Elephants in the wee morning hours at dawn.  

We overnighted at Simba Safari Camp.  Beautiful accommodations.  Thank you GAdventures.  Nets over the beds, full glass windows and doors to the pool area, private bathroom, huge walk-in shower, electricity.

On morning safari drive by 630 am to start our day.  A few mosquitoes and a fantastic view of the sunrise.  

A herd of elephants as the sun rises. We are not even at the gate to the park yet, driving down the highway with park on both sides of us, glistening in the bright sun.  Munching on thorny acacia trees. Babes, moms, big herd leaders. Wow.  What a moment.  We take lots of time to enjoy them. 

It’s 8 am and we are now off road    Uganda kob in the tall golden grass.  Family of warthog.  Few family group Mangoon running group. They eat snake. 

Red neck Franklin bird. Have red legs and beaks. Run on road. They can fly but are ground birds. 

Beautiful grasses and trees, shrubs and cactus. Wow. Waterbuck females are Lions least favourite food. They produce toxins when stressed. Also thick hair as they go in water …. If lion can eat anything else they will.  

leopard can only kill what can lift up tree 

Eating popcorn in the van. Standing up in the pop up top. 

Bastardy bird and wrap wing. Black headed weaver birds. Hippopotamus waddling by. 

We stop at 10 am for a break, stretch, walk around tourist stuff (tshirts, hats, carvings of hippos and giraffe) and use facilities. Some sample the local food, egg omelet wrapped in chipati. Inside chopped raw onion and tomatoes. I can smell the ingredients in the heat. 

It is 4 pm. I hope to see my favourite Africa animals, elephants, giraffes and zebra. I also love the birds.  It is not the same as all other parks.  We will see some of my faves but not all.  

Heading out to the park for our first safari here.  But first a stop for water and explanation at the Uganda Equator.  Onward we go into the large park.  We have our safari clothes and bug spray on … a hat and other protection from the sun and mosquitoes here.  The park is on both sides of the highway … we start to see animals within the park… we pull over, then back in traffic. 

We first see waterbucks grazing. Uganda Kob are national animal (Antelope family).  Impala are a bit smaller than Kob. Female Lion with cubs in the grass. Elephant group way off in distance. Pumba, warthog. Crested eagle atop tree.

We stopped at the gate.  Then enter the park and begin to drove on reddish dirt road …. Where others are watching a leopard in the tree, tail hanging down.  My camera not good enough at this distance and Gail’s just quit.  We watch with the naked eye. Back leg moves, head moves. He gets up. Lays back down. Watching from his perch. One leg on one side of branch one on the other. Through binoculars he looks so close. Fantastic. Beautiful. My first sighting. We won’t see giraffes or zebra in this park. This is a highlight sighting for sure.  The big five complete for me on this trip.  

Red neck spurfowl is a ground bird crossed the road.

Another bird on road African Wattled Lapwing. 

Off road now. Big buffaloes. Warthog. Waterbuck. While racing to see a lion close to the road we zipped by the leopard and one of the fellow guests spied the leopard now on a rock mound, no longer up the tree.  Resting.  The sun is going down …. What a beautiful sight!  Others stop to see what we are seeing.  

Large Herd of water buffalo 

Out of the park at sunset. The uncommon bush buck. 

Herd of elephants by the road in dark just after dusk. Amazing finish to today’s safari 

Hello and back on wifi while in restaurant but photos won’t upload. I think it is 12 Sep 2023. 

We left Kluges Guest Lodge this morning after two nights in nice tents with full beds but shared bathroom so walked to shower and toilets. Some ants were annoying. Beautiful gardens and flowers and trees on site. Did a guided nature walking tour on day of arrival. Overnight listening to the rain and sounds of the night. I will post photos on Facebook when I can.

I stayed on site yesterday and enjoyed the pool, enjoying the flowers, trees, birdsong and other noises. …and sat in lodge lounge listening to the rain and chatting with other guests and the owners. I enjoyed the relaxing downtime and sounds of the birds and wildlife. 

Ok. We arrived at Simba Safari Lodge around lunch time. I had a quick swim. Our shared room is lovely, spacious. Room is directly across from pool. 

I had a bowl of soup for lunch. Food is great so far. 

We are here for two nights and will be on Safari this evening. I think also all day tomorrow… we will eat at a different site. The Queen Elizabeth National Park is huge, second largest in Uganda. We will find some wildlife. Maybe elephant and ??  Not likely lion or other cats which are more camera shy. That’s ok with me. We will see what nature provides us. 

Paul is a very accomplished guide and knowledgeable person from Uganda. He used to be a teacher in public schools on Ugandan history. For past years has been guiding with GAdventures. The CEO guides working with G are exceptional and I highly recommend this Canadian company that give’s wonderful opportunities to local people in destination. Yay for GAdventures!!

It sounds small … I had no expectations of this place.  As we drove the last leg from Kampala, we travelled several kms on muddy washed out road that seemed like a vey long alley.  Past homes, animals, trees, people with young children waving so hard their whole bodies were waving ha ha.  It seems so friendly and they look delighted to see us.

A few signs along the drive indicate it must be a major place … then we arrive.  Long driveway with a secure gate.  We park, are greeted with a fruit beverage and our rooms have been arranged.  Tents in the campsite are spacious, I can stand easily, two beds in each, a night stand between, large zipper windows and doors, with a tin roof overhead.  A chair each and some woven mats on the floor.  The only inconvenience is the toilet and showers are shared but not too far away.  

The grounds are like walking through a garden …. the restaurant, the permanent buildings, cottages and guest houses are very well kept and painted a coral colour. There is a swimming pool that I look forward to trying out.  

We drop our packs in our room and head out for an hour and half hosted nature walk to see some plants, birds and monkeys that are unique to this area.  We saw it all. And got bit by a few ants …. Plentiful little fellas that apparently climb up your skin and pinch.  The guide pinched them off my skin and no longer term consequences noted …. Keep walking, ha ha, don’t stand still!  

Lots of photos, a beautiful place.  Seems I can receive some emails but no texts or Facebook or messenger and I can’t send anything.  Argh.  I upgraded my iPhone and iwatch but otherwise, I keep writing and hoping for wifi one day again so I can post.  

A meeting with our two CEO guides explaining the rules, outline the itinerary, each person introduces themselves.  Next …..Dinner, was prepared for me especially to be consistent and careful with my food needs.  

A peaceful night listening to sounds of the sky with rain showers and birds or insects or wildlife or all of  these?  all foreign sounds but interesting from my tent.   i decide to take the next day off and rest here.  That decision gives me some peace.  I am missing my home.  missing my comforts and contact with family.  i am ready to be done and heading back to my life and home.  a week to go.

going to have a swim and relax, maybe walk and read ?  I wonder what this day will bring? stay present and notice.

Wifi will only let me email. No Facebook. No messenger. No text. Argh. I will keep trying

Love Pamela in Africa

LATER. It’s tomorrow now and we are ready to leave this garden home. I talked to other guests, I swam for an hour, I wrote and read some regards to my life / work / family plans going forward. 

The owner from Germany bought the land 33 years ago, built all that we see, gardens, trees, buildings . With his wife who is from here. 

It is so welcoming and beautiful in lush greenery, trees and flowers. A nice place for a down day. 

I talked to owner for an hour or two. Also with a young man who has been motorcycling with small tent from the Netherlands for the past 1.5 years. He sold everything he owns. He has a dream to do guiding on motorcycles in Africa. Very interesting young man. 

I talked to a guy about my age traveling for many years with a Land Cruiser with tent on top for sleeping. It looks amazing rig and a free life. He is a grandfather and keeps in touch with Facebook. 

In high levels women are encouraged to participate but in local communities women remain seen as property. We talked about residential school legacy. 

Queen Elizabeth national park. 1968sqkm. 13 villages in and border the park. Lake George in it. Only in Uganda. 25% of country is covered with water. Hippos. Elephant. Buffalo use the lake. Second largest park in Uganda. Some surrounded by electric wire fencing to prevent animals from going on road. 

Arthur and Paul are two ceo / drivers. Arthur is our driver today and we will switch it up as we go. Paul is the senior CEO with more than 15 years experience doing this Classic tour, the 18 to 30 something groups and the National Geographic Journeys.  He used to be a school teacher and left that for this choice in his work. Arthur has been doing the work for 5 years, also very experienced.  

I asked a few questions about Uganda as Arthur is from here in this area. 

In Uganda, there are 52 tribes who speak a total of

47 languages – most speak one common language   English. Swahili. Ugandan are common to most  

Built on kingdoms. Now one country 

745 am departure. Stopped first at ATM so people can get Uganda shillings for next two days. We will stop every two days to replenish. 

At first view, in the city of Kampala, the ground and area seems cleaner. Definitely still Africa and the use of speed bumps, rumble strips. This is very effective to prevent speeding in traffic area including school zones and pedestrians crossing 

Last night was a wedding in our hotel / forest lodge. The stay was one night, rooms were unique, clean and really enjoyable. Nice single beds with private washrooms and nets over the beds.  

The currency here is hard to figure out and changes from country to country.  $50 usd = 18500 shillings 

$1 = 3500 shillings approximately 

Uganda has very fluctuating weather. Been hot but getting cooler. The rainy season has started they say.  We have had a few big rains but not continuous.  

I notice the sign says 300 Kms to Fort Portal where we will stay.  The only place in Uganda with an English name.  

On our drive we spy Maribu stork. Fish or meat they eat. They are a very large bird, a bit looking like a vulture.  They can be seen on the ground or on tops of trees.

Black headed weaver birds are tiny creatures that build those nests we have seen hanging from branches in the trees.

In this country the big crops include coffee. Tea. Bananas. Corn. Sugar cane. (Some rice but not in this part of the country) Matoke green bananas are a staple, they are eaten mashed and cooked …. Used for cooking, everyday. Cassava root is also a staple, we see it sold along side of the road.  The locals eat fresh foods only. Every day they slaughter cows or goats and the meat is cut and sold.  There are larger butcher shops and then people come to purchase from them and sell in local small village shops.

This country is lush and we see all manner of exotic trees and plants along the way.  Bamboo. Eucalyptus trees. Plants and flowers are colourful and plentiful.  Mahogany trees. Mango. Papyrus along swamp. To make thatched type roofs and also used in weaving.

Coffee is personal so everyone grows it for own use. And also it is grown on larger plantations and exported. Tea also grown more for export. We pass many tea plantations.  I have learned a lot about tea production in East Africa.

We travel through Rural areas and see many cows and goats on rope leash   Grazing along roadway (where the grazing is free because that shoulder area along the roads cannot be purchased or built upon.  Sometimes it is a bit treacherous ensuring we don’t hit any who are not leashed and wander across the road.  The folks who tend the animals are pretty good about keeping them corralled together and out of harms way.

I spy a fellow driving a motorcycle. Strapped across so the full length of the bed frame is visible to oncoming traffic … he is transporting full size bed. Loaded on top arewhat looks like all of his belongings. Balanced. Oh vey!   Motorcycles are used as taxi and delivery here. 

Market stalls colourful in some small villages. It’s weekend Saturday. Busy busy with masses of people, colourful items for sale, animals, children, moms with babes strapped on their backs and baskets balanced on their heads.  Mostly we see the women dressed in what we might call evening wear, fancy velvets, modern styles, hair done in braid extensions with the younger adult women.  The older women with scarves circling their heads, usually from colourful fabrics.

Mounds of red mud we ask about …. Some large and some about half that size.  The smaller are usually Used for making charcoal and bigger ones are kilns. 

1962 Uganda gained independence   Land here was Founded on kingdoms. Land still divided up in kingdoms / regions. Many tribes within each kingdom. 

Kibale national park is the worlds largest park for being rich in primates – 13 kinds of monkey and baboons- is what makes it unique and only place in the world like it.  Tomorrow we are scheduled to be there for a walk to see the chimpanzee.  This park is the Home of 376 varieties of birds, types of antelope. Mostly primates are the interest for most for us. 

Thee are 10 national parks in Uganda. Murchisom falls national park is most famous and is 3000 sq km and River Nile starts here at lake Victoria and goes to Egypt. We are not going there. 

Stopped at Fort Portal for buffet lunch – I have adopted a cooked vegetarian diet while here. Yay. Tasty and safe. And easier to navigate my food needs.  The washrooms are more basic, and sometimes only the squat variety available at public stops like gas stations.

We have arrived at the peaceful Kluges guest farm. They have lodge and 10 tents are furnished and include in the tent a charging port. Shared bathroom and toilets. Opportunity to upgrade if wanted. They have a swimming pool and forest walk guided to see monkeys. I better go find the pool!  Then a nature walk, a meeting to get to know fellow guests. And dinner at 7 pm. 

Stay tuned. More later. 

Good morning, taking a few moments to jot down some overall thoughts of my African journey thus far.  

The preparation and packing is important.  The flight is long.  I had some apprehension right from the start … even back when the booking started.  East Africa in Depth with GAdventures has a 4 out of 5 rating for physical activity.  I am not feeling physically fit “enough”, am I? And what does that even mean?  I really don’t know if they consider persons of my age or how do they measure this?  

Then I added the South Africa tour … Kruger in Depth to begin my journey.  Adding 4 nights in Zanzibar Tanzania for some off-tour activities with travel buddies in between the safari tours.  A month in total to be away from home and on the road living out of a back pack and on the move every night or two.

Preparing for basic living, sleeping bag, pillow, clothes but not too many so I can do laundry along the way and carry all items on my back in a pack.  I do not want to check in luggage and that limits the amount I want to bring.  I probably squished too much in, in retrospect, but not sure what I would have not taken as I have used most (all) clothes thus far.  Medications and what-if items … hats, rain gear, lots of layers just in case it is cold … bathing suit and water shoes as I was hopeful to have swim time in the ocean. On and on goes the list, and then the eliminating that which does not fit in the carryon bag.  Phew.

The first few weeks were not as basic accommodations although still, being away from luxuries and available washrooms as we drove on bus and ventured into the National Park.  One needs to be ready for waiting long time for comforts at times.  Always travel with toilet paper .. haha.  I swam in outdoor pools that were fed water from the cold water tap and the rain …. Not big, but refreshing.  I enjoyed this.  The beach time in Zanzibar was magical and the blue safari unexpected and totally enjoyed by me – a full day in the water and seeing the location from a dhow!

Small and large airports with long delays and yet, all arrived safely at the destination …. Patience is the word for air travel in 2023.

Camping in tents has been common in my early life experience and I kind of like the idea of listening to wild sounds.  This last week has been in tents, sometimes sleeping on slim foamies. Often walking a distance to kitchen and toilet facilities.  The sounds of the night, the sights of dawn, the pelting of rain, the howl of the wind, thunder and lightning, lineups with others sharing the accommodations.  Food cooked for 16 people and all the various needs and special requests.  Wildlife within arms length …. 

The weather has been pretty good, lots of hot hot, cooler temperatures also and some big rain storm that was so loud and heavy rains falling at once.  Fascinating part of the world. 

The wildlife has vastly exceeded all my expectations…. Variety and quantity everywhere we have been on safari.  Close up lions, far away elephants and giraffe …. Shy warthogs with radio antenna tails when they run away from us. All kinds of antelope bouncing.  Close up enough to see the eyelashes of elephants and giraffe. Huge hippo, water buffalo and wildebeest. Tiny dikdik.  Ostrich and flamingos,storks and exotic birds of prey. Friendly baboons and curious monkeys.  Cats that reside in the area including a few cheetah sightings and evidence of leopard close by, likely watching us from a hiding spot.  Families of wild creatures, with babes close by and playing or learning to hunt.  All so close and exciting for all of us.  Some we photograph and some we sit or stand in the safari vehicle and marvel from our safe place.

The trees and shrubs, the vast grasslands, mountainous views, river beds dry and active, the drives on paved roads in Kruger and sand and rock in east Africa … some days mucky and slippery from night rains.  The cactus, wild and flowering.  Bright greens and colors, grey reddish soils d long yellow gold grasses.  The trees framing sunrise and sunsets that take my breath away as I request the driver to suddenly stop so I can capture the moment on my device for later viewing again and again.  The sights along the rural roadways in Kenya and South Africa …. The colourful clothing of the locals, the work clothes and footwear of many packed into backs of trucks or 4 seated on a motorbike hitching a ride to or from the work site and home.  The children in school uniforms, in play clothes, young and old tending the goats, sheep and cows.

I try to meditate every day and try to stay in the present moment as much as possible.  I want to post and keep you all engaged and with me as I journey on.  

Stay tuned for more.  Wish you were here.

Love Pamela of Africa

Last night was an amazing loud thunder and lightning storm with torrential rain for hours until bedtime.

This morning up and packed by 6 am. In our safari vehicle for last drive through Maasai Mara park. 

Giraffes grazing on acacia tree tops in sunrise. Battery charger charging. On my way!  

Impala. Gail says they look spring loaded when they run

I love the trees here very unique beautiful in the sun Rise. 

Pumba warthogs that put tails straight up when they run from us. 

Leaving park at 730 am. The women trying to sell trinkets at the gate. The Maasai people wear red plaid coverings over shoulders and tied around neck. Children walking to school waving. 

Arrived in Nairobi city limits. Amani garden for lunch. Lunch was covered by our tour dollars. 

Together we are transformed = pamoja tunabadilishwa

Quilt. Textile coop. I love the textiles and fabric art. 

Things to think about: to see this area it is probably important to be ok with being uncomfortable. Or at least be prepared to suspend your privilege enough to be ok with basic, rustic forms of accommodation.  What are you willing to live with to feel this country? To embrace its struggles? To see its riches and animals. What is it worth to you?  If you don’t wish to give up all your privileges and comfort- this won’t be the tour for you.   There are more expensive options that perhaps you can and are willing to try so you can be more comfortable. Just food for thought. 

A quiet relaxing evening arranging flights for tomorrow for the last leg of the tour. Flights tomorrow afternoon. 

Take care all. 

Wish you were here

Love p 

Xo

A bed. Big enough for me. Plenty of covers. A pillow. Mosquito netting. Private bathroom. 

A great evening Safari on arrival. Some going in hot air balloon tomorrow to take in some animal sightings from the air. Wow. I am opting for land safari, though tempting. 

My last post I mentioned the maribou stork but looks like spell check called it a storm. A very large vulture looking bird, dark feathers and long beak. One of the ugly 5 – as they are called. This stork, vulture, hyena, warthog, wildebeest. We saw three already here and on this trip to Africa I have seen all 5!  Yay. 

The big five, although my group saw a leopard in South Africa, I only saw evidence of it. Maybe tomorrow. The other 4 I have seen. 

Good night and have a great sleep. 

MORNING

quiet night but up early with those heading out for balloon ride. They left early early. 

Maribou stork flying over. We drive by some school children on way to school carrying little bundles of firewood. They have cooked shared lunch together and everyone contributes 

Yesterday we stopped at village of Narok. Today safari in park. 7 am to 5 pm. It’s crisp fresh morning air. 

Zebra. Another big stork standing alone. About 3 feet tall with massive wingspan. Elephant muffins look fresh. Wildebeest   Impala. Baboons. Giraffe. Thompson gazelle, One horn. Topi is savannah cowboy., The fastest antelope and very brave and faces its predators. Buffalo. Elephant family. Ostrich. 3 brother cheetahs posing for landrover vehicles. 

Some vehicles stuck in muddy backroad areas. It rained again last night and roads are bumpy and washed out at best of times. We stop to help out again. Our vehicle and driver are more capable of assisting. 

We stopped briefly at an airstrip in the park, for bathroom break. Then back to the ultimate safari search. 

A honeymooning couple of lions resting on a rock. Watching small family herd of elephants walking. 

A little jackal. Heartbeast. Zebra. Hyenas carrying carcass and running. 3 warthogs in a mud puddle. Cheetah in a field of dry grass with blood on its mouth, having something to eat. 

4 lions – young. In the small bushes watching a large solo Buffalo. Hippos in the Mara River. 

We stop for lunch. On border with Serengeti and Tanzania with Maasai / Kenya. White markers show the border. Animals as far as I can see. Wildebeest and zebra mostly   . Southern ground hornbill birds 

Back to the river to spy lots more hippopotamus. Egyptian geese. huge crocodiles. Yellow billed storks. 

In a tree we spy the remains of a baby zebra. The closest we get to spying a leopard today. 

This stop we have beds off the ground and a little nicer accommodations with private bathrooms per tent or little house. 

Cactus and also some greenery and few flowers in this area. 

The rain started about 330 pm. Pouring down. We are to meet at 4 to head out on Safari. My first rain Safari. Haha. Bring out the rain gear and let’s see what’s happening in the National Park!  

This famous popular park is 1500 sq Kms. The previous parks 104 to 180 sq Kms. 

Wildebeest first up. Maribou storm – another of the big five ugly animals. 

Then herd of elephants. So cool to watch the babies following along and between. Cute!  Happy birthday Verona!!

We watched a male impala with his harem. He was singly focused. 

Hyenas. Also on big five ugly list. Running. Hard to photograph   Zebra. 

Hyenas running toward giraffes 

Beautiful majestic Maasai Giraffe herd. A tower?  Youngster and various shades. Darker, brighter more color as young.

Buffalo. Loser male Impalas. More wildebeest. 

5 pm rain stops. Radio chatter sounds excited. Off we go. ….

Herd of topi antelopes with impala mom and babe in the huge space of this park!

Water buffalo. Ostrich. Few jackals. This landscape is so beautiful. Dark soil. Water ponds. Rock outcrops. Greenery is sparse but we are going cross country. 

Lions. A mating couple. Then a mom and two cubs. 

Wow. Great driving. Wonderful sights. Park closes at 630 and that is exactly what time  we drove out. Perfect timing. Back to camp. Shower. Dinner at 730 pm.