Walking With the Animals at Lake Naivasha

To walk with wild animals in a park in Africa is a unique experience that few people have enjoyed.  The presence of predators often precludes this opportunity in most of the more famous parks such as the Masai Mara.  However, we are here at Lake Naivasha, one of those rare places where predators have been relocated due to the threat to the locals who live in the vicinity.  Which makes it possible to walk with some of Africa’s wild life!

We are camped here for 2 nights so there is time to relax, get caught up with laundry and do the boat ride in the morning.  We are headed to an island on the lake! 

This island is famous in that it has figured in the  filming of two movies – Out of Africa and Born Free.  We pile in to the boat in anticipation of an exciting day. 

We pass many hippos and water birds on the way there.  The boat ride gives us a chance to experience this stunning lake.  I relax and try to capture the magic of this lake through my lens.

We are greeted by herds of wildebeest at play and impala grazing but continue walking in search of giraffe and zebra.  It is quite amazing to be walking in the wide open spaces of this park and to see these animals while on foot. 

I am constantly amazed at how prolific the wild life is in Kenya and realise this is only a taste of what is to come when we visit the Masai Mara and Serengeti next.

We approach a tower of giraffes and watch them browsing on the trees.  I see a giraffe seated for the first time in my life!

We keep walking further and see the zebras, waterbuck and wildebeest up close.  What a different experience this is to viewing these animals from the inside of a truck!  On the way back we watch the hippos at play and I watch in amazement as an entire herd of waterbuck run out into the lake, scared off by a man on foot.  The mountains in the background provide a stunning back drop to another amazing moment in Africa!

We come back to camp on quite a high.  The walk was certainly a memorable experience for all of us and I am certainly glad I signed up for this opportunity.

 You will never come up against a greater adversary than your own potential, my young friend.  ~Michael Piller and Michael Wagner

A Close Encounter with Ugandan Mountain Gorillas!

I have dreamt of seeing the mountain gorillas of Uganda up close for a very long time and finally the day this dream comes true has dawned.  Only a limited number of permits are  issued for this experience which lasts one hour with one of the habituated families.   Eight people are allowed to visit each family at one time and the permit you are issued will specify the family allocated. 

I applied for this permit almost a year ago to make sure I did not miss out on this experience of a lifetime.  I can hardly believe that I am finally here.  

My experience will be in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, one of Africa’s more famous parks.  I leave very early in the morning (at 5 am) for the two and a half hour drive to park headquarters.  As dawn breaks, we approach the park and I am stunned at how dense and mountainous this jungle is.  I realise the park is aptly named and feel a little apprehensive about the trek ahead.  

This park is home to almost half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas and it is estimated  that about 340 live here.  The gorillas are found in just 2 other neighbouring countries, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

This park is reputed to have survived and thrived through the last Ice Age and has an incredibly diverse biodiversity. 

My visit is with the Bukuru family who currently have 4 silverbacks, 2 blackbacks, 3 females, and 2 juveniles in their group. A male juvenile is known as a blackback around 7 years of age and a silverback around 12 years of age.  I meet my fellow trekkers at the park headquarters, a couple from Denmark and 2 Swiss. 

We are given a briefing before we set off and our guide makes sure we have the right gear which includes a good pair of hiking boots, raincoat, hat and a packed lunch.  We are after all trekking in a rain forest that gets 2.5 metres of rain annually!He is not sure how far we may have to hike but it could be anywhere from an hour to 3 or 4 hours.   

We set off with our contingent of guides, trackers and  porters.  There are two guides with guns at the front and rear of our party.  This is in the rare event we have a close encounter with the wild elephants and wild gorillas in the park.  The guns will be fired into the air which will frighten away any wild animals who may decide to attack us.  This is no picnic after all..or a walk in the park for that matter.

Our walk is mostly downhill and I try not to think that we might possibly be coming back this way.  However, this must be our lucky day.  It isn’t more than 40 minutes into our hike that I hear the sound of branches breaking and our guides inform us the gorillas are not far ahead.  The gorillas are actually walking toward us and the trackers who have been out searching for the family early morning have located them in record time!

I cannot believe this. I had come mentally prepared for a hard trek, possibly in the rain in mountainous terrain for a couple of hours at least but we are almost here.  A shiver of anticipation runs thorough me.  

Soon it is time to discard our packs and our walking sticks which we leave behind.  Most of the guides will stay behind with our gear while we hike with just our cameras toward the gorilla family we have come to see. 

The family I have come to visit is called Butukura.  Before we set off we were given a briefing on each member and instructions on what to do and not to do as the case may be.  For example one must never look a gorilla in the eye if he is coming toward you!  You look down and crouch if necessary, letting him know he is the boss.

The first gorilla I spot is Rukumu, so called because of his disfigured finger.  She looks like she is giving me the bird, but that is how nature has left her.

I stare in absolute amazement. My first sighting of a mountain gorilla and it is a silver back.  I am not more than  a few metres away and the rest of the mountain gorilla family are scattered all around me.

The terrain we are in is hilly, thick with vegetation and quite muddy.  We are careful as we step through the bush our guide hacks through with his machete.  There are stinging nettles and other vegetation we have to be careful not to touch.  The guides are really helpful as they try and get the best sighting for us and clear the vegetation in the way.

My second sighting is of Obia, so called because of his penchant for punching people!  The guide has warned us about this but somehow I find myself just metres away from this blackback.  As I start taking photos, he gets up threateningly. The guide yells for me to move and in my excitement I lose my footing and fall down the slope pulling my guide down with me!  It is all rather amusing in retrospect but I almost got punched by Obia!   Ouch…that could have hurt.  In reality, all he wanted to do was play…

We continue to watch Obia from a safer distance and he continues to pose for us.  He is an absolute delight to watch and I can’t get my fill of this amazing animal.  He seems to love having us watch him and as I continue to watch he turns his gaze towards me and smiles.  Almost as if to say…I almost gotcha!

 

Then I hear the sounds of Twakire ( a juvenile) and Rukara one of the less dominant silverbacks in the family.  They are sneaking a quickie behind the bushes so to speak.  I just can’t believe the antics of this day.  Who would have thought we would actually witness gorillas mating! 

We are not able to approach them or take a photo that is worth sharing but the sounds I heard that day still resonate in my memory.

Over our hour with this family we see almost all of its members.  We watch the little juveniles at play, hidden behind the thick undergrowth and watch more silverbacks and marvel at this majestic beast. They are soo huge!

The hour has come to a close and it is time to leave.  None of us really want to go but the rules dictate that our visit with them does not exceed one hour.

The trek back is harder but we are high on adrenalin.  It is only a few days later I learn how lucky I have been with respect to my trek.  Some of my fellow travellers have had to trek from two to four hours just to find the gorillas and then have had to make it back in torrential rain. I thank the universe for being kind and for a magical day!

     I think that wherever your journey takes you, there are new gods waiting there, with divine patience - and laughter.  ~Susan M. Watkins

Lake Bunyonyi

We are on our way to Lake Bunyonyi where we will spend 5 nights so everyone in the group can complete their gorilla trek.  We stop at a campsite in Kampala on the way there and have a look around the town centre.  We don’t have much time here but it appears on the surface to be a modern, bustling city with a vibrant community.   It is still a third world city though and I am sure behind the snazzy restaurants and cafes there is a lot of poverty.

We leave our campsite at 5 in the morning as we have a long drive to Lake Bunyonyi.  The most interesting part of our journey is that we cross the equator on our way there.  There are only 10 countries in the world, where you are able to cross the equator and quite a few of them are in Africa so it is exciting to be here.

After more than 12 hours of driving we finally reach our destination.  The camp site is beautiful set beside Lake Bunyonyi, one of Uganda’s most scenic places.  A number of islands are scattered in the lake and locals get around using dug out canoes.  In the morning the surface is like glass and the reflections amazing.

We choose a spot down by the lake and set up our tent.  We will be here for awhile so we might as well get comfortable.  Another room with a view for a fraction of the price you would pay at one of the fancy lodges that we passed on the way.

I will be one of the first to do my gorilla trek but I have a free day on the 3rd and join some of my fellow campers on a boat trip to visit the local Batwa pygmies. 

The Batwa have been forced out of their homes in the forests where there lived a nomadic lifestyle.  As in many other countries, they have not adapted to modern life and are often looked down on by most Ugandan people.  As with many other aboriginal peoples, they too are considered to be lazy and just interested in smoking the pipes and getting tipsy.  It is hard for the older generation who were used to a completely different lifestyle in the forest to adapt to one of farming. 

While there is some debate on whether going to see them turns out to be a bit of circus, the Batwa now survive on the income generated travellers who visit them.  The boat trip to their island is lovely and we get to admire the surrounding scenery and hear a little local lore.

One of the more interesting stories is about Punishment Island where local women who were pregnant before marriage were banished to die.  Those who could swim were tied to a tree (bottom left) so they couldn’t swim back to shore.

Fortunately a few women survived to tell the tale.  Local men who were too poor to afford a dowry for a bride (yes, men pay the dowry here!) would come and rescue one of the banished women and take them as his bride! 

We reach the island and are greeted down the bottom by the local children.  They escort us up the hill holding our hand all the way back to their village.  The local pygmies are not as short as we expected as there has been a lot of inter marriage with other local village folk in the area.

The Batwa are obviously proud of their culture and perform a number of their local songs and dances for us and invite us to join them.  Katrina is brave enough to do so!

The woman especially have very interesting and expressive faces and I have fun practicing my portrait photography!

Day 2 is my gorilla trek about which I have written a separate post.

The day after my trek I’ve decided to visit a local school with Ali, a fellow New Zealand traveller who also completed her trek on Day 1.

The Mwendo Needy Children and Orphans Project was founded by Richard Tusasibwe and Musinguzi Duncan in 2005.  The school cares for over 560 needy children, many of whom are orphans. 

www.needychildrenproject.org

Duncan (centre) picks us up mid morning and we travel African style on the back of his motorbike.  We are not travelling far and it is lovely to see the surrounding countryside but we go up hill on a dirt road and the bike stalls at the last incline and we all end up in a heap in the dirt – fortunately no one is hurt!   

We are taken around the project before being shown our classes.  Ali and I have a go at teaching the kids.  I introduce myself and tell them a few facts about Australia.  Ali teaches them a few songs and gets them singing, “If your happy and you know it, clap your hands”!

The kids appear to know the song and take part noisily.  The classes are all right next door to each other and the voices of neighbouring classes mingle with those of our kids. The noise is deafening but the kids seem used to it and don’t seem to mind.  The class rooms are built of wood and the kids sit squished together on wooden benches.  A new set of class rooms are under construction but funding will determine how soon these kids are able to move.

We go outside at break time to take part in a bit of exercise. I have about 10 kids clinging to me as we walk out and make a circle for PE.

Once again I have the questions about my skin colour, my hair and if I am sure I am not African!  The teachers are as intrigued as the students.  I chat to the head master who invites me to come here and volunteer on a more long term basis!  I promise to think about it.  They are looking for sponsorship of the kids here, so if you are interested, do have a look at the website. 

The kids are absolutely adorable and I am really happy to have had this experience.  As the day comes to an end, we wave goodbye to the kids of MWENDO and brave the bike ride back home which thankfully proves to be uneventful! 

  Man can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as... from a lack of bread.  ~Richard Wright

The Mighty Nile & Bujagali Falls

Jambo!  Eastern Uganda and Jinja is home to the source of the Nile and is now a favourite destination of most travellers to this part of the world.   There are many different activities to explore from white water rafting the mighty Nile to exploring the surrounding villages.

We have been here a few days now at this campsite near Jinja and I have enjoyed our stay here.  We have tried the local chapatis’ and enjoyed true local cuisine cooked for us by a local Ugandan woman, Fatia.

On our last day here, Triona, Rob, Ali and I decide to walk to Bujagali Falls.  Rob and Ali are a young couple on their way back to Australia from England.  They are on a six month journey part of which is on the overland Kumuka truck in Eastern & Southern Africa.  They are travelling as far as Cape Town and I’ve become friends with them over long truck trips, trivial pursuit and dinner conversations!

As we start on the trail to Bujagali Falls we are joined on our walk by a delightful little girl.  She follows us along, pointing out the way when we look hesitant.  She has limited English skills but is just wonderful and very obliging, posing for photos whenever we ask!

She isn’t more than 6 years old but has her little sister (or it could be her brother) on her back.

As it turns out her family live down by the Falls and her mother and the rest of her siblings come out to greet us when we get to our destination.  Her mum speaks English and is happy to see us and poses for more pictures. Bujagali Falls is actually one of the rapids on this river, which my 3 friends were brave enough to tackle.  This is just a Grade 3 rapid but the white water rafting trip includes Grade 5 rapids as well.  When I see the rapids close up I am glad I had not signed up for that activity!

We had coffee in the little cafe up the hill and watched the happenings on the river.  Triona walks down to the river and is accosted by a group of Japanese tourists who each request to pose with her individually for pictures.  We watch in amusement and she happily obliges.

Rob and Ali leave early as they still had to pack up their tent - we are leaving at mid day.  Triona and I relax with our drinks and walk down to the river to fully experience the ‘Mighty Nile’ and get a bit of sun.  As we watched a couple of tourist pay one of the locals to tackle the rapid on a plastic bottle!

I am amazed at what some people will do for a buck and am thankful when he safely navigates the rapid and floats downstream.

It is time to say goodbye to this river for now.  As I walk back to our campsite, I remember that part of Gandhi’s ashes are scattered along the banks of this river and I wonder what is experiences of Uganda were and where the great man lies!

 The contemplative life is often miserable.  One must act more, think less, and not watch oneself live.  ~Nicolas Chamfort

A Village Walk

On my second day I choose to take a walk through the nearby Ugandan village.  My guide is Mohammed and Dave and Katie the Candian couple have joined me.  Walking through the village allows me to have some interaction with the locals and  learn a little more about the local culture.

Uganda is a lush tropical country and fruits and vegetables are grown in almost every garden.  Kids play in the street and peek out from behind the vegetation. 

The houses are nearly all of mud construction although occasionally we see a brick house.  The parents will build small houses for their sons who move out when they are married to live with their wife in the same compound.

Cooking is done by the women and the kitchen (as well as the bathroom) is separate from the main house as the cooking is done over an open fireplace.  The women are fascinated by my skin colour and keep asking questions as to where I am from.  It is hard for them to fathom there are dark skinned people outside Africa! 

Most of the kids are delighted to see us although occasionally a few would burst into tears! 

We also have the chance to visit a local clinic run by Soft Power.  A volunteer is working with a child who has cerebral palsy.   She keeps him entertained and he laughs happily – his only way of communicating and we are reminded of how hard life is when you have a disability. 

It has been a really interesting day and a chance for us to get close to life in an Ugandan village.  We end our day by sitting down to a traditional meal of peanut sauce and maize and green bananas.

It’s time to head back to camp and we thank Mohammed for sharing his life and his community with us before we say goodbye.

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.  ~Henry David Thoreau