Travels With Maria

Uganda

Visiting the Busingye Family

This was the most difficult thing we have ever done. It was cold when we woke up this morning. Maybe 45 degrees. Maria had long johns under her safari pants. We wore our winter coats to breakfast 100+ steps up the hill from our room. After breakfast, Ali took us on the short drive to the entrance of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi means "Impenetrable", so technically, the name is Impenetrable Impenetrable Forest. It is one of the oldest forests on Earth. It's on a mountain, so was spared the worst of the ice age. Home to many species of plants and animals. The one we were here to see…
More

Chimpanzees!

We had the best sleep of the trip last night. We're in a deluxe tent with a stone floor, good hot water, comfortable beds, nice cool temps and black darkness. It poured rain overnight, and Maria says there were animal sounds. I slept through it all. We are in Kibale Forest, which is home to over 1000 chimps, as well as 10 other species of primates. This morning, we went on a chimp walk with Ranger Jennifer, who was toting an AK47, and Linda, Livia and Mike, two sisters and a husband from Germany. We hiked quite a way through steamy African jungle, cool in the early morning, water drops…
More

On the Road…And on the Side of the Road

Saturday, we had an early start for a long drive. Ali gave a lift to Matthew, a manager at the lodge who was getting some time off at home, which was Kebale, our destination. He had been at the Murchison lodge for 3 months straight. We had gone maybe 10 miles, quite fast over bumpy dirt roads, when the steering failed again in the predawn darkness. Ali and Matthew got out and started looking under the car. I got out our flashlights and gave to them. They shooed me back into the car, saying "we don't trust this place". It was a tall grass area with potential for predators and…
More

Fire and Water

Early start this morning. Ali had the top popped up on the Jeep so we could stand and look out. We spent the morning driving around Murchison National Park looking for animals. We saw elephants, warthogs, lots of birds lots of different kinds of antelopes, a few monkeys, several of the highly endangered Rothschild giraffe and a lion. We also saw miles of grassland, the grass was tall, so we couldn't see many animals. The park has a burning program, where they intentionally set the dry grasslands on fire. There were many stretches where the land had been burnt on one side of the road, with tall dry grass on…
More

Walking with the Rhinos

On our trip to the Serengeti, the only one of the so-called big five that we didn't see was the rhino. Today, we fixed that. Our flight yesterday from Addis Ababa was smooth. We saw the outlet of the White Nile from Lake Victoria, so check, both sources of the two branches of the world's greatest river sighted. Ali, our driver/guide for the Uganda leg of the trip, meet us at the airport and took us to the lodge where we spent the night, 5km north of the equator. 6am start this morning, to beat Kampala traffic. I suppose we mostly beat it, but we did hit some jams. Eventually,…
More

China in Africa

It seems to me that the US has never had any program of investment overseas. We sell discount weapons, but that stuff has no long term return whatsoever, the use of the product causes anguish and destruction, and the main purpose of this trade is to funnel money to the arms manufacturers, not to gain any future benefit for anyone. We also look for oil, which is a major factor in our impending doom, not to mention all the shorter term bad effects. What I see the Chinese doing in Africa is something we don't understand. Our primary relationship with other countries besides trade, which is transactional, not an investment,…
More

Visiting the Busingye Family

This was the most difficult thing we have ever done. It was cold when we woke up this morning. Maybe 45 degrees. Maria had long johns under her safari pants. We wore our winter coats to breakfast 100+ steps up the hill from our room. After breakfast, Ali took us on the short drive to the entrance of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi means "Impenetrable", so technically, the name is Impenetrable Impenetrable Forest. It is one of the oldest forests on Earth. It's on a mountain, so was spared the worst of the ice age. Home to many species of plants and animals. The one we were here to see…
More

Chimpanzees!

We had the best sleep of the trip last night. We're in a deluxe tent with a stone floor, good hot water, comfortable beds, nice cool temps and black darkness. It poured rain overnight, and Maria says there were animal sounds. I slept through it all. We are in Kibale Forest, which is home to over 1000 chimps, as well as 10 other species of primates. This morning, we went on a chimp walk with Ranger Jennifer, who was toting an AK47, and Linda, Livia and Mike, two sisters and a husband from Germany. We hiked quite a way through steamy African jungle, cool in the early morning, water drops…
More

On the Road…And on the Side of the Road

Saturday, we had an early start for a long drive. Ali gave a lift to Matthew, a manager at the lodge who was getting some time off at home, which was Kebale, our destination. He had been at the Murchison lodge for 3 months straight. We had gone maybe 10 miles, quite fast over bumpy dirt roads, when the steering failed again in the predawn darkness. Ali and Matthew got out and started looking under the car. I got out our flashlights and gave to them. They shooed me back into the car, saying "we don't trust this place". It was a tall grass area with potential for predators and…
More

Fire and Water

Early start this morning. Ali had the top popped up on the Jeep so we could stand and look out. We spent the morning driving around Murchison National Park looking for animals. We saw elephants, warthogs, lots of birds lots of different kinds of antelopes, a few monkeys, several of the highly endangered Rothschild giraffe and a lion. We also saw miles of grassland, the grass was tall, so we couldn't see many animals. The park has a burning program, where they intentionally set the dry grasslands on fire. There were many stretches where the land had been burnt on one side of the road, with tall dry grass on…
More

Walking with the Rhinos

On our trip to the Serengeti, the only one of the so-called big five that we didn't see was the rhino. Today, we fixed that. Our flight yesterday from Addis Ababa was smooth. We saw the outlet of the White Nile from Lake Victoria, so check, both sources of the two branches of the world's greatest river sighted. Ali, our driver/guide for the Uganda leg of the trip, meet us at the airport and took us to the lodge where we spent the night, 5km north of the equator. 6am start this morning, to beat Kampala traffic. I suppose we mostly beat it, but we did hit some jams. Eventually,…
More

China in Africa

It seems to me that the US has never had any program of investment overseas. We sell discount weapons, but that stuff has no long term return whatsoever, the use of the product causes anguish and destruction, and the main purpose of this trade is to funnel money to the arms manufacturers, not to gain any future benefit for anyone. We also look for oil, which is a major factor in our impending doom, not to mention all the shorter term bad effects. What I see the Chinese doing in Africa is something we don't understand. Our primary relationship with other countries besides trade, which is transactional, not an investment,…
More

Visiting the Busingye Family

This was the most difficult thing we have ever done. It was cold when we woke up this morning. Maybe 45 degrees. Maria had long johns under her safari pants. We wore our winter coats to breakfast 100+ steps up the hill from our room. After breakfast, Ali took us on the short drive to the entrance of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi means "Impenetrable", so technically, the name is Impenetrable Impenetrable Forest. It is one of the oldest forests on Earth. It's on a mountain, so was spared the worst of the ice age. Home to many species of plants and animals. The one we were here to see…
More

Chimpanzees!

We had the best sleep of the trip last night. We're in a deluxe tent with a stone floor, good hot water, comfortable beds, nice cool temps and black darkness. It poured rain overnight, and Maria says there were animal sounds. I slept through it all. We are in Kibale Forest, which is home to over 1000 chimps, as well as 10 other species of primates. This morning, we went on a chimp walk with Ranger Jennifer, who was toting an AK47, and Linda, Livia and Mike, two sisters and a husband from Germany. We hiked quite a way through steamy African jungle, cool in the early morning, water drops…
More

On the Road…And on the Side of the Road

Saturday, we had an early start for a long drive. Ali gave a lift to Matthew, a manager at the lodge who was getting some time off at home, which was Kebale, our destination. He had been at the Murchison lodge for 3 months straight. We had gone maybe 10 miles, quite fast over bumpy dirt roads, when the steering failed again in the predawn darkness. Ali and Matthew got out and started looking under the car. I got out our flashlights and gave to them. They shooed me back into the car, saying "we don't trust this place". It was a tall grass area with potential for predators and…
More

Fire and Water

Early start this morning. Ali had the top popped up on the Jeep so we could stand and look out. We spent the morning driving around Murchison National Park looking for animals. We saw elephants, warthogs, lots of birds lots of different kinds of antelopes, a few monkeys, several of the highly endangered Rothschild giraffe and a lion. We also saw miles of grassland, the grass was tall, so we couldn't see many animals. The park has a burning program, where they intentionally set the dry grasslands on fire. There were many stretches where the land had been burnt on one side of the road, with tall dry grass on…
More

Walking with the Rhinos

On our trip to the Serengeti, the only one of the so-called big five that we didn't see was the rhino. Today, we fixed that. Our flight yesterday from Addis Ababa was smooth. We saw the outlet of the White Nile from Lake Victoria, so check, both sources of the two branches of the world's greatest river sighted. Ali, our driver/guide for the Uganda leg of the trip, meet us at the airport and took us to the lodge where we spent the night, 5km north of the equator. 6am start this morning, to beat Kampala traffic. I suppose we mostly beat it, but we did hit some jams. Eventually,…
More

China in Africa

It seems to me that the US has never had any program of investment overseas. We sell discount weapons, but that stuff has no long term return whatsoever, the use of the product causes anguish and destruction, and the main purpose of this trade is to funnel money to the arms manufacturers, not to gain any future benefit for anyone. We also look for oil, which is a major factor in our impending doom, not to mention all the shorter term bad effects. What I see the Chinese doing in Africa is something we don't understand. Our primary relationship with other countries besides trade, which is transactional, not an investment,…
More

Visiting the Busingye Family

This was the most difficult thing we have ever done. It was cold when we woke up this morning. Maybe 45 degrees. Maria had long johns under her safari pants. We wore our winter coats to breakfast 100+ steps up the hill from our room. After breakfast, Ali took us on the short drive to the entrance of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi means "Impenetrable", so technically, the name is Impenetrable Impenetrable Forest. It is one of the oldest forests on Earth. It's on a mountain, so was spared the worst of the ice age. Home to many species of plants and animals. The one we were here to see…
More

Chimpanzees!

We had the best sleep of the trip last night. We're in a deluxe tent with a stone floor, good hot water, comfortable beds, nice cool temps and black darkness. It poured rain overnight, and Maria says there were animal sounds. I slept through it all. We are in Kibale Forest, which is home to over 1000 chimps, as well as 10 other species of primates. This morning, we went on a chimp walk with Ranger Jennifer, who was toting an AK47, and Linda, Livia and Mike, two sisters and a husband from Germany. We hiked quite a way through steamy African jungle, cool in the early morning, water drops…
More

On the Road…And on the Side of the Road

Saturday, we had an early start for a long drive. Ali gave a lift to Matthew, a manager at the lodge who was getting some time off at home, which was Kebale, our destination. He had been at the Murchison lodge for 3 months straight. We had gone maybe 10 miles, quite fast over bumpy dirt roads, when the steering failed again in the predawn darkness. Ali and Matthew got out and started looking under the car. I got out our flashlights and gave to them. They shooed me back into the car, saying "we don't trust this place". It was a tall grass area with potential for predators and…
More

Fire and Water

Early start this morning. Ali had the top popped up on the Jeep so we could stand and look out. We spent the morning driving around Murchison National Park looking for animals. We saw elephants, warthogs, lots of birds lots of different kinds of antelopes, a few monkeys, several of the highly endangered Rothschild giraffe and a lion. We also saw miles of grassland, the grass was tall, so we couldn't see many animals. The park has a burning program, where they intentionally set the dry grasslands on fire. There were many stretches where the land had been burnt on one side of the road, with tall dry grass on…
More

Walking with the Rhinos

On our trip to the Serengeti, the only one of the so-called big five that we didn't see was the rhino. Today, we fixed that. Our flight yesterday from Addis Ababa was smooth. We saw the outlet of the White Nile from Lake Victoria, so check, both sources of the two branches of the world's greatest river sighted. Ali, our driver/guide for the Uganda leg of the trip, meet us at the airport and took us to the lodge where we spent the night, 5km north of the equator. 6am start this morning, to beat Kampala traffic. I suppose we mostly beat it, but we did hit some jams. Eventually,…
More

China in Africa

It seems to me that the US has never had any program of investment overseas. We sell discount weapons, but that stuff has no long term return whatsoever, the use of the product causes anguish and destruction, and the main purpose of this trade is to funnel money to the arms manufacturers, not to gain any future benefit for anyone. We also look for oil, which is a major factor in our impending doom, not to mention all the shorter term bad effects. What I see the Chinese doing in Africa is something we don't understand. Our primary relationship with other countries besides trade, which is transactional, not an investment,…
More

Visiting the Busingye Family

This was the most difficult thing we have ever done. It was cold when we woke up this morning. Maybe 45 degrees. Maria had long johns under her safari pants. We wore our winter coats to breakfast 100+ steps up the hill from our room. After breakfast, Ali took us on the short drive to the entrance of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi means "Impenetrable", so technically, the name is Impenetrable Impenetrable Forest. It is one of the oldest forests on Earth. It's on a mountain, so was spared the worst of the ice age. Home to many species of plants and animals. The one we were here to see…
More

Chimpanzees!

We had the best sleep of the trip last night. We're in a deluxe tent with a stone floor, good hot water, comfortable beds, nice cool temps and black darkness. It poured rain overnight, and Maria says there were animal sounds. I slept through it all. We are in Kibale Forest, which is home to over 1000 chimps, as well as 10 other species of primates. This morning, we went on a chimp walk with Ranger Jennifer, who was toting an AK47, and Linda, Livia and Mike, two sisters and a husband from Germany. We hiked quite a way through steamy African jungle, cool in the early morning, water drops…
More

On the Road…And on the Side of the Road

Saturday, we had an early start for a long drive. Ali gave a lift to Matthew, a manager at the lodge who was getting some time off at home, which was Kebale, our destination. He had been at the Murchison lodge for 3 months straight. We had gone maybe 10 miles, quite fast over bumpy dirt roads, when the steering failed again in the predawn darkness. Ali and Matthew got out and started looking under the car. I got out our flashlights and gave to them. They shooed me back into the car, saying "we don't trust this place". It was a tall grass area with potential for predators and…
More

Fire and Water

Early start this morning. Ali had the top popped up on the Jeep so we could stand and look out. We spent the morning driving around Murchison National Park looking for animals. We saw elephants, warthogs, lots of birds lots of different kinds of antelopes, a few monkeys, several of the highly endangered Rothschild giraffe and a lion. We also saw miles of grassland, the grass was tall, so we couldn't see many animals. The park has a burning program, where they intentionally set the dry grasslands on fire. There were many stretches where the land had been burnt on one side of the road, with tall dry grass on…
More

Walking with the Rhinos

On our trip to the Serengeti, the only one of the so-called big five that we didn't see was the rhino. Today, we fixed that. Our flight yesterday from Addis Ababa was smooth. We saw the outlet of the White Nile from Lake Victoria, so check, both sources of the two branches of the world's greatest river sighted. Ali, our driver/guide for the Uganda leg of the trip, meet us at the airport and took us to the lodge where we spent the night, 5km north of the equator. 6am start this morning, to beat Kampala traffic. I suppose we mostly beat it, but we did hit some jams. Eventually,…
More

China in Africa

It seems to me that the US has never had any program of investment overseas. We sell discount weapons, but that stuff has no long term return whatsoever, the use of the product causes anguish and destruction, and the main purpose of this trade is to funnel money to the arms manufacturers, not to gain any future benefit for anyone. We also look for oil, which is a major factor in our impending doom, not to mention all the shorter term bad effects. What I see the Chinese doing in Africa is something we don't understand. Our primary relationship with other countries besides trade, which is transactional, not an investment,…
More

Visiting the Busingye Family

This was the most difficult thing we have ever done. It was cold when we woke up this morning. Maybe 45 degrees. Maria had long johns under her safari pants. We wore our winter coats to breakfast 100+ steps up the hill from our room. After breakfast, Ali took us on the short drive to the entrance of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi means "Impenetrable", so technically, the name is Impenetrable Impenetrable Forest. It is one of the oldest forests on Earth. It's on a mountain, so was spared the worst of the ice age. Home to many species of plants and animals. The one we were here to see…
More

Chimpanzees!

We had the best sleep of the trip last night. We're in a deluxe tent with a stone floor, good hot water, comfortable beds, nice cool temps and black darkness. It poured rain overnight, and Maria says there were animal sounds. I slept through it all. We are in Kibale Forest, which is home to over 1000 chimps, as well as 10 other species of primates. This morning, we went on a chimp walk with Ranger Jennifer, who was toting an AK47, and Linda, Livia and Mike, two sisters and a husband from Germany. We hiked quite a way through steamy African jungle, cool in the early morning, water drops…
More

On the Road…And on the Side of the Road

Saturday, we had an early start for a long drive. Ali gave a lift to Matthew, a manager at the lodge who was getting some time off at home, which was Kebale, our destination. He had been at the Murchison lodge for 3 months straight. We had gone maybe 10 miles, quite fast over bumpy dirt roads, when the steering failed again in the predawn darkness. Ali and Matthew got out and started looking under the car. I got out our flashlights and gave to them. They shooed me back into the car, saying "we don't trust this place". It was a tall grass area with potential for predators and…
More

Fire and Water

Early start this morning. Ali had the top popped up on the Jeep so we could stand and look out. We spent the morning driving around Murchison National Park looking for animals. We saw elephants, warthogs, lots of birds lots of different kinds of antelopes, a few monkeys, several of the highly endangered Rothschild giraffe and a lion. We also saw miles of grassland, the grass was tall, so we couldn't see many animals. The park has a burning program, where they intentionally set the dry grasslands on fire. There were many stretches where the land had been burnt on one side of the road, with tall dry grass on…
More

Walking with the Rhinos

On our trip to the Serengeti, the only one of the so-called big five that we didn't see was the rhino. Today, we fixed that. Our flight yesterday from Addis Ababa was smooth. We saw the outlet of the White Nile from Lake Victoria, so check, both sources of the two branches of the world's greatest river sighted. Ali, our driver/guide for the Uganda leg of the trip, meet us at the airport and took us to the lodge where we spent the night, 5km north of the equator. 6am start this morning, to beat Kampala traffic. I suppose we mostly beat it, but we did hit some jams. Eventually,…
More

China in Africa

It seems to me that the US has never had any program of investment overseas. We sell discount weapons, but that stuff has no long term return whatsoever, the use of the product causes anguish and destruction, and the main purpose of this trade is to funnel money to the arms manufacturers, not to gain any future benefit for anyone. We also look for oil, which is a major factor in our impending doom, not to mention all the shorter term bad effects. What I see the Chinese doing in Africa is something we don't understand. Our primary relationship with other countries besides trade, which is transactional, not an investment,…
More