Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Last Entry
Well friends, I’m back in the USA. I won’t be updating my blog after this last post, so enjoy ;o)
Despite the fact that our “safari vehicle” got hopelessly stuck in the mud for four hours, my trip to Murchison Falls, Uganda was simply amazing. The trip began early Friday morning when I boarded a trusty “safari vehicle” for north-western Uganda. I was joined by seven travel companions (four Dutch girls and three other Americans). We arrived at Murchison Falls in the afternoon and spent the best part of an hour traversing the rocky slopes with a guide. I’ve been to Niagara Falls several times, but this was still very impressive. If it’s okay with all of you, I would prefer to call Murchison a ‘water chute’ rather than a ‘water fall.’ The Nile River seems to be flowing along quite peacefully, and then, suddenly, it finds itself rushing towards a great chasm. The water doesn’t fall over the edge of a cliff, but rather, is funneled violently through a gaping hole in the earth.
Saturday was equally pleasant. We left our camp at 6:30 AM to start a game drive. I saw giraffe, buffalo, antelope, gazelle, baboon, warthog, lion, and elephant (though the elephants were very far away). In the afternoon, we took a river boat cruise up the Nile back to Murchison Falls. Along the way I saw more wildlife including crocodiles and hippos. Satisfied with a long day of nature watching, I went to bed early.
The group’s biggest adventure came on Sunday, while we were en route to the Rhino Sanctuary. We were driving around the perimeter of the park along an electric fence (it reminded me a lot of the electric fence from Jurassic Park) when our “safari vehicle” (really just a conversion van with a roof that pops up) happened upon a large patch of mud and proceeded to sink into the muck. After a few seconds of nothing but spinning tires, our driver suggested we all get out and try to push. Half of us had clamored out of the van when it began to pour (no I’m not kidding). In an attempt to stay dry, we all then got back in the van and decided to wait out the storm. After twenty minutes, the pounding rain began to let up. What we see outside our fogged-up windows is not pretty. We’re now sitting in a van parked in the middle of a small river… the water reaches halfway up each of the tires.
We see one of the park rangers approaching in his rain gear. He suggests we try to push the van to drier ground (about 10 feet away). He also suggests that we take off our sneakers and put on flip flops if we want to spare our nice shoes. So I do as I’m told, step out of the vehicle, and promptly sink about five inches into the mud. I try to walk forward and loose both my sandals – the mud is just that thick – and have to dig around with my hands to find them. Finally, we decide it would be easier to go barefoot.
Long story short, we end up trying to push this stupid van out of the mud for four hours. We get the park rangers to bring a truck, and then another truck, to help pull us out of the hole. But even with two trucks, ten people pushing, and the van’s own engine, we can’t move it. The tires just keep spinning, throwing mud all over us and digging deeper holes. (Meanwhile, another ranger sees us without shoes on and yells: “What are you crazy muzungu people doing!? Don’t you know you can get parasites from water like this!?” But the two Americans are medicine students and say that since we’ve been walking around in this mini mud river for about an hour, we’ve already been exposed… if there are indeed parasites in the water, it’s too late to do anything about it. Plus, parasites are treatable).
Some of the participants are fed up and want to head back to Kampala, but I ask if we can please try to see just one Rhino… after all, we’re so close to them, and we did pay all this money and come all this way etc. etc. A Ugandan guide agrees that yes, we should go see the Rhinos, and if the van isn’t out by the time we get back, we can take a public bus back to the capital.
Rhino trekking ended up being awesome. We were so close to these prehistoric-looking creatures; some of the Dutch girls were scared. In fact, one male rhino began approaching us head on and the guide had to intervene and shout calmly but forcefully in English: “Stop, stop, go back, go back!” And the rhino listened and turned away.
Overall, I had a really great weekend – I’ll let you know if I end up with parasites in a couple weeks.
My last two days were spent in Kampala with Zawadi and our British friend Neil. I got to ride a boda-boda a couple more times, did some shopping, and drank some Ugandan beer (which I hated by the way… I miss Blue Moon).
Zawadi rode with me to the airport, and I remember thinking as I walked across the pavement towards the plane: it smells like Uganda… it smells like it did on the night of my arrival… like smoke from a fire mixed with the scent of flowers… And I was already nostalgic for my time in Africa even before I left the continent.
But I am genuinely glad to be home with Mom and Dad and Emily and am looking forward to moving into my new apartment and starting grad school in September.
Thank you all so much for following my blog. I learned a lot of things about myself and about the two countries I visited. I met some really amazing people that I will never ever forget. Rwanda especially will always hold a special place in my heart.
Best,
Sarah
Despite the fact that our “safari vehicle” got hopelessly stuck in the mud for four hours, my trip to Murchison Falls, Uganda was simply amazing. The trip began early Friday morning when I boarded a trusty “safari vehicle” for north-western Uganda. I was joined by seven travel companions (four Dutch girls and three other Americans). We arrived at Murchison Falls in the afternoon and spent the best part of an hour traversing the rocky slopes with a guide. I’ve been to Niagara Falls several times, but this was still very impressive. If it’s okay with all of you, I would prefer to call Murchison a ‘water chute’ rather than a ‘water fall.’ The Nile River seems to be flowing along quite peacefully, and then, suddenly, it finds itself rushing towards a great chasm. The water doesn’t fall over the edge of a cliff, but rather, is funneled violently through a gaping hole in the earth.
Saturday was equally pleasant. We left our camp at 6:30 AM to start a game drive. I saw giraffe, buffalo, antelope, gazelle, baboon, warthog, lion, and elephant (though the elephants were very far away). In the afternoon, we took a river boat cruise up the Nile back to Murchison Falls. Along the way I saw more wildlife including crocodiles and hippos. Satisfied with a long day of nature watching, I went to bed early.
The group’s biggest adventure came on Sunday, while we were en route to the Rhino Sanctuary. We were driving around the perimeter of the park along an electric fence (it reminded me a lot of the electric fence from Jurassic Park) when our “safari vehicle” (really just a conversion van with a roof that pops up) happened upon a large patch of mud and proceeded to sink into the muck. After a few seconds of nothing but spinning tires, our driver suggested we all get out and try to push. Half of us had clamored out of the van when it began to pour (no I’m not kidding). In an attempt to stay dry, we all then got back in the van and decided to wait out the storm. After twenty minutes, the pounding rain began to let up. What we see outside our fogged-up windows is not pretty. We’re now sitting in a van parked in the middle of a small river… the water reaches halfway up each of the tires.
We see one of the park rangers approaching in his rain gear. He suggests we try to push the van to drier ground (about 10 feet away). He also suggests that we take off our sneakers and put on flip flops if we want to spare our nice shoes. So I do as I’m told, step out of the vehicle, and promptly sink about five inches into the mud. I try to walk forward and loose both my sandals – the mud is just that thick – and have to dig around with my hands to find them. Finally, we decide it would be easier to go barefoot.
Long story short, we end up trying to push this stupid van out of the mud for four hours. We get the park rangers to bring a truck, and then another truck, to help pull us out of the hole. But even with two trucks, ten people pushing, and the van’s own engine, we can’t move it. The tires just keep spinning, throwing mud all over us and digging deeper holes. (Meanwhile, another ranger sees us without shoes on and yells: “What are you crazy muzungu people doing!? Don’t you know you can get parasites from water like this!?” But the two Americans are medicine students and say that since we’ve been walking around in this mini mud river for about an hour, we’ve already been exposed… if there are indeed parasites in the water, it’s too late to do anything about it. Plus, parasites are treatable).
Some of the participants are fed up and want to head back to Kampala, but I ask if we can please try to see just one Rhino… after all, we’re so close to them, and we did pay all this money and come all this way etc. etc. A Ugandan guide agrees that yes, we should go see the Rhinos, and if the van isn’t out by the time we get back, we can take a public bus back to the capital.
Rhino trekking ended up being awesome. We were so close to these prehistoric-looking creatures; some of the Dutch girls were scared. In fact, one male rhino began approaching us head on and the guide had to intervene and shout calmly but forcefully in English: “Stop, stop, go back, go back!” And the rhino listened and turned away.
Overall, I had a really great weekend – I’ll let you know if I end up with parasites in a couple weeks.
My last two days were spent in Kampala with Zawadi and our British friend Neil. I got to ride a boda-boda a couple more times, did some shopping, and drank some Ugandan beer (which I hated by the way… I miss Blue Moon).
Zawadi rode with me to the airport, and I remember thinking as I walked across the pavement towards the plane: it smells like Uganda… it smells like it did on the night of my arrival… like smoke from a fire mixed with the scent of flowers… And I was already nostalgic for my time in Africa even before I left the continent.
But I am genuinely glad to be home with Mom and Dad and Emily and am looking forward to moving into my new apartment and starting grad school in September.
Thank you all so much for following my blog. I learned a lot of things about myself and about the two countries I visited. I met some really amazing people that I will never ever forget. Rwanda especially will always hold a special place in my heart.
Best,
Sarah
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Kampala
Kampala is dirty, loud, and hectic… but I love it. There’s something charming about all the chaos. Goats run across the streets, barely dodging cars; dead animal carcasses hang outside butcher stands for sale; and the entire city is one big traffic jam.
When Zawadi and I got off of the bus in Kampala, we were immediately surrounded by men shouting “taxi!” We had been planning on taking a cab to Zawadi’s friend’s office, but the drivers were trying to charge us 15,000 Ugandan shillings (8 dollars), and that was way too much. So instead, we struck a deal with two boda-boda (motorcycle) drivers – we only had to pay them 3,000 Ugandan shillings each. My boda-boda driver threw my big green suitcase in front of him and rested it between his chest and the handlebars. Then I got on the back with my purse, bag of Rwandan coffee, and my huge backpack. What a thrill that ride was… I was torn between sheer joy and terror; marveling at the colorful new city and praying that my driver didn’t loose his grip on my suitcase (or the handlebars for that matter).
It’s good I’m friends with Zawadi, because she has friends in high places. Her Pakistani friend from work booked us a hotel room for our first night here, took us out to dinner, and provided us with a driver so we didn’t have to pay for any taxi rides today.
We went to see a beautiful lake-side resort in the morning, and then went to the Cineplex to catch the afternoon showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Harry Potter was also playing, but I’m saving that one for when I get home. (Mom, Dad, Em – I hope you didn’t see it without me already, but something tells me you probably did). I had soft serve frozen yogurt for the first time in a month (and that’s a long time for me to go without some soft serve), and even had a Smirnoff Ice before dinner this evening. It’s almost as if I’m back in home already. Well that’s a lie actually. All you have to do is drive a couple blocks from the city center to see shacks with tin roofs and peddlers selling everything from phone cards, to firewood, to buckets of peas.
When Zawadi and I got off of the bus in Kampala, we were immediately surrounded by men shouting “taxi!” We had been planning on taking a cab to Zawadi’s friend’s office, but the drivers were trying to charge us 15,000 Ugandan shillings (8 dollars), and that was way too much. So instead, we struck a deal with two boda-boda (motorcycle) drivers – we only had to pay them 3,000 Ugandan shillings each. My boda-boda driver threw my big green suitcase in front of him and rested it between his chest and the handlebars. Then I got on the back with my purse, bag of Rwandan coffee, and my huge backpack. What a thrill that ride was… I was torn between sheer joy and terror; marveling at the colorful new city and praying that my driver didn’t loose his grip on my suitcase (or the handlebars for that matter).
It’s good I’m friends with Zawadi, because she has friends in high places. Her Pakistani friend from work booked us a hotel room for our first night here, took us out to dinner, and provided us with a driver so we didn’t have to pay for any taxi rides today.
We went to see a beautiful lake-side resort in the morning, and then went to the Cineplex to catch the afternoon showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Harry Potter was also playing, but I’m saving that one for when I get home. (Mom, Dad, Em – I hope you didn’t see it without me already, but something tells me you probably did). I had soft serve frozen yogurt for the first time in a month (and that’s a long time for me to go without some soft serve), and even had a Smirnoff Ice before dinner this evening. It’s almost as if I’m back in home already. Well that’s a lie actually. All you have to do is drive a couple blocks from the city center to see shacks with tin roofs and peddlers selling everything from phone cards, to firewood, to buckets of peas.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Last day in Kigali
Oh my God. I am currently sitting in Simba café, and as it is my last day in Kigali
We had our closing ceremonies for the Human Rights Workshop on Saturday. Then Chelsea and I went to say goodbye to our host family… and then I went dancing until
I leave for
In the meantime, Taryn (one of the Americans who is still in
Sunday lunch was spent at my favorite restaurant in
Today, I plan on taking a hike with Jesse (our program director) and a couple of his friends to see the sun set over
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