We have eaten at the restaurant several times already, and this is our favorite so far--the Aubergine Tower (eggplant, roasted peppers, fresh basil pesto, goat cheese, balsalmic vinegar, and olive oil).
Murchison Falls
Monday, September 29, 2008
A Day of Luxury
Just in case any of you are worried (or are hoping) that Michael and I might be getting burnt out from all the bumpy bus rides or roadside fare, I thought I would post some pictures of our current lodging. After a great trip to Murchison Falls where we had several days without a shower, we decided to stay a night at a nice hotel in Kampala and have a good meal. Well, we have been at Cassia Lodge for three days so far. Just this morning... We have eaten at the restaurant several times already, and this is our favorite so far--the Aubergine Tower (eggplant, roasted peppers, fresh basil pesto, goat cheese, balsalmic vinegar, and olive oil).
We have eaten at the restaurant several times already, and this is our favorite so far--the Aubergine Tower (eggplant, roasted peppers, fresh basil pesto, goat cheese, balsalmic vinegar, and olive oil). 
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Raft the Nile!
After spending most of the past few weeks relaxing and watching wildlife, Kim and I decided to do something to get the adrenaline flowing--white water rafting in the Nile River! We left the busy capital city, Kampala, for the "Adventure captial of Uganda", Jinja. It's the place where the Nile River starts its winding way to the Mediterranean Sea from Lake Victoria. Our group consisted of five people: Kim and I, a Polish lady of about 45 years, and two Chinese tourists about our age. We had a short briefing about how to wear a helmet and life jacket and other safety basics. This is the point in the day when I started to get a little uneasy because the Chinese people were not listening and had to be reminded to pay attention several times. Then our guide Enok took us to the edge of the river to board our raft where we noticed another raft that the staff were equipping with a stretcher and other gear, just in case.
We launched the raft in a calm part of the river, just above Bujagali Falls, to practice the basics. It became clear that our Chinese counterparts had never seen a paddle, let alone attempt to use one. My unease grew steadily. We practiced "FORWARD PADDLE!" about 5 times before we made any progress. We also tried, "RIGHT BACK!" a few times with little success. Then it was "GET DOWN!" where you just hold on for dear life and keep your paddle under your outside arm so it doesn't crack anyone in the face. This was especially difficult for the rest of our little group. To make it clear, we're about to tackle some pretty serious class-5 rapids, and these Chinese people can't paddle, and STILL are not really listening! We also learned about this time that the Polish lady is terrified of water! Unease grew to apprehension as I thought, "I've never done this before, but it seems like if we don't paddle this raft to the correct part of the river, we might get into some pretty nasty stuff."
Finally, we practiced what to do if the raft flips over while we go careening down the river. Basic stuff, swim away, hold your breath, hope to live. Enok flipped the raft, completely taking off guard the Chinese girl who had been chatting away. I wasn't sure we were going to make the trip at all. We climbed back in, Enok told Kim and I to take the front positions in the raft, and off we went! 
Bujagali falls is a class-5, and it's the first one. We got caught in some backwards flowing water at the bottom of the second drop, losing two of our passengers in the process! I wasn't sure everyone would want to keep going, but I knew that I was in it for the duration. It was exciting! We continued down the river tackling rapids with names like Sibling Rivalry, Point Break, Overtime, Retrospect, and The Bad Place. At the end, our arms and legs ached from paddling and getting thrown around, and we both had pretty nasty sunburns, but we felt fantastic. It was a great day, ended nicely with a couple of beers and Nile River sunset!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Giant for an Hour
We've been in Uganda for a week now. Our first stop was an island on Lake Bunyoni, just across the border from Rwanda. It was a great place to relax and do some reading. We slept in something they called a geodome. We had a beautiful view, and it almost kept the water out during the thunderstorm while we slept!
On our second day there we took a boat to a nearby Pygmy village. So far, Michael and I have been a bit leery of commercialised cultural tourist attractions. Most of our cultural excursions have been the kind that develop from walking around a market or meeting someone on a bus. It's quite a different experience to go with a guide into a village and to ask someone to perform for you. Well according to our guidebook, the Pygmies "have little choice but to cash in on their culture...if they hope to survive as a distinct ethnic group" because the government "generally views them with disdain," and "they've been dispossessed of their ancestral lands." (And they're so tiny!) We decided to go, and it was definitely worth the trip. As we were hiking to their village, we caught up to a few of the men. They told us they had been performing for the President the day before. They invited us to their village, and gave us a little sample of what we could look forward to. The village wasn't much, but the people were so vibrant and energetic! So was their singing and dancing. 
When they finished, Michael showed them the video he had taken. They loved hearing themselves sing, and they all crowded around to get a better look at the screen. We gave them some money for their performance, and it was followed up with the expected haggling. "This isn't enough." "The children are hungry." They begrudgingly accepted our money, but we could hear them cheerily singing as we walked away.
On our second day there we took a boat to a nearby Pygmy village. So far, Michael and I have been a bit leery of commercialised cultural tourist attractions. Most of our cultural excursions have been the kind that develop from walking around a market or meeting someone on a bus. It's quite a different experience to go with a guide into a village and to ask someone to perform for you. Well according to our guidebook, the Pygmies "have little choice but to cash in on their culture...if they hope to survive as a distinct ethnic group" because the government "generally views them with disdain," and "they've been dispossessed of their ancestral lands." (And they're so tiny!) We decided to go, and it was definitely worth the trip. As we were hiking to their village, we caught up to a few of the men. They told us they had been performing for the President the day before. They invited us to their village, and gave us a little sample of what we could look forward to. The village wasn't much, but the people were so vibrant and energetic! So was their singing and dancing. 
When they finished, Michael showed them the video he had taken. They loved hearing themselves sing, and they all crowded around to get a better look at the screen. We gave them some money for their performance, and it was followed up with the expected haggling. "This isn't enough." "The children are hungry." They begrudgingly accepted our money, but we could hear them cheerily singing as we walked away.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Two nights with Elie
As Kim mentioned we got the opportunity to spend two nights with a Rwandan man named Elie (pronounced "Eddie") and enjoy his company for a couple days. He is a fascinating individual. He's a total work-aholic and a self-made man. He started young as a small farmer, and built a cattle herd until at one point he was importing 1000 cows from Zimbabwe at $1000 each to sell. He lost everything during the genocide in 1994. He rebuilt his fortune and joined the Rwandan Parliament. He was expelled after 3 years primarily for speaking his mind in a country where dissenting opinions are not very welcome. He made some enemies and as a result his match factory has shut down and he's back to the drawing board again!
On the subject of corruption-- Elie, "Men in Africa get involved in politics to get rich. Therefore they are very subject to corruption. They do not become politicians to change policy or Rwanda for better, only to make themselves better and richer." This struck me as something I should have realized before but never thought of. In the US, it seems most politicians at the national level are already rich when they get there, and many at least start with some ideal about changing policies for the better as they see it (see HERE). I know it doesn't last long for many and they fall into the same old pattern, but here, it starts that way. In a place where you may have to work for years and get lucky along the way to improve your economic status, politics is easy money.
On the subject of overpopulation-- Elie to me, "It's your people's fault--the electrical engineers--you don't make enough lights. People go to bed too early. That's why there are so many Rwandans." Just made me laugh out loud!
On the subject of tourism--Elie, while driving, "That's the prison. It's the only place without a 'welcome' sign." By the way, 40-50 people visit the gorillas each day in Rwanda at $500 per permit, you can do the math.
Kim and I are very thankful for the opportunity and hospitality. Thanks Elie!
Elie and his wife showed us excellent hospitality. When we first arrived at his home he offered us a drink. "What would you like, Wine, Beer, Fanta, water?" "I'll take a beer" "What kind, Mutzig, Primus, Castle?" "Primus please." Nice right? It gets better. He then sends his cook out into the community (about a 5 minute walk) to fetch a beer for me, he didn't have any of those things he offered. Finally, when he brought a warm beer, he sent him back to find a cold one!
We also got a chance to pepper him with questions, and we learned a lot about Rwanda from his point of view. We talked about the genocide, the overpopulation, and corruption in the government, and much more. Here are a few examples that stand out in my mind.
On the subject of Rwandan's work ethic-- Elie, "I'm going to say something that if you said it, people would call you a racist, but it's OK for me to say. I just don't think it's part of the culture of Rwandans to be hard workers." After hearing how much he suffered, and how hard he worked to send his children to school in Belgium (where he fled during the genocide), I kept thinking to myself that it must be incredibly frustrating for him, a man who wants development and progress, to work with a population who couldn't care less. Sure they want cars and roads and "western" things, but they are not ready to work like Elie has for them.
On the subject of corruption-- Elie, "Men in Africa get involved in politics to get rich. Therefore they are very subject to corruption. They do not become politicians to change policy or Rwanda for better, only to make themselves better and richer." This struck me as something I should have realized before but never thought of. In the US, it seems most politicians at the national level are already rich when they get there, and many at least start with some ideal about changing policies for the better as they see it (see HERE). I know it doesn't last long for many and they fall into the same old pattern, but here, it starts that way. In a place where you may have to work for years and get lucky along the way to improve your economic status, politics is easy money.
On the subject of overpopulation-- Elie to me, "It's your people's fault--the electrical engineers--you don't make enough lights. People go to bed too early. That's why there are so many Rwandans." Just made me laugh out loud!
On the subject of tourism--Elie, while driving, "That's the prison. It's the only place without a 'welcome' sign." By the way, 40-50 people visit the gorillas each day in Rwanda at $500 per permit, you can do the math.
Kim and I are very thankful for the opportunity and hospitality. Thanks Elie!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
GORILLAS!
Hello from Rwanda! We flew to Kigali and have been exploring this tiny country for nine days now. We love it! I think I'll just skip straight to the number one reason we came here--seeing the mountain gorillas. It was the experience I wanted to have more than any other in the world, and it was wonderful! So this is how it worked. When we were in Nairobi we called the tourism office in Rwanda to find out when we could get permits to see these magnificent creatures. The first person we spoke to told us there were no permits available until December! That made us a little nervous, but we were transfered to another person who said we could see the gorillas on November 3. That sounded reasonable. Then we thought we'd try calling one of the tour companies in Kigali that we heard sometimes has permits available, and they'd had a cancellation! This was Friday afternoon, and they had two permits for us on Wednesday. They said they'd hold them if we could come into the office on Monday with the cash. So we got on a plane on Saturday! Wednesday couldn't arrive fast enough. We spent the night at a beautiful resthouse minutes walk from the National Park. We enjoyed dinner there while we both tried to finish Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey. She lived in Rwanda with the mountain gorillas for 15 years. It's very possible mountain gorillas would be extinct now if not for the work she did to protect their habitat and rid the park of poachers. Tragically, she was killed by poachers in 1985.
On Wednesday morning we were at the park at 7:00. We met our guide, Felix, and found out that earlier in the morning, trackers left for Mt. Visoke to discover exactly where our gorilla family was. We had been told the hike to reach the gorillas can take up to four hours. Mind you this is hiking up a volcano through the thickest vegetation we've ever seen. We hitched a ride with one of the other five tourists in our group to the "parking lot" near the volcano. We walked for about five minutes through somebody's farm, crawled over the brick wall that keeps out the buffalo, met the park rangers with their AK-47s and our trackers and were told to leave all unnecessary items where we were. Michael and I didn't realize the significance of leaving our things behind, but the American retirees who where were on their sixth visit to the gorillas got really excited. Apparently you leave your stuff behind to lessen the possibility of curious gorillas stealing your things. The exciting part was that you only leave it when you're 100-200 meters from the gorillas! After only 15 minutes of fighting our way through the jungle we came upon a mother gorilla and her baby. I was shocked that while the trackers (while grunting like the gorillas do) used their machetes to hack away the vegetation in front of the gorillas to give us a better view, they barely acknowledged we were there! They tell you to stay at least seven meters away from the gorillas for their safety and your own, but they were grooming each other and just laying around--about 10 feet away from us!
We knew there were nine gorillas in this family, but from where we were there was no sign of the rest of them. I would have sat and watched these two all day, but after a couple minutes Felix had us move on. We didn't go far though. Even though we couldn't see them where we were, we had been just above the rest of the family.
Every gorilla family is led by an adult male called a silverback. The fur on his back turns silver when he reaches sexual maturity at about 12 years old. There is usually only one silverback in a family because a dominant male will not let other silverbacks mate with the females in the group. When males in the group mature they will usually leave in search of their own females. The silverback we met was Charles, and he weighs in at about 440 lbs. At only 24 years old, he'd done pretty well for himself with three female partners, one juvenile male, and four babies in his group. Charles was awefully tired during most of our visit, and we even heard him snoring for a while. Shortly before we left we watched him climb the hill, and he looked incredibly powerful! The young gorillas provided a lot of entertainment while we watched them tumbling backwards down the hill, jumping for branches, and knocking each other around. The hour was over WAY too fast. As we headed out we were all trying to get a few final pictures. I was distracted by the gorillas behind me when I realized suddenly I'd better duck out of the way. The baby, Zuba, had climbed a skinny little tree right in front of me and as the tree came down he almost landed on my head! It was a great end to the morning. I'd recommend this trip to anyone!
There's a lot more to say about our trip so far in Rwanda, but Michael and I have to go now to meet Eddie. He's a Rwandan we met a couple days ago, and he's invited us to stay at his home tonight! I could only get three pictures to upload for this post, but we'll be sure to post more later. Miss you all!
On Wednesday morning we were at the park at 7:00. We met our guide, Felix, and found out that earlier in the morning, trackers left for Mt. Visoke to discover exactly where our gorilla family was. We had been told the hike to reach the gorillas can take up to four hours. Mind you this is hiking up a volcano through the thickest vegetation we've ever seen. We hitched a ride with one of the other five tourists in our group to the "parking lot" near the volcano. We walked for about five minutes through somebody's farm, crawled over the brick wall that keeps out the buffalo, met the park rangers with their AK-47s and our trackers and were told to leave all unnecessary items where we were. Michael and I didn't realize the significance of leaving our things behind, but the American retirees who where were on their sixth visit to the gorillas got really excited. Apparently you leave your stuff behind to lessen the possibility of curious gorillas stealing your things. The exciting part was that you only leave it when you're 100-200 meters from the gorillas! After only 15 minutes of fighting our way through the jungle we came upon a mother gorilla and her baby. I was shocked that while the trackers (while grunting like the gorillas do) used their machetes to hack away the vegetation in front of the gorillas to give us a better view, they barely acknowledged we were there! They tell you to stay at least seven meters away from the gorillas for their safety and your own, but they were grooming each other and just laying around--about 10 feet away from us!
We knew there were nine gorillas in this family, but from where we were there was no sign of the rest of them. I would have sat and watched these two all day, but after a couple minutes Felix had us move on. We didn't go far though. Even though we couldn't see them where we were, we had been just above the rest of the family. Every gorilla family is led by an adult male called a silverback. The fur on his back turns silver when he reaches sexual maturity at about 12 years old. There is usually only one silverback in a family because a dominant male will not let other silverbacks mate with the females in the group. When males in the group mature they will usually leave in search of their own females. The silverback we met was Charles, and he weighs in at about 440 lbs. At only 24 years old, he'd done pretty well for himself with three female partners, one juvenile male, and four babies in his group. Charles was awefully tired during most of our visit, and we even heard him snoring for a while. Shortly before we left we watched him climb the hill, and he looked incredibly powerful! The young gorillas provided a lot of entertainment while we watched them tumbling backwards down the hill, jumping for branches, and knocking each other around. The hour was over WAY too fast. As we headed out we were all trying to get a few final pictures. I was distracted by the gorillas behind me when I realized suddenly I'd better duck out of the way. The baby, Zuba, had climbed a skinny little tree right in front of me and as the tree came down he almost landed on my head! It was a great end to the morning. I'd recommend this trip to anyone! There's a lot more to say about our trip so far in Rwanda, but Michael and I have to go now to meet Eddie. He's a Rwandan we met a couple days ago, and he's invited us to stay at his home tonight! I could only get three pictures to upload for this post, but we'll be sure to post more later. Miss you all!
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