Now that I am home and settling back into the routine of my everyday life I find myself reflecting on my journey. That a trip of this nature has a profound effect on the traveler is beyond questions and I expect to reminisce about what I have seen and done for years to come. Right now though, before the red mud stains are gone from the soles of my shoes it is important that I record the details and the smaller incidents that may not fit neatly into a larger narrative. I want to remember these small things they provide the texture and flavor that made this adventure so rich.
A vervet monkey stole my sandwich. We were taking a lunch break in a shady spot near the Mara river, where we took a stroll accompanied by an armed guard to see crocodiles, birds, and hippos I started to unpack my meal. I took my sandwich out, placed it beside me and turned my head to see what else was in the bag. Before I could turn my head back or ask my comrades what they were pointing and shouting about, the monkey absconded up a tree with my sandwich and had it halfway out of the wrapper. The entire crime happened so quickly I never even saw it. The troop of monkeys loitered nearby waiting for another opportunity and mooching for handouts
My tour group in Masai Mara nicknamed me "Professor" due to the fact I had told them I'd done some freelance teaching in my time. I also think it might be due to what we're going to tactfully refer to as my air of "intellectual abstraction" an the fact I always had a sketchpad and at least one field guide on hand.
One of the surest signs that a cab driver was about to try and raise the price on me was that they offered their contact information so that they could drive me in future and act as my personal unqualified tour guide. This maneuver would put me so much on alert that shortly after my driver when I was departing Jinja offered to arrange a chimpanzee trek for me in spite of his transparent ignorance on the subject, A man approached me at the bus station and asked to see my ticket. after inspecting my ticket he told me that my booking office was over there and beckoned for me to follow. I was utterly convinced that he was trying to sell me a second ticket and reacted accordingly. It turned out that this man was kindly trying to point out that I was sitting in the wrong place and was a little surprised by my obstinance. Once the truth was revealed, I instantly apologized, shook hands and we parted ways with a well deserved laugh at my expense.
Tusker is the most popular beer in Kenya and Nile is the preferred brand in Uganda. Neither are very good but Nile was the more palatable option . The Guinness sold in Africa, however, is delicious.
African bananas are smaller and stouter than those available here. they are much more flavorful and sweeter. A plate of fresh fruit usually accompanied breakfast. this consisted of banana, mango, pineapple watermelon (sometimes garnished with sugar) and passion fruit. The eggs, when I could convince someone that I didn't want an omelette, I discovered had white yolks. Butter was almost always vegetable shortening. Real cheese and coffee were rarities.
Most African meals are either grilled or stew. The grilled chicken and fish were very good beef was usually overcooked and stringy and disguised with some kind of sauce. Goat was tasty but bony. Pork was rarely served. The stews were palatable but reminiscent of bland Indian food. These were usually served with rice or ugali. Ugali is a flavorless dry white paste made of flour from maize, millet sorghum or cassava. Potatoes (locally named simply Irish) or chapati were sometimes served as well. the vegetable was usually a tomato and cucumber salad or collard greens. Diced chilies chili sauce, or ketchup were the usual condiments. The Heinz bottle was always coveted. American Gardens US Ketchup guaranteed an authentic American flavor. I tried it. It was unrecognizable to my palate
The East African handshake usually consists of at least two separate hand clasps. Three or four are possible and usually a sign of friendship. I found most Africans were fairly laid back and relaxed. They appreciated being approached with manners and good humor. When people felt comfortable with me, they smiled readily and became gracious genuinely warm and kind. It was easy to engage in conversation with my African friends who would discuss any topic honestly, thoughtfully and in depth. When the female staff in my guesthouses grew more at ease in my company, they would flirt adorably, I suspect, mostly for the fun of watching "Mister John" blush.
Changing a large bill was always a slight ordeal. Most merchants preferred if you had exact change. If you only had a larger note, this was treated as a breach of etiquette and the recipient of the bill would wander to neighboring stores until they could finally make change. when they returned five to ten minutes later, they always gave you the precise change. Tipping was not expected in restaurants cabs or hotels but it was considered a nice gesture for your drivers and tour guides. Other travelers assumed that as an American, I would have a natural sense of what to tip. I was just as confused as everyone else and always slightly worried that I wasn't leaving enough.
Currency conversion was easy to figure out in Kenya as at the time, it was a roughly ten-to-one ratio One hundred Ksh was about one dollar. Ugandan shillings were nearly impossible to convert in your head. A dollar was approximately 3,600 shillings. Simply ordering breakfast or paying for your lodging could suddenly put you adrift in a sea of dizzying zeros.
Pied crows are one of the most common birds in East Africa they are a large black and white bird seen almost everywhere.After the first day they fall into what I call the "Thompson's gazelle effect". In other words, you stop paying attention to them because they are so common. When you get the chance to see these bi-colored corvids in the open, they reveal themselves to be the most extraordinary aerial acrobats, tumbling soaring and diving through the sky.
I kept a rough list of new species of animal I encountered in my journal each. On an average day this would be about seven. Mostly these were birds and mammals with the occasional reptile or insect. I estimate that this is well over two hundred different species of animals. Aside from the obvious things like both species of rhino, lions and elephants the stand outs for me were the iridescent splendid starling, the hammerkop, a delightfully odd hammer-headed bird that makes enormous nests, the slovenly marabou stork, the sleek glossy and awkwardly regal topi, vividly crimson and blue agama lizards,spotted hyena, the surly yellow baboon, red tailed monkeys with their oddly Victorian sideburns, oxpeckers, bustling tribes of banded mongoose, swamp otter, black backed jackal, fish eagles, clownish Ross's turaco, the massive Martial eagle, the absurdly mohawked long crested eagle, and several species of vultures, kingfishers and hornbills. I could keep listing off animals. I could also just as easily generate a list just as long of animals I dearly wanted to meet that eluded me. I will just have to wait for next time to spot African wild dogs and caracals.
I did not see a single snake during my entire trip. shaking my shoes out never revealed a single scorpion or spider. The most menacing creature I encountered in my bedroom was a mosquito that wound up on the wrong side of the net. House geckos and moths were sometimes in my bedroom and on one occasion there was a giant millipede. One morning as the rainy season just began, there was a fine scattering of thousands of insect wings on the ground The termites had shed them as they scouted for mates and new lodgings.
Termite mounds were usually dirt colored mounds that rarely achieved the cathedral-like structure or dimensions seen in books. in the tall grass they could look remarkably like animals. Skulls and bones littered the grasslands. If it were safe to exit the vehicle, or if I had any legal reasonable way of transporting these treasures, my osteological collection could have easily tripled in size.
I have been credited with a great deal of courage for taking this journey.The truth is that this is unwarranted. I think in many people's minds, East Africa remains some untamed remote wilderness. The reality is once again that most people have better cell phones than mine. I never felt a moment of genuine threat in the entire month I traveled. I never needed to exercise more than the most basic caution. Outside of a few cabdrivers and merchants who saw me as a source for easy money, I was treated with more kindness and consideration than I deserved or expected. On the whole I found travel in East Africa reasonably easy and entirely delightful. I am grateful to all those in Kenya and Uganda who made my stay in your beautiful countries such a joy. I still want to see the Gede Ruins and Murchison Falls. I wanted to ride the train across Tsavo to Mombasa and see the Indian Ocean. A month wasn't nearly long enough. I hope very much to return soon.
A vervet monkey stole my sandwich. We were taking a lunch break in a shady spot near the Mara river, where we took a stroll accompanied by an armed guard to see crocodiles, birds, and hippos I started to unpack my meal. I took my sandwich out, placed it beside me and turned my head to see what else was in the bag. Before I could turn my head back or ask my comrades what they were pointing and shouting about, the monkey absconded up a tree with my sandwich and had it halfway out of the wrapper. The entire crime happened so quickly I never even saw it. The troop of monkeys loitered nearby waiting for another opportunity and mooching for handouts
My tour group in Masai Mara nicknamed me "Professor" due to the fact I had told them I'd done some freelance teaching in my time. I also think it might be due to what we're going to tactfully refer to as my air of "intellectual abstraction" an the fact I always had a sketchpad and at least one field guide on hand.
One of the surest signs that a cab driver was about to try and raise the price on me was that they offered their contact information so that they could drive me in future and act as my personal unqualified tour guide. This maneuver would put me so much on alert that shortly after my driver when I was departing Jinja offered to arrange a chimpanzee trek for me in spite of his transparent ignorance on the subject, A man approached me at the bus station and asked to see my ticket. after inspecting my ticket he told me that my booking office was over there and beckoned for me to follow. I was utterly convinced that he was trying to sell me a second ticket and reacted accordingly. It turned out that this man was kindly trying to point out that I was sitting in the wrong place and was a little surprised by my obstinance. Once the truth was revealed, I instantly apologized, shook hands and we parted ways with a well deserved laugh at my expense.
Tusker is the most popular beer in Kenya and Nile is the preferred brand in Uganda. Neither are very good but Nile was the more palatable option . The Guinness sold in Africa, however, is delicious.
African bananas are smaller and stouter than those available here. they are much more flavorful and sweeter. A plate of fresh fruit usually accompanied breakfast. this consisted of banana, mango, pineapple watermelon (sometimes garnished with sugar) and passion fruit. The eggs, when I could convince someone that I didn't want an omelette, I discovered had white yolks. Butter was almost always vegetable shortening. Real cheese and coffee were rarities.
Most African meals are either grilled or stew. The grilled chicken and fish were very good beef was usually overcooked and stringy and disguised with some kind of sauce. Goat was tasty but bony. Pork was rarely served. The stews were palatable but reminiscent of bland Indian food. These were usually served with rice or ugali. Ugali is a flavorless dry white paste made of flour from maize, millet sorghum or cassava. Potatoes (locally named simply Irish) or chapati were sometimes served as well. the vegetable was usually a tomato and cucumber salad or collard greens. Diced chilies chili sauce, or ketchup were the usual condiments. The Heinz bottle was always coveted. American Gardens US Ketchup guaranteed an authentic American flavor. I tried it. It was unrecognizable to my palate
The East African handshake usually consists of at least two separate hand clasps. Three or four are possible and usually a sign of friendship. I found most Africans were fairly laid back and relaxed. They appreciated being approached with manners and good humor. When people felt comfortable with me, they smiled readily and became gracious genuinely warm and kind. It was easy to engage in conversation with my African friends who would discuss any topic honestly, thoughtfully and in depth. When the female staff in my guesthouses grew more at ease in my company, they would flirt adorably, I suspect, mostly for the fun of watching "Mister John" blush.
Changing a large bill was always a slight ordeal. Most merchants preferred if you had exact change. If you only had a larger note, this was treated as a breach of etiquette and the recipient of the bill would wander to neighboring stores until they could finally make change. when they returned five to ten minutes later, they always gave you the precise change. Tipping was not expected in restaurants cabs or hotels but it was considered a nice gesture for your drivers and tour guides. Other travelers assumed that as an American, I would have a natural sense of what to tip. I was just as confused as everyone else and always slightly worried that I wasn't leaving enough.
Currency conversion was easy to figure out in Kenya as at the time, it was a roughly ten-to-one ratio One hundred Ksh was about one dollar. Ugandan shillings were nearly impossible to convert in your head. A dollar was approximately 3,600 shillings. Simply ordering breakfast or paying for your lodging could suddenly put you adrift in a sea of dizzying zeros.
Pied crows are one of the most common birds in East Africa they are a large black and white bird seen almost everywhere.After the first day they fall into what I call the "Thompson's gazelle effect". In other words, you stop paying attention to them because they are so common. When you get the chance to see these bi-colored corvids in the open, they reveal themselves to be the most extraordinary aerial acrobats, tumbling soaring and diving through the sky.
I kept a rough list of new species of animal I encountered in my journal each. On an average day this would be about seven. Mostly these were birds and mammals with the occasional reptile or insect. I estimate that this is well over two hundred different species of animals. Aside from the obvious things like both species of rhino, lions and elephants the stand outs for me were the iridescent splendid starling, the hammerkop, a delightfully odd hammer-headed bird that makes enormous nests, the slovenly marabou stork, the sleek glossy and awkwardly regal topi, vividly crimson and blue agama lizards,spotted hyena, the surly yellow baboon, red tailed monkeys with their oddly Victorian sideburns, oxpeckers, bustling tribes of banded mongoose, swamp otter, black backed jackal, fish eagles, clownish Ross's turaco, the massive Martial eagle, the absurdly mohawked long crested eagle, and several species of vultures, kingfishers and hornbills. I could keep listing off animals. I could also just as easily generate a list just as long of animals I dearly wanted to meet that eluded me. I will just have to wait for next time to spot African wild dogs and caracals.
I did not see a single snake during my entire trip. shaking my shoes out never revealed a single scorpion or spider. The most menacing creature I encountered in my bedroom was a mosquito that wound up on the wrong side of the net. House geckos and moths were sometimes in my bedroom and on one occasion there was a giant millipede. One morning as the rainy season just began, there was a fine scattering of thousands of insect wings on the ground The termites had shed them as they scouted for mates and new lodgings.
Termite mounds were usually dirt colored mounds that rarely achieved the cathedral-like structure or dimensions seen in books. in the tall grass they could look remarkably like animals. Skulls and bones littered the grasslands. If it were safe to exit the vehicle, or if I had any legal reasonable way of transporting these treasures, my osteological collection could have easily tripled in size.
I have been credited with a great deal of courage for taking this journey.The truth is that this is unwarranted. I think in many people's minds, East Africa remains some untamed remote wilderness. The reality is once again that most people have better cell phones than mine. I never felt a moment of genuine threat in the entire month I traveled. I never needed to exercise more than the most basic caution. Outside of a few cabdrivers and merchants who saw me as a source for easy money, I was treated with more kindness and consideration than I deserved or expected. On the whole I found travel in East Africa reasonably easy and entirely delightful. I am grateful to all those in Kenya and Uganda who made my stay in your beautiful countries such a joy. I still want to see the Gede Ruins and Murchison Falls. I wanted to ride the train across Tsavo to Mombasa and see the Indian Ocean. A month wasn't nearly long enough. I hope very much to return soon.
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