164 Speed Bumps

After 2 days exploring Queen Elizabeth National Park, it was time to head back to Entebbe. We loaded up the car and set off through the countryside. After stopping for samosas at the "fart food" place, we stopped for a few minutes at the equator so T could go shopping ... again! We also made sure to count the speed bumps on the way home. The Ugandans build speed bumps in construction zones to slow down traffic (it's pretty effective!) - we managed to avoid at least 40 and bounced over 164!

We arrived back at G's around 5:50, then went out for supper at the Golf Nest.

Maramagambo Forest

Day number 2 of exploring Queen Elizabeth National Park, and this time we paid to go in! Out first activity of the day was a hike around Lake Kyasandula in Maramagambo Forest. They must be worried about tourists being eaten by animals, because we were required to take a guide along for our hike. There weren't any guides available when we arrived, so we were told that we could hang out at the super fancy lodge along the lake while we waited. After about 1/2 an hour, we drove back to the gate and met our guide. He seemed surprised that we wanted to go for a hike with two kids (wearing plastic shoes), but agreed to take us. There was another couple there also waiting, all decked out in safari gear with binoculars around their necks - they seemed relieved to discover that they had a different guide who took them in a different direction than us! There are supposed to be numerous monkeys and birds in this area, but with the 5 of us stomping through the forest (not very quietly), most things were long gone by the time we got there! We managed to see a few colobus monkeys and hippo trails and the hike was great. Our guide was super friendly (I don't think we ever met a Ugandan who wasn't friendly) and the kids loved to walk along side him. Of course, they always seemed to go for the gun side, but he gently moved them over to his other side ... so they didn't have a rifle pointed at their heads!

After hiking around the lake, we asked him how far it was to the bat cave. We understood his answer as 150 m ... it ended up being another 90 minute hike through the woods! The cave was amazing and worth the walk - filled with thousands of bats. We didn't get to see the snake that lives there, though.

Back in the car, we headed to the town of Mweya where we went through the visitor centre and had lunch. I finally got to try matoke! It was a lot like sticky potatoes, not that great ... but it fills you up (until you pee, so they say). And we finally got a close-up look at some warthogs, including a baby close to the restaurant!

We spent the rest of the afternoon game driving, with T driving, and G and I hanging out the car, sitting on the doors. We saw a sleeping hippo, a lot more warthogs, and a herd of elephants with a baby! G also spotted the bones of a hippo which we then reassembled. Probably not the smartest thing to do in a game park, but an interesting experience!

It got dark by the time we left the park, and getting onto the highway we almost ran over a bush pig! (Our final bit of wildlife for the day) Back at the lodge, we ordered food, took showers, then STILL had to wait for our food to come! Who knew that it took 1 1/2 hours to make spaghetti?

Game Driving on the Highway to Congo

We were up for a 6:30 am breakfast, then headed down the road into Queen Elizabeth National Park. We didn't want to have to pay the park entrance fee, so stuck to the main roads which are free! A few kilometers down the "highway" to the Congo, we turned onto a small dirt road, hoping to find an elephant for F ... and we did! I saw something large in the bushes and didn't know what it was, so got G to slow down saying "There's something big and dark up there!" ... didn't want to get any one's hopes up. Two huge bull elephants that walked across the road right in front of us and then walked right past the car - only a few meters away! It was amazing and also a bit frightening ... especially as he turned to look at us and flapped his ears. With T saying "G____? G____?" and sounding pretty nervous about the situation, G stepped on the gas, which scared the elephant who then darted away from us towards the bushes.Soon after this, a guy on a motorbike and wearing a suit drove up behind us and asked up where we were going. We told him how we were just looking for animals and he invited us to come visit his village which was where the road led. We drove through the village, down a hill with lots of waterbuffalo, and down to the water where all the boats had just come in from fishing. One of the men gave us a tour and at the end, pointed to the hippos that live in the channel just past the fishing village! Waterbuffalo and hippos are two of the most dangerous animals in Africa, and here they are, living right along side people! Before leaving, we bought some bananas (the small, super sweet kind) and mendazi (fried dough balls) ... enough to feed 5 of us for about $1!

We drove back to the highway, stopping every few minutes to look at wildlife, and near the south end of the park saw a sign for what looked like a fancy lodge, complete with restaurant! We were all hot, tired, and in need of a cool drink, so started following the signs. The signs didn't lead to anything, though ... the dirt road became a dirt track which became a dirt path. We didn't see anything that could possibly be considered a lodge, so turned around and drove back to our own lodge. It was a very successful game viewing day - besides the elephants (we saw another group of 5 later in the day), hippos, and waterbuffalo, we also saw LOTS of kob, defassa waterbuck, a red-tail monkey, baboons, warthogs (though only a few and they were far away), and hartebeest. After a swim, shower, and supper, we looked through all the pictures we had taken that day, then went off to sleep.

Fueled by "Fart Foods"

We were up and out of Entebbe early this morning, eating our breakfast of yummy beer bread in the car on our way to Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda. It was a long drive, but it was interesting to see the villages and countryside and G's 2 kids are great travellers! For lunch, we stopped at a roadside takeaway place, now forever referred to as the "fart" food place, for samosas. We spent a few minutes at the equator, taking a few pictures and looking through the souvenir shops, before continuing west through the matoke (similar to plantain) fields. We arrived at our lodge in the afternoon, and after walking around enjoying the view, spend a while swimming in the pools. We had supper at the lodge, but learned that evening why they recommend that you order your meals ahead of time ... it took over an hour to arrive!

Relaxing in Entebbe

After a great night's sleep, we were treated to fresh pancakes on G's veranda/dining room. Then it was off to the grocery store and the bank where I took out the largest amount I have ever withdrawn from a bank - 400,000 shillings! (Which is equivalent to a bit less than $200). After shopping, G dropped T and I off at a restaurant for lunch, while she went back home to feed her kids (a girl E, 5 and a boy F, 2 1/2). We couldn't decide what to get, so split a plate of nachos and a steak sandwich, then walked back to G's. We spent the afternoon relaxing at G's, watching the kids bounce on the trampoline and feed the turtles, and watching a movie in the evening.

Off to Visit Some Missionaries

I had been dreaming about and planning this trip for years - 4 weeks in East Africa, exploring Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, and Tanzania!

My sister and her 3 kids brought me to the airport in Toronto, so we parked in the farthest parking lot and rode the monorail all the way to Terminal 1, then back again to Terminal 3. After some hugs, they left me to find the KLM desk where I was happy to find that my bags could be checked all the way through to Entebbe ... I, on the other hand, only had boarding passes to Nairobi!

The flight to Amsterdam was uneventful, but even with a boring movie, I didn't get any sleep. I had 3 1/2 hours to wander around Schipol, so went to the Rijksmuseum exhibit (cows in Holland), found the comfy seats (which were all taken), and bought a McKroket at McDonalds (amazing!).

For the flight to Nairobi I got a window seat - definitely worth the hassle of having to climb over people to get to the bathroom. The views of the Alps, the Mediterranean, the Sahara desert, the Nile river, and Khartoum were amazing! The Nairobi airport ... not so amazing. I found the transfer desk without any problems and got my boarding pass for the flight to Entebbe, but there isn't much seating in the airport, and not much ventilation either, so I was happy to get out of there!

The flight to Entebbe was a bit more "interesting". Probably because of my aviation background (and the fact that I like to watch "Mayday"), I was noticing things on the plane that wouldn't meet North American safety regulations. It didn't help that the lady to my left pulled out her rosary and the lady to the right, her bible, when we started to taxi! The flight wasn't that bad actually, and even though it was less than an hour, we got fed!

Getting through customs in Entebbe was easy, just had to pay for my visa and smile for the camera! The flight arrived early, so my cousin, T, wasn't there to meet me, but she had told me to wait outside the airport for her, so that's what I did. I think the taxi drivers were a bit concerned about me - a lone white girl standing around by herself at 11:30 at night - but they were very friendly and not at all intimidating! The checked a few times to see if I needed a ride, then one even gave me his cell phone so that I could call and make sure T was on route. He was pleased to hear that she was, then went back to the group to let them know.

T arrived soon after that and it was off to her friend G's place, where there was no city power so I got to shower by candlelight! After 30 hours without sleep, it felt awesome to be able to lay down in a bed.

Royal Ontario Museum

I took my niece, H, on a "Field trip" to the Royal Ontario Museum today, taking the GO train and subway to make it more interesting (and to avoid the traffic chaos of downtown Toronto). We saw a few of the Terracotta Warriors brought over for a special exhibit, spent a long time digging for "dinosaur bones" in the discovery centre (twice), walked through a bat cave (twice), saw some mummies and a bunch of other old stuff. The trip went well and she seemed to enjoy it, but it was still a bit advanced for a 5 year old - not quite enough hands-on stuff.