SD3: Wild and Mysterious

When you consider that Uganda is about the size of Minnesota, Bwindi to Mweya doesn't look that far on a map. But, don't forget, This is Africa.

You stop for tea at a Tea Plantation.





You stop in at the store to check out wireless modems (don't work with the iPad unless you remembered to bring your own router...) and cell phone options for Gordon the Guide.



You blast past National Geographic quality scenery and wildlife.



And you let your mind wander and ask yourself whether there really was something wrong with the vehicle and Gordon's cell phone or if your guide has some other mysterious agenda whilst driving you about one of Africa's politically and ecologically fragile borders....



But then you arrive at Mweya where National Geographic meets Euro-style Fabulous Resort.







Gordon hustled us into the Luxury Boat (as opposed to a tourist boat) and we experienced a guided cruise on the channel between Lake George and Lake Edward. We saw a few dozen birds that we had never even heard of before and lots of animals that we had only seen in places like the movies (all photographed with my cheap little camera)























I am not kidding. Please don't accuse me of exageration. All photographs here were shot by me with a little bitty Nikon CoolPix.

And then we returned to the spa resort to relax by the pool and check our email on the wireless high speed internet.

INTERESTING ASIDE
Fairly early on SD1 we ran into another guide who seemed to be a Big Buddy of Gordon's (well, actually, Everybody seems to be a Big Buddy of Gordon's...). He only had one tourist with him; a fortyish American male who introduced himself as Keith and who said that he worked for "The Government.". Every day, no matter where we went we kept running into Keith and his guide Robert (ramping my Personal Conspiracy Theory Meter into high gear). After the Luxury Boat tour, Keith and I were both in the Fabulous Eurospa lobby availing ourselves of the superb wireless internet and he struck up another conversation, making me feel obliged to ask him to join me and Isaac at dinner. Anyone who knows me knows that I HAD to find out what the guy was up to and anyone who really knows me well will understand the following:
Keith claimed to be an "analyst" with the Department of Defense. He said that he had been stationed in what I (affectionately) refer to as "The Eye Rack" as a "Middle East Specialist" immediately after what I (affectionately) refer to as "Bushie's Big Boo Boo" or "Dubya's Disaster". He told us that even with his level of clearance and experience he had never been able to figure out or find anyone with a plausible reason for the US invasion. He explained that for that and other reasons he had moved on to become an "Africa Specialist". I politely told him that everyone knows that we invaded The Eye Rack because Dick Cheney and his buddy Rummy owed a favor to some rich guy who was lusting after some priceless treasure in the Iraqi National Museum and the US spending a trillion bucks on a senseless war was the most logical way to get it for him. Keith seemed intrigued, leading me to suspect that he was probably a high school teacher from Iowa telling us a Big Story. Well, my mother always told me that the best part of travelling is the people you meet. Keith is in this photo but if I pointed him out to you and if he really is who he says he is, he might have to kill me.



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Location:Impenetrable, Bwindi National Park to Mweya, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Western Uganda

Fashion Extra

Tilley Insect Shield hat - Perfect. Worth every effing penny (as long as you don't get suckered into giving it away...)

REI white, long sleeved insect shield shirt - I give it a "C+". You need a light weight long sleeve shirt but this one got stained with the African red dust the first time that I wore it and wouldn't just rinse clean in the sink as advertised. I did pay a safari hotel laundry service Uganda shillings S3000 (about US $ 1.00) and they got it clean)



Ten year old Royal Robbins khaki nylon safari pants - Mandatory

Insect repellent bracelet - What it lacks in bling it seems to make up for by actually repelling insects. I bought mine at Target but I also saw them at REI and Walgreen's.

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Location:On The Road

Wired LESS! More LATER

SD2: Bad Carma/Good Karma

4:30 AM, "Luxury" tent
Isaac: Mom?
Vanessa: What?
Isaac: What are you doing?
V: Getting up to go to the bathroom.
I: Is it time to get up to go gorilla tracking?
V: Probably.

5:00 AM, Buhoma Community Rest Camp Dining Area
Vanessa: Gordon! What are you doing here? You said you'd meet us at 6 AM.
Gordon: (Appearing acutely distressed) Car's broken . I will have to find you a place in a car with another group. No worries. We guides take care of each other. You must hurry. Your gorilla permits are for 9 AM. It takes a few hours to get there from here. The other driver who can fit you may not have been there before.

Gordon negotiated something with some young people who were speaking something that sounded like German. They looked like they weren't thrilled but felt obliged. They seemed impatient to get going. Isaac had forgotten his passport in our Luxury Tent but Gordon just hustled us into the van without the passport and without mentioning how we were going to get back....

The young people were Swiss (more later). The road was steep and bumpy.






The driver did get lost.

7:00 AM, On the Road
The Swiss tourists' driver stops and asks for directions






9:00 AM, Ruhija, Gorilla Sanctuary, Weather: Dry, sunny, 68 degrees F with slight breeze from Southeast and large, photogenic cumulus clouds.












Uniformed rangers greeted us and registered us. When we explained that Isaac didn't have his passport they demanded to know who our guide was. When we said it was Gordon from Afritours even the uniformed guys with the rifles smiled and said, "Gordon! No worries!"

Then they put us in a group with some other people for Orientation. They sent the Swiss tourists off in their van with their driver. When we told the rangers that we had come with the Swiss tourists and didn't know how we would get back they demanded to know who our guide was. Yup. Same as above.

In Orientation we were told that it might rain, the trails would be steep and difficult with biting insects, and that we may walk for hours and never see gorillas. Those who needed to be carried back by porters would incur an additional charge. Those who strayed more than two feet from their guides or broke park rules would be forcibly removed and incur a fine. Gorillas are big, dangerous and shy. If we did not find gorillas within six hours we would be required to return and would receive a small refund.

Great build up, eh?

My group walked for about twenty minutes on a beautiful trail that was less challenging with far less malicious insect life than a typical Minnesota Boundary Waters' portage and found ourselves surrounded by calm, friendly gorillas who were eating, playing with their babies and doing interesting stuff like having sex.
























I had only brought a small cheap camera with me to Uganda (my bag was filled with all the stuff that Nice People like Dr. Tim Miley and Dr. Naheed Murad had collected for me to donate to the hospital in Kampala) so I had fun taking pictures of people with good cameras taking good pictures.






After an hour or so they made us walk back to the Ranger Station to get our certificates.







We napped until the nice Swiss people came back with their driver.







The driver got the van stuck in the mud and they were really glad that we were along to have Isaac figure out how to unstick us and both of us to help push.












I was also really glad to get to know them. It turns out that they were from Biovision, an NGO based in Switzerland that promotes organic and sustainable farming practices in Africa. Click on the link!

Biovision

We finally saw Gordon again at 9 PM. He had somehow managed to get the vehicle over the mountains, get it repaired and made it back to tell us to be up and ready early, for tomorrow we would be visiting the ELEPHANTS!

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Location:Buhoma Community Guest Camp, Bwindi, Uganda

SD1: Omens and portents?

Written July 29 to be posted when I have internet.

4:40 AM, Mulago Hospital Guest House--
Isaac: Mom?
Vanessa: What?
Isaac: Are you awake?
V: Why?
I: I had a dream that I was a little boy and we needed to get up early to go some place and you were anxious.
V: Sounds about right..
I: But I was doing a jigsaw puzzle and every ten minutes Caleb would come and remind me of how many minutes were left until we needed to leave. Then it was time to leave and I wasn't done with the puzzle and you came in and said, "You haven't had breakfast yet?" Then I realized that what we needed to leave on time for was the safari and the puzzle was the map....

5:40 AM, Mulago Hospital Guest House
Cell phone rings
V: Hello?
Phone: This is Gordon, your safari guide from Afritours. I am at the hospital gate shall we go?
V: Wait a minute here, pal. It's dark and the hospital gate is about a quarter mile down a steep dirt road. You said you'd pick us up At the Guest House, At 6 AM.
G: Okay. You come to the hospital gate at 6 AM.

6:03 AM, Hospital Gate. Vanessa and Isaac and luggage loaded up in beat up, stripped down, 6 cylinder Toyota Land Cruiser with Gordon. Too dark for photo's.

6:10 AM, Petrol station near Mulago. Vanessa goes to pull out camera to start blog photo's. Can't find. Gordon very nice about going back to Mulago Guest House.

6:20AM, Mulago Hospital Guest House. Vanessa finds camera on lawn where it fell out of pack.


Uses camera to take photo of Gordon and vehicle.



7 AM (dawn) stuck in traffic in Kampala



10 AM Equatorial Africa











The prices are in Uganda shillings per liter (2900 shillings per dollar)

11 AM, On the Road.
Gordon stops at what must be the cleanest, nicest road stop/restaurant in Uganda for lunch at what he says is the halfway point between Kampala in the Southeast of Uganda and Bwindi in the Southwest on the border with Rwanda.


Great Food. Fabulous restrooms.



Able to photo Gordon in daylight. Good guy.



11:50 AM, On Road.
Gordon complains about his stomach. Vanessa tells him he drinks too much black coffee and Red Bull on an empty stomach and gives him Maalox. Gordon explains Africa: Nigerians are liars and theives. Ugandans are the best people in Africa and Uganda will be a world economic power within the next decade. Gordon says that we will arrive in Bwindi within a few hours and we will hike with the Pygmies.

3:00 PM, On Road
Gordon says that he is going to take a short cut. Stops several times to ask directions.
4:00 PM, on Road
Gordon asks an old woman for directions. She asks for a ride for her daughters. We agree and I ask to take their picture. When I step out of the vehicle and they see my white clothes and white skin they think that I am a ghost and run away.




6 PM, Bwindi, Uganda
We arrive at our "luxury accomodations" too late for Pygmy Hike but early enough for Isaac and Vanessa to take a short walk before dinner.






Honestly, not so bad for Uganda. Has its own bathroom.

Today we traveled about 600 kilimeters on sketchy roads. Tomorrow, Gordon tells us, we will leave with him at 6 AM to track gorillas. He warns us it will be a long, steep, muddy, dangerous day and we may not even get to see the gorillas if they choose to hide from us. He warns us that it may rain the entire time.

9 PM We fall asleep to the sound of artillerous thunder and delugional rain wondering why we signed up for the gorillas anyways......




Those of you who saw an advance copy of my itinerary will now know that Gordon is free forming it and I don't really know what comes next.....

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Location:Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Bwindi, Uganda

One last day in Kampala....

What did I do on my last day working at Mulago Hospital? Well, first I checked out the headlines at the news stand.






Then I checked on the culture plates from the suspected food poisoning
fruit juice in the Microbiology Lab (negative!)


Then I just did what I do on a typical day at HCMC or UMMC-F.....gave a lecture, looked at slides, signed out cases with the residents, said good bye.


Dr. Peter, the Chief Resident in Pathology asked me to give you this message: If you ever think to visit Uganda for safari or adventure travel, please consider coming for even one extra week to teach. The medical students and hospital residents here are taught by other doctors who have trained in Uganda and the people of Uganda have had so little time to make progress in science education since the days of struggle after colonial rule that they have missed so much of what others have been able to gain in the relative peace and prosperity of the US, Canada and Europe.

What did Isaac do on his last day? He rode in a "taxi" (what we call a public bus) into downtown Kampala to find and buy electrical fuses.



He describes a bizaare adventure that included several people suggesting that he give them some money and he could just wait for them to go find and buy fuses to bring back to him (but he ain't that gullible). At any rate, when he finally found a store that actually sold fuses he thought that they were a rip off but he bought them anyways for about US fifty cents each.


He then meandered his way back to Mulago Hospital and found Dr. Lund to so that he could be escorted into the Pediatric ICU.



Then he replaced the fuses in the BiPAP units.



And he had Dr Lund verify that they were in working order.



If you are at Mulago and need a spare fuse there are some taped to the top of the BiPAP's.



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Location:Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda