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| no partners | | Since covid cases were on the rise with Thanksgiving around the corner, I figured I'd play it safe and go to Uganda for a couple weeks. I have friends in Uganda and am looking to add more to the list. The flight was difficult because I got zero hours of sleep on it and followed it up with an additional zero more hours of sleep when I arrived. I am thankful that I missed the gunfire driven by political strife that took place a day before I arrived (We ain't the only country that has fierce political division).
After a few days rest in Kampala, I started the safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park to look for lions. The first day, we did not find any. We only found one on the second day. The lions in the southern section climb fig trees, a behavior that is not seen anyway else in the world. They sleep in trees to cool off and escape the biting insects.
The safari lead to Sempaya hot springs and then Murchison Falls National Park. The ferry to the falls was closed. They are getting excess rainfall there. The grass was high, making it difficult to find animals.
One of the first animals that I saw on the 2nd day in Murchison was a leopard early morning. The group that I was with attempted to find lion but with no success. The lodge was empty, so we mainly had the park to ourselves, minus the rangers and construction crew. Lizards, warthogs, and waterbucks were common near the lodge.
This was my 5th trip to Uganda. By far, there were more baboons and Jackson's hornbills during this trip. A snake was seen crossing the road in Queen Elizabeth Nat'l Park. It looked like a small black mamba, but it was too quick to identify. I found a sick or injured bat in the lobby of the lodge. I found a African crawled frog in the pool and many of the lizards walking the lodge grounds. Some lizards were found at the ferry near the river. After Murchison Falls, the group ventured to Aruu Falls with a short but steep hike and back to Kampala.
As for the Covid regluations: Uganda required masks at all times inside businesses, but they did not enforce it. I did, however, require to get a PCR test 3 days before my trip and 5 days before leaving the country. The airport enforced strict regulations as tourists were turned away if they didn't have PCR tests before boarding. Mask rules goes as follows: Before entering a hotel, park, and some restaurants & museums, you must wear a mask. After they take your temperature and you sanitize your hands, then you can remove your mask if you want when inside. All staff wear masks. No one seems to worry about getting Covid-19. Only about a few hundred get infected each day. I kept getting asked, "Why are so many Americans dying from Covid-19?"
Cases in Uganda are rising slightly but not nearly what it's like in the US. In fact, it's not even a topic of concern here. It's more concerning to contract malaria than Covid-19. It felt relief not talking about Covid-19 or politics. |
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