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So far I really love Uganda.

It has been a very laid back country, and the people are very warm. I wanted to recap some interesting things that have happened since we've been here. Getting here was quite a headache. Upon leaving Nairobi, we were told to be at the airport at least 2 hours in advance. Unfortunately our alarm didn't go off at the Giraffe Manor, so we ended up being an hour later than we had planned. We arrived at the airport 1 hour 15 minutes before our flight would leave. The airport was packed. There was a line to get into the airport (security), then once we got in, we had to stand in another line (there were at least 300 people in this one). We literally moved about 15 spaces within the span of half an hour. It became apparent to us that we would not make our flight. Mike asked a couple of airport people if we could go straight to the desk, and they said "wait in the queue...we have a system." Finally the first class line cleared up, and I went to the lady working there, explained the situation, and she let us check in there. After that, there was another line...the passport line. Then there was a line to get through our gate. There were several flights leaving from each gate, and you had to walk out on the tarmac to get on the planes. Once we were finally on the plane we breathed a sigh of relief, but the plane did not leave until about 45 minutes after the designated take off time.

When we arrived in the Entebbe airport (Uganda), it was very small...I think there was only one or two gates. At baggage claim (only one belt), there were drug dogs walking on top of all of the luggage on the belt doing their jobs :) We met our new driver/guide, Medi, and he was immediately very friendly and nice. We changed our money into Uganda Schillings at the airport, since we wouldn't have many more opportunities to do so, and the money changer was excited to hear we were from the U.S. He said he had two family members who were in the U.S., including a sister in Milwaukee.

We left the airport and passed another airstrip on the way out. This one had several UN jets on it. Apparently Uganda is used as a base for UN peacekeeping opporations in Congo and Sudan, which is pretty cool.

The drive from Entebbe to Bwindi was very long (8 hours at least). It wasn't boring though, because there was a lot of stuff to look at along the way. We passed through many villages, and it was interesting how many people carry things on their heads...from banana bunches, to grain, to water, to baskets, to suitcases, to logs...you name it! We saw many banana trees on the way (MANY!). Uganda is an extremely lush, very green country, and the road we were travelling along was very red.

AIDS is very prevalent in Uganda, and it was noticeable, by the many billboards and signs referencing that fact. There were red ribbons everywhere, as well as "Abstinence" billboards, community testing/counseling locations and the like.

One thing we've noticed in Uganda (and Kenya) is how prevalent religion is. In these two countries it's mostly Christian, though we've seen a few mosques too. There are so many churches - every sort of Christian denomination you can think of, and around 90% of the population goes to church on a weekly basis. Every where you go you see Biblical references, and even many companies have Christian names (i.e. Alleluya Cement). Most of the people we have met have had Biblical names.

Hmmm...what else...our camp in Bwindi was called Buhoma Homestead, and our first impression wasn't that great. The room was a bit buggy, and the electricity was limited, running off of a solar generator. The place really grew on us though. The camp staff was extremely cordial and did a great job, especially our new friend, Rogers, who was our "waiter," at our private dinners. The dining room only seated about 8-10 people, and usually we dined alone...well there were a couple of geckos who lived on the walls (we named them Mongo & Pongo), but other than that we were alone most of the time. At night there was a campfire set up, and it was so peaceful to listen to the frogs at night and watch the stars. When we went back to our room at night, there were always a couple of hot waterbottles placed in the bed, and a gas lamp at the door.

That's about it for now. We're driving through Queen Elizabeth National Park on our way to Kibale. We tried to get internet access for the last couple of days, but the internet location relied on solar energy, and it's been rather cloudy lately....hopefully we can get internet soon.

Animals seen today so far today:
Tree climbing lions
Uganda antelope
Buffalo
Baboon

Beer tally:
Nile Special
Bell
Club