It is the weekend again and since things are typically slow, I decide that this is the perfect time to head to Queen Elizabeth Park with our dear friend Eddie. Eddie was born and raised in Ft. Portal and now raises his family there. He has multiple jobs and two phones that are constantly ringing and chirping and buzzing from early in the morning until late at night. Last year I was able to go on this journey but J has never been and although I debate how wise it is to try to scrape together the money I realize I don’t want to pass up on this opportunity for him to see another part of Uganda and hopefully elephants and lions if we are lucky.
We head to Fort Portal to go to the bank and meet Eddie. Eddie tells us that his 6-year old son Louis wants to go with us, so we head back to their house to pick him up. I meet Brenda his wife and say hello to Max who is three and was up at the house earlier in the week. Louis immediately takes to calling me “Auntie”. He is a vibrant and intelligent little boy. His English is impeccable. Later in the weekend he uses the word “vernacular” as in “Do you understand vernacular?” with me. I am not sure many 6-year olds in the States know that word. He is surprised I don’t understand the local language. I have forgotten the energy and curiosity of a boy this age, but it brings a new level of entertainment to the adventure.
The trip to southern Uganda takes a few hours. If you enjoy the smooth ride of a road trip, Uganda is not for you. I am guessing it might be slightly better in a luxury vehicle, which are mainly the fancy Range Rover safari vehicles, but the cars and vans we ride in rattle and squeak and clang with sounds from where I can’t quite determine the origins. The road is in a state of repair and consists of alternating sections of enormous potholes, gravel areas, wet dirt and single lanes where they are putting in piping for water under the road. It is a Chinese company doing the work but Ugandans are the workers. Some have bright orange vests on while wearing a pair of sandals and shoveling dirt. Some have hard hats and tank tops on. I can only imagine that OSHA would have a field day here with worker safety. There is construction happening constantly but they do not close the roads, so we just drive on the current state that the road is in. At one point we are stopped because they are doing an engineering measurement with string across the highway. Another time we swerve because two cows are sleeping in the middle of the road. Drivers drive on all sections to find the smoothest part meaning it often appears you are on a collision course with another car until one moves to the intended side of the road.
We pass through Kasese and talk about the Ebola deaths. Although it was contained it hurt this town financially as tourists avoided it while they waited out the 21 days of incubation and containment. A bit outside of Kasese is the equator. I am sad to see that the road construction has removed the sign and monument so we can’t stop to take pictures. If you didn’t know that is where it was, there would be no indicator that you have passed into the southern hemisphere. We stop at the entrance of the park to get our passes. Louis is busy running around as Eddie gathers our passports gets our passes. I again realize that this trip will have added enjoyment as we get to see this all through not only J’s eyes but Louis’s as well. “Auntie look at all the beautiful butterflies” he exclaims determined to catch one. There are thousands of them everywhere. We head back in the van to get some lunch at the only restaurant in the area. There is a large resort here but we are staying in the lower bunks where it seems the staff and local Ugandans are staying. Lunch is surprisingly expensive but it is the only place to eat. Louis is fascinated by the caterpillars that fall on the table. He is certain that he can put two of them together so they will fight. Upon being disappointed that this does not happen he decides that they will be friends.
We rush to get to our river boat ride. I am thrilled to learn that Eddie and Louis will be joining us on the boat this year. As we take off from the dock I look across the river, which flows into the enormous Lake Edward. Last year there were dozens of hippos which I see again although fewer in number. The guide announces that hippos are truly the laziest animal on the planet eating enormous amounts of food and basically trying to expend as little energy as possible. About halfway across the river we spot elephants! I hold my breath hoping that they stay in place until we make it slowly across on the loaded pontoon we are traveling on. All in all, when we get close the few have become 24 (by Jonathan’s count) elephants eating and drinking along the river. I am overwhelmed with their size and beauty and take nearly 100 photos and 3 videos. With this siting, J has now determined that Louis is our good luck charm for the trip. Later down the river we see another group. They are eating and rubbing themselves against the dirt. It is amazing to see them so close and to watch them do what they do in their habitat. We also see the omnipresent water buffaloes and hippos and more types of birds than I can name. There are two crocodiles lounging on the shore as well. For those of you who are old enough, the boat trip is like experiencing a live version of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom- a Sunday night tradition in my home growing up.
Back at the dorms there are warthogs everywhere. Many of them have babies with them- mostly 4 per momma. They wander all over the complex and you can get fairly close. Louis and I go for a walk and he is determined to get closer to the baby wart hogs than I am comfortable letting him get. A late dinner with fewer bats than I remember last year and straight to bed as our alarm will go off at 4:45 am so that we can attempt to see lions in the morning.
I don’t sleep much knowing my alarm is ready to chime in just a few hours. I can hear the loud steps of hippos outside the dorm. They are herbivores and head to land in the night when it is cool. I can also hear the loud chomping of the grass and imagine the size of their teeth. I wake before my alarm and wait for everyone else to wake up. Louis and Eddie are next door but J is with me. At 515 I knock on their door and by 530 we head out in the dark.
On the road to the other side of the park we are flagged down by a man whose van has broken down on the side of the road. He asks Eddie if we are willing to take his customers to the park as his van will take some time to repair. I agree and two men join us. I discover they are from the Philippines and India and are both working for Oracle in Kampala. This is just a part of the culture here that a virtual stranger would ask for help. Later in the day when we drop them off their van is still in repair with a busted belt. One tire is off as multiple men are working on it on the side of the road.
After the pick-up we head inside the larger open area of the park and Eddie tells us he has heard where there are lions. After a short and bumpy ride on the rough road we are thrilled to be able to see a lioness not too far away from the car lounging in the brush. We wait until she gets up and moves until we are not able to see her anymore. 15 minutes later we find another hiding in the grass, but she too gets up and moves. There are many many, many impala and water buffalo and antelope and warthogs along the way. The van has a pop-up top but I sit on the front metal rack. The hard seating is well worth the ability to feel the open breeze and feel one with this section of the world. We stop near the salt flats deep inside the park for some water and lots of vendors selling their wares. Jonathan gets a painting for his room and Ugandan soccer jerseys for his brother and a friend. I buy a few more gifts and we are back on the road heading out. Louis has finally caught a butterfly that has flown into the van. He promptly puts it into the tiny compartment for garbage in the console. I am not sure he will remember it is there knowing that this butterfly has sacrificed his or her life for the wonder of this little boy.
After we drop our surprise companions Eddie thinks we can see elephants if we do one more trip through near where our dorms are. Louis is sitting on top of the back of the open roof yelling “Eeeelephaaaaants!!!”. He tells me I am not yelling loud enough for them to come. He continues, “Elephants and all animals come to me!” Jonathan notes that he also adds slightly more quietly, “or I will kill you”. But again, J is right, and Louis continues to be our good luck charm. There is one large male elephant in front of us immediately next to the road. He is so close that the other two vans in front of us cannot pass as it is not safe to get that close. He is content eating from the tree and the people in front of us bang on the van tops to get him to move so they can pass. He slowly wanders away from the road and with several more photos safely in my camera we continue around and head out to begin the journey home.
Lunch in Kasese is delicious and significantly less expensive. We stop at the same little hotel off the beaten path as we did last year. The chef makes me a delicious and extremely spicy chicken chili and soon we are back on the road heading back to KIDA. There is a tremendous amount of work being done on the back roads that the safari companies use as a short cut back into Ft. Portal. I saw them often when on our village visit and found myself a bit annoyed by the fancy Land Rovers full of mzungu traveling through these villages. I realize in some ways I am the same and that it brings money to the locals, but the contrast of the poverty and the fancy vehicles makes it feel like the people are an exhibit to me. I am thankful that I get to know these people personally. As we continue, I realize that I am recognizing the back roads and know where we are. We get closer and I even see people on the road that I know and can shout greetings by name.
We thank Eddie and promise to share photos. Louis is knocked out but awakes to give me a hug. We are tired and both J and I immediately fall asleep for a rock-solid nap before dinner. I know that these last few days will go quickly and start mentally preparing for packing and having to say goodbye which is not a strong suit for me. I miss my boys and the dogs and a long warm shower. I haven’t been able to talk with Darin much at all and miss our daily connection. I wonder if the plants have died and how much dog hair I will need to clean up. But for now, I will relish the opportunity I have to be here, in this part of the world, with these people and know I am very fortunate in more ways than I can count.
