11-06
We just spent four nights at Umlani Bush Camp in South Africa, taking game drives at sunrise and sunset each day with a guide and a tracker. My goal was to see one big cat. Our first day there, we saw three lioness sisters resting in the shade after an unsuccessful night of hunting. We also watched a white leopard stalking an impala and a male lion with a gorgeous mane who seemed to be posing for the cameras (he even moved into the sun for better lighting).
We were within about 15 feet of him at one point, perched in an open 4WD vehicle.
We were watching a herd of elephants when they decided to go somewhere else. They passed in front and behind our truck, surrounding us as they slowly moved by.
The rondelle (thatched-roof hut) where we stayed was lit by oil lantern and the shower was outside, surrounded by tall reeds. Each morning and evening while we were out looking for wildlife, our hosts would light a fire to heat water for showers. After showers, we'd all gather around a campfire for evening drinks, then move into a dining room with reed walls on 2 sides, open on the other two. Candles were the only light. Honey badgers had broken into the kitchen but left enough for the cooks to prepare wonderful meals.
Last night we went to sleep during a wild thunderstorm and I swear I heard something BIG sleeping outside our rondelle.
This morning we saw 3 hyenas with the remains of last night's kill: a baby giraffe. One of the hyenas was sitting in a small pond guarding the remains from the other 2 hyenas. Nature is brutal! We also followed a white rhino on foot today--funny that something that could have taken us all out in 5 seconds took one look at us and ran away. Our guide looked like he weighed about 70 pounds, but he did carry a big gun... Just in case.
Also saw cape buffalo, zebras, giraffes, kudu, warthogs, eagles, monkeys and baboons. Oh, and some very poisonous twig snakes that blend in perfectly with... Twigs.
We'll post some pictures of the animals when we're back home. On our way to Cape Town today.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Mr Toad has nothing on Ronald...
Oct 29
...When it comes to wild rides.
Ronald was our driver from Lira to Entebbe, a minimum five hour, bronco busting, bicycle dodging, hair raising, heart pounding thriller of a ride.
He'd started his day at 4:30 a.m. in Kampala, about 4 hours south of Lira. Two hours into his drive to pick us up, his radiator crapped out. He sat in a gas station waiting for a replacement vehicle and made it to us about 4 hours late. We'd hoped to make it to Entebbe before dark but that was now not going to happen. (During our wait, we sat on the porch of the orphanage and talked with Tony and Mary Ann, two employees who had been among the first group of orphans at Otino Waa in 2003. They are now impressive young adults--well-educated, poised, warm and beautiful).
Ronald was tired by the time he reached us and only grew more so during his 12 hours of driving. He was hitting speeds of 130 km/hr on 2 lane roads that were really about wide enough for 1-1/2. I felt like we were taxiing for takeoff. There were lots of people on bikes, motorcycles and foot on the side of the road and we feared he'd pick one or more of them off. Oh, and then there's the game of chicken we played with oncoming traffic all the way as Ronald sped over potholed roads, passing cars all along the way. He was turning the 1-1/2 lane road into a 3 lane road as we squeezed between the cars we were passing and the oncoming traffic. It was like being trapped inside a bad video game.
He was stopped by police once and threatened with a large fine and we hoped that would slow him down. It did... For about 5 minutes. After one particularly close call when I expected to see the white light, I asked him to slow down.
Then we came upon a beer truck that was on it's side, beer flowing onto the road and glass from the bottles glistening in the headlights. As we crunched over large shards, I wondered whether we'd make it to Entebbe before all four tires went flat.
When we got close to Entebbe, I asked Ronald whether he'd been given the name of the hotel where we were staying. He looked perplexed. He thought we were catching a flight out that night and had been driving "crazy" to get us to the airport.
...When it comes to wild rides.
Ronald was our driver from Lira to Entebbe, a minimum five hour, bronco busting, bicycle dodging, hair raising, heart pounding thriller of a ride.
He'd started his day at 4:30 a.m. in Kampala, about 4 hours south of Lira. Two hours into his drive to pick us up, his radiator crapped out. He sat in a gas station waiting for a replacement vehicle and made it to us about 4 hours late. We'd hoped to make it to Entebbe before dark but that was now not going to happen. (During our wait, we sat on the porch of the orphanage and talked with Tony and Mary Ann, two employees who had been among the first group of orphans at Otino Waa in 2003. They are now impressive young adults--well-educated, poised, warm and beautiful).
Ronald was tired by the time he reached us and only grew more so during his 12 hours of driving. He was hitting speeds of 130 km/hr on 2 lane roads that were really about wide enough for 1-1/2. I felt like we were taxiing for takeoff. There were lots of people on bikes, motorcycles and foot on the side of the road and we feared he'd pick one or more of them off. Oh, and then there's the game of chicken we played with oncoming traffic all the way as Ronald sped over potholed roads, passing cars all along the way. He was turning the 1-1/2 lane road into a 3 lane road as we squeezed between the cars we were passing and the oncoming traffic. It was like being trapped inside a bad video game.
He was stopped by police once and threatened with a large fine and we hoped that would slow him down. It did... For about 5 minutes. After one particularly close call when I expected to see the white light, I asked him to slow down.
Then we came upon a beer truck that was on it's side, beer flowing onto the road and glass from the bottles glistening in the headlights. As we crunched over large shards, I wondered whether we'd make it to Entebbe before all four tires went flat.
When we got close to Entebbe, I asked Ronald whether he'd been given the name of the hotel where we were staying. He looked perplexed. He thought we were catching a flight out that night and had been driving "crazy" to get us to the airport.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Japanese compensation
I came across a blog here speaking about the San Fernando Museum, and read about the Japanese families who were gathered up and hearded into camps during WWII. These are the loyal patriots who deserve compensation for losing farms, homes, and more. Not those whose relatives 300+ years ago were captured and sold by their own to the US...
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