as I mentioned earlier Gabe and I trekked to see mountain gorillas in uganda. here's the story.
Gabe arrived in africa with big ideas - first and foremost was seeing gorillas. of course as they only issue a certain number of permits per day and the gorillas are only in certain parks odds of acquiring a permit this late in the game I thought would be unlikely but worth a try. after rafting and bungee jumping (awesome!) in jinja we headed to kampala to the wildlife authority office. and lucky us they had two slots on the 19th! all we had to do was drop $1000 and get ourselves to the park - the more remote park without public transport. of course. so after hitting up every atm in the area to get all the cash and getting our permits we took the most miserable night bus ride to kabale, uganda. it was cold and cold and we didnt' arrive until 4 am.
the next morning we had a delicious breakfast of french fries and made our way to the gorillas information office in kabale in search of assistance to the park. none was to be found. they wanted us to take a private taxi @ $200 - undoublty a friend or family owned the car. they were incredibly unhelpful and when we suggested motorcycles they said it was too dangerous and if something happened to us they would be held accountable... a) screw you for trying to rip me off, b) like I care if you get in trouble when I'm mangled beyond recognition in a motorcycle accident because you wouldn't be helpful and do your job.
we motorcycled anyway and at a considerable savings. although I must say my ass was flat and sore after 51 km into the hill on the back of a motorcycle, gripping some dude for dear life. super fun though!
we stayed at dinky little place, but it was nice enough, and walked around the day before we hiked to the gorillas.
the morning of the 19th we headed out to the park gate to meet the group. we had to be there by 8. except Gabe and I walked the wrong way. by the time we realized our mistake we were at least 2 miles in the wrong direction (because it was always just around the next corner... stupid jungle) and beginning to panic. we luckily flagged down and man on a bike, who spoke no english, and fortunately a car passed soon after. of course the driver spoke no english but we managed to communicate our need to get to the park gate and he drove us for a small fee.
we arrived at the gate sweaty and just in time.
our party consisted of Gabe and I, an older professorly couple, and a New York tax lawyer and his miserable adult daughter. she may have been the most unpleasant person on the planet.
we set off and within 2 km of mild hiking one of our party turned back due to health concerns (asthma or something) and we pushed on. the hiking wasn't impossible but it wasn't exactly easy. the trail varies and eventually we were no longer on a trail but following a guide with a machete. trackers had gone out it in the morning and tracked the gorillas from where they slept the night before. we hiked up and down two valleys, across a bog and eventually found them!
THEY WERE INCREDIBLE! better than I could have imagined. there were two young gorillas that played, climbed trees and swung from vines. the dominant silverback put us in our place with a tremendous roar. we got within 10ft. of a blackback. I was definitely in awe.
we were allowed to spend an hour with the gorillas and it flew by. and then we had to hike out. and it was the slowest hike I've likely ever experienced. the tax lawyer from new york, despite having boasted to have climbed kilimanjaro last year, was in terrible shape. he panted and literally had to be pulled up the hills (so did his daughter who complained the whole way.) we had to stop even 20-30 ft. for him to have a rest. at one point we thought they were going to have to send in a team of guides to carry him out. ridiculous. he even had a porter carrying his packback.
but we made it out. although a bit slowly. and Gabe and I made our way back down to kabale (via bodaboda) just as the sun was setting. epic adventure. so worth it.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
trains and english breakfast.
so Gabe and I are now on the coast of Kenya, Mombasa to be specific, today at least.
I forgot how effing hot it is here. my skin wants to melt off! but I'll be the tannest kid in alaska so I figure its worth it.
given how many buses we've been on and how little fun they are Gabe and I opted to take the bus from Nairobi to Mombasa. they say its on the last great colonial experiences in Kenya. not to mention you can lay down and sleep.
I wouldn't say its the nicest train I've ever been on and it certainly isn't fast but it is exceedingly more pleasant than the bus! we left nairobi and 7 pm and had a nice meal in the dining car around 9:45. we played some cards and read our book. [Gabe and I bought a copy of Pride and Prejudice in Kampala, it was either Jane Austen or a chemistry textbook and we opted for the epic of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy - we've been reading aloud every night because we sure aren't paying enough for accomodations to have TV... yeah, its super cute and super dorky.]
after a somewhat peaceful, as peaceful as a train that has been updated in 40 years can be, sleep we woke to a english breakfast. beans, toast, eggs, sausage and tea. Gabe must drink at least 5 cups of tea a day - he loves it, and has vowed to drink exclusively chai at home.
we arrived in mombasa on time (10 am) because the train didn't break down! we're staying in a lovely hostel that overlooks the indian ocean. we swam as soon as we arrived and we walked around old town Mombasa today and enjoyed some delicious swahili food.
I definitely recommend the train.
I forgot how effing hot it is here. my skin wants to melt off! but I'll be the tannest kid in alaska so I figure its worth it.
given how many buses we've been on and how little fun they are Gabe and I opted to take the bus from Nairobi to Mombasa. they say its on the last great colonial experiences in Kenya. not to mention you can lay down and sleep.
I wouldn't say its the nicest train I've ever been on and it certainly isn't fast but it is exceedingly more pleasant than the bus! we left nairobi and 7 pm and had a nice meal in the dining car around 9:45. we played some cards and read our book. [Gabe and I bought a copy of Pride and Prejudice in Kampala, it was either Jane Austen or a chemistry textbook and we opted for the epic of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy - we've been reading aloud every night because we sure aren't paying enough for accomodations to have TV... yeah, its super cute and super dorky.]
after a somewhat peaceful, as peaceful as a train that has been updated in 40 years can be, sleep we woke to a english breakfast. beans, toast, eggs, sausage and tea. Gabe must drink at least 5 cups of tea a day - he loves it, and has vowed to drink exclusively chai at home.
we arrived in mombasa on time (10 am) because the train didn't break down! we're staying in a lovely hostel that overlooks the indian ocean. we swam as soon as we arrived and we walked around old town Mombasa today and enjoyed some delicious swahili food.
I definitely recommend the train.
pizza.
my host family has been fantastic. since my program ended they've allowed me to store all my stuff at their house and between trips elsewhere have allowed Gabe and I to crash (I even get my clothes washed when I pop in, and all the chai I can drink... and more.) Gabe and Bufi (the youngest son) get along great and have had some epic playstation matchups.
most recently when we were there we offered to cook dinner for them as a sort of thank you for putting up with us.
now neither Gabe nor I is much to write home about in the kitchen but we figured we'd give it our best.
we made grandaddio's famously delicious tomato sauce, pasta, pizza margerita, roasted vegetables, garlic bread and chocolate chip banana bread. nothing too fancy and within our skill level to execute.
I can't say they've been converted to our way of eating however. they politely ate everything and remarked how good it was but they also slathered the pizza and pasta with sugary ketchup (called peptang) and chili sauce... so how much they actually liked it remains unclear.
the chocolate chip banana bread was a huge success however.
most recently when we were there we offered to cook dinner for them as a sort of thank you for putting up with us.
now neither Gabe nor I is much to write home about in the kitchen but we figured we'd give it our best.
we made grandaddio's famously delicious tomato sauce, pasta, pizza margerita, roasted vegetables, garlic bread and chocolate chip banana bread. nothing too fancy and within our skill level to execute.
I can't say they've been converted to our way of eating however. they politely ate everything and remarked how good it was but they also slathered the pizza and pasta with sugary ketchup (called peptang) and chili sauce... so how much they actually liked it remains unclear.
the chocolate chip banana bread was a huge success however.
merry christmas.
merry christmas to all. and an early happy new year.
Gabe and I half tried to get into the christmas spirit but its a little hard when its 80 degrees. just doesn't feel the same somehow. instead of pining for christmas goodies, trees, family and friends Gabe and I decided to put our efforts to better use and get some sight seeing in. because we didn't make it to serengeti in tanzania we opted for masai mara in kenya (same area, just divided by a border.)
we found a great deal on accomodations and game drives right on the edge of the park. a charming little place run by a german woman - and predominantly frequented by germans as well.
we took a matatu from nairobi to narok and in narok found a bus/matatu/chicken transport vehicle to masai mara/talek gate. the trip from narok to talek is supposed to take around two hours. but the road is unpaved - and as Gabe and I learned in uganda if you have chickens on your bus its a bad sign for a timely arrival. and then it started raining - pouring in fact. so there we were, Gabe and I, wedged with our packs in the back of the bus (which had a couch, among other things, strapped to the roof) as the rain poured in the window. Gabe was next to the window and used my rainjacket as a sort of smock to protect from the rain and ended with quite a pool of water in his lap. babies were crying, the bus was bumping along... and then we came upon another bus stuck in the mud - and spent the next hour unsticking them. what should have been a 2 hour bus ride ended up taking 6. what a christmas eve.
however once we arrived we were treated to a much needed christmas feast! thank god the europeans take christmas as seriously as we do. turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce... the works. it was grand. and delicious.
we slept in a lovely two person canvas tent - very safari like. and on christmas morning woke up early to go driving the park. the morning was fantastic. we saw a pack of hyenas, giraffes, wildebeest, buffalo, impala, gazelle, a glimpse of a lion's tail and two cheetah! Gabe was super stoked on the cheetah.
there are signs all over the park - DO NOT DRIVE OFF ROAD - which our maasai driver completely ignored. on the one hand it was amazing to see the cheetah up close but I couldn't help but feel guilty about destroying so much vegetation just to get close.
we returned to camp for breakfast and in the afternoon returned to the park. in the afternoon we saw more than 12 lions, including males, females and cubs. some had decently brought down a zebra and they were chowing down. some looked so bloated and full - they were laying on their backs, legs in the air with the most swollen bellies I've ever seen. we saw hippos - our driver told us to get out of the car to get a better look at the hippos - they're only the most dangerous animal on the continent...
we didn't see rhinos or elephants but the trip was still a huge success.
on the 26th we woke up at 4:30 for a bumpy ride back to narok and then nairobi. our matatu of course got a flat.
Gabe and I half tried to get into the christmas spirit but its a little hard when its 80 degrees. just doesn't feel the same somehow. instead of pining for christmas goodies, trees, family and friends Gabe and I decided to put our efforts to better use and get some sight seeing in. because we didn't make it to serengeti in tanzania we opted for masai mara in kenya (same area, just divided by a border.)
we found a great deal on accomodations and game drives right on the edge of the park. a charming little place run by a german woman - and predominantly frequented by germans as well.
we took a matatu from nairobi to narok and in narok found a bus/matatu/chicken transport vehicle to masai mara/talek gate. the trip from narok to talek is supposed to take around two hours. but the road is unpaved - and as Gabe and I learned in uganda if you have chickens on your bus its a bad sign for a timely arrival. and then it started raining - pouring in fact. so there we were, Gabe and I, wedged with our packs in the back of the bus (which had a couch, among other things, strapped to the roof) as the rain poured in the window. Gabe was next to the window and used my rainjacket as a sort of smock to protect from the rain and ended with quite a pool of water in his lap. babies were crying, the bus was bumping along... and then we came upon another bus stuck in the mud - and spent the next hour unsticking them. what should have been a 2 hour bus ride ended up taking 6. what a christmas eve.
however once we arrived we were treated to a much needed christmas feast! thank god the europeans take christmas as seriously as we do. turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce... the works. it was grand. and delicious.
we slept in a lovely two person canvas tent - very safari like. and on christmas morning woke up early to go driving the park. the morning was fantastic. we saw a pack of hyenas, giraffes, wildebeest, buffalo, impala, gazelle, a glimpse of a lion's tail and two cheetah! Gabe was super stoked on the cheetah.
there are signs all over the park - DO NOT DRIVE OFF ROAD - which our maasai driver completely ignored. on the one hand it was amazing to see the cheetah up close but I couldn't help but feel guilty about destroying so much vegetation just to get close.
we returned to camp for breakfast and in the afternoon returned to the park. in the afternoon we saw more than 12 lions, including males, females and cubs. some had decently brought down a zebra and they were chowing down. some looked so bloated and full - they were laying on their backs, legs in the air with the most swollen bellies I've ever seen. we saw hippos - our driver told us to get out of the car to get a better look at the hippos - they're only the most dangerous animal on the continent...
we didn't see rhinos or elephants but the trip was still a huge success.
on the 26th we woke up at 4:30 for a bumpy ride back to narok and then nairobi. our matatu of course got a flat.
Monday, December 21, 2009
tanzania...well the border anyhow.
we didn't quite make it to tanzania. oh africa, what should have been mildly easy ended up being a trek and a half.
we left kabale, uganda in the morning. we spent the night in a mildly nice hotel in kabale after coming down from bwindi nat'l park and seeing the gorillas. one of our guides gave us a decent price on a ride down on the back of his motorcycle (only a 52 km ride) and got a friend to carry Gabe. it was quite the adventure - my life only flashed before my eyes a few times. but there was something very magical about flying threw the ugandan countryside on the back of a bike. the sun was setting, there was mist on the hills... but I could go on an on.
after the night kabale we were going to attempt to go to tanzania via bus. the grabbed a bus - with the same driver we had from kampala a few days earlier. ugh - that man is the enemy. he tells you the bus is leaving in a hour, the bus actually leaves 4 hours later, and takes nearly twice as long to get there as you expected. not to mention it was freezing cold and we arrived in kabale at 4 am and had to bang on a hotel door to get a room. a $5 room with two mosquito nets tied together to form a high ineffective single mosquito protective device.
needless to say our second bus ride with brian was equally as unsuccessful. we spent 3 hours sitting in a trucker town for no apparent reason (of course the reason being they don't leave until the bus is full to the brim - we had chickens on board both ways.)
we arrived in masaka very late but decided to try and make the border. we borded another bus to mutukula (the border town.) the conductor was very helpful and we it became clear we wouldn't make the border in time he paid for a small car to take us the rest of the way. a small car filled with 9 people. who knew a toyota sedan could hold that many people.
we crammed/flew to mutukula but missed the border by a half hour and had to spend the night. gabe claims it was the worst night of his life. sean paul's delightful music was blaring until 2 am, two cats got into multiple fights that sounded very painful, the loudest mosquitos in history invaded the room and it was hot. needless to say neither of us slept well.
in the morning we made for the border. left uganda and walked across to tanzania only to discover visas for americans cost $100, no exceptions. so we went to the bank for money. except they had no ATM, so we would have had to backtrack all the way to masaka (88km) and then back to border.
needless to say tonight we are in kampala headed back to nairobi. gabe and I decided to time and money weren't worth it. so tonight we catch the bus to nairobi and then we go to masai mara nat'l park instead of serengeti. screw you tanzania.
oh africa!
we left kabale, uganda in the morning. we spent the night in a mildly nice hotel in kabale after coming down from bwindi nat'l park and seeing the gorillas. one of our guides gave us a decent price on a ride down on the back of his motorcycle (only a 52 km ride) and got a friend to carry Gabe. it was quite the adventure - my life only flashed before my eyes a few times. but there was something very magical about flying threw the ugandan countryside on the back of a bike. the sun was setting, there was mist on the hills... but I could go on an on.
after the night kabale we were going to attempt to go to tanzania via bus. the grabbed a bus - with the same driver we had from kampala a few days earlier. ugh - that man is the enemy. he tells you the bus is leaving in a hour, the bus actually leaves 4 hours later, and takes nearly twice as long to get there as you expected. not to mention it was freezing cold and we arrived in kabale at 4 am and had to bang on a hotel door to get a room. a $5 room with two mosquito nets tied together to form a high ineffective single mosquito protective device.
needless to say our second bus ride with brian was equally as unsuccessful. we spent 3 hours sitting in a trucker town for no apparent reason (of course the reason being they don't leave until the bus is full to the brim - we had chickens on board both ways.)
we arrived in masaka very late but decided to try and make the border. we borded another bus to mutukula (the border town.) the conductor was very helpful and we it became clear we wouldn't make the border in time he paid for a small car to take us the rest of the way. a small car filled with 9 people. who knew a toyota sedan could hold that many people.
we crammed/flew to mutukula but missed the border by a half hour and had to spend the night. gabe claims it was the worst night of his life. sean paul's delightful music was blaring until 2 am, two cats got into multiple fights that sounded very painful, the loudest mosquitos in history invaded the room and it was hot. needless to say neither of us slept well.
in the morning we made for the border. left uganda and walked across to tanzania only to discover visas for americans cost $100, no exceptions. so we went to the bank for money. except they had no ATM, so we would have had to backtrack all the way to masaka (88km) and then back to border.
needless to say tonight we are in kampala headed back to nairobi. gabe and I decided to time and money weren't worth it. so tonight we catch the bus to nairobi and then we go to masai mara nat'l park instead of serengeti. screw you tanzania.
oh africa!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
uganda.
gabe and I are in uganda. first we went whitewater rafting and bungee jumping (three times each) on the nile in jinja. totally epic. no worries there are videos of it all.
now we're in kabale - we trekked to see mountain gorillas in bwindi nat'l park. the experience it nearly indescribable - but I'll do my best as soon as I get more time.
today we're trying to get to tanzania - then ferry across lake victoria - and then onto to see some big animals in serengeti nat'l park.
merry christmas to all - in case we don't see internet before the holidays. its too hot here to celebrate christmas.
Gabe is loving Africa - I think and hope. especially riding bodabodas (motorcycles) all around the uganda countryside.
love to you all.
now we're in kabale - we trekked to see mountain gorillas in bwindi nat'l park. the experience it nearly indescribable - but I'll do my best as soon as I get more time.
today we're trying to get to tanzania - then ferry across lake victoria - and then onto to see some big animals in serengeti nat'l park.
merry christmas to all - in case we don't see internet before the holidays. its too hot here to celebrate christmas.
Gabe is loving Africa - I think and hope. especially riding bodabodas (motorcycles) all around the uganda countryside.
love to you all.
Monday, November 30, 2009
heinz tomato ketchup.
I'm currently working on a draft of my research paper.
in a cafe with french fries. and HEINZ TOMATO KETCHUP!
do I like ketchup? no.
did I eat and entire bowl of french fries dipped in half a bottle of HEINZ "delicious" TOMATO KETCHUP? absolutely.
I don't want to call it life changing... but it was magical.
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