Well, here we are back home once again. Although the trip was cold, we had a great time. We had the pleasure of some good company with our travel group and an amazing guide in Eric, our trusted photographer and leader. His knowledge of the wildlife, area, and people is amazing as is his photographic knowledge and skills...his jokes, well, maybe not so much!
As usual, Natural Habitat Adventures did a fantastic job with the arrangements taking care of all the details. I am adding some links to our page here, please check them out if you are thinking of doing some exploring of the natural world. They won't steer you wrong.
I feel like we should say a few things about the bears and the North. People who live there are noticing a difference - it's staying warming there later in the year and getting warmer earlier. The ice isn't the same as it used to be and ultimately this is going to signficantly threaten the survival of these amazing animals. These bears survive in an area where little else does or can and have been for thousands of years. Yes, there have been fluctuations in temperature before, colder and warmer, but the rate of change is not allowing these animals to adapt. One can argue about the cause, but the reality is there and can be seen by visiting these places. We hope that we have a new appreciation for this and have passed on some of that to whomever may be reading this. That's all for my Al Gore-soap box for now.
So ends another of our tales...until the next time. Stay tuned...Peru in February 2010!!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Last Day in Churchill
After breakfast this morning at Gypsy’s, we drove out to see the sight of a plane crash from 1979 and then went to the Eskimo Museum, which had lots of native art and carvings depicting their daily life. We then went dog sledding at Kelly’s dog yard. This was great fun and the dogs were raring to go! The Canadian sled dogs are smaller than the typical Alaskan sled dogs. Today the team consisted of eight dogs and each one can pull about 50 pounds. We had lunch at the Trader’s Table restaurant and then made a stop at the polar bear jail. The polar bear jail is where they keep polar bears who are too persistent about coming close to town and causing problems. These bears are trapped in special polar bear traps, tagged, and then kept at the jail until the ice freezes when they are released. We then boarded our propeller plane at the airport and arrived back in Winnipeg. We are now back at the Fort Gary Hotel.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Day 3 on the Tundra
We started out under a gray cloudy sky after breakfast at the Seaport Inn, our hotel. Fortunately, the cold weather did not deter the polar bears and we had our first sighting by 8:30 am. We saw some young males wrestling and a few came up to check out the Tundra vehicles. In the short time that we have been here, the Bay has become significantly more frozen. We saw a few bears out checking the ice. The sunset was amazing again with red lights reflected under the cloud cover for an amazing end to the day. Before dinner, Jonathan and I walked through the town, which takes about 15 minutes. We had dinner at the Seaport Inn and then listened to Caroline, who is a woman of the Denay tribe. Now, we are back at the hotel getting ready for tomorrow’s adventure - which will in part be a visit to a dog sled camp.
The weather today was the coldest yet...about 20 degrees at the high, but with the wind chill was in the teens.
Today's trivia:
The largest recorded polar bear measured over 12 feet long and weighed 2010 lbs. Polar bears will walk an average of 50 miles per day, can swim up to 6 miles/hour for over 10 hours without resting, and the bears we have been seeing over the last few days have likely not had a good meal since the spring.
The weather today was the coldest yet...about 20 degrees at the high, but with the wind chill was in the teens.
Today's trivia:
The largest recorded polar bear measured over 12 feet long and weighed 2010 lbs. Polar bears will walk an average of 50 miles per day, can swim up to 6 miles/hour for over 10 hours without resting, and the bears we have been seeing over the last few days have likely not had a good meal since the spring.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tundra Day 2 Photos Part I
Photos:
Polar Bears (duh)
Caribou (aka Reindeer - this one was fairly young, therefore only the little twiggy antlers)
Day 2 on the Tundra
My two cents on yesterday: Jon forgot to mention the amazing sunrise and sunset. On the flat barren tundra punctuated only by a few stunted white pine, the entire sky seems lit up by the sunrise and sunset. He also did not do justice to the Northern Lights, which were amazing. They started as barely a smoke like wisp in the distance – outshined by the airport lights in the distance and then became brighter and brighter. Like a mist or smoke they change shape from snake like to swirls and to cloud-like. Even Jon’s photos do not do this justice.
Today, it was another predawn start with breakfast at the log cabin Lazy Bear Inn. There was more cloud cover, so the sunrise was not as spectacular and we joined Brent, the Tundra Vehicle driver, for another day of polar bear sightings. We saw a lone caribou walking along and lots of polar bears. There were several sightings including two males briefly wresting, a mom and a 10 month old cub walking across the ice, a mom napping with two larger cubs, a large male sleeping with his head on his paws and a few that were curious about the Tundra Vehicles. We even got a brief sighting of an Arctic fox as it ran by. The day ended as we watched a red sunset sink below the clouds from the “machine.”
After a brief stop at the hotel, we walked to dinner (about a block) at Gypsy’s, braving the COLD temperatures and the arctic wind. Dinner was followed by a presentation by Myrtle, a 10th generation Metis woman, who told some of her stories. She makes artwork out of caribou hair, a more modern spin on the traditional caribou and moose hair tufting artwork that the Natives did. Unfortunately, our drive out to look for Northern Lights was unsuccessful so we returned to the hotel to rest up for another day.
Today’s trivia: Polar bears have black skin to help absorb any light that might reach it. The tongues are also black. The polar bear hair is actually fairly translucent and looks different depending on the light. Polar bears do not hibernate, unlike other bears; however, the pregnant females will den to give birth to 1-2 cubs in January.
Today, it was another predawn start with breakfast at the log cabin Lazy Bear Inn. There was more cloud cover, so the sunrise was not as spectacular and we joined Brent, the Tundra Vehicle driver, for another day of polar bear sightings. We saw a lone caribou walking along and lots of polar bears. There were several sightings including two males briefly wresting, a mom and a 10 month old cub walking across the ice, a mom napping with two larger cubs, a large male sleeping with his head on his paws and a few that were curious about the Tundra Vehicles. We even got a brief sighting of an Arctic fox as it ran by. The day ended as we watched a red sunset sink below the clouds from the “machine.”
After a brief stop at the hotel, we walked to dinner (about a block) at Gypsy’s, braving the COLD temperatures and the arctic wind. Dinner was followed by a presentation by Myrtle, a 10th generation Metis woman, who told some of her stories. She makes artwork out of caribou hair, a more modern spin on the traditional caribou and moose hair tufting artwork that the Natives did. Unfortunately, our drive out to look for Northern Lights was unsuccessful so we returned to the hotel to rest up for another day.
Today’s trivia: Polar bears have black skin to help absorb any light that might reach it. The tongues are also black. The polar bear hair is actually fairly translucent and looks different depending on the light. Polar bears do not hibernate, unlike other bears; however, the pregnant females will den to give birth to 1-2 cubs in January.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
First day out on "The Machine"
Today is Rememberance Day in Canada – similar to our Veteran’s Day (which is today too) – but interestingly is widely celebrated and commemorated across the country, very much more than we do in the United States. For us, this will certainly be a day to remember for a very long time…our first day out on the tundra vehicles, or “The Machine” as they are referred to up here, was unbelievable. We came for bears and there were bears aplenty. Within the first few minutes out on the tundra, we came across our first bear. Of course, we all took more than our fair share of photos - you never know, it may be the only one you see! As it turns out, this poor guy that was a ways off didn’t stand a chance next to the rest of the sightings throughout the day. To try and sum it up, there are over 1000 photos from today alone…we’ll try to pick a few to post.
We spent the entire day from about 7:30 am to about 4:30 pm out on the vehicles – with snacks and lunch out there on the tundra. The bears were particularly interested in the minestrone soup – bears that we sat and watched for over an hour that did nothing but sleep, actually got up and came up to the cars to get a smell. One rather large guy came up and stood up to stick his nose through the window – to give some perspective, the windows on the vehicles are a good 8-9 feet off the ground. Fortunately, that’s about all they can get in the window. Realizing that he wasn’t getting his serving, he moved on.
We returned briefly to the hotel to warm up and then went to a nice dinner at one of the local restuarants in town. After dinner, because the night was clear, we made a short trip out of town a bit to get away from the lights to see if there was any sign on the Northern Lights. At first, there was nothing, but as we waited they appeared…it was an amazing sight. We ended up spending about an hour out there taking pictures and watching. A spectacular end to the day.
Today’s trivia: The Northern Lights are formed by electromagnetic activity from the sun emitting electrons that react with the Earth’s atmosphere to form the lights…different colors are associated with different elements being released with the reactions. No, they are not aliens.
Last minute note...no pictures tonight since it's late and we have to get up early. There will be some tomorrow from today and tomorrow hopefully!
We spent the entire day from about 7:30 am to about 4:30 pm out on the vehicles – with snacks and lunch out there on the tundra. The bears were particularly interested in the minestrone soup – bears that we sat and watched for over an hour that did nothing but sleep, actually got up and came up to the cars to get a smell. One rather large guy came up and stood up to stick his nose through the window – to give some perspective, the windows on the vehicles are a good 8-9 feet off the ground. Fortunately, that’s about all they can get in the window. Realizing that he wasn’t getting his serving, he moved on.
We returned briefly to the hotel to warm up and then went to a nice dinner at one of the local restuarants in town. After dinner, because the night was clear, we made a short trip out of town a bit to get away from the lights to see if there was any sign on the Northern Lights. At first, there was nothing, but as we waited they appeared…it was an amazing sight. We ended up spending about an hour out there taking pictures and watching. A spectacular end to the day.
Today’s trivia: The Northern Lights are formed by electromagnetic activity from the sun emitting electrons that react with the Earth’s atmosphere to form the lights…different colors are associated with different elements being released with the reactions. No, they are not aliens.
Last minute note...no pictures tonight since it's late and we have to get up early. There will be some tomorrow from today and tomorrow hopefully!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
One more photo...
Sorry about the formatting...not sure why the photos are getting all screwy. Can't seem to figure out how to make them look nice with the text.
Enjoy! Hopefully more from the tundra tomorrow...
Churchill Arrival
This morning, we flew to Churchill on an “upgraded” plane – which meant one without propellers (yea!) and landed on a snowy runway around 11:30. We briefly toured Churchill, which is essentially five blocks on one street with a handful of hotels and shops, one local hardware store, and one local general store. There is also a community center with a health clinic and a hockey rink. We ate lunch at Gypsy’s, which is a diner restaurant and then headed out to start seeing the sights.
The lighting was lovely and the low afternoon sun creates fantastic shadows off the snow. The blue sky and high clouds created a beautiful background for the snowy landscapes punctuated by the granite rocks. We started at a lookout point near the Hudson Bay with the local inshook. The inshook are stone shapes used by natives as signposts, direction markers, and cache places for meat and supplies. The Hudson Bay is still unfrozen at this point. However, when the pack ice sets in, the polar bears will cross this expanse of water on the ice and head north to hunt seals. The ice on the shore reflected the light and ranged from clear shapes like glass to more opaque and milky colored. Then, we went to Cape Merry, which is a national park. We caught a glimpse of a sleeping red fox, curled in a fuzzy ball between the rocks. In the snow, there were polar bear tracks, which are easily as big as human footprints. We saw some of the buildings left from Jockville, which was the housing for the people who built the grain shipping building in the 1920s. At the tip of the cape, between the Hudson Bay and the Churchill River, we went to the remains of Prince of Wales Fort, one of the original strongholds of the Hudson Bay Company. Finally, we headed back to our hotel, called the Seaport Inn. The hotel is small and the rooms are small but comfortable. By 4:30, the sun had set and it was dark.
Just in case you are wondering it is COLD here. After being outside for a few minutes, my fingers were feeling stiff and numb. We have two guides, Eric from Natural Habitat Tours, and Paul, our local guide. They are extremely careful about how far we wander and walk around. Paul checks for polar bears at every stop armed with a shotgun before we are allowed out. Clearly encountering a polar bear can be dangerous.
Tonight, we are eating dinner here at the Seaport Inn and then have a lecture on the wildlife. Tomorrow, we head out in the tundra vehicle for a full day trying to see the polar bears. Keep your fingers crossed!
Today’s trivia: Of the 65 men sent to build Fort Prince of Wales, they were woefully underprepared for the winter and only 3 survived. Amazingly, in the spring, those three boarded their ship and sailed all the way back to Europe.
Photos:
Polar Bear Tracks (no actual bears seen today!)
Those signs are not just for tourist to take photos of...they are very serious.
Ice
Winnipeg Day 2
After breakfast in the hotel, we set off at 8 am for our tour of Winnipeg. Winnipeg is a city of approximately 725,000 people and the city had its heyday in the mid-1800s, when it served as a center for trade. Initially, the trade was between the native people and French explorers. Their offspring, known as the Metis, played a large role in the history of the area. The Hudson Bay Company then came into the region and the area boomed, with the main industry being the shipping of pelts of the beaver, snow fox, caribou, and buffalo that once were plentiful in this area. Apparently beaver hats were all the rage in Europe. Many of the city’s buildings were built in the Chicago style, as they were built when Chicago was rebuilding after the great fire there.
Our first stop was the Legislative Building, which is built of Tyndall stone. This is limestone that formed when the area was at the bottom of a warm sea and contains fossil remains that are 445 million years old. Throughout the building’s walls, you can see fossilized shells, corals and sponges. The building has a rotunda with a beautiful ceiling. The building was built by a Freemason and has lots of symbolism that would inspire another Dan Brown novel. It is topped by the “Golden Boy,” a guilt statue that was a gift from France in the 1800s.
Next, we headed off to the Nunavut Gallery, which features Inuit and Native carvings. We learned about the different stones used in these carvings. These Native artists live north of Churchill and transport the carvings 7 hours by boat to sell them.
The Museum of Natural History provided a nice overview of the history of the area, starting with the time when Giant Sloth roamed the land. There is a skeleton of a giant sloth that rivals some of the dinosaurs in size. We saw our first polar bear! Well, okay, it was a stuffed one in the museum… but it was a polar bear. The museum has some lovely native beaded outfits from the time that trade started with the Hudson Bay Company, as well as other items which would have been traded with the local people. The museum features a full sized replica of the type of boat that the Hudson Bay Company would have used. The boat is amazingly small (considering it made trans-Atlantic journeys) and was staffed by only about a dozen crew members, who made the 3 month journey from Europe for trade. We saw some of the traditional Inuit tools and toys and learned about how they made their igloos.
After lunch in a restaurant in the French Quarter, we went to St. Boniface for a brief look around and then back to the museum for a Planetarium program on the Aurora Borealis and stars in the Northern Sky. Next, we saw polar bears… well, okay, they were painted ones that are in a park behind the Legislative Building. Finally, we saw a piece of the original wall of the Fort that was here. Now, it is pitch black and we are back at the hotel. Tonight, we have a welcome dinner in the hotel and tomorrow we leave for Churchill, which is about 800 miles to the north on the shore of Hudson Bay. There are three ways to get to Churchill – by plane, by train (36 hours), or by boat. There are no roads that lead into Churchill. We will be traveling by plane, of course.
Today’s trivia: All of the water from this area drains to the north into the Hudson Bay. Today’s high in Churchill is -4 degrees Celsius and the low is -12 degrees Celsius. Brrr…
Photos:
Polar Bear Sighting!!
Manitoba Legislative Building
Winnipeg Day 1
After an early morning pitch black start, a flight to Minneapolis and a second flight to Winnipeg, we met up with some people in our group and a Natural Habitat staff member to head off to the Fort Gary Hotel in Winnipeg. After checking in and freshening up, we walked through the eerily empty train station, which has a lovely domed ceiling to The Forks. This is a shopping area with park areas and trails at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, which was an important trading area and a gathering spot for the Native Americans. All of the buildings were originally used by the rail yard, that was originally at this site. We had lunch at a place similar to Reading Terminal Market and walked around the trails and along the river. We saw Canadian geese, which look amazingly similar to those in our yard. Across the river in the French Quarter, we explored the ruins of St. Boniface Cathedral, which was destroyed by fire. Behind the ruins, a much more contemporary church was built. By about five in the afternoon, it was getting dark, so we returned to the hotel. We had a casual dinner at a sports bar called the Keg and then turned in early after our travel day. Hopefully, the sunshine and relatively mild weather will stay with us throughout the trip. Tomorrow, we have a tour through Winnipeg.
Today’s trivia: In Winnipeg, we are about 60 miles from the U.S. border above Minnesota and North Dakota. More than 90% of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border.
Photos:
St Boniface Cathedral
Red River
Canadian Geese (in Canada...get it?)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Welcome to Canada, Eh?
We arrived in Winnipeg today - from Philadelphia, through Minneapolis. It's a nice small city - we got to walk around a bit this afternoon. It gets dark here around 4:30, so not a whole lot of time. Tomorrow, we'll have the day to see the city more. There's a better posting and some photos to post, but they'll have to wait until Tuesday probably since we only have the lobby computer to use here and can't upload the full posting and photos from here. We hopefully will have easier internet access once we arrive in Churchill on Tuesday.
By the way - we leave Winnipeg on Tuesday morning for the 2 1/2 hour flight north to Churchill - a town of about 700 residents that has no road access. On the shores of Hudson Bay, though, it makes it a prime polar bear viewing location as the bears wait for the bay to freeze. As it's actually been fairly warm up there (in the 20-30's) the bay has not started to freeze, which is good for us - means more bears that haven't headed north yet for the winter feeding season.
More details to follow - stay tuned!!
By the way - we leave Winnipeg on Tuesday morning for the 2 1/2 hour flight north to Churchill - a town of about 700 residents that has no road access. On the shores of Hudson Bay, though, it makes it a prime polar bear viewing location as the bears wait for the bay to freeze. As it's actually been fairly warm up there (in the 20-30's) the bay has not started to freeze, which is good for us - means more bears that haven't headed north yet for the winter feeding season.
More details to follow - stay tuned!!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Back to the cold...
It's been entirely too long since we have posted here - mostly because it's been entirely too long since we've been out in the world. Since our last trip to Africa in February, we've had several smaller trips in the U.S. and most recently for a long weekend in the Champagne region of France. We are off in a couple of weeks back to the cold...to Churchill, Canada.
The goal this time is POLAR BEARS!!!
More to follow on the itinerary soon!
J&K
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=churchill+canada&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.900542,37.441406&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Churchill,+Division+No.+23,+Manitoba,+Canada&ll=61.100789,-84.990234&spn=20.625982,56.337891&z=4
The goal this time is POLAR BEARS!!!
More to follow on the itinerary soon!
J&K
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=churchill+canada&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.900542,37.441406&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Churchill,+Division+No.+23,+Manitoba,+Canada&ll=61.100789,-84.990234&spn=20.625982,56.337891&z=4
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Home again...
After 7 different planes, 1 boat, 4 cars and countless miles behind us, we are again home and back to reality. We arrived home around 5 pm yesterday and were happily greeted by the dogs and the bird. It's good to be home of course.
This trip was amazing. We loved Africa the last time we were there which is why we chose to go back and this trip again confirmed that. Africa is an amazing place that everyone should experience and visit at some point. Of course there are huge differences in the 4 countries we've been to there in culture, language, society, wildlife, but the one constant has been the people and their true love and pride of their land. They really enjoy having people come see them and where and how they live. This are some of the nicest people we've ever interacted with and want to share that with the world. They may not have much in material goods, but everywhere we went they asked us to please be there "ambassadors" to our friends and family back home. Of course, we are not blind to the fact that western travels brings money to the area - this is the reality and, yes, a major reason they want people to come. But, we never felt that we were a means to an end only. The welcoming and openness was genuine.
Tanzania offers some of the most fantastic animal viewing in the world. We saw more animals in one day than we did in probably a week in Botswana (we loved Botswana and this by no means changes that - there's more to see there, or anywhere for that matter, than just the animals). If you were going to make one trip to Africa to see these animals, Tanzania - especially in the Serengeti during the migration - would be the place to go. In total we saw countless lions and hyena, at least 8 different cheetah, including the 3 cubs, and 3 different leopards. Not to mention of course the hundreds and hundreds of zebra, wildebeest, warthogs, elephants, giraffe, and others. We want to just mention a few people along the way that made the trip there special - of course Paul our guide was with us the whole time - he was good, but again he was not Stephen! Moses at the Lemala Camp went out of his way to make us comfortable and to make sure we everything we needed we had.
Uganda, though, was special. The viewing was spectacular there as well - not as dense in the traditional safari animals as Tanzania, but the gorillas and the chimpanzees were an unforgettable experience. The people of Uganda were amazing - because it's a less popular destination than their nearby neighbors of Kenya and Tanzania, they are not spoiled by western travelers. Hopefully this will stay that way. We will not soon forget the children who come running from the fields and from their gardens as we drove or walked by yelling "Mazunga!" - white person basically! And they all chime in with "Hallooo!" "How are youooo?" There's always the little extra "ooo" on the end! Many little kids, that all the English they knew. Unfortunately, in the larger populated areas close to popular tourist stops, they also have learned "give me some money". The funny thing, though, is that most of the kids probably don't know what that even means!
Our guide Stephen was amazing - made the trip that much better for us. We immediately clicked with him - personality and guide style and everything. He was personable and told us about his family, but at the same time could drive for hours and not say much at all - which was fine with us. There's a large part of the trip that is just watching the world that is going by. The people at Gorilla Forest Camp - Ian, Bruce, and Michael - were great. Aubrey and Claire (and the dogs of course) at Ndali were great as well - if ever they needed someone to "watch" the camp while they're away, we'd volunteer in a second!
The trip reminded us again at how cruel and sad nature can be. The wildebeest migration, while amazing in its scale and design, is at the same time an incredibly sad thing. These animals constantly walk for miles and miles in search of water - making the same circle through Tanzania and Kenya for probably thousands of years. To ensure their survival, most calves are born around the same several week period, yet thousands of these calves don't see their 1 week birthday. They get lost from their mothers which is an immediate death sentence - some chase after the safari vehicles hoping that the large moving object may be their mother. You can hardly bear to look back and see this poor little animal using it's limited energy to try and catch up to the car. The cars of course are probably part of the problem as while we drive around, we scattered herds and break up mother and baby. Even more sad are the poor little ones who've laid down and just lift their head up as you go by, but have resigned themselves to the inevitable. The lucky ones will be hunted by the large predators. The others will die of dehydration and starvation and then be eaten by the vultures and hyenas. You want to stop and pick up these refugees - but realize that this is the reality of the natural world. Their death feeds others and the circle goes around. Also, not sure our neighbors would appreciate wildebeest in our backyard!
Lastly, again, Karen and I spent virtually every minute together for the last 16 days. Again, there's nobody else that I would want to have with me and to experience this together. Thanks to her - for the patience to wait for me to be "finished" photographing something - for her near-camping experience at the tented camp - and for everything else in between.
One note has to be an acknowledgement of of the travel company we used for this trip - Natural Habitat Adventures (www.nathab.com) and particularly Aly who worked with us on planning the trip. They did an amazing job and we plan to use them in the future. If anyone is considering a trip, check them out - they've got trips all over the world not just Africa. Some look very cool - if only we had enough time off work and unlimited resources, we'd do many of them!
Enjoy and happy travels.
Jon
[One note on the blog - as you can see, I have updated the last few days of the trip that we had no access for completeness. I hope to at least put a few photos on the blog soon and maybe some video (if I can figure out how to make the files smaller). I will update the photo website as soon as I can.]
This trip was amazing. We loved Africa the last time we were there which is why we chose to go back and this trip again confirmed that. Africa is an amazing place that everyone should experience and visit at some point. Of course there are huge differences in the 4 countries we've been to there in culture, language, society, wildlife, but the one constant has been the people and their true love and pride of their land. They really enjoy having people come see them and where and how they live. This are some of the nicest people we've ever interacted with and want to share that with the world. They may not have much in material goods, but everywhere we went they asked us to please be there "ambassadors" to our friends and family back home. Of course, we are not blind to the fact that western travels brings money to the area - this is the reality and, yes, a major reason they want people to come. But, we never felt that we were a means to an end only. The welcoming and openness was genuine.
Tanzania offers some of the most fantastic animal viewing in the world. We saw more animals in one day than we did in probably a week in Botswana (we loved Botswana and this by no means changes that - there's more to see there, or anywhere for that matter, than just the animals). If you were going to make one trip to Africa to see these animals, Tanzania - especially in the Serengeti during the migration - would be the place to go. In total we saw countless lions and hyena, at least 8 different cheetah, including the 3 cubs, and 3 different leopards. Not to mention of course the hundreds and hundreds of zebra, wildebeest, warthogs, elephants, giraffe, and others. We want to just mention a few people along the way that made the trip there special - of course Paul our guide was with us the whole time - he was good, but again he was not Stephen! Moses at the Lemala Camp went out of his way to make us comfortable and to make sure we everything we needed we had.
Uganda, though, was special. The viewing was spectacular there as well - not as dense in the traditional safari animals as Tanzania, but the gorillas and the chimpanzees were an unforgettable experience. The people of Uganda were amazing - because it's a less popular destination than their nearby neighbors of Kenya and Tanzania, they are not spoiled by western travelers. Hopefully this will stay that way. We will not soon forget the children who come running from the fields and from their gardens as we drove or walked by yelling "Mazunga!" - white person basically! And they all chime in with "Hallooo!" "How are youooo?" There's always the little extra "ooo" on the end! Many little kids, that all the English they knew. Unfortunately, in the larger populated areas close to popular tourist stops, they also have learned "give me some money". The funny thing, though, is that most of the kids probably don't know what that even means!
Our guide Stephen was amazing - made the trip that much better for us. We immediately clicked with him - personality and guide style and everything. He was personable and told us about his family, but at the same time could drive for hours and not say much at all - which was fine with us. There's a large part of the trip that is just watching the world that is going by. The people at Gorilla Forest Camp - Ian, Bruce, and Michael - were great. Aubrey and Claire (and the dogs of course) at Ndali were great as well - if ever they needed someone to "watch" the camp while they're away, we'd volunteer in a second!
The trip reminded us again at how cruel and sad nature can be. The wildebeest migration, while amazing in its scale and design, is at the same time an incredibly sad thing. These animals constantly walk for miles and miles in search of water - making the same circle through Tanzania and Kenya for probably thousands of years. To ensure their survival, most calves are born around the same several week period, yet thousands of these calves don't see their 1 week birthday. They get lost from their mothers which is an immediate death sentence - some chase after the safari vehicles hoping that the large moving object may be their mother. You can hardly bear to look back and see this poor little animal using it's limited energy to try and catch up to the car. The cars of course are probably part of the problem as while we drive around, we scattered herds and break up mother and baby. Even more sad are the poor little ones who've laid down and just lift their head up as you go by, but have resigned themselves to the inevitable. The lucky ones will be hunted by the large predators. The others will die of dehydration and starvation and then be eaten by the vultures and hyenas. You want to stop and pick up these refugees - but realize that this is the reality of the natural world. Their death feeds others and the circle goes around. Also, not sure our neighbors would appreciate wildebeest in our backyard!
Lastly, again, Karen and I spent virtually every minute together for the last 16 days. Again, there's nobody else that I would want to have with me and to experience this together. Thanks to her - for the patience to wait for me to be "finished" photographing something - for her near-camping experience at the tented camp - and for everything else in between.
One note has to be an acknowledgement of of the travel company we used for this trip - Natural Habitat Adventures (www.nathab.com) and particularly Aly who worked with us on planning the trip. They did an amazing job and we plan to use them in the future. If anyone is considering a trip, check them out - they've got trips all over the world not just Africa. Some look very cool - if only we had enough time off work and unlimited resources, we'd do many of them!
Enjoy and happy travels.
Jon
[One note on the blog - as you can see, I have updated the last few days of the trip that we had no access for completeness. I hope to at least put a few photos on the blog soon and maybe some video (if I can figure out how to make the files smaller). I will update the photo website as soon as I can.]
Leaving the Serengeti
We left LaMala tented camp just after sunrise and did a game drive as we headed toward the airstrip. It is astounding to me how many animals there and how relatively simple it is to find them. Right outside the camp, there was a cheetah drinking as some Marabou storks (huge ugly vulture like birds) looked on. We saw herds of Thompson’s gazelle, zebras and wildebeest, giraffes, elephants, some lions, hyena and even a glimpse of a leopard. The plains stretch on to the horizon and the views are amazing. We arrived at the airstrip at around 11 am and took our little propeller plane to Arusha, where we were met by Alphonse. We went to a little shopping area briefly and then had a very large and very good lunch at the River Lodge. We are now in a day room at a hotel for a few hours to freshen up before we head to the Kilimanjaro airport (on the other side of Arusha from where we landed this morning) to head to Dar Es Salaam then to Amsterdam and then to home!
-Karen
-Karen
The Serengeti Day Two
We awoke early and ate breakfast while watching an amazing sunrise and set off just after dawn. We started the morning by watching some lions and then moved on when it appeared that they had settled in for a long nap. We saw two kinds of jackals, two napping cheetahs, and then drove south in search of wildebeest.
This is the time for the wildebeest migration as they follow the water. There are hundreds of thousands of animals moving in large herds. This is also the time that the baby wildebeest are born and within minutes of birth are able to stand and follow the herd. Several of the babies we saw were so young that they still had the remnants of the umbilical cord remaining.
Unfortunately, they do not imprint fully on their mothers until about 20 days of age and in the confusion of the herd, many get separated from the mothers. Sometimes, the wildebeest run because they are scared and get separated from the babies; sometimes there is just such a huge number that the babies get confused and become separated; and sometimes the babies lay down to rest and the grazing mother seems to just wander off. Unfortunately, these babies will not be claimed by another mother, and if they are lost, wander pitifully looking for their mother until they die of dehydration or at the hands of a predator. As many as half of the babies will die at this very young age after being separated from their mothers. It is so sad to see these little lost babies wandering around far from the rest of the herd.
On the plains, we also saw zebra and a large herd of eland. We spotted a reedbuck and a very small antelope called a dikdik, which is a small antelope about the size of our beagles but with slightly longer legs. On the way back to the camp for lunch, we spotted several hyenas lounging and cooling off in shallow mud puddles.
After lunch and a brief siesta, we saw a few giraffe wander very close to the camp. Then, we were out for another game drive. We saw zebra, many wildebeest, giraffe, the four lions from this morning still napping, and the mother cheetah and her three cubs that we spotted yesterday walking and they lying in the grass. We saw a large male giraffe drink from a water hole, which is incredible awkward for these usually graceful animals and when they are most vulnerable. We stopped by a lake where there are flamingoes and then found a leopard eating a baby wildebeest at the base of a tree. She had already dragged a second wildebeest into the tree, where it was suspended high above the ground. After watching her eating for a while, we were able to witness her dragging the remaining wildebeest into the tree and then bound onto another branch for a rest. Unfortunately, it was getting late and the sun was setting, so we headed back to camp. The dinner tonight was served outside near a bonfire under the millions of stars. It is amazing how clear the sky is and how many more stars you can see here as compared to at home. The night sky is absolutely glittering. We, however, are tired and are headed to bed. Tomorrow, we will have a morning game drive and then start the long journey home.
-Karen
This is the time for the wildebeest migration as they follow the water. There are hundreds of thousands of animals moving in large herds. This is also the time that the baby wildebeest are born and within minutes of birth are able to stand and follow the herd. Several of the babies we saw were so young that they still had the remnants of the umbilical cord remaining.
Unfortunately, they do not imprint fully on their mothers until about 20 days of age and in the confusion of the herd, many get separated from the mothers. Sometimes, the wildebeest run because they are scared and get separated from the babies; sometimes there is just such a huge number that the babies get confused and become separated; and sometimes the babies lay down to rest and the grazing mother seems to just wander off. Unfortunately, these babies will not be claimed by another mother, and if they are lost, wander pitifully looking for their mother until they die of dehydration or at the hands of a predator. As many as half of the babies will die at this very young age after being separated from their mothers. It is so sad to see these little lost babies wandering around far from the rest of the herd.
On the plains, we also saw zebra and a large herd of eland. We spotted a reedbuck and a very small antelope called a dikdik, which is a small antelope about the size of our beagles but with slightly longer legs. On the way back to the camp for lunch, we spotted several hyenas lounging and cooling off in shallow mud puddles.
After lunch and a brief siesta, we saw a few giraffe wander very close to the camp. Then, we were out for another game drive. We saw zebra, many wildebeest, giraffe, the four lions from this morning still napping, and the mother cheetah and her three cubs that we spotted yesterday walking and they lying in the grass. We saw a large male giraffe drink from a water hole, which is incredible awkward for these usually graceful animals and when they are most vulnerable. We stopped by a lake where there are flamingoes and then found a leopard eating a baby wildebeest at the base of a tree. She had already dragged a second wildebeest into the tree, where it was suspended high above the ground. After watching her eating for a while, we were able to witness her dragging the remaining wildebeest into the tree and then bound onto another branch for a rest. Unfortunately, it was getting late and the sun was setting, so we headed back to camp. The dinner tonight was served outside near a bonfire under the millions of stars. It is amazing how clear the sky is and how many more stars you can see here as compared to at home. The night sky is absolutely glittering. We, however, are tired and are headed to bed. Tomorrow, we will have a morning game drive and then start the long journey home.
-Karen
The Serengeti Day One
We left this morning at 6:30, which was right around sunrise, and had an amazing morning where we saw tons of animals. Very quickly we found a group of hyena and then a second group that included some young babies. They are very curious and come right up to the car… but scamper quickly back into their den. Then, we saw two separate cheetahs, a zebra being consumed by some vultures, the two lions responsible for that kill, some elephants, and several gazelles. We went back to the camp for breakfast at about nine, then we were out looking for game. We saw a mother cheetah and three cubs plus the young zebra she had killed for them to eat. We watched them eat for a bit and then lay down to nap. We then found a leopard in a tree and watched him for a long while. We saw some more hartebeest, gazelles and zebras. We returned to the camp for lunch and we are leaving soon for more game drives.
It has rained for about ten minutes, which is good, because it is very dry here. Everything gets coated by this very fine dust. It makes its way into very crevice and you return from the game drives coated in a fine layer… and really appreciating a shower!
It has rained for about ten minutes, which is good, because it is very dry here. Everything gets coated by this very fine dust. It makes its way into very crevice and you return from the game drives coated in a fine layer… and really appreciating a shower!
To the Crater
We left Plantation Lodge at about 7:30, after waiting about a half hour for our guide, and drove along the nicely paved road to Ngorogoro Crater (from the Maasai word for big hole) which was a volcano that collapsed three million years ago and forms a 102 square mile area surrounded by walls that are 2,000 feet high. There is only one way in and one way out and there are thousands of animals living at the bottom including warthogs, Thompson’s gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, Hartebeest, lots of zera, lots of wildebeest, some lions, some elephants, and some rhinos. Many of the wildebeest and the zebra had babies and it was great to see so many at one time. After leaving the crater, we drove to the Serengeti (from the Maasai word for endless plain) and saw more gazelle and zebra. After getting lost and having to stop to ask for directions twice, we finally arrived at Lamala Tented Camp.
These are tents that have a small attached shower, with a tank that is filled with hot water by the staff at your request, and a toilet, and a bed. This camp is mobile and is taken down and moved depending on where the animals are. We had a quick shower and dinner and then went to bed.
The water on this trip has been interesting. Of course, you cannot drink or brush your teeth with the tap water – you use bottled water. At most places, like Jacana Lodge and Ndali, the water is pumped from the local lake, which is yellow or muddy colored and smells slightly swampy. Here the water is heated in a metal tank over a fire and has a wood fireplace smell.
These are tents that have a small attached shower, with a tank that is filled with hot water by the staff at your request, and a toilet, and a bed. This camp is mobile and is taken down and moved depending on where the animals are. We had a quick shower and dinner and then went to bed.
The water on this trip has been interesting. Of course, you cannot drink or brush your teeth with the tap water – you use bottled water. At most places, like Jacana Lodge and Ndali, the water is pumped from the local lake, which is yellow or muddy colored and smells slightly swampy. Here the water is heated in a metal tank over a fire and has a wood fireplace smell.
Leaving Uganda...arrival in Tanzania
Going backward a bit here, but wanted to update as completely as possible...
We left Ndali while it was still dark and made the six hour drive back to Kampala, where we started. After a brief meeting with Lydia again, we went to the airport to fly first to Nairobi and then to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania. The second part of the trip was on my least favorite type of plane – with propellers, but was a reasonably sized plane. (There is another coming that I am dreading.) We could see Mount Kilimanjaro and its snow-topped peaks from the plane (well, I had a glimpse and then closed my eyes again and battled nausea). Upon landing at about seven, we were met by our guide, Paul and drove to Arumeru River Lodge, passing Mouth Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru on the way. This lodge consists of ten “chalets” with two rooms each, which a completely modern bathroom and a main lodge with reception, a bar and a restaurant. Tomorrow morning, we start the next part of our adventure.
Uganda was amazing. The gorillas were definitely the highlight of the trip – despite the grueling hike to see them. The people of Uganda were so very nice and really went out of their way to make sure that we were very comfortable. Stephen, our guide, was wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly. He did an excellent job taking care of us and pointing out the wildlife, including many bird species and even plants. While everybody was great, the staff at the Gorilla Forest Camp and at Ndali (especially George) was really exceptional. The people really made the experience a special one for us and we would recommend this to anybody who is interested.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
We were on the road again at 7:30 and drove through the fairly modern city of Arusha. Near Arusha, which is in the shadow of the mountain, it is green and lush but very quickly it becomes more dry and savannah-like. The entire road today was paved and there were actually some other cars. We passed several Maasai people in their traditional cape like outfit herding cattle and goats.
We arrived at Lake Manyara National Park, where we did a 5-6 hour game drive. The park itself is fairly small and is dominated by the lake. We saw hippo, giraffe, cape buffalo, flamingoes, warthog, elephants (including a tiny baby), zebras, impala, ground hornbills, a dikdik (very small antelope), baboons and vervet monkeys. The variety and abundance of wildlife is astounding. There is a hot spring area too. The views are great. Unlike Uganda, where it seemed like we could drive for hours and never see another car, this is much more crowded with tourists (including many children). This is understandable given the amount of wildlife that can be seen and the relative ease of getting to the park; however, the isolation gives you a sense of nature that you lose when there are other people and cars around.
After the game drive, we headed to Plantation Lodge, which was a former coffee plantation. The room here is huge and quite luxurious. It is actually an entry room with a table and a small patio, a large bathroom, a small sitting room, and a large bedroom with another small patio. We had a nice walk around the grounds with a guide who identified many of the plants, learned about coffee growing in the area, and saw the lodge’s large gardens. We are going to have dinner and then we are off again tomorrow for yet another early start!
-Karen
We left Ndali while it was still dark and made the six hour drive back to Kampala, where we started. After a brief meeting with Lydia again, we went to the airport to fly first to Nairobi and then to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania. The second part of the trip was on my least favorite type of plane – with propellers, but was a reasonably sized plane. (There is another coming that I am dreading.) We could see Mount Kilimanjaro and its snow-topped peaks from the plane (well, I had a glimpse and then closed my eyes again and battled nausea). Upon landing at about seven, we were met by our guide, Paul and drove to Arumeru River Lodge, passing Mouth Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru on the way. This lodge consists of ten “chalets” with two rooms each, which a completely modern bathroom and a main lodge with reception, a bar and a restaurant. Tomorrow morning, we start the next part of our adventure.
Uganda was amazing. The gorillas were definitely the highlight of the trip – despite the grueling hike to see them. The people of Uganda were so very nice and really went out of their way to make sure that we were very comfortable. Stephen, our guide, was wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly. He did an excellent job taking care of us and pointing out the wildlife, including many bird species and even plants. While everybody was great, the staff at the Gorilla Forest Camp and at Ndali (especially George) was really exceptional. The people really made the experience a special one for us and we would recommend this to anybody who is interested.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
We were on the road again at 7:30 and drove through the fairly modern city of Arusha. Near Arusha, which is in the shadow of the mountain, it is green and lush but very quickly it becomes more dry and savannah-like. The entire road today was paved and there were actually some other cars. We passed several Maasai people in their traditional cape like outfit herding cattle and goats.
We arrived at Lake Manyara National Park, where we did a 5-6 hour game drive. The park itself is fairly small and is dominated by the lake. We saw hippo, giraffe, cape buffalo, flamingoes, warthog, elephants (including a tiny baby), zebras, impala, ground hornbills, a dikdik (very small antelope), baboons and vervet monkeys. The variety and abundance of wildlife is astounding. There is a hot spring area too. The views are great. Unlike Uganda, where it seemed like we could drive for hours and never see another car, this is much more crowded with tourists (including many children). This is understandable given the amount of wildlife that can be seen and the relative ease of getting to the park; however, the isolation gives you a sense of nature that you lose when there are other people and cars around.
After the game drive, we headed to Plantation Lodge, which was a former coffee plantation. The room here is huge and quite luxurious. It is actually an entry room with a table and a small patio, a large bathroom, a small sitting room, and a large bedroom with another small patio. We had a nice walk around the grounds with a guide who identified many of the plants, learned about coffee growing in the area, and saw the lodge’s large gardens. We are going to have dinner and then we are off again tomorrow for yet another early start!
-Karen
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tanzania Update
This is unfortunately going to have to be short and no photos again - we are not able to use our own computer at this stop, so can't upload what we've already written or photos.
We left Uganda, sadly, yesterday and fly to Nairobi, Kenya (not really sure why) then on to Arusha, Tanzania. The flight from Kenya to Tanzania had propellers and happy to report everyone did fine. (We'll see about the 12 seat plane back from Serengti!) We were picked up at the airport by our new guide, Paul. He's good, but he's no Stephen (from Uganda). We then went to our lodging for the night which was a few minutes from the airport, but was very nice. Had a nice dinner then went to sleep.
We woke up this morning at 6:30, ate breakfast and were out by 7:30 to Lake Manyara National Park where we did about 5-6 hours of safari driving. There were tons of animals - elephants, giraffe, antelope, warthogs, and lots of birds again. We say a leapard kill in a tree, but unfortunately, no leapard eating it. We arrived at the Plantation Lodge, an old coffee plantation converted to a lodge. Our room is great - huge and very nice. We took a short walk around the property, and then are going to eat dinner.
This may be the last update until we get home - not sure about the internet beyond.
Enjoy!
-Jon
We left Uganda, sadly, yesterday and fly to Nairobi, Kenya (not really sure why) then on to Arusha, Tanzania. The flight from Kenya to Tanzania had propellers and happy to report everyone did fine. (We'll see about the 12 seat plane back from Serengti!) We were picked up at the airport by our new guide, Paul. He's good, but he's no Stephen (from Uganda). We then went to our lodging for the night which was a few minutes from the airport, but was very nice. Had a nice dinner then went to sleep.
We woke up this morning at 6:30, ate breakfast and were out by 7:30 to Lake Manyara National Park where we did about 5-6 hours of safari driving. There were tons of animals - elephants, giraffe, antelope, warthogs, and lots of birds again. We say a leapard kill in a tree, but unfortunately, no leapard eating it. We arrived at the Plantation Lodge, an old coffee plantation converted to a lodge. Our room is great - huge and very nice. We took a short walk around the property, and then are going to eat dinner.
This may be the last update until we get home - not sure about the internet beyond.
Enjoy!
-Jon
Monday, February 16, 2009
Blog Update
As you can see again, we have posted a few days now that we have some brief access. This is bonus internet time as we're using the wireless at the house of the owners of the Ndali Lodge which was nice of them to allow us to invade their space. Because we don't want to take too much of their time, won't be able to post photos, but will try to get some up tomorrow night when we arrive in Tanzania. There should be internet there at that hotel of the first night...should is the key word!! Enjoy the words for now...
-Jon
-Jon
Chimpanzees...
This morning after breakfast overlooking the amazing view, we drove about an hour to Kibale National Park. In the morning, we did a walk through the marsh where we saw numerous bird species including the Great Blue Turaco, which is fairly rare. We also saw two other species of monkeys: the grey cheeked mangabey and the red colobus. We then had a traditional Ugandan meal at a place called Tinka’s. We ate sitting on the floor on woven mats. The meal started with some of the local tea flavored with a bark that had a cinnamon-like taste. The bulk of the meal included cassava, squash, rice, boiled green mashed bananas, spinach and carrots, beans, corn meal wedges with peanut sauce and sesame sauce. It was very good and very filling. After digesting for a short while, we went for to see the chimpanzees that this area is known for. We walked briskly through the forest, which was flatter and less dense than at Bwindi, and found a group of about twenty chimpanzees eating in a fig tree. Unfortunately, they did not come down from the tree so we just caught glimpses of them in between the leaves. There was a baby that was clearly interested in us and kept peering down at us. It was wonderful to see them. Afterwards, we returned to Ndali, where we showered and are packing in preparation for part two of our journey.
-Karen
-Karen
Onward to Kibale Forest
We were on the road for an early game drive before sunrise and were rewarded with a sighting of a hyena. We saw two groups of lions and enjoyed the scenery. After breakfast, we were on the road heading north out of Queen Elizabeth National Park. We crossed the equator again and then had to change our second flat tire of the trip. We stopped in a town for gas and a replacement for the spare tires since we had used both of them. Then, we continued on our way to Kibale, through lots of little villages, past fields of cotton, coffee, and lots of bananas.
We arrived around 2 pm at Ndali Lodge, which is high on a hill overlooking Nyinambuga lake with the Ruwenzori mountains, some topped with snow, in the distance. The surrounding hills are lush and green, some with natural growth and some used for crops. The lodge has a central area with a dining room and an outside patio, with an amazing view of the lake, where we ate lunch. There is a pretty pool, complete with inflatable floating rafts, and five resident dogs, who are quite friendly. The rooms are thatched roofed cottages that have a nice patio, where I am sitting and typing while I enjoy the view and listening to the birds. There is only some solar electricity here but everything else is candle powered.
After lunch, we went for a two hour walk around the lake with the dogs for guides. The walk took us through tall elephant grass that is about ten feet high, past gorgeous vistas of the lake, through a banana field, and through a small village before circling around back to the lodge. Now, we are just going to relax until dinner and tomorrow’s adventure.
-Karen
We arrived around 2 pm at Ndali Lodge, which is high on a hill overlooking Nyinambuga lake with the Ruwenzori mountains, some topped with snow, in the distance. The surrounding hills are lush and green, some with natural growth and some used for crops. The lodge has a central area with a dining room and an outside patio, with an amazing view of the lake, where we ate lunch. There is a pretty pool, complete with inflatable floating rafts, and five resident dogs, who are quite friendly. The rooms are thatched roofed cottages that have a nice patio, where I am sitting and typing while I enjoy the view and listening to the birds. There is only some solar electricity here but everything else is candle powered.
After lunch, we went for a two hour walk around the lake with the dogs for guides. The walk took us through tall elephant grass that is about ten feet high, past gorgeous vistas of the lake, through a banana field, and through a small village before circling around back to the lodge. Now, we are just going to relax until dinner and tomorrow’s adventure.
-Karen
Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Last night we slept serenaded by a bunch of frogs, including some that sounded like quacking ducks, some like wind chimes and some making “boing” noises. Awakening before dawn, we had breakfast and set off on the road to do a game drive through the northern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. Almost immediately, we saw some lions lounging in the morning sun and then move into the shade as the African sun very quickly heats up the landscape. We saw several birds, more wart hogs, antelopes, and elephants. We even saw another monitor lizard crossing the dirt track through the park. The landscape is gorgeous with grasslands punctuated by acacia trees, umbrella trees, and cactus like trees all with the Mountains of the Moon in the background at the Congolese border.
We arrived around lunchtime at Myewa Lodge, which is situated in a beautiful location on Lake Edward, which is connected to Lake George by the Kazinga Channel. This is a more hotel like place and, while certainly not bad, lacks the personality of the other places we have stayed. This afternoon, after lunch, we will be doing a boat trip on Lake Edward and then another evening game drive. More later….
Part II
After lunch, which we ate surrounded by small yellow weaver birds that tried to eat some of our meal too, we went to the boat launch. The boat trip went from Lake George through the Kazinga Channel to Lake Edward. Along the way, we saw lots of hippos and cape buffalo in the shallow water trying to keep cool. There were elephants, a few crocodiles and lots of bird species including Goliath heron, saddlebill and yellow bill storks, skimmers, pelicans, terns, pied kingfishers and Egyptian geese. Near Lake George, we saw one of the eleven fishing communities that exist within the park.
In the evening, we took a game drive through an area where the land is pockmarked by craters from former volcanoes. Some are porous and have just vegetation, some are fresh water lakes and some are saltwater lakes. Some salt collection is done in the saltwater lakes and there are flamingoes. The scenery is amazing and the sunset, although obstructed by clouds, is gorgeous. We got back to the hotel around 8 pm, ate dinner, and went off to bed, tired after another busy day.
-Karen
Last night we slept serenaded by a bunch of frogs, including some that sounded like quacking ducks, some like wind chimes and some making “boing” noises. Awakening before dawn, we had breakfast and set off on the road to do a game drive through the northern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. Almost immediately, we saw some lions lounging in the morning sun and then move into the shade as the African sun very quickly heats up the landscape. We saw several birds, more wart hogs, antelopes, and elephants. We even saw another monitor lizard crossing the dirt track through the park. The landscape is gorgeous with grasslands punctuated by acacia trees, umbrella trees, and cactus like trees all with the Mountains of the Moon in the background at the Congolese border.
We arrived around lunchtime at Myewa Lodge, which is situated in a beautiful location on Lake Edward, which is connected to Lake George by the Kazinga Channel. This is a more hotel like place and, while certainly not bad, lacks the personality of the other places we have stayed. This afternoon, after lunch, we will be doing a boat trip on Lake Edward and then another evening game drive. More later….
Part II
After lunch, which we ate surrounded by small yellow weaver birds that tried to eat some of our meal too, we went to the boat launch. The boat trip went from Lake George through the Kazinga Channel to Lake Edward. Along the way, we saw lots of hippos and cape buffalo in the shallow water trying to keep cool. There were elephants, a few crocodiles and lots of bird species including Goliath heron, saddlebill and yellow bill storks, skimmers, pelicans, terns, pied kingfishers and Egyptian geese. Near Lake George, we saw one of the eleven fishing communities that exist within the park.
In the evening, we took a game drive through an area where the land is pockmarked by craters from former volcanoes. Some are porous and have just vegetation, some are fresh water lakes and some are saltwater lakes. Some salt collection is done in the saltwater lakes and there are flamingoes. The scenery is amazing and the sunset, although obstructed by clouds, is gorgeous. We got back to the hotel around 8 pm, ate dinner, and went off to bed, tired after another busy day.
-Karen
Queen Elizabeth National Park, Day One
We left Bwindi Impenetrable Forest this morning and drove into Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is in the far western part of Uganda and part of the Great East African Rift Valley. After a short pause to change a flat tire, we went into the southern part of the park. The terrain here is totally different. It is much more open and savannah like. We saw some elephants in the distance, more topi and some Ugandan Kob, which are similar to impala. In search of spoonbills, we went to a marshy area. We did not see the spoonbills but we did see several plovers, herons, and very beautiful and colorful bee-eaters. There was a large monitor lizard too. Then, we ate lunch along a river where there was a herd of hippos in the water. At this point, we were right across from the border with Congo. We drove through the Ishasha area in an effort to see tree climbing lions in the umbrella trees, but did not spot any. Continuing north, where there are several lakes and it becomes more forested again, we arrived at Jacana Lodge (named after a bird species) at about four in the afternoon.
Our room at Jacana lodge is a lovely wood cabin on the shores of a crater lake. There is a small screened in porch, where I am sitting, that has a gorgeous view of the lake and the mountains in the Congo in the distance. There is a bedroom with a wooden peaked ceiling, and a bathroom with a shower that has pebbles for the floor. The electricity here is by generator and is only on for a few hours in the evening and from 6am until 8 am in the morning.
We went for a walk and caught glimpses of three kinds of primates: black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and olive baboons. Unfortunately, it started thundering and threatening to rain, so we have returned to our cabin. Tomorrow, we continue further north in Queen Elizabeth National Park…
-Karen
Our room at Jacana lodge is a lovely wood cabin on the shores of a crater lake. There is a small screened in porch, where I am sitting, that has a gorgeous view of the lake and the mountains in the Congo in the distance. There is a bedroom with a wooden peaked ceiling, and a bathroom with a shower that has pebbles for the floor. The electricity here is by generator and is only on for a few hours in the evening and from 6am until 8 am in the morning.
We went for a walk and caught glimpses of three kinds of primates: black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and olive baboons. Unfortunately, it started thundering and threatening to rain, so we have returned to our cabin. Tomorrow, we continue further north in Queen Elizabeth National Park…
-Karen
Thursday, February 12, 2009
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