1/25- Catch Up, Redux

Kampala, Uganda-Red Chilli Hideaway 7PM

So, quicklike-

Had a great last day of safari- drove from Serengeti to Lake Manyara-- passed amazing things on the way- a lioness dozing on the side of the road, a cheetah following wildebeest from a half mile, a lioness and her three sons sharing a wildebeest head (crunchy! With flies-no charge) less than six feet from our Rover, two cheetahs panting in the shade of an acacia, their stomachs distended--telling of a recent meal.

We arrived at Lake Manyara Lodge on the escarpment overlooking the lake. The lake was tinged pink with flamingos. The lodge must have been designed by the same architect as the other two lodges--and it had a great freeform pool surrounded by plumeria. Got the feeling this park was a bit off the normal circuit, as there were only about 30 of us there.

The next morning, we went for our final game drive and headed back to Arusha. At Manyara, we had a family of 8 giraffe, and six elephants pass right in front of our vehicle, thisclose--gentle giants just passing through. Visited Oluvai Gorge (the Cradle of Civilization) and a Maasai village. My favorite moment at the village was when a Maasai woman came up to one of our safarimates to greet her with the traditional hand on the shoulder. Our friend thought she was high fiving. Fun with cultural dissonance!

Arived in Arusha at 1PM, and we treated our guide, Philemon, to local food—ugali with tilapia and beef. Ugali is like dry finger-food cream of wheat.

I have to say, the safari restored my faith in group travel after the lousy Kathmandu-to-Tibet sojourn. A really nice, laid back group. A Taiwanese woman working in Grenada, a Guatemalan guy studying in Taiwan (they were friends), two doctors from Toronto, and Maggie Mae and me.

To offer complete disclosure, my leg started acting up on day 7 of the trek, so on safari, I had it elevated most of the time. Had two doctors and a nurse in our group of six, so I felt like I was in good hands. Twice daily naproxin with elevation had the leg good as new. Difat, one of the doctors, said it was not an abscess, but did look like cellulitis. Didn’t think it was serious but said to keep an eye on it. It’s hard putting your eye on your leg. Oops--being literal again.

The leg was fine until the 17-hour bus ride coupled with tight socks--now it’s red again and has edema. Go figure. Always something, huh?

The bus ride was quite posh compared to India. Air-conditioned, restroom, soft drinks, water, cookies--and people actually wait in lines and were polite--imagine! Took about two hours to reach the Kenya border, where I had to get off and get a transit visa. By 9PM, we arrived in Nairobi. Reminded me of an Indian city- big, dusty, dirty.

At 4AM, we had to get off the bus and go through Kenyan exit/Uganda visa process. An hour later, we pulled over, and our bags were searched by the Uganda authorities.

After crossing the start of the Nile in Jinja, we arrived in Kampala at 9AM

En route, my seatmate and I became friends. Greyson, a 21-year-old student of public relations with an infectious giggle and a voice that would range three octaves when speaking, was from Dar Es Salaam studying in Kampala. His dad was a professor of linguistics in Dar. He helped me get through the borders, and in Kampala, took me to change money, and pointed me in the right direction to my hostel.

He said, “I think the US is too crazy, no?”

He asked this as we were watching Steven Segal blow people away in ‘Exit Wound’. No wonder people think we’re nuts.

Old Dubya is REALLY reviled--it’s come up several times with different people. It is embarrassing how much people know about our politics, and how little we know about theirs—or ours, for that matter.

I did think it was a little chilling to have an Indian Internet café owner ask me, “Why do you spend 800 million dollars a day on Jews?” referring to US/Israel support. There was anger in his tone, so I didn’t really respond, said “Sorry. Typing. Can’t talk.”

Back to Red Chilli’s--I had to admit to a feeling of being sort of solo, sitting in my dorm for 40 with only one other person there-- a Peace Corps volunteer on holiday from rural Uganda. It made me think of the Mumbai Red Cross Hostel--which seemed cheery by comparison because of the people there.

Really nice people at Chilli’s- it’s owned by a Brit couple, I think.

I was starting to feel a little old for this sort of travel, as I listened to 19- year old Brits talking, but just then, in walked two men in their mid- to late- 50s doing the same thing. And I was reminded of the 70- year old Belgian woman from San Diego that I met in Burma-- traveling solo with a backpack--“drives my kids and grandkids nuts.” Right on. Never too old to live.

It’s pretty busy right now, as African Adventure overland has just pulled in. Right now, about 20 people are setting up tents, barbecuing and getting caught up on the local brews. Many of the overland truck trips go Capetown to Nairobi-- arduous but rewarding once in a lifetime type thing.

Tomorrow, am off early to go to an island in Lake Victoria called Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary. So at 8am, I grab a matatu(share taxi minvan) to Kampala, switch to an Entebbe matatu.

Off I go, half-informed, curiosity piqued, to spend some time with the chimps. Hey hey, we’re the monkees…

PS- it’s lovely watching the anopheles mosquitoes lazing around my candle. They’re the malaria mosquitoes. I was telling them about their cousin I met in India.