So much to tell and only a few minutes. Right now I am sitting in a small backroom in an internet cafe in the town of Kabale (probably the room where most internet scams originate, by the look of things) , and I think our group are the only white people in town. We are almost at our camp, which will be our base for the next four nights. Tomorrow we are doing the gorilla trek, we are divided into three groups, each group will trek and visit different gorilla families. Really looking forward to that adventure.
On Monday we left Kampala early (around 6am) and we had a ten hour drive to our camp at Queen Elizabeth National Park. We set up camp and had a relaxing evening. Yesterday we were up about 5:30 for breakfast at 6 and headed out on a full day game drive at 7. We saw a hippo waddling around the land, which is apparently quite rare. We saw a few warthogs. And we saw a lioness laying in the long grass.
We were on the highway heading to the second part of the park when we found our first elephants. They were absolutely amazing. We saw another lone elephant on the way to the next area of the park. Within the park, we soon found another family including a couple of youths and a baby. They were amazing. They all walked past us and into the bush, and when they were out of site you could hear a rustle and a trumpet. It was breathtaking.
We had our packed lunch, and in the afternoon we did a 2 hour boat cruise of the Kazinga Channel. We saw tons of elephants from the water, lots of hippos, monkeys, alligators and birds.
We headed out of the park, and on the way we saw a lion and lioness, and a few more elephants. We got back to the camp around 6:30, so it was a long day!
My tentmate had arrived during the day (her flight was delayed so she missed the first couple days), so I showed her the tent and we had dinner and a quick group meeting in the bar, and headed off to bed.
So far my sleeping bag is 2/2. It has been a lovely temperature in the evening, but I still have some colder gear I can layer on for in the Ngorongoro crater (when I believe it will be colder).
We have a group of 22, which means a full bus. Today we had a Queen-singalong in the bus. Some people are finishing when we go back through Nairobi, and we will pick up some more, so the group will change a bit then.
Its been a great adventure so far, and only just begun. We've seen so much, its hard to remember it all for a quick email.
We are headed off again soon, going to have a quick lunch stop before getting to our camp and setting up. We have a few days at Lake Bunyoni, so it will probably be the weekend before we have internet again.
Alright, hope everything is going well at home. Miss you all, love you very much! XOXOX
On Monday we left Kampala early (around 6am) and we had a ten hour drive to our camp at Queen Elizabeth National Park. We set up camp and had a relaxing evening. Yesterday we were up about 5:30 for breakfast at 6 and headed out on a full day game drive at 7. We saw a hippo waddling around the land, which is apparently quite rare. We saw a few warthogs. And we saw a lioness laying in the long grass.
We were on the highway heading to the second part of the park when we found our first elephants. They were absolutely amazing. We saw another lone elephant on the way to the next area of the park. Within the park, we soon found another family including a couple of youths and a baby. They were amazing. They all walked past us and into the bush, and when they were out of site you could hear a rustle and a trumpet. It was breathtaking.
We had our packed lunch, and in the afternoon we did a 2 hour boat cruise of the Kazinga Channel. We saw tons of elephants from the water, lots of hippos, monkeys, alligators and birds.
We headed out of the park, and on the way we saw a lion and lioness, and a few more elephants. We got back to the camp around 6:30, so it was a long day!
My tentmate had arrived during the day (her flight was delayed so she missed the first couple days), so I showed her the tent and we had dinner and a quick group meeting in the bar, and headed off to bed.
So far my sleeping bag is 2/2. It has been a lovely temperature in the evening, but I still have some colder gear I can layer on for in the Ngorongoro crater (when I believe it will be colder).
We have a group of 22, which means a full bus. Today we had a Queen-singalong in the bus. Some people are finishing when we go back through Nairobi, and we will pick up some more, so the group will change a bit then.
Its been a great adventure so far, and only just begun. We've seen so much, its hard to remember it all for a quick email.
We are headed off again soon, going to have a quick lunch stop before getting to our camp and setting up. We have a few days at Lake Bunyoni, so it will probably be the weekend before we have internet again.
Alright, hope everything is going well at home. Miss you all, love you very much! XOXOX
Everything sounds awesome...so much wildlife. I called Gramma and Grampa and read them your post. Gramma says she's really jealous about the elephants! I've been thinking about you today and wondering how the gorilla trekking was. You are probably just getting up now and starting your next day.
ReplyDeleteEverything good here, good progress with renovations. Weather has been mild but supposed to get cold on the weekend.
Love you lots
Mom XX00
Hello small sister shrew! I hope your gorilla adventure went well, and that you are well groomed now :p Life here sure isn't nearly as exciting, lots of work and cleaning. Worked a 10 hour shift today, so now it's bedtimes for me and bunny. We both miss you lots, can't wait for your next blog post!
ReplyDeleteLove Big Sister Shrew
It's Friday night now - the first 5 day work week since mid December, so it seemed extra long! The temperature has dropped and the wind is wicked. It's supposed to be -25 by morning but -40 with wind chill, so I think skiing is out.
ReplyDeleteOur counter tops were supposed to be ready today, but now they say next week. So Kristin and I might go to the Jct. tomorrow to visit gramma and grampa.
Hope you are still seeing lots of creatures and having a fun time. We think about you lots.
Take care, love from mom and dad
Report from Saturday,
ReplyDeleteStill windy and cold, and I am sitting in your parents house right now, as we are doing the hockey thing for the weekend. Your mom abandoned ship with your sis and went to the jct. for a visit. I can still hear your dad moving around upstairs, but for me it is time to write you a short note and head to bed. The trip sounds amazingly fantastic, and I think of you often throughout the day(s), wondering what amazing things you must be experiencing. I hope all is going well, and I look forward to hearing more about your trip, here when you can, and of course more details and pictures when you get home. I hope you saw some gorillas, and how very exciting about the elephants, lions, warthogs, hippos etc.
HIPPOS and LIONS and WARTHOGS OH MY!!!!
Take care
love from Auntie Kim and Uncle Nick and girls