It’s the last day in Uganda. “How
to spend it,” was my first question – now beginning to be fully aware and a
little panicked that I’ve missed something!
Well – of course I have – but most of it is too late to capture now – so
I’ll have t be satisfied with small bits.
First things first – coffee! Good coffee – espresso with full-cream
milk. Do some leisurely reading since
the slow rain outside has given me permission.
Lake Victoria—one of the world’s largest lakes—produces its own weather
system and the sky is leaking from ominous slate grey clouds. Hornbills are honking like Howler Monkeys.
The day is off to a sloooow start – and it suits me.
Check out time is 10:00 and they’ve given me 30 minutes of grace
time all of which has been lost as I have my head buried in Nevada Barr mystery
coughed up by the PCV library when I offered it Bloodline in exchange.
Thinking through how I will manage a shower and a change of clothes with
no room to lounge in between now and 8:30 PM when I have to leave for the airport—I
pack a confusing array of possibilities
and discover that the rain has mellowed to a light sprinkle. I zip up bags , leave them in a corner and head
out to the zoo and 30 minute walk away.
Arriving at the zoo on the shore of Lake Victoria, I notice an even
more ominous cloud line hugging the horizon and hope I will at least a) beat
the huge and eager group of primary school kids trying to behave so they can
get into the zoo and b) visit the chimps before it starts raining again. The kids are pretty cute—little ones, all
decked out in their red school shirts and arranged in a shuffling group with
littlest ones in front and taller ones toward the back. So I pick up the pace and make it just in
time.
Wandering through the place, I’m reminded again of our first visit
and how disappointed I was in what it had to offer and now appreciating the
rather casual approach of “housing” animals in natural and unpretentious
habitat areas with motes of water and minimal fencing. I pass the zebras and Boks and some funny
looking beared deer and hear a crowd of kids and chimps screeching. Hard to tell which is which and who is
exciting whom. I found a group of adults
(chimps that is) scattered on the other side of the water, just having been fed
and protectively guarding their own hordes of fruit. One large male teetering at the water’s edge
(they HATE water) caught my attention as he tries to puzzle out how to retrieve
a fat red apple bobbing up and down about 10 feet out of reach.
Not to be deterred or denied his treat, he grabs a piece of bamboo
and starts slapping at the apple and pulling the bamboo toward him. Not working…
He surveys the possibilities and latches onto a dead branch and
carefully pulls the apple to the edge and chows down. Finishing that one, he
heads for another – starting again with bamboo, throwing that one down and
examines a waterlogged piece of wood—discarding it. Searching for the last tool
that worked he picked the branch again and I’m thinkin’ this is a pretty clever
chimp. I wonder about the evolutionary chain…
Later: now back at the motel having
hiked back in a sprinkling rain and sitting under a Mango tree with branches loaded
with fist size fruit that’ll be ready for the picking in about a month. The rain is back – and I want a nap – but
figure there will be 20 or so hours of that. My feet have not seen anything but
sandals in two years and are not happy with being shoved back into “real
shoes.” I’ve had to leave the sandals behind – they were good soldiers –
repaired numerous times to hold together until….
We are now at “until” and I had room for two pairs of shoes and
those have to accommodate fall and winter weather. So one box of Band-Aids and a roll of medical
tape later I’m hoping that I can get to Austin without having to go altogether
barefoot because of all the blisters.
S-i-x m-o-r-e
h-o-u-r-s
Now FOUR hours later and several more chapters of Nevada Barr, I have been graced with an unoccupied room in
which to shower. Bless these lovely
girls who have taken mercy on me. I am
filled with African Tea—a comforting mixture of whole milk boiled with fresh
ginger and a bay leaf, then poured over tea bags. Heavenly.
By the time you read this I’ll be tucked into seat 21K on my way to
Brussels and dreaming of Mexican food but eating airplane food – better these
days than it used to be. Hoping for something
tasty and some movies I’ve never seen.
well – that last part shouldn’t be hard…
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