In the jungle, the mighty jungle

Today we left for a mini holiday to go to Murchison Falls with just the two of us. We had a quick breakfast before we left and the staff had prepared a local favorite – grasshoppers – as part of our meal. I’d tasted them last time and was surprised that they tasted quite good. To cook them they remove the legs and wings and then fry the rest in some butter. It’s a tasty treat, almost like popcorn but more crunchy. Kelly wasn’t up to braving it – she said the eyes kept looking at her but Joseph didn’t blink to put a handful on his bread – eyes and all, and crunch them down. Grasshoppers – the breakfast of champions.

Grasshoppers are plentiful this time of the year – you see them everywhere. I even had one fly into the open widow of the car and land on my shoulder when driving through town. They cover the walls of buildings and make for an easy meal for the scavenging storks in town. To catch them you simply wait till nightfall, turn on a very bright light and place a tall bin below the light. Grasshoppers would swarm towards the light – hundreds at a time and fall into the bins whose walls were too steep for them to jump out of. An easy catch and the streets would be lined with vendors selling heaps of them for eager buyers.

A different style of toilet

Our driver, Ishmael, picked us up bright and early and we made the long five and a half hour drive to the national park entrance. We went through crowded Kampala, drove through dozens of small towns on bumpy roads and stopped for a lunch of fresh fish – whole tilapia with head, scales and tale all breaded with rice and veggies. The fish was huge and filled my plate almost spilling over the edges. It was very meaty and tender – simply amazing.

We continued along dusty dirt roads to the park entrance. As soon as we crossed the boundary there were baboons on the road to greet us as if to say, “welcome to our home”. We were staying in luxury huts – round stone buildings with thatched roofs, deep in the jungle. The scenery was amazing and when we arrived more baboons were walking just a few meters past our hut. We were the only ones staying here tonight so the place was ours. We had a quick dip in the pool (which wasn’t quite working – must have been because it was the off season), a long hot shower (solar showers) and a great dinner in the lodge. There were a few bats flying around the lodge while we ate which may have bothered others but we were quite fine with it. We’ve had our share of experiences with bats in the past.

We setup the mosquito net over our bed. I had to laugh as one hole in the netting was repaired with a bandage from a previous guest I’m sure. The generators shut down at 10pm so it was pitch black out and all we could hear was the loud crickets, frogs and the occasional baboon or monkey grunt in the background. It was an amazing lullaby to call us to sleep. I wanted to stay up later but we were to get up at 5am for breakfast and to head out early for the sunrise and safari so we needed some sleep.

Jungle Fever

We had a great rest and woke easily for breakfast even though it was still pitch black out. The generators hadn’t kicked on yet so we used my iPhone as a flashlight to dress and pack for the day. After a quick breakfast we traveled along the dusty roads and watched as the sun rose behind us. We had to reach the ferry to cross the Nile, which only runs a few times a day. We made it there just in time and crossed the river so we could begin our safari adventure. We picked up our safari guide – the most experienced guide in the park. He carries a gun, partially for protection but mainly in case an elephant blocks the roadway. Elephants can be quite stubborn and stand in the middle of the road for over an hour and sometimes there is no way around, so the ranger would shoot his gun into the air to entice the elephant would move.

We moved through many different types of scenery, from savanna to grasslands to rich jungle areas. Along the way we easily spotted all types of gazelles and antelopes, water buffalo, warthogs, hippos and numerous birds. As we headed in deeper into the park we found the giraffes and some elephants. The elephants have a common migration path used for centuries and it’s obvious to spot – not because it’s a worn path but because it is literally lined with Palm trees. Palm trees were not native to the park but were introduced from the north by elephants that would eat parts of the tree and days later would deposit seeds in their droppings and by doing so introduced Palm trees to the Park.

Our goal was to spot a leopard or lion that are very difficult to find. We came across a dead water buffalo, which the guide said was from a lion pack a few days previous.

The day before we arrived there was a lot of rainfall so the apparently the roads yesterday were treacherous in the Park. Even the best 4×4’s were sliding all over the roads and we could see deep tracks and evidence of many incidences of trucks sliding into the ditches. We heard that one truck was stuck right at 7am and did not manage to get free till 1pm. Thankfully the roads were quite dry today with just a few puddles to serve as a reminder of the weather the days previous.

We took hundreds of photos but had no luck finding any cats yet but had to head back for a picnic lunch in the campsite area and be sure to be back in time to catch the boat ride. We ate our lunch under a stick shade umbrella and watched as warthogs sniffed around, some as close as 3 or 4 feet away hoping for a free lunch but they were unsuccessful so a family of them just slept in the shade of a tree a few feet away. Man they are ugly creatures up close but they seemed so docile and easy-going.

We caught our boat and spent the afternoon on the Nile heading up to the falls – a 2-hour journey up and another hour return. The riverbeds were lined with countless hippos and the occasional alligator. As we neared the falls we came across a large family of elephants from male elders to very young. It was amazing to see a family – generations of elephants together by the waterside. We continued on and cruised right up near the impressive falls to take some photos before heading back.

We made our way back to the lodge to eat and rest for the evening. We chatted with a few other guests and it seems every Muzungo (white person) you meet is there on some sort of charity mission. That’s why the name Muzungo is said with respect and admiration – mainly from children, since they know many Muzungos are there to help in some capacity.

In the morning we were going on a hike to the top of the falls to see the entire Nile River flow into a small opening and drop 100 meters to the river below. I wasn’t feeling well so I told Kelly to go on with the guide and see it – I’d seen it a few years ago and it was something that shouldn’t be missed.

It turns out that the cause of my not feeling well was our picnic lunch the day previous. I didn’t think about it at the time but we had pies for lunch – mine was a beef meat pie and Kelly’s a vegetarian. It turns out our lunch was made around 5am and sat in the hot sun in back of the jeep till we ate around 1pm. Not good for meat – nor for my gut. Thankfully by the time Kelly returned a few hours later I was well enough to make the 5-hour drive back to Kampala. Whew.

When we returned we had planned to hit the town and find a place to listen to live local music and dance but we were exhausted and just had a late dinner and mellow night at home so we could rest and prepare for our next adventure in the morning.

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