.  Decided to splurge on the drink selection of the day -- a banana boat.  This drink had no bananas; it was comprised of mango juice, gin, and rum.  It was quite cold and quite tasty.  And the surroundings were quite lovely -- a great combination.

The restful nature was changed to exciting as we noted two elephants climbing up the slope from the Nile and beginning to munch on the lodge foliage.  I got fairly close but definitely kept the fence between the elephants and me -- and was watching the hotel staff closely for direction.  Both elephants went from the one side to the other side of the pool.  At one point it looked as if they were going to walk down the path in front of our patios, but staff scared them off.

Apparently the elephants do this 2 or 3 times a month.  We were all thrilled they'd chosen a day we were there to visit, especially Patty who was certain it was a planned birthday present for her!

After that, it was time to shower and dress for dinner.  I decided to wear my Mbale-purchased outfit.  Two other members of our group did the same so we had African-dresses pictures taken.

After a glass of wine and a glass of champagne (to celebrate Patty's birthday), sleeping was good.