Gavin, Greg and Art woke up as the sun came up at 6am to run around the grounds of the Red Chili Hideaway in search of birds. They also found Vervet Monkeys in the trees in the gardens. Celina waited until 8am to wake up and got ready for the day. The guys pushed her to hurry as they waited to get breakfast (which begins at 7:30). They were anxious to begin the day, to say the least.
After breakfast, the day began.
We walked to the street, grabbed a matatu (small van which fits 16 comfortably but is often overfilled) into the center of town. It took us a while to locate a bank on a Sunday (to get local currency) but we finally found an ATM which we withdrew money from - another hurdle A short jaunt to the New Taxi Park yielded a big dirt lot full of matatus with no semblance of order but which we soon found somehow flowed pretty well.
We got a matatu to take us to Kisanje and then, luckily, a local whom we befriended on the journey negotiated with the driver to take us all the way to Mabamba. Mabamba is a nature preserve where you go to look for Shoebills. We got onto a boat and went through a swamp and SAW A SHOEBILL!!! Which is what both of us really wanted for this trip!!
Yes, it's a real bird and it really looks this wierd. We didn't see it this close but we still saw it VERY well!!
Then we took a couple of boda bodas (motorcycles) the last stretch from Mabamba back to Kisanje and then took a matatu (overfull again) back to Kampala. We got back just in time for dinner this time, but covered in dirt. We all have dirt caked on our faces.
Tomorrow we'll be heading to Fort Portal and then to Kibale (in the west). We probably won't get to the internet for a few days.
Be back soon with a load of new adventures for your perusing pleasure!
We're all going to wash the pound of dirt off of our bodi and head to sleep.
Yay! The elusive Shoebill!
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