This is a learning process. The pictures for Ethiopia did load, but not in the order I wanted. Sorry. Attached are pictures from Uganda (hopefully).
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Yes, I am still alive. Come with me to Ethiopia & Uganda
1/30/16 Upon my return from Morocco in late November, 2011, I
didn’t think I would ever want to travel again.
I was exhausted to the core and craved a “nest” to curl up in. I then
proceeded to buy an old house in a small beach town in SW Michigan. My son, Chris, traveled from Chicago to help
me most weekends for the next year as we dove into the renovation of it. What was I thinking? I lived with an air mattress and an electric
skillet for nine months, but I had a toilet (life was good!) before bringing my furniture and furnishings
from storage. Timing was perfect for me since I was pretty
used to living minimally at that time, not sure I could or would want to do it
today. Pretty much finished up the work on the house
to learn that I needed two hip replacements.
Okay, did that October and November of 2014. I felt like I had a new lease on life with my
new hips – whew. Reality is that I know
that new knees are in my foreseeable future, but for the moment I’m good and
the travel bug awakes within me. Chris
has been working with Peace Corp and living in Ethiopia since February, 2014,
do I want to visit? Can I live out of a
backpack, with two pair of pants, an extra pair of shoes, a few tee shirts and
five underpants (TMI?) for near a month?
Yes!! This blog entry is going
to be a long one, I can just feel it. I
haven’t written in a while and I’m in the mood……. I’ve been asked by some of you to write this
and I hope you’ll enjoy the pictures
even if you don’t want to read this long writing. I don’t
know how many pictures they will let me put up at a time, so you may have to
check several entries to see everything.
I spent much of October, 2015 with my son,
Christopher. We traveled the northern part of Ethiopia,
Peace Corp style (meaning cheap). We travel via local transport and stay in lodging
you might find substandard. But, I must
say, most of our lodging were nicer than that I stayed in while in Morocco, and
more expensive too. It has been said
that I flew to Africa, and yes that is true.
I flew to the continent of Africa and visited the countries of Ethiopia
and Uganda. The African continent is
larger than North America with many countries (54 to be exact). It is helpful to think of Africa’s countries
as we think of the states in the US or perhaps a better comparison would be to
Europe with its many different countries, languages and cultures.
You
didn’t think you’d get off without a bit of a history lesson did you? A bit about Ethiopia thanks to Wikipedia. There are two countries in Africa which are considered to never have been colonized. One
was, Liberia, which was founded by freed American slaves in the 1800s. The
other, Ethiopia, was temporarily occupied by Italy during WWII, and the
Italians tried twice to colonize it, but were unsuccessful. Ethiopia is a country located in the Horn
of Africa (NE Africa). It is bordered by Eritrea to the north and northeast, Djibouti
and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South
Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south.
It’s size is about three times the state of Montana. The predominant climate type is tropical monsoon, with wide
topographic-induced variation. The Ethiopian Highlands cover most of the country and have a
climate which is generally considerably cooler than other regions at similar
proximity to the Equator. Most of the country's major cities are located at
elevations of around 6,562–8,202 ft above sea level The modern capital Addis Ababa is at the elevation of around 7,874 ft. It experiences a mild climate year round.
With fairly uniform year round temperatures, the seasons in Addis Ababa are
largely defined by rainfall, with a dry season from October–February, a light rainy
season from March–May, and a heavy rainy season from June–September. There are
on average 7 hours of sunshine per day.
Some
of the oldest evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in
Ethiopia, which is widely considered the region from which Homo
sapiens first set out for the Middle
East and points beyond.
Ethiopia is one of the earliest nations to adopt Christianity in the
first half of the fourth century, and its historical roots date to the time of
the Apostles. Christians make up 62.8% of the country's population (43.5%
Ethiopian Orthodox, 19.3% other denominations), Muslims 33.9%, practitioners of
traditional faiths 2.6%, and other religions 0.6%. A small ancient group of Jews, the Beta Israel, live in
northwestern Ethiopia, though most immigrated to Israel in the last decades of the 20th century. Despite being the main source of the Nile, the longest river on
Earth, Ethiopia underwent a series of famines in the 1980s, exacerbated by
civil wars and adverse geopolitics (a 17-year-long civil war, along with severe
drought). The country has begun to
recover recently. Deforestation is a
major concern for Ethiopia as studies suggest loss of forest contributes to
soil erosion and loss of nutrients in the soil. In 2008 it is stated that about 16% of the population in Ethiopia are
living on less than 1 dollar per day. Only 65% of rural households in Ethiopia
consume the minimum standard of food per day, with 42% of children under 5
years old being underweight. Most poor
families (75%) share their sleeping quarters with livestock, and 40% of
children sleep on the floor, where nighttime temperatures average 41 degrees F
in the cold season. The average
family size is six or seven, living in a 325 square feet mud and thatch
hut. The
life expectancy of men is reported to be 56 years and for women 60 years. Ethiopia's main health problems are
said to be communicable (contagious) diseases worsened by poor sanitation and
malnutrition. More than half the population does not have access to clean
water. These problems are
exacerbated by the shortage of trained doctors and nurses and health
facilities. The state of public health
is considerably better in the cities, of course.
The best-known Ethiopian cuisine consists of
various thick meat stews, known as wat, and vegetable side dishes
served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread made of teff flour. (Note picture)
Teff is the grain of a grass that is ground and then fermented . It is rather like a crepe/pancake and is
about dinner plate size. Wat is not
eaten with utensils, but instead one uses the injera to scoop up the entrées
and side dishes. Almost universally in Ethiopia, it is common to eat from the
same dish in the center of the table with a group of people. It is also a
common custom to feed others in your group with your own hands. I found injera to be “sour” and not
especially appealing to me. Of course,
each household/entity ferments it a bit differently and the taste varies, but I
think I could live without ever having to eat it again and I am not a fussy
eater as you know.
Ethiopia
is the origin of the coffee bean.
The
country produces more coffee than any other nation on the continent. Each household/establishment will roast the
bean before serving, fanning the smoke from roasting for individual enjoyment. Serving coffee is an “event” to be admired
and appreciated. Other main exports are
wheat and beef.
I flew into Addis Ababa,
the capital of Ethiopia, but spent only the night, flying into Makale the next
morning. Makale is the capital city of the northern
Tigray region. This is the city that
Chris travels to and through most often.
The two
largest ethnic groups is this town are Tigrayan (96.5%), the Amhara (1.59%), foreigners from Eritrea (0.99%); all other
ethnic groups made up 0.98% of the population. Tigrinya is spoken as a first language by 96.26% (this is what
Chris was taught), and 2.98% spoke Amharic.
We
didn’t dally long in Makale, so after a lunch of Special Ful (ground up ful
beans with scrambled eggs and yogurt on top, that you scoop with bread), we hit the road north to Adigrat (Hohoma Hotel) since it
would be a good starting place for the next day. Adigrat is very near the border
of Eritrea and is the gateway to the Red Sea (through Eritrea). We had Tolo for dinner which is a spicey meat
sauce served with barley dough balls for scooping (yep like eating a ball of
dough).
We
were on our way early the next morning with the goal of making Aksum by
lunchtime. Aksum (Africa Hotel), one of the
oldest cities in Africa, supposed location of the Ark of the Covenant, massive
ruins, dating from between 1st and 13th century including
monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, & royal tombs, (note picture) the Queen Sheba’s palace and bath. Joined by Chris’s friends, we started the
night off with Taj (honey wine) which is not one of my favorite things L
followed by Kaitibs (meat in red sauce served on injera.
Early
the next morning we set off for a full day of travel through the foothills of
the Semien Mountains. The Semiens are remarkable
as being one of the few spots in Africa where snow regularly falls.
Despite their ruggedness and altitude, the mountains are dotted with
villages linked by tracks. The
tallest peak is at about 15,000 ft. We
stopped in the town of Debark to meet up with a friend of Chris’s for a lunch
of Tagabeano (bean/chickpea powder, similar to hummus, only served warm) and
Kay Wot (sheep in sauce) both served with injera.
Our day’s travel ended in Gonder
(Lodge du Chateau). Gonder was founded by Emperor Fasilides around the year 1635, and
grew as an agricultural and market town. The Gonder of yesteryear was a city of extreme
brutality and immense wealth. Today the wealth and brutality are gone, but the
memories linger in The Royal Enclosures an amazing World Heritage Site. The
compound contains numerous castles and palaces (the Castle of Emperor Fasilidas, the Castle of
Emperor Iyasu, the Library of Tzadich Yohannes; the Chancellery of Tzadich
Yohannes; the Castle of Emperor David, the Palace of Mentuab
and Banqueting Hall of the Emperor Bekaffa) that has been restored with the aid of UNESCO. By far the most impressive, and also the
oldest, building is Fasiladas’ Palace, just inside the entrance gate. It stands
32m tall and has a crenulated parapet and four domed towers. (Note picture of Chris and me)
If
it weren’t for a swarm of bees, the beautiful church of Debre Berhan Selassie
would have probably been destroyed like most of Gonder’s other churches by the
marauding Sudanese Dervishes in the 1880s. When the Dervishes showed up outside
the gates of the church, a giant swarm of bees surged out of the compound and
chased the invaders away. This was a lucky intervention: with its stone walls,
arched doors, two-tiered thatch roof and well-preserved paintings, Debre Berhan
Selassie is one of the most beautiful churches in Ethiopia. The roof, with its
rows and rows of winged cherubs , (note picture) representing the omnipresence
of God, draws most eyes. There’s space for 135 cherubs, though 13 have been
erased by water damage. Aside from the cherubs the highlights have to be the
devilish Bosch-like depiction of hell and the Prophet Mohammed atop a camel
being led by a devil. A large stone wall
with 12 rounded towers surrounds the compound and these represent the 12
apostles.
Fasiladas’ Bath,
which has been attributed to both Fasiladas and Iyasu I. The large rectangular
pool is overlooked by a charming building, thought by some to be a vacation
home. It’s a beautiful and peaceful spot, where snakelike tree roots digest
sections of the stone walls (note picture).
Although the complex was used for swimming (royalty used to don inflated
goat-skin lifejackets for their refreshing dips!), it was likely to have been
constructed for religious celebrations, the likes of which still go on today.
Once a year, it’s filled with water for the Timkat celebration. After the water
is blessed by the bishop, the pool becomes a riot of splashing water, shouts
and laughter as a crowd of hundreds jumps in. The ceremony replicates Christ’s
baptism in the Jordan River and is seen as an important renewal of faith. As you can see by so much writing, Gonder is
quite a historical site to visit and I’m glad we didn’t miss it. While there we ate Quanta Fur Fur (beef jerky
in sauce with injera), Habesha Kitfo (?) and I can’t remember what else.
We moved on to
Bahir Dar (Blue Nile Resort) for the weekend where we met up with Chris’s
friends. It was a laid-back, lazy
weekend with good conversation, good food and good people. Little walk-about through the market, but did
little else.
Although
not far to travel to Lalibela (Cliff Edge Hotel), it was one of our more
difficult days. Public transport was
especially slow, crowded, greedy drivers who wanted to charge the tourist more
than others, etc. We had terrible roads
to traverse to one of Ethiopia’s most popular sites. Yes they are working on the roads, but ever
so slowly. The layout and names of the
major buildings in Lalibela are widely accepted, especially by local clergy, to
be a symbolic representation of Jerusalem. This has led some experts to date the current church
forms to the years following the capture of Jerusalem in 1187 by Muslim leader, Saladin. Lalibela’s unique churches carved from the
solid, volcanic mountain side during the 12th century AD from the
top down (so into the ground, not on top).
Note picture of Chris and I near the Church of Saint George, probably
the most popular picture you might have seen of Lalibela. UNESCO identifies 11 churches:
Biete
Medhane Alem (House of the Saviour of the World), home to
the Lalibela Cross and
believed to be the largest monolithic church in the world
Biete Maryam (House of Miriam/House of Mary), possibly the oldest of the churches,
and a replica of the Tombs of Adam and Christ
Biete
Golgotha Mikael (House of Golgotha Mikael), known for its
arts and said to contain the tomb of King Lalibela)
Biete Giyorgis (Church of
Saint George), thought to be the most finely executed and best preserved church
and the one you’ve seen in most pictures
Biete
Gabriel-Rufael (House of the angels Gabriel, and Raphael) possibly
a former royal palace, linked to a holy bakery.
Lalibela caters
to tourists and must admit that we ate recognizable food while there. We hired Desta, a tour guide, for our two days
there, and he was well worth the money.
We could have visited these churches on our own, but would not have
known what we were looking for or at. If
visiting Ethiopia, don’t miss this, but expect the usual hassles you encounter
at tourist destinations.
We stopped in
Maychew to meet up with Jake for lunch and had ChaklaWat (stewed meat w/egg) and Tibs (pieces of meat in sauce), both with
injera. Proceeded on to Korem
(pronounced Korm, more or less), which is Chris’s site. Korem is a town of 28,000 people and at an
elevation of 10,000 feet. Chris lives in
a compound, meaning an enclosed area with multiple living units within. There is a center courtyard and the squat
toilet, shower area (mind you no running water in the shower, so bucket bath
area w/drain), and a community sink are shared by all in the compound . When the community has water, there is
running water in the sink and there is also a faucet in the courtyard. Most likely they will not have running water
every day, so water is gathered in buckets and containers for later use. Chris filters and purifies his water in a
two-five gallon pail system. Chris lives
in two rooms, one being his bedroom and the other his kitchen/living area. His bed is in a frame and the mattress is
relatively comfortable. His couch/guest
bed is comprised of 4-5 small mats stacked on top of each other, and set on a
frame. Not particularly comfortable L I
might add, but off the floor. He had a
steel framed counter with shelves made to house his food and his two-burner
butane cooktop sits on it. Not as plush
and luxurious as my living conditions were in Morocco, but doable. I think my biggest issue would be that the
squat toilet (note picture) is shared by all in the compound. At least I could keep my personal hole clean!
Chris’s landlord
and wife (host family), Habte and Yetim live onsite with their teen-age son,
Musi. Habte is a planner at the health
department and Yetim is a teacher. Their
16 year old niece, Quiros, lives with them and is the maid, more or less. She does the majority of the cooking and
cleaning. She also fits school into the
mix and is quite a good student. Will
she go on to further her education?
Might not be an option, time will tell.
They squat to cook their meals over a charcoal stove. They roast coffee beans over this cooker and
fan the smoke of the roasting beans so that the smell can be enjoyed by all
that are near. Serving coffee is an art
and a highlight of the day. They invited
us for dinner and served DoroWat (chicken stew w/injero). Dessert was popcorn!!
I met several of Chris’s Ethiopian friends, one being Dil whose fiancé
graduated from Western Michigan University (small world). We ate Sambusa (lentils and onion in a deep
fried foldover) for lunch and Inkilol Sils (eggs in tomato sauce w/bread) for
breakfast.
We left Korem
and went to Makele (Rodas Guest House) for the night since we would catch a
flight into Addis Ababa on the next day.
We had Kita w/beriberi & ful & honey for breakfast (kind of a
noodle in a sauce w/honey).
Spent two days
in Addis (Stay Easy Hotel) and while there visited several sites including the National
Museum. The
archaeology/paleontology section is interesting and includes a replica of the
skeleton of 'Lucy'.
The
basement is well explained, it takes you on a journey from around 4 million
years ago when our distant ancestors first started walking upright. Lucy is
kind of the star of the show,
We also visited The Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum. It
is like a Holocaust Memorial. It is a very solemn museum.
(Note picture) It explains and
summarizes the atrocities that took place while the Derg was in power during
the 1970’s-90’s. This was a very tragic time in Ethiopian history. Never a pleasant subject, these types of museums are
important as a reminder to all of us of the atrocities that our race is capable
of inflicting on one another based on what makes us different. Perhaps we
should focus more on what makes us the same.
They have changed this blog site since I last used it - yikes. You all know I'm not the sharpest pencil in the pack, and I thought I uploaded pictures of Ethiopia, but the preview doesn't show me that I've done so, but maybe??? and I wonder if they'll be in the order I wanted them? Guess I won't know what's happening til I post this. You may have to view separate entries for the pictures.
We
then flew from Addis Ababa to Entebbe, Uganda where we were met at the airport
by Fred, our tour guide for our time in Uganda.
Simonpeter, the owner of
Whitecrest Tours & Travel Ltd, a Ugandan tour company, planned a 9-day custom safari for us. Once we were in Fred’s hands, this trip was
easy-peasy, he took care of everything.
A luxury in and of itself!!
Uganda
(again, thanks to the aid of Wikipedia), is a landlocked country in East
Africa. It
is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South
Sudan, to
the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the southwest by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. Beginning in 1894, the area was ruled as a
protectorate by the British, who established administrative law across the
territory. Uganda gained independence from Britain on October 9, 1962. The
period since then has been marked by intermittent conflicts, most recently a lengthy civil war against the Lord's Resistance Army,
which has caused tens of thousands of casualties and displaced more than a
million people. The President of Uganda is both head
of state and head of government. According to the US State Department's 2012 Human Rights Report on Uganda, "The World
Bank's most recent Worldwide Governance Indicators reflected corruption was a
severe problem" The official languages are Swahili and
English. Although landlocked, Uganda
contains many large lakes. Besides Lakes Victoria and Kyoga, there are Lake Albert, Lake
Edward, and the smaller Lake George. Uganda
lies almost completely within the Nile basin.
Uganda's
economy generates export income from coffee, tea, fish, and other
products. Uganda has substantial natural
resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizeable mineral
deposits of copper and cobalt. The country has largely
untapped reserves of both crude
oil and natural gas.
Uganda is one of the poorest nations in the world. In 2012, 37.8 percent
of the population lived on less than $1.25 a day. Tourism in Uganda is focused
on Uganda's landscape and wildlife. It is a major
driver of employment, investment and foreign exchange. Tourism can and is being used to fight
poverty in Uganda. There are the tourism companies which employ people directly
as drivers, guides, secretaries, accountants etc. These companies sell products
to tourist for example art and crafts, traditional attire. Tourism can also be
operated online by the online based companies. Tourist attractions in Uganda
include national game parks, game reserves, traditional sites, natural tropical
forests. Uganda has been
among the rare HIV success
stories due to a variety of factors, including increased condom use and sexual
health awareness.
According to the census of 2002,
Christians made up about 85 percent of Uganda's population, The Roman Catholic Church had
the largest number of adherents (41.9%), followed by the Anglican Church
of Uganda (35.9%). Adventist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, and other Protestant churches
claimed most of the remaining Christians, though there was also a tiny Eastern
Orthodox community.
Had I read Wikipedia’s
description of Uganda in the planning stage, I might not have visited and what
a mistake that would have been. I know this method is backwards to most, and
rest assured, I do do my research, but my way.
I try to have an open-mind and
unbiased expectations so that my impressions are my own. Granted, I had the expertise of Whitecrest Tours
and Travel, Ltd., on this trip to guide and organize this trip. The trip was “easy”, thanks to them. We stayed in lovely lodges, sharing a room w/
twin beds, hot showers and western toilets (note picture – beds surrounded with
mosquito netting). Our meals were part
of the package and if on the road, a “take away” lunch was provided. The impression that remains with me of Uganda
is of friendly, smiling, welcoming people.
I learned that the way I waved to
people was actually beckoning them to come to me, and in most cases they came
running to see what I needed. I tried to
correct that wave!! I had to adopt a
more of a beauty queen wave. Yes, a few
years back, they had several cases of ebola, but nothing in recent times. Although I will admit, had Kampala, at 6p
been my first impression and experience in Uganda, it might have started me off
on the wrong foot. OMG, it was crazy
wild with people, cars, scooters, etc. I
kid you not, it took 1.5 hours to get through a round-about. I don’t like to drive in South Haven,
Michigan, well actually anywhere, but ……… I would never go downtown Kampala if
I had to deal with this every time!!
Luckily we flew into Entebbe (Cassia Lodge) mid-day and missed this
congested mess until the night before our departure home.
For almost two decades
(60’s-80’s) Uganda fought a bitter civil war and tourism came to a
standstill. But, tourists are finding
their way back to this unspoiled “Pearl of Africa”. Nearly a quarter of the country is covered in
fresh water. Western Uganda is bordered
by the glacier-capped Rwenzori mountain range.
The countryside is velvety green, thanks to rainfall throughout the year
and it has a cool climate due to an average elevation of about 4,000 feet. Wildlife is coming back from almost total
destruction in the war years. Uganda has
the widest variety of primates found in Africa, including chimpanzees and half
the world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
We started off our trip
with a stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the home to the only rhino in the wild
in Uganda (note picture). Rhino’s were
declared extinct in Uganda by 1983. The
rhinos we saw are Southern White Rhino’s.
A fully grown, male White rhino can weigh up to 3 tons and they can be
aggressive. The rhino has acute hearing and sense of smell, but poor eyesight
over any distance. Most rhinos live to be about 50 years old or more. A male rhinoceros is called a bull, a female a cow, and the young a calf;
and a group of rhinoceros is called a "crash". The
gestation for a rhino is 16 months. It
is the hope of the sanctuary that one day enough rhinos can be raised for
possible reintroductions into Uganda’s parks.
We then proceeded to
Murchison Falls National Park (Murchison River Lodge) where we did a game
drive. Our vehicle allowed us to stand
up through an opening in the roof to view and photograph fields of giraffe’s,
herds of hartebeest, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, lions w/cubs, antelopes ,
warthogs and more ……… We hiked to the
top of Muchison Falls where the entire Nile River cascades 150,000 feet through
a narrow gorge (note picture). We later
had a boat cruise up the Nile River to the base of the Falls. There were literally hundreds/thousands??? of
hippos in these waters, as well as Nile crocodiles, more elephants and
birds. Not being a birder myself , I
can’t tell you much about the birds, but there were a bunch of them!!
Baboons were along the
roadside and most anywhere you looked (note picture). We were waiting for the ferry to cross the
Nile. We were walking about, with
baboons walking with us. Fred our driver
told us to beware. Baboons could be bold
and brazen and we should watch our car door, as well as windows. I decided I needed my water bottle and unthinkenly
I opened the door about two feet. Before
I knew it, a baboon was beside me. He
put his little hand on my thigh and pushed me away and hopped into the
van. I didn’t want to slam the door, I
might hurt him. Fred our driver was
inside and his face was priceless to behold.
The baboon grabbed our sack lunch and did an about face and off he ran
with five people running after him. I’m
thinking the baboon has done this before and knows the drill. He outruns them and I’m sure later enjoyed
our lunch. Note picture, I think this is
the bugger that stole our lunch!! I
thought it was the absolute funniest thing to have happened. Chris was very perturbed with me and my lack
of respect for rules. Funny how this has
shifted – Who is the parent? Who is the
child?
After a long day of travel
through tea plantations, sugar cane plantations and small villages and a flat
tire L we arrive at Fort Portal (Mountains of the Moon
Lodge). Fort Portal is located on the
base of the Rwenzori Mountains also called “the mountains of the moon” by
Winston Churchill.
We trek the next day
through Kibale a classic African rainforest in search of our closest living
relative the chimpanzee. Like us,
chimps are highly social animals, care for their offspring for years and can
live to be over 50. In fact, chimpanzees are our closest cousins; we share
about 98 percent of our genes. In their habitat in the forests of central
Africa, chimpanzees spend most of their days in the tree tops. When they do
come down to earth, chimps usually travel on all fours, though they can walk on
their legs like humans for as far as a mile. They use sticks to fish termites
out of mounds and bunches of leaves to sop up drinking water. Noisy and curious,
intelligent and social, Territorial
calls and screams are heard before the chimps descend from their nests in the
trees. Several chimps entertain us by
pounding on trees and others groom each other picking lice and whatnot from
each other, much like you’ve seen them do in zoos (note picture), but without
fences and barriers between us. We have
rangers with us, with guns, and I must say they are on the alert. We are told that chimps can be aggressive if
provoked, so we mind our p’s and q’s for sure.
We move on to Queen
Elizabeth Park (Mweya Safari Lodge) located between Lakes Edward and
George. Of Africa’s Big Five (coined by big-game hunters and refers to
the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot, being
the lion, elephant, rhino, cape buffalo and leopard), we have seen all but the leopard. We are told to keep our eyes high, as they
like to sit up in trees. Unfortunately,
even though this area is one of the best areas to spot the elusive leopard, we
do not see one L But, a herd of buffalo are spotted resting in
a pond of mud, a male lion is seen and a hippo comes within feet of our vehicle and he doesn’t look
particularly happy that we are in his neighborhood. And, of course, elephants, kob, bushbucks, waterbucks and antelope, warthogs,
et al, are everywhere – hooohumm, so old
hat!! A launch cruise (kind of a pontoon
boat) down the Kazinga Channel finishes off the day.
Next stop is the southern
part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Gorilla Valley Lodge) where we will trek to
see a gorilla family in the wild. With
approximately 400 mountain gorillas living in the impenetrable forests, Uganda
is home to more than half of the world’s total population of mountain gorillas.
The majority is found in different areas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of Africa’s most ancient rainforests and one
of the most popular tourism destinations in Africa. Bwindi Park extends to Rwanda and Democratic
Republic of the Congo, with gorilla families living in all three countries.
The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95–99% depending on what is counted, and they
are the next closest living relatives to humans after chimpanzees and bonobos
(a black-faced ape, one
of humankind's closest living relatives, having diverged from a common ancestor
about 7 million years ago, and sharing more than 98% of our DNA. These great
apes are complex beings with profound intelligence, emotional expression, and
sensitivity). Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes
walk bipedally for short distances while carrying food or in defensive
situations. Wild male gorillas weigh 298
to 397 lb while adult females usually weigh half as much as adult males at
150–249 lb. Adult males are 5.6 to 5.9 ft tall, with an arm span that
stretches from 7.5 to 8.5 ft. Female gorillas are shorter with smaller arm
spans. Adult male gorillas are known as silverbacks due to the
characteristic silver hair on their backs reaching to the hips. Occasionally, a
silverback of over 5 ft 11 in and 510 lb has been recorded in
the wild. Gorillas live in groups called
troops. Troops tend to be made of one adult male or silverback, multiple adult
females and their offspring. Gorillas
live in groups called troops. Troops tend to be made of one adult male or
silverback, multiple adult females and their offspring The silverback is the
center of the troop's attention, making all the decisions, mediating conflicts,
determining the movements of the group, leading the others to feeding sites,
and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of the troop. Younger
males subordinate to the silverback, known as blackbacks, may serve as backup
protection. Blackbacks are aged between 8 and 12 years and lack the silver back hair.
Gorillas
are considered to be highly intelligent. A few individuals in captivity, such
as Koko, have been taught a subset
of sign
language.
Like the other great
apes,
gorillas can laugh, grieve, have "rich emotional lives", develop
strong family bonds, make and use tools, and think about the past and future.
Gorilla
trekking permits cost $600/person, and must be purchased in advance since
permits are limited by the day. We set
out in the morning in a group of 5 with two Rangers, with guns (note picture). There are rangers keeping a watchful eye on
the gorilla families from afar 24/7 and a family has been sited relatively
near. We are heading that
direction. I hire an extra porter for
$20 to help me maneuver the rainforest and hike ahead of us. I feel confident that my new hips will do
fine, but will my knees? It is a steep climb,
slippery with mud and wet leaves/grass (note picture). It is lush and green, it is after all a rain
forest J. We trek for 1.5-2 hrs, and for
me this is quite a workout. I’m not
sure that my knees would do much more.
Luckily, a silverback male gorilla is spotted up in the trees. Where??
All I see is a big black lump up there (note picture). Ahhh, an arm stretches out and before you
know it, he has swung down (note picture), just like we’ve seen in the
movies. This gorgeous animal is within
eight feet of us. He is not fearful of
us and we are told that gorillas are not aggressive. We are instructed to keep
our voices calm and low, no sudden movements are recommended and if we are
approached by a gorilla to not flee and run.
Let him become acquainted with you, and he’ll soon lose interest. He
seems to pose for us, giving us photo shots of all his sides (note picture). He gives us a thoughtful expression, you know
the finger to lip and thinking look. We
are allowed to observe for one hour.
The same family is rarely viewed two days in a row. This
is an experience of a lifetime!!! A
three-year old male hops on a log to watch us and before you know it he is
thumping his chest like AhhhhhhOhhhhh and ends it with a bow for applause. The ranger said – “he is entertaining you
today”. Sure seemed so. His two-year old sister hops up next to him
and they are batting and teasing each other, just as kids do, until the little
female falls off and I swear that boy stood there laughing!! This
trek was physically challenging for me, but this was probably the highlight of
the trip and I/we did it. I am filthy
with mud and sweat and a hot shower is most welcome. After 800mg of ibuprofen and a few hours to
read my book, I am rejuvenated. I can
happily report that I was up and ready to go the next morning, but one lady
from yesterday’s trip skips breakfast since her knees just couldn’t carry her
today.
L our safari in Uganda is almost over. We travel down muddy, slippery, treacherous
roads. Ah-Oh, what is that noise? Yikes sounds like brake problems and it
is. We make it to the main road where
almost anything can be observed (note picture of jugs to carry water). Brake
pads around…… not really a part of today’s calendar, but no worries. I can watch people forever and thankfully we
really don’t have someplace to be except back in Kampala by tonight. That brings us to Kampala and the congestion
of that city. If you’ll remember, I wrote
about Kampala at the start of our Uganda adventure. Not my favorite place to visit. We spend the night at Whitecrest Guesthouse,
home to our tour director/owner, Simonpeter.
We meet his family (wife, Lisa and three sons) and share dinner and
breakfast with them (note pictures). Off to the airport in the morning and a return
flight to Addis Ababa where Chris will stay and I’ll return to the US.
My
day begins in Uganda, with travel to Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Germany and concludes
finally in Chicago, well the air travel part does. I then board a bus to Michigan City, IN and a
friend meets me there to return me to South Haven, MI. I
have been traveling about 36 hours at this time. I stink, I’m dirty, and I’m exhausted, but I
am excited about the trip I just experienced.
I’m not ready to throw that backpack back on, but where shall I go next
and when? Squatting over holes isn’t as
easy as it once was and traveling in an overcrowded van with live chickens and
motion sick passengers might be in my past, but I still want to experience “real”
people living life. I don’t want to be
an observer, I want to be a part of it. I
need travel to remind me of the fact that we are all just people, trying to
live the best we can with what resources we have regardless of our color,
religion or surroundings. It’s so easy
to lose sight of the big picture and big world we live in. We need to get out of the box occasionally
and stretch!!
Til
the gypsy in my soul screams again and the travel bug can’t sit still any
longer, I leave you until my next adventure with this parting thought…….. Live
Life and Forget Your Age!!! Hugs to all.
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