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.