A fun and busy weekend in Uganda

On Saturday, Dom and I were invited to go behind the scenes a Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) AKA. Uganda Zoo.  This is the most impressive African zoo that I can ever imagine exists (though I have only seen one other so don't quote me, but I can't imagine anything nicer, really).  The land is owned by the government and is ON beach front property (LPZ comes close).  The green areas are astounding, large trees and vegetation and parks, it is beautiful.  The restaurant/cafe looks out onto the beach, where you can walk and swim, and the birds include egret, crowned crane, ducks - the white ones, hammerkop, Egyptian geese - all the same as the ones from Ssese Islands.  It's fun to see them all hanging out together and everyone gets along.  While drinking our tea during a short storm, 3 camels walked by with their keeper, who eventually got frustrated with two of them when they decided to sit down in the grass and not get up.  The stories are true, camels are notoriously stubborn, Dominic is a close second.

David, the education officer, spent quality time with us.  He started explaining the Outreach Program.  This is no ordinary travelling zoo.  UWEC brings lions and 150lb boas to the schools.  Ummmmmmm I had a little problem with this, but like a good girl, said nothing.   He showed us the snakes, the rare shoebill stork - very cool looking indeed- and then brought us to the giraffes =)  They aquired 3 young giraffes and they want to provide a giraffe feeding service to the patrons, who buy food and stand on a deck at the height of the giraffes.  David said the giraffes don't go to where the deck is, and he wants to start traiing them to do so....ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm right down my alley.  My eyes perked up and i mentioned a few ideas and then decided i better shut my trap.  Anyway, it semms this may have left David with an impression - I certainly hope so!

We saw the vet cliinic, which was very advanced for any African zoo, and they need just a few new gadgets that are broken or very out-of-date.  Dom is hoping to help them acquire such things. Lincoln Park Zoo finds old, but working vet gadgets from across USA to send to places like this, so hopefully we can make the connection...The primary vet showed us the quarantine areas, and told us a story about how they received 4 small boxes of grey parrots stuffed inside. They were confiscated in the pet trade, and 130 survived and are housed at UWEC.

At the end of a great tour, I was encouraged to apply for their volunteer program.  I am very excited for the opportunity and will let you know if anything happens.

Sunday, Dom and I went rafting on the Nile with Jonna, Mac, J.C. and a random English girl travelling the world between University and real life.  I had never done a full day of rafting, just a few hours here and there.  It was awesome, but for this kind of rafting there is no way not to get dunked somewhere along the way. We went over 10 rapids! The raft flipped 2 or 3 times, I'm still burping up the Nile but my sinus headache is going away.  It was a blast though!!!  4 hours of excitement but also long stretches of paddling, which is what I haven't experienced in the States.  During the last paddle a small storm decided to start blowing wind against us.  But we fought through it and luckily the storm blew past.  When we came up to a level 6 rapid, we all had to park the rafts and walk through a lot of big and small rocks (they didn't let anyone wear shoes the whole trip).  It was funny to watch the local Ugandans, who live on that side of the river, enjoying watching the blinding-white mazungus baring their skin and acting like crazy people throwing themselves into the rapids.  We really are a sight to see!  Unfortunately, Dom's sunburns are worse than mine, despite our best efforts to keep on sunscreen.  Bare, blinding white skin + sun + equator + 4 hours = red skin.  The tour operator fed us well. The BBQ at the end was phenomenal, beef skewers, veggie burgers - more like potatoe pancakes, avocado salad, rice and green beans, german potatoe salad, and chipati - basically an oily flour tortilla - soooo good!   We will never forget Nile River Rafting because our sore muscles will remind us! 

Oh yeah, and we stopped by Stone Pub for more pork on the way home from UWEC. mmm mmmm good.
Many more pics can be seen on FaceBook.