September 14, 2016
I sure could not
tell from landing at Entebbe International Airport and then taking a long late
night drive (25 miles, 60+ minutes) to the capital of Kampala for my first
night's stay that Uganda would be so wonderful.
That long drive connecting Entebbe & Kampala means a very narrow
road crazy with dust, smoke, motorcycles, crowded streets, pedestrians dodging
traffic, as well as restaurants & street food vendors catering to large
numbers of people… and then
we had to cross the city of Kampala. I
could not tell at the late hour that morning would begin with a new perspective
& that the day would show me a whole new side of Uganda.
Traveling without a
guide book & with limited internet access on my smartphone to research my
destinations leads to many surprises, mostly pleasant ones. Though I was able
to set up a local Ugandan 5-day safari to travel west to the Queen Elizabeth &
Bwindi Impenetrable national parks while still the Seychelles, I was not
prepared for such diverse & beautiful countryside nor how pleasant the
climate would be so close to the equator. The high altitude keeps the humidity
& temperature relatively low.
I found my safari
buddy, Cesar, to be an interesting & charming young fellow from Mexico who
has been working as a mechanical engineer for the oil industry in Kuwait on a
2-year contract. But, this job was just a way to make some big bucks so he could
finance his real passion of starting a business that is bringing the electric
car recharging infrastructure to Mexico. We shared the same interests in
"freestyle" travel & science so had plenty of great conversations
along the way. Our driver/guide, Jimmy, is an enthusiastic & engaging
fellow who made sure to keep us entertained while learning about the culture,
geography, food, & wildlife of Uganda. Jimmy loves bananas - the staple
food of Uganda - and I think Jimmy showed us at least 4 ways Ugandans prepare
& eat bananas on our first day (mashed & steamed, stewed in light
tomato sauce, stewed in a peanut sauce, baked)! I don't think eating so many
bananas in one day was that great for my tummy!
We safari took us
through beautiful countryside as we headed east to west towards the border of
the DRC - Congo. From open plains, desert-like highlands, on through rolling
green hills, and finally to the more lush tropical mountains along the border.
I was surprised to see the highest peak was over 16,000 feet. The temperature
was great given the altitude, warm but not too hot and not humid (and not
buggy!).
We spent our first
two nights in a lovely safari lodge and visited the Queen Elizabeth Park to see
the Tree Climbing Lions, a somewhat unusual behavior for lions that exists in
relatively few prides scattered about Africa. But of course the highlight was
heading south along the border to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, National Park
to see the mountain gorillas. And the park really does deserve that name. The
forest is made up of incredibly steep hills/mountains, over 4,000 ft. - the
incline sure looked well more than 45 degrees - and the dense trees and foliage
was intimidating even when seen from a distance far below. The village of
Bwindi hugs the roadside with steep climbs or drops on either side. The climate
was pleasant but a little cool. Our lodging was fixed tents with en suite
bathrooms and they gave us hot water bottles & warm blankets for the cool
nights.
The morning of our
trek we were up early for breakfast & the lodge provided us each a generous
boxed lunch before off we went for a short drive to the Park. You may have
heard that the gorilla trek is expensive - well yes, the park entrance &
guided trek together is a whopping $600 (not including lodging &
transportation) considering that once you encounter the gorillas the visit is
limited to one hour. However, to the Park's credit, it seemed extremely well
cared for and what trekkers don't see is all the infrastructure that is needed
to keep the Park navigable & the wildlife protected. There are crews of rangers that are fulltime
in the field, even camping in the wild. They are on rotating 5-day shifts &
their job is to stop poaching & observe/report on the overall health of the
wide range of wildlife - much of which most trekkers won't even see, such as
the unhabituated gorillas & chimps, small mountain elephants, cats, etc.
Next are the spotters who track the eight or so groups of habituated gorillas
every day rain or shine, trekkers or not. Their tracking begins in the early
morning at the spot where they last saw the gorillas bed the evening before.
They have to go every day, every day, to be able to keep tabs on them. It's
crazy to see how thick the forest is - vines that try to trap you at every
turn, steep steep rocky slippery paths, foliage so thick you can't pass without
chopping away at it with a machete. And on top of that they have to watch out
for the aggressive mountain elephants!
Two armed guards are needed for every trekking group - they would only
shoot in the air to fend off aggressive elephants. And then the guides - really
they must have sent them all to charm school! So polite, so thoughtful, and
certainly so knowledgeable. And finally - the porters! The porters are not paid
by the Park, they are trained local citizens who are for hire to carry
trekker's backpacks (lunches, cameras, water, rain gear) & to lend a hand
or push up the steep terrain. The
trekkers are given a lot of encouragement to hire porters because 1) their
employment helps the local economy tremendously (& therefore reduces
poaching) and 2) they really help get all us trekkers up those steep, vine
tangled paths. The organization of it all was amazing. I don’t know if they
were fully booked the day I was there but there were at least 5 trekking groups
that were organized in groups of 8 plus one guide, 2 guards, porters, & a
group of at least 4 spotters per group in the field. Once we started our trek
we never saw the other trekking groups so we felt we were alone in the forest
with the wild creatures.
Well you may wonder
if I opted for a porter - heck yes!! The going rate is $15 USD & so worth it (plus I gave my fellow,
Emanuel, a big tip along with tips for the spotters). I was nervous that I
would slow the group down if I had to carry a pack & maneuver the steep
hills. But -the guides have that figured out too; they put the weakest link in
the front so the pace is set by the slowest and the end of the line is the
strongest so groups can more easily stay together. Guess who they picked for the lead position -
the "old" gray haired lady - me!!
Emanuel was a dear & gave me a helping hand over the really rough
spots but I'm happy to say I really wasn't the slowest - it was the
30-something couple behind me! They were troopers though and pushed through
when they thought they would have to give up.
I have to admit though, there was a time or two that the porter behind
me gave me a little butt boost when she thought I needed it! The porters were
terrific.
Ok ok -so what about the gorillas!! So finally at
about 2.5 hours in we spotted the spotters & we knew, this is it!! The
spotters had cleared a small open space where we could all gather for our final
briefing, e.g. how close we could get, how not to use flash, how to move or not
move, how to store our packs, etc etc. We could not see a thing beyond this
small opening… and then we passed through the brush and, it was like walking
into a cathedral! We were all so awed, we did not make a sound… there they
were, our little family of giant gentle creatures! One massive silverback, 3
mamas, 3 infants … just doing what gorillas do… eating, playing, scratching,
farting, picking their noses, cuddling their little ones … so at peace, so at
ease. They are not shy with eye contact
- but seemed completely content and unperterbed - so much so the babies could
roam around just out of reach of the silverback & the mamas. It was as if
they were more comfortable than we are in knowing that our DNA is just a few
percentage points off theirs.
We stayed for our
full allotted hour in this relatively small space - just mesmerized &
enchanted. We even had a few close encounters with a mama and then the
silverback as each moved within a few feet of our group to seek out better
foliage to eat. The silverback even passed by & brushed the legs of two
women in our group - we were all so stunned but the guide just spoke softly
telling everyone it was ok and not to move. With the silverback's movement we
could really appreciate how massive the male gorilla can get - for being a
vegan that fellow was solid muscle! Interestingly, as the end of our one hour
came up, it seemed that the gorillas knew our visit was at an end & each
group … human and primate began getting up to wander off along our own separate
paths.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I came on board to
help assess kitchen workflow to speed up the time it takes for the freshly
caught fish to be served to the guest. The restaurant is only open Friday,
Saturday, & Sunday so it took a little while to get to know the staff &
gain their trust as I was helping & observing their restaurant
processes. They work amazingly well as a
team but I was able to identify some stumbling blocks and recommend some
operational & structural modifications which I documented in a 10 page
formal business document & reviewed with Andy today. It is of course a
challenge with the cultural differences & expectations that we Westerners
& the Ugandans have - but that makes it all the more interesting.
Part of the deal
working with Andy is getting free room and I may work out a deal with the
B&B to stay there if the work with them goes on into October. I am happy to
get the chance to learn about the restaurant & hospitality business. It's
all a challenge but fun.
Hello Hello!
I sure could not
tell from landing at Entebbe International Airport and then taking a long late
night drive (25 miles, 60+ minutes) to the capital of Kampala for my first
night's stay that Uganda would be so wonderful.
That long drive connecting Entebbe & Kampala means a very narrow
road crazy with dust, smoke, motorcycles, crowded streets, pedestrians dodging
traffic, as well as restaurants & street food vendors catering to large
numbers of people… and then
we had to cross the city of Kampala. I
could not tell at the late hour that morning would begin with a new perspective
& that the day would show me a whole new side of Uganda.
At dawn the next
morning I woke to the most beautiful call to prayer I have heard a muezzin sing. It was only as the sun edged up
that I could see a rose tinged mosque rising from the morning mountain
mist. Later, I learned from Jimmy, my
safari driver & guide, that Kampala was founded on seven great hills though
it has now spread to over 20 hills. My guesthouse, high on the 4,134 ft.
Namirembe Hill has the distinction of being one of the original seven hills
& home to St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, but it was the dawn adhan that set the tone for the rest of the
day.
 |
| Crested Crane - National Bird of Uganda |
I found my safari
buddy, Cesar, to be an interesting & charming young fellow from Mexico who
has been working as a mechanical engineer for the oil industry in Kuwait on a
2-year contract. But, this job was just a way to make some big bucks so he could
finance his real passion of starting a business that is bringing the electric
car recharging infrastructure to Mexico. We shared the same interests in
"freestyle" travel & science so had plenty of great conversations
along the way. Our driver/guide, Jimmy, is an enthusiastic & engaging
fellow who made sure to keep us entertained while learning about the culture,
geography, food, & wildlife of Uganda. Jimmy loves bananas - the staple
food of Uganda - and I think Jimmy showed us at least 4 ways Ugandans prepare
& eat bananas on our first day (mashed & steamed, stewed in light
tomato sauce, stewed in a peanut sauce, baked)! I don't think eating so many
bananas in one day was that great for my tummy!
We safari took us
through beautiful countryside as we headed east to west towards the border of
the DRC - Congo. From open plains, desert-like highlands, on through rolling
green hills, and finally to the more lush tropical mountains along the border.
I was surprised to see the highest peak was over 16,000 feet. The temperature
was great given the altitude, warm but not too hot and not humid (and not
buggy!).
We spent our first
two nights in a lovely safari lodge and visited the Queen Elizabeth Park to see
the Tree Climbing Lions, a somewhat unusual behavior for lions that exists in
relatively few prides scattered about Africa. But of course the highlight was
heading south along the border to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, National Park
to see the mountain gorillas. And the park really does deserve that name. The
forest is made up of incredibly steep hills/mountains, over 4,000 ft. - the
incline sure looked well more than 45 degrees - and the dense trees and foliage
was intimidating even when seen from a distance far below. The village of
Bwindi hugs the roadside with steep climbs or drops on either side. The climate
was pleasant but a little cool. Our lodging was fixed tents with en suite
bathrooms and they gave us hot water bottles & warm blankets for the cool
nights. |
| Crested Eagle |
Well you may wonder
if I opted for a porter - heck yes!! The going rate is $15 USD & so worth it (plus I gave my fellow,
Emanuel, a big tip along with tips for the spotters). I was nervous that I
would slow the group down if I had to carry a pack & maneuver the steep
hills. But -the guides have that figured out too; they put the weakest link in
the front so the pace is set by the slowest and the end of the line is the
strongest so groups can more easily stay together. Guess who they picked for the lead position -
the "old" gray haired lady - me!!
Emanuel was a dear & gave me a helping hand over the really rough
spots but I'm happy to say I really wasn't the slowest - it was the
30-something couple behind me! They were troopers though and pushed through
when they thought they would have to give up.
I have to admit though, there was a time or two that the porter behind
me gave me a little butt boost when she thought I needed it! The porters were
terrific.
After about 2 hours
of hiking on increasingly narrow & more difficult paths the guides began to
veer off into the wild bush. Being in front I could tell that the guide &
spotters were spending more time talking on 2-way radios & even cell phones
when reception was poor. The trail was very difficult and it was hot - plus we
were all bundled up in long sleeve shirts & long pants with our socks
pulled up over the pants to ward off fire ants - we were all pretty much soaked
with perspiration. Cesar did not bother
to pull his socks up over his pants & look nerdy like the rest of us - we
made up stories that the guides would ask the trekkers to do ridiculous things
just to see if we would follow their instructions & look silly. It was fun
to laugh about but I still was going to follow whatever the guides told us to
do… it was a jungle out there!
Ok ok -so what about the gorillas!! So finally at
about 2.5 hours in we spotted the spotters & we knew, this is it!! The
spotters had cleared a small open space where we could all gather for our final
briefing, e.g. how close we could get, how not to use flash, how to move or not
move, how to store our packs, etc etc. We could not see a thing beyond this
small opening… and then we passed through the brush and, it was like walking
into a cathedral! We were all so awed, we did not make a sound… there they
were, our little family of giant gentle creatures! One massive silverback, 3
mamas, 3 infants … just doing what gorillas do… eating, playing, scratching,
farting, picking their noses, cuddling their little ones … so at peace, so at
ease. They are not shy with eye contact
- but seemed completely content and unperterbed - so much so the babies could
roam around just out of reach of the silverback & the mamas. It was as if
they were more comfortable than we are in knowing that our DNA is just a few
percentage points off theirs.
We stayed for our
full allotted hour in this relatively small space - just mesmerized &
enchanted. We even had a few close encounters with a mama and then the
silverback as each moved within a few feet of our group to seek out better
foliage to eat. The silverback even passed by & brushed the legs of two
women in our group - we were all so stunned but the guide just spoke softly
telling everyone it was ok and not to move. With the silverback's movement we
could really appreciate how massive the male gorilla can get - for being a
vegan that fellow was solid muscle! Interestingly, as the end of our one hour
came up, it seemed that the gorillas knew our visit was at an end & each
group … human and primate began getting up to wander off along our own separate
paths.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 19
Now to shift gears
completely…
I had arranged
before arriving in Uganda that I would do some volunteer work with a young
British fellow, Andy, who has set up a community development business in the
small city of Masaka in the south Central district of Uganda. Andy works for a
British charitable organization that collaborates with Ugandans to host the
annual Uganda Marathon which serves as a fundraising organization for various
non-profit groups. He has lived in Uganda 2 years but in the past 6-months or
so has set up a parallel, non-profit fish farm & restaurant known as The
Farm. The type of community development methodology that Andy follows is one in
which local businesses are launched to create jobs & become
sustainable.
His fish farm was built by
& is fully staffed by local Ugandans. The effort to dig the pond was
massive - it is amazing to look at it and realize that it was all dug by hand.
The business has only been operational for 4-months or so. The farm was stocked
with 5,000 Tilapia which will be harvested in the next couple months & then
will be restocked.
A quaint little
wooden shack kitchen was built & the business model is Catch & Cook -
guests come to fish for their own dinner; seasoned fried fish and chips (AKA
French fries). There is a small covered area with bar & bar stools &
then several areas of cushioned seating where folks can gather. The intent is to cater to locals & charge
local prices but Mzungo (foreigners) come too!
His fish farm was built by
& is fully staffed by local Ugandans. The effort to dig the pond was
massive - it is amazing to look at it and realize that it was all dug by hand.
The business has only been operational for 4-months or so. The farm was stocked
with 5,000 Tilapia which will be harvested in the next couple months & then
will be restocked.  |
| The Pond Restaurant |
I came on board to
help assess kitchen workflow to speed up the time it takes for the freshly
caught fish to be served to the guest. The restaurant is only open Friday,
Saturday, & Sunday so it took a little while to get to know the staff &
gain their trust as I was helping & observing their restaurant
processes. They work amazingly well as a
team but I was able to identify some stumbling blocks and recommend some
operational & structural modifications which I documented in a 10 page
formal business document & reviewed with Andy today. It is of course a
challenge with the cultural differences & expectations that we Westerners
& the Ugandans have - but that makes it all the more interesting.
I am not quite sure
how long I will work with Andy - we are still figuring that out. It could be a
week more perhaps, I don't know yet. Meanwhile though I am making a connection
with a bed & breakfast nearby - I have already reviewed their web site and
will meet with them tomorrow to suggest edits to some of the English verbiage
which only suffers a little from being written by folks who speak English as
their second language.
 |
| Andy's compound, my room is under the trees |
Hope to get back to
you all soon after my next adventure of going to visit habituated chimpanzees
at the Kibale National Park and daily life in Uganda. It is very beautiful here
and very easy to get used to. The people are kind and many speak English!!
Wish you all the
best!
 |
| Plantains for sale everywhere |
 |
| Getting around town |
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