Holy Freaking Crap!

I have to thank Dan for the title of this post. We were making the long journey back from Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda on the border of the Congo, thinking of a way to describe the 4 days of safari there. As you can see Dan's idea won.

We made the journey of about 300 miles to the southwest crossing the equator on the way, in a van that is retrofitted especially for safaris. The roads there are some of the craziest things I have seen. The "disorder" of traffic at low speed in the city is not so bad. The disorder once you get out where people drive fast is at the least scary, then at knee deep potholes.

I can't think of a way to describe the country in comparison to anywhere in the US. Parts are dry and others are so lush with tea and bananas growing on the side of the hills. We arrived at our camp called Jacana Safari Lodge. It was beautiful, good food, great wait staff etc. That night was time for the first game drive.

In the US we cannot imagine the amount of wild animals running around. Maybe Yellowstone can compare, but the amout of "DLT's" (Deer Like Things) in type and number is unreal! So I will just summarize what i saw:

DLT's (thousands and thousands of them...)
-Kob (cute)
-Topi (awkward)
-Bush Buck (one killed - more on this later)
-Water Buck (huge)
Warthogs (super cute aka Pumba)
Elephants (amazing - more than you could ever see in a zoo)
Leopards (killers)
Lions (saw two different prides)
Hippos (huge and scary)
Cape Buffalo (huge and mean)
Zebra (but not in the park)
Monkeys
-Colobus Monkey
-Olive Baboon
-Chimpanzee
-Vervet Monkey
Birds
-Vultures and Eagles (tons)
-Guineafowl (cutest bird ever)
-...and many more!

The coolest part of the trip was the saddest and the most interesting at the same time. Since the park was busy the guide decided that it would be best for us to take a scenic drive where there would be less people. The park is situated in a dormant volcanic zone where there are many remnant craters. Beautiful at the very least, but we got lucky in the terms of a safari.

Driving up the road we saw a leopard cross, this is actually our second sighting which is also very rare. We noticed that it was eyeing something in the grass and making noise. We stayed to watch, we knew it was hunting but we really couldn't see what it was. Then we waited...forty minutes of the leopard slowly moving hiding its noise with the breeze, glancing back at the van every once in a while annoyed with our presence. All of the sudden, POUNCE! Then some of the most horrible noises you have heard in your life. We couldn't see everything that was happening but you could tell the leopard was winning. A female bush buck ran for her life, there was kicking for life and then nothing. When we drove up closer there it was, the leopard with a male bush buck in its mouth. The leopard was physically tired, breathing heavily and the bushbuck was very dead. Again sad, but beautiful at the same time, ohhh the circle of life.


Today we are in Kampala again for and tomorrow east to Jinja and the source of the Nile and then to Mbale to see some friends and Sipi Falls.

Two different sides of Ugandan culture...

First off, sorry there are so few pictures. The internet here is a bit slow. I will upload more when I return to the states.

The last two days have been a blast filled with travels around the city. We have been going to markets and shopping. It's a busy time of year many Ugandans are out shopping for last minute gifts. Many people only take Christmas day off of work. Tomorrow they will have Christmas services in the morning and feast in the afternoon. We are going to try to make the 7am service which is the only one in english. The others will be in Luganda, the language of the Buganda people by far the largest ethnic group here. Luganda is the street language, while english is the language of business and the common communicator since there are many other dialects.

Some events that happened today let me see two very different sides of Ugandan culture. This morning J&L and I were enjoying breakfast at the apartment when we heard a loud chattering and yelling outside. Many members of the community I where J&L live, called Manaku, were gathered there. It seemed to have something to do with boda-boda drivers. Since, the whole argument was in Luganda we had trouble understanding. Fortunately, the housekeeper and the neighbor next door were able to give us some hints. Apparently one of the men had been accused of being a theif. Here this is a very, very serious accusation. It can often result in some pretty brutal violence.


Thankfully, our Christmas Eve was not ruined by any violence in Manaku. The neighbor called the police and they actually came very quickly. The crowd scattered and the police patrolled the area for some time. This is one reality of life here, the community has held onto these kinds of practices out of a lack of effectiveness of their own judicial system. Crime here is relatively low, and that is because there are such harsh consequences. It is interesting that is it less scary for the accused when the police come rather than the community.

This is contrasted with an act of kindness that I have rarely, rarely seen in the US and the way they greet one another. This afternoon we saw the epitome of a traffic jam leaving a very busy market, I’m saying one of those ones where people have to back up and there’s a man out directing traffic. That kind where we all sit confused for 10 minutes. I hope I am making this clear. People were moving back and forth through the busy Christmas traffic.

Well our taxi driver or “special driver” was making his way through this jam and he got stuck on a rock. After several attempts to get off and moving we were still stuck. Without our driver even getting out of the car, at least two men ran up and moved smaller rocks to make a ramp so that we could get off. It was successful! Thankfully there was not too much damage to the car. These men showed some real Christmas spirit.

This is reiterated when Ugandans greet. We shake hands in a special way. It is a three-step process where we first shake like we are all accustomed. Next, you grasp around the thumb almost like you are arm wrestling and then back to normal handshake. When we are talking to each other we keep holding hands. Each step of this greeting has a special meaning; first to you, second to your family, and third to your community. When I have greeted people in this way I can see a notable difference in attitude towards me. In Uganda respecting the greeting is everything.3

You can see that Ugandans, even though a strong government isn’t always there to protect the people, have come close to protect themselves at the community level. That means often severe punishment for crimes in contrast to greetings that show respect, which relates to the sense of working for the community. Like helping some stuck mzungus to get moving or people directing traffic in a traffic jam or just giving me a try of passion fruit because I was friendly and interested.

Tomorrow is my first Christmas day away from my Mom and Dad and I am happy I will be spending it with my extended Parnell-Marino family in a place where people have many of the same ideals as we strive to have. Sorry for such a serious message, I sometimes wish that I had been a social science major so I could write about these things better. But, I thought it was just an interesting insight and it really hit me this morning.

Next time you hear from me, we will be preparing for a safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park! LIONS, ELEPHANTS, HIPPOS, OH MY!

A place that is constantly moving

I am here in Kampala, safe and sound! Jon and Lauren didn't have internet for a day so I was not able to post. I am nine hours ahead of the central time zone so I am writing this on my second morning here.

Sunday night, Jon and Lauren (J&L) picked me up from the airport which is about 40km from their home in Kampala on Lake Victoria in a city called Entebbe. The first thing you noticed other than the traffic along this busy stretch of road is the amount of people out walking. You could see people gathering for parties, going to shops, getting their hair done. This theme of constant movement would be something that would become more and more apparent in the next day.

When we arrived we went back out for a snack. There are vendors on the street that sell chapati a fried bread that Indian immigrants brought and had a beer at the new bar that popped up below their apartment. One thing that strikes you right away is how important people find the greeting here. In the US it high and a wave, here its a special handshake and often you will hold hands with the person you are speaking with for several minutes. Several people came up to great us and find out who is the new mzungu (more on this later, it means white person).

The night to come might have been the longest night of my life. The constant movement of Kampala does not stop for J&L's street either. All night things are going on, music is playing chickens and dogs are making noise. People are walking up and down the street. Bicycles, Motorcycle taxi's (Boda-Bodas), Taxi vans called (Matatu) pass by, honking their horn instead of stopping at the intersection. Making for this play of what we might call chaos that is more organized than any foreigner could imagine. So, it is loud here. How loud you ask? Like if I lived on Michigan Ave. in Chicago, not an apartment but on the street, that is how loud. Its a loud sort of loud. Thankfully, earplugs do the trick and I sleep in my own little quiet heaven.

The next morning we went out for a day on the town. I took my first forms of public transport here. I had my first motorcycle ride ever. On the back of a boda-boda that is scary. I have decided to consider myself brave after doing that. But, for you parents worried about my safety we didn't take them into the parts of the city where they weave in and out through traffic. We took another taxi to Ugandan Crafts where Lauren has volunteered. They sell fair trade crafts from East Africa. I will post more about this another time.

From there we walked to the central part of Kampala. I don't think a photo can describe to you the amount of people and the craziness that happens on the street. Shops everywhere, selling everything. There are people walking everywhere, some places there are sidewalks some there are not. We walked to a place which overlooks the taxi park. The picture below shows the funnel of taxis going into this Grand Central Station of Kampala. People are walking up and down the street while traffic whizzes by. Still, it all works, we never go hit, people get where they need to go!


As you spend time walking you will find that "mzungu" is a word you will learn to love here, it means white person and is shouted at you routinely. It is not a disrespectful saying it is just a way of acknowledging you. Walking down the street the next day you find that people will say Mzungu this and Mzungu that... Mzungu do you want a ride? etc. Sometimes people will even touch you, just to touch. Standing on J&L's balcony people will look at me from the street and sometimes yell "MZUNGU!" and wave! Little kids will stare and smile if you wave back at them. From my one day of experience people are happy we are here, we have a general interest in their culture and we spend money here.

From the city center we walked to the professional area where we had pizza for lunch and made our way to Garden City shopping center the biggest mall in Uganda where there is a supermarket, cell phone stores, book shops. Everything you could ever imagine. I got my haircut and bought a cell phone. Then Lauren and I went to the grocery. We made our way home by a "special hire" which is a taxi as we know it in the US. It was a long day of walking we crashed and relaxed for a few hours. Then went out again for dinner in Old Kampala where I had goat! Not too bad start to eating here...

One other thing that stand out is that unlike celebrities tell you on TV this is not a place of total despair. Yes, it has problems, there are people who are hungry in places and health care is not the same as in the west. For the most part it is just a different way of living. People have hope, they like working and have time to enjoy life at night. Yesterday, I saw lots of people who seemed content and happy.

Today, the US Embassy and other travels around the city!

Iamsterdam

Despite all the snow in Detroit, KLM got me to Amsterdam early. My friend Zhou Jian who is studied at the U of M with me for several months and his girlfriend and another Chinese friend picked me up from the airport.

We drove into the Amsterdam city center and walked, and walked, and walked, but we saw so much in short amount of time. The amount of bikes is unbelievable, the people need it though, their food is pretty fattening. For example, mayonnaise on french fries, enough said.

We went to lunch at a Cantonese style Chinese restaurant in the Chinatown area, my friends ordered something in Chinese and I just waited. I learned 2 things from this experience:

1.) I don't like chicken feet

2.) I don't like intestine

Other than that the food was really good.

After lunch we made our way around all the hemp bars, and the Red Light District. All I can say is, "WOW!" It was funny seeing these conservative Chinese girls asking me if I wanted to go smoke and walking with Jian and I by windows with ladies trying to lure us inside.

After that we walked by the Iamsterdam statue in front of the Rijksmuseum, as well we saw the royal palace in Dam Square and Anne Frank's house. Following this we wondered along the canals back to the spot where we parked. It was great to see so many people on bikes but they scarier than all the cars.

We then drove to Delft which is 40 minutes from Amsterdam near Der Haag and Rotterdam. It is an amazingly beautiful city! I wish I had more time to explore here. I think it is in the 1000 places to see before you die, if I am wrong it should be.

We we looked at the old leaning cathedral and the new 500 year old church in the main square. Dinner was at a chain here called Billy Beer. Its "Dutch Style Rib" restaurant. The food was good, having Heineken so close from the source was even better!

Tomorrow...Uganda!

Africa! Can you feel it?

I can feel it!



My buddy Pete sent me this to get me pumped while studying for finals. Hopefully this is not in too bad of taste!

The Itinerary!

Lauren and Jon just sent this!

Sun., Dec. 21: Matt arrives!

Mon., Dec. 22: Matt rests, We explore Kampala.

Tue., Dec. 23: We explore Kampala

Wed., Dec. 24: Explore Kampala. Christmas Eve dinner out with some friends. Dad and Cliff arrive in the evening.

Thurs., Dec. 25: Sleep in, eat a Christmas brunch as prepared by J & L. Celebrate Christmas however we feel like it. Dinner out, probably at our favorite steak place, Tuhende, OR Indian food, OR La Fontaine, another favorite restaurant.

Fri., Dec. 26: Wake up early to leave for Queen Elizabeth National Park. Arrive in the park at midday. Lunch at Mweya Lodge (the nicest lodge in the park, good food, but we won't be staying there). Boat trip on the Kazinga Chanel, viewing hippos, buffalo, crocodiles, lots of birds, and possibly even lions, from the water. Drive to Jacana Lodge, where we're staying, settle in, eat dinner and go to sleep.

Sat., Dec 27: Game drive in the morning around the park. Chimp trekking in the afternoon at Kyabura gorge. Head back to Jacana, for a sunset dinner on a boat on the crater lake. Sleep!

Sun., Dec. 28: Game drive through the park. Travel to Ishasha Wilderness camp. Game drive around Ishasha, look for lions in trees. Dinner at Ishasha.

Mon., Dec. 29: Pack up our stuff, game drive around Ishasha for the morning, head back to Kampala in the afternoon. Stop by Papula Paper and the Equator on the drive back to Kampala.

Tues., Dec. 30: Free day around Kampala. Relax and re-pack for trip to Mbale.

Wed., Dec. 31: Take the Elgon Flyer bus to Mbale town. Visit JJ Keki and other farmers during the day and evening. Hopefully, hang out with JJ for new year's eve! Stay at Mount Elgon Hotel in Mbale town.

Thur., Jan. 1, 2009!: Visit with more farmers, learn about the coffee cooperative, and visit Mbale town. Head up to Sipi Falls Resort in the late afternoon. Dinner and relaxation at Sipi Falls Resort.

Fri., Jan. 2: Hike around the four waterfalls of Sipi... it's a more intense hike than you'd expect, but not TOO intense, and beautiful! This will take pretty much all day. Dinner, and last night at Sipi.

Sat., Jan. 3: Travel to Mbale to catch a bus back to Kampala. Return to J & L's place.

Sun., Jan 4: Whatever we feel like doing! Probably a trip to Uganda Crafts for Matt. Possibly dinner and watching traditional dancing for the rest of the group while Matt goes back to the airport. :(.

Mon., Jan 5: Dad, Cliff, Jon, and Lauren take Kampala by storm.

Tues., Jan 6: More Kampala, and we say goodbye as Dad and Cliff travel back to the US!

Some links:
Sipi Falls Resort: http://www.traveluganda.co.ug/sipifallsresort/index.html
Mount Elgon Hotel: http://www.mountelgonhotel.com/
Jacana Lodge: http://geolodgesafrica.com/jacana_safari_lodge.htm
Ishasha Wilderness Camp: http://www.wildfrontiers.co.ug/ishasha.html

Now time to go study!