6am breakfast …. Leaving 6:30 from Gorilla Valley Lodge

No plastics allowed in Rwanda (Water bottles allowed)

Visas and passports at border then 2 hours to Kigali, then genocide museum and a Women’s Centre

When asked if the local people have ever seen the Gorillas, Paul said that once a month they’re allowed to go up for free otherwise they could never afford it. Everywhere you see women particularly, walking carrying something on their heads. It’s no wonder they have good posture. If you didn’t stand up straight you wouldn’t be able to carry stuff.

Everything is very lush here. We did not see any rain while here but the hillsides are shrouded in mist. It was still slippery muck.

People everywhere carrying gerry cans…… for packing water in.

Women carrying hoes on their way to and from the fields. Funny ….. you don’t very often see a man with hoe. I guess most of the work being done these steep hillsides, are by women. Because they egg y are so steep they would have to bend over much.

Another checkpoint near Kibale town and another after…. Check licences, weight of load plus where you’ve been.. Now onto the Uganda/Rwanda border after returning the rental camera …. That didn’t take all that great photos.

Rwanda, “land of 1000 hills”. Time change 1 hour back. 3 official languages… Rwandan, English and French. They drive on the right hand side of the road as opposed to the other 3 countries we have been. There is also a speed limit of 60 kph that is monitored by cameras. Good roads with no rumble bumps that we have seen…… thank God! My body has been jarred and shook like never before. If you get caught for speeding, it is a $100 fine…. A lot for most. There were 2 tribes but they are no longer allowed to be recognized as either…. now they are all one. There are elections every 7 years but current president had been in power for 20 years. There had been troubles in this country since 1925 but in 1994 when Tutsis who had been in exile wanted to return to their country, the Hutus thought if they killed them all then the country would be totally Hutu going forward. Of course some leaders helped to stir the pot.

Apparently, there is lots of money here but most are poor. The general population looks to me like they are not as poor as Uganda. It is an expensive country so some with money will have their 2nd home in Uganda. The hillsides as well as the lowlands, are neatly laid out with farms.

The difference in fees to see the gorillas is …….200 USD in Congo, 700 USD in Uganda and 1500 USD in Rwanda.

Laundry day …. Laundry splayed out on the grass along the highway.

Hydro poles are made out of cement here unlike the other countries which are poles.

At Genocide museum

1,000,000 were slaughtered in 3 months. 250,000 are buried on the grounds. In 100 days neighbours killed neighbours. Apr 7, 1994 was the start….. not that long ago. Europeans were in power here the 1800’s and early 1900’s. They decided to call the people that had more than 10 cows, Hutus and those with less than 10, Tutsi’s. Can you believe separating into separate tribes over the number of cows you had? And then you get some evil leaders that convince their people that they must kill their neighbours and friends. It reminded me of some other would-be leaders that are inciting the same kind of hatred….playing on peoples fears and insecurities. The rest of the world turned their backs on this country and allowed it to happen including the UN peacekeeping decision makers. How very awful! It all made me cry. I could barely keep it together.

We then went for lunch and a tour of a women’s centre…..a centre where single moms could get an education and learn a trade,,,,, sewing and and producing products for sake. One they have completed their training, the government will help them pay for their own sewing machines.

Some people are staying over but we have a 1:50 am flight. Not much point. Off to the airport at 10 pm. It’s going to a looooong night/ day we’ve been up since 5:15 am.

It is shortly after 7. Only one person slept in this morning

We were entertained by a band of former bush dwellers (Pygmy) dancing and singing, before we got started on our trek. They were convinced in 1991, to come out of the bush.

We are in Rushaga. In 1994 it became a World Heritage site. It is 331 sq. Kms. I’ll have to get “My gorilla family” app. We are told there are only 1760 gorillas in total in the world.

We share 98.4 % of our DNA with the gorillas.

“Tindagine” which means “Fearless” is the name of the family of gorillas that we are going to meet.. There are 17 family members

Highest mountain is 4127 metres in Uganda…. Is near Kibale town. We started at 1900 metres and going up to 2000. Our guide is trying to make it easier for us (because we are not the most fit group). Instead of going up and over, up and over repeatedly, he is trying keep to the valley. It is still a struggle. Every day the Gorillaz make a new nest and before they leave they pee in the middle of their nests to mark their territory. Each adult, juvenile & child are required to make their own nest with exception of the babies that stay with their mothers

In our group besides us 4 ladies (3 from Victoria) including one from NZ and the solitary guy from UK, we have a couple from Kampala. Bridgette and Gerous just wanted to see the gorillas as we all do, having seen them on tv. They were on their honeymoon. We also have a guide and 2 others with AK 47’s, one in front and one in back. We meet up with 3 trackers that have been following the gorilla family all morning. They call this park “Impenetrable” because you cannot see through the jungle. Every step of the way, they are slashing with machetes, making new trails.

We finally came across the family. Unfortunately, they kept moving downhill with us mostly only able to catch their backs….. especially the “silverback”. Silverbacks can weight up to 200 kgs. We stayed very close to them for an hour then slogged through the jungle back down slipping and sliding. It was an experience but one experience I don’t need to repeat. We all survived the trek. It was an endurance test…..5 plus hours. OMG, it was so tough….sweating profusely, filthy clothes and shoes ….from skidding on our butts….. not sure if they will ever come clean. But….. we did it!

I am sorry but I will have to send pictures once I am home. We just don’t have enough free time to deal with them. I promise you will be amazed at what we’ve seen.

We actually got off to a late start…. 8:15 instead of 7:30 as we were told. We had several absolute downpours this morning…. Sounds so noisy on the tin roofs. Each downpour lasted less than 5 minutes. Paul says we have a long way to go so it will be “pedal to the metal”.

Shortly after leaving camp someone spotted at least 2 cubs and 4 lioness. 2 waterbucks walk right on by the lions all unconcerned. Apparently if the waterbucks senses danger it will shake its head exuding a terrible smell.

7 in total…. 5 adults (1 with limp … right front leg) and 2 cubs…. Adults on the move….towards us as diversion away from the cubs (that are maybe month and half old) that went to a thicket. They went there for protection from several buffalo. The pride eventually were around 100 metres from us. It was great entertainment for quite a while. Just beyond that up the road, there were several guys weed whacking the grass along the highway. I wondered if they get danger pay.

There was a road off to the right were the police were checking vehicle licences, if any were over weight, etc. That road is to another part of the park where there are tree-climbing lions.

As we learned yesterday, the lion numbers are not increasing, unlike other creatures, because villagers poison them for killing their livestock. There are also some village spies that report what some of the others are doing.

Again I missed an opportunity to get a picture of hanging meat. It is hanging in the heat of the day…. Not refrigerated. It is slaughtered and sold daily consequently it doesn’t get to age. The result is that they only seem to have tough meats.

Grasshopper catcher. They are tin funnel-like with lights on at night. The light attracts the hoppers, then fall down into funnels and are trapper. They eat them.

Lots of single women with children….. abandoned by fathers.

Crested cranes… mate for life.

Schools run for 3 months and off for 3 weeks…year round.

Entering the Switzerland of Africa…. Very hilly….more than the rest which is saying something.

Stopped for lunch at “Food Stop” @2000 metres

Just up the road, I was able to rent a DSL camera for $60 USD for 2 days….. just so that I can get photos of the mountain gorillas.

OMG the hillsides just keep getting steeper, the roadsides more twisty.

Something about 900’ below sea level a lake, 1 of the biggest lakes in the country

Spectacular scenery.,…. Unbelievable!!!

95% of visitors to Uganda are coming to the gorillas. People breaking big rocks into small rocks. they are paid by the pile but they have to wait for the truck to pick it up before they are paid

Tomorrow we should have :-Long pants, Rain jacket, Gloves, Passport, Poles, Mask, Repellant on clothes before going into forest. At least 1.5 litres of water

Max 8 people per group….*8 am briefing

Another early morning. Breaky at 6 and on the road for 6:30 but just a wee bit late.

Last evening was sooooo hot. I am not able to find out temps. Wifi is somewhat sketchy.

15 elephants on left, 10 on the right…. ….ripping out the trees….. crossing the highway.

Black & white African pied wagtail

Egyptian goose & lapwings

A male Kob will fight to death if any his herd of females are attacked. If female wants to mate it will come to the male.

Striped or banded mongoose running all over the place.

Hippos laying in mud

Waterbucks

19200 sq kms….I think…. But no lions seen today except by researcher…. Off road

Bridge connects Edward and George Lakes. Kazinga channel

Gonoleck… black headed. Bright red underbelly

Kazinga Channel towardslake George 17 kms + 24 km long.

900 metres above sea level

Was named Kazinga Channel to QE to Idi Amin Dada and back to Kazinga Channel

300 elephants lost during idi Amin reign

Elephants are very good swimmers Can travel 50 kms in 6 hours.

With African elephants the tusks turn upward. They have 40,000 muscles in trunk.

Yellow backed weaver

5000 hippos in park. They are aquatic animals because, during day (16hours/) they are in the water and travel by land during night. Male weighs 1500-1800 kilos. Can travel 30 kmps on land. Elephants have 50 kilos poop per day. Lions are endangered in the park

Nile monitor lizard is biggest lizard in Africa.

15-20 hippos in a school with one dominant male.

African fish eagle mate for life. They gave a 20-24 year lifespan

Male baby hippo can be killed by the dominant male … not so for the female so the mother will take her male baby away from the school til it is grown. This one has a scar on her back from fighting for her baby.

Malakite… orange breasted small bird.

Vervet monkey and baby, the smallest monkey….. in candelabra euphorbia

…….Crane

Sometimes a lion will sleep up off ground in a euphorbia like the leopard was yesterday.

Oh my …… it was so wonderful to be able to sleep in a bit. Kluges Guest Farm, a long way on an ugly road from main paved road. , was a beautiful very nice place to stay. The roomy tents had real beds with bedding and not too far to bathrrooms and showers.

We leave here at 9:35.

Cavalcade of trucks preceded by 2-3 armed vehicles that looked like military….numerous trucks with money, followed by 2 more armed vehicles.

Uganda is a beautiful country with green mountainsides. Actually it was pointed out that 2 mountain peaks had snow on them this morning . The soil is rich….. seems to grow lots of green beans

*165# painted on some shops. Is it advertisement for mobile banking on your phone much like we have at least on IPhones, “Wallet”.

Motorcycles are loaded with everything imaginable including a huge sheet of steel.

We crossed over a bridge that separates one kingdom and another. The one we just moved into, the king had been put under house arrest for organizing a militia group. The participants of the group were arrested and put in jail.

Lafarge cement factory …. Biggest in country…. employs 1000 directly, 2000 indirectly.

Kasese… closest town to Congo were got Ugandan Shillings and water etc.

Queen Elizabeth NP is 1978 sq kms, 13 villages. Because their farms have been encroached into the park, the lions have been eating livestock. Consequently the farmers have been poisoning the lions. The park has lost of 15 of its lions. Lake George across the way is totally within Uganda border.

We have been upgraded to Simba Safari Lodge ….. very close to the park. It is really very lovely…. Even better than the last place which was tents. This is like a motel with rooms next to each other.

We stopped at the equator again but this time in Uganda near the entrance to the QE park. Did you know that when bullets or rockets are fired, they veer to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern and that hurricanes do the same. They don’t cross the equator.

This area is so different than what we saw earlier in the day. It is flat like the Savannah in Kenya but green.

Waterbucks but no pix

Uganda Kob

An elephant way off in the distance

Lioness and cubs in the grass but still too far away

Crested eagle

300 feet away we actually got to the elusive leopard but of course my camera is not working. Oh my God, he is gorgeous!!! His back legs are straddling the branch of the euphorbia tree… swishes his tail, etc. the spots are quite a bit different than the cheetah. I’m so disappointed to not be able to get pictures. Maybe someone else has some that I can use.

There are no giraffes or zebras in this park.

Big buffalo

Red head spur-fowl

African waddled lapwing

Saw another bird with long tail.

Turned around in search of lions on the road apparently but when passing the place where we saw the leopard before, it had jumped down from its perch and was down laying on a mound of dirt.

Buffalos…. Don’t have good eyesight. They use their nose. Then we see a huge herd.

Bushbuck…. are solitary.

Dusk…. Herd a elephants

Up at 5:15, breaky at 5:45, leave at 6:30. Very misty.

You should have heard the jungle noises last during the night…cool!

We are going to Kibale NP…. An 1.5+ hour journey to see the chimpanzees. Before we get there there were so many baboons. Then…… my camera decided not to work….. grrrr! What am I to do!!! I have come all this way to not to be able to use my camera is making me sick. I will have to check with the others to see if I can get some of their photos.

I will say that at the early part of our walk there were chimpanzees but they were high in the trees. I’m thinking “is this all we will be seeing” but ……. Wow….. right at our feet, some laying splayed out on the ground and some checking their fellow mates for bugs and then eating the bugs. It’s called grooming. They are really fastidious. Our guide tells us that it is, beside doing a service to each other, that it is a sign of love. Because our DNAs are close to each other, we were all required to wear masks so as to not pass anything along to the other.

It was so stinking hot, the perspiration was running into my eyes & off the end of my nose …. It made me so nauseous. I think I need to drink more water.

There are 8 different species of primates on swamp walk.

200 birds …. None were pointed out.

Super sodia is the red tulip tree

Red tailed colobus… 2 were grooming

Simpson green mamba

Black vervet monkey

We didn’t see all of the walk cuz it was just too hot and humid…… again feeling sick.

Some of the gals stay in camp for the day. I am envious that they have had their “batteries” recharged.

Where we will be staying at our next stop, is 37 kms from Congo border

Leave 7:45

Kingdoms until ‘62 when they got independence

47 languages, 52 different tribes

English and Swahili( official 2nd language). Our guides are Arthur and Paul. They speak 2 different languages but when together speak “Ugandan”

Muzumba is what we all are …white person

Guide says Uganda is best food basket in Africa

Most shopping is done in markets

Coffee, tea, pineapple (export), maize, sugarcane are main crops. The people seem to be quite industrious with many, many shops along the road.

Matooke…. Green bananas. It is a main staple for Ugandans. It’s like potatoes in that it can be boiled, mashed and. fried.

Cassava…,,peel and cook is used as a thickener

Greenhouses for growing flowers for export.

Farmed Eucalyptus trees.

You see hanging beef that is slaughtered daily and then sold to smaller shops. It is then moved to other locations.

You see a groups of men with motorcycles under shelters. They local taxis.

Black-head weaver birds

These guide/drivers are driving very fast compared to the ones we had in Kenya. The roads are much better here though. It seems the motorcycles drive on the shoulders like it is a “bike lane”. When we are doing safari I will probably be different. It will probably be “African massage” much like most of Kenya. Today we have a long way to go.

Drove through an area of road construction. It is a swampy area so they are building platforms to building a bridge over it.

Coffee plantation

In Queen Elizabeth NP there are 13 different kinds of monkeys including chimpanzees. Besides buffalo and ? there are 300 species of birds.

I noticed a big mound of dirt on the ground with smoke coming out. When asked, Arthur said they put green eucalyptus logs on ground along with something else and cover it with dirt. A fire is lit under it which is allowed to burn for 3-4 days. What you get is bbq charcoal.

We see brilliant orange/red trees that dot the hills. I believe they are “Flame trees (small flowers) and African Tulip trees”

Apparently the falls in Murchison Falls NP can be compared to Niagara Falls in Canada. It feeds into Nile River. It is a huge park with all the “Big 5” but we are not going there.

Tea plantations. ….. for export.

Black & white hornbill

Banana leaves for covering food, bark for fibre… weaving, feed the cows with the chopped wood. It takes 1.5 years to produce fruit but 6 months to ripen. Then it never produces again. Only one crop per tree. P

Ross’s Turaco

Prunus africana…. Medicine tree, furniture making and charcoal

Black & white colobus -troupe of 9-15. Hold baby between tree and mom at night. During day … on back. 8 months to gestation… born white but start to change at 3 months

Papyrus for roofing, woven for mats in house. Also ancient Egyptians used it for making paper

We finally got a chance to sleep in. It was a good sleep last night….. in a real bed.

We are to be picked up at 10 (was a half hour late) to go to the airport for a flight to Entebbe at 2:15pm.

If you think security is tight all over the world….. this place takes the cake. You get out the vehicle a few kms before the airport and walk with your carry-on through a building with security then get back in the vehicle on the other side and then drive another couple of kilometres. Once at the airport you have to show ticket and passport just to get through the door. Once through the door it’s bags and luggage through the X-ray machines, then to check-in counter with your bags. There you have to show passport, visa & tell them what flights you are on to leave and when we are to leave Kigali (Rwanda). Then through another checkpoint and then another X-ray machine, taking off shoes, jackets, watches and iPads (which recently I have not had to do) but… I had a small sealed bottle of water that got through. Surprise, surprise.

Only about one’s hour flight to get to Entebbe. Believe it or not they offered drinks and food ….for free.

We have noticed that the majority of women have their hair braided in corn rows ….with what I think are hair extensions of different colours. Beautiful!!

No gas when driver went into a gas station to get some so off to find one that does.

Huge market on the street with second hand clothes

Finished ditches, even frontage road along main are paved

Idi Amin-1971-79…. Very good plan development. No corruption in his time cuz he killed anyone not abiding by his rules.

Lots of military personnel on the streets today. At one point we witnessed a motorcade of the president….. travelling between his home and parliament. By the way he has been in power for something like 40 years.

1962 independence from Britain

65% are catholic, 15% Muslim, plus Hindus, Bahai.

Murchison Fall biggest and best NP according to taxi driver.

40 M population in the country.

On the road by 630 oh my God the storm last night was absolutely incredible the thunder and lightning and torrential rain was just terrific

The roads amazingly horrible. It’s not surprising that they are in such condition they are in caused by torrential rain.

Bathroom break place is as is the case, a shop of African curios and the like. Humongous amount of stuff. They should export.

Next was a road stop by rangers checking who has been in the Maasai Mara. Interesting …..with spiked boards and rocks, diverting vehicles off the road where the driver shows where we’ve been.

We make the climb over the mountain on a highway built in 1942 by the Italians. (I can’t imagine building anything in this heat). It is a main route to Uganda and Burundi, from Nairobi and Mombasa. Consequently the number of trucks is extreme…, and very slow. As we ascend, we get a great view of the Rift Valley.

Up before 4 am to be picked up at 4:20. We travel along on horrendous roads for over 1 hour to arrive for a balloon ride over the Maasai Mara. Along the way in the dark we saw zebras, a huge herd of cattle that slowed us almost to a stop & a hyena with something in its mouth. That was exciting but they are so fleeting we didn’t get a picture.

We left the ground at 6:45

The balloon climbed to 350 m. It dropped down as low as 21 m.

Mara means “spotted” in Swahili. The bushes (and probably the termite hill) seen from the balloons… the landscape is spotted. Termite hills in winter become wet and so malleable. The pumbas (warthogs) dig into them and make a nest/burrows out of them. Termite nests when dry are like rock and cannot be dug into.

The grasslands have been controlled burnt allowing the grass to grow back quickly and very green. That attracts the animals with fresh grass. Otherwise they may leave for the Serengeti.

Hyenas are most effective hunters. Females are bigger than males. The males will eat the babies. If mother see that, it will sever the male head off and leave the carcass without eating it.

Thomson gazelles have harems with maybe 30 females and one lonely male. The other males congregate together into a smaller group. The natives refer to them as losers.

Zebras are useless for humans. Their backs are too weak to ride and too wild to be domesticated.

Topis antelopes have very dark defined legs

Red Hartebeest

Rainy season is October/November. Every year the roads and bridges have to rebuilt. Funny…, this is little early but roads are wet and mucky now with lots of vehicles getting stuck today.

Carlos our pilot told us that lines on plains not as defined as vehicle ruts, are hippos trails. They travel at night and into the water in the daytime.

After 1 hour and 20 we landed with a bit of bump….. very close to Tanzania. Driven to have champagne breakfast. Short time later reconnected with rest of group.

Cheetah in the grass. It was having breakfast. You could see some kind of kill in the grass but we not able to identify what it was. Blood on the mouth of cheetah.

4 female lions stalking a water buffalo for lunch but changed their mind.

Hippos

Crocodiles

Egyptian geese

Yellow billed stork

Everywhere on the hills are wildebeests everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE.

Southern ground hornbill

Young cheetah snoozing in a dip in grass.