Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Africa- Safari, December 1st, 2010

 Safari Adventure, December 1st!
Thats right, I took the day off and left with the Bennetts and their friends that just arrived to visit. Where did we go? Queen Elizabeth National Park! Do you know what that means? Adventure time! That's what! At 5am we got up and took off for the park, leaving at 5:30am. Its about 1 1/2 hours drive, if I remember correctly. There were 5 of us total, and we took a sweet safari like van that had a huge sunroof. Big enough to stand up and be outside. That was great for pictures!
I love adventures!

On the way there, we passed a lot of different things that I hadn't seen of Africa. Fort Portal is more lush, hilly, and green. This place we were at was very flat and brownish green, with the mist-covered Rwenzori mountains towering in the backgrounds like monsters born of it. (Mist, that is) You could see for miles and miles on one side, the mountain range reminded you that you are small and petite in comparison on the other side. I think that I actually liked this part more than Fort Portal, believe it or not. Well, maybe it was just a healthy appreciation of how different it was, that's all. :]
He died.
Once you get there, you have to pay at a little hut thing. Its cheaper for the locals, but I had to pay more. Darn my white skin. Anyway, from there the whole safari thing is just dirt roads going through flat plains, very similar to what you see on TV, but with a lot of tall grass. We hunted high and low to see some lions or elephants, (thats the reason we left so early, so we could see them while they're out) but to no avail. What did we see? We saw lots of antelope things that the Bennetts called Cob. Like, corn on the Cob. We saw some warthogs (Pumba!) and buffalo. (No name known for buffalo) Oh, and a LOT of vultures eating something dead. As someone in the car put it, a DEAD carcass. I hate live carcasses. Dead ones are much better.

Break time!
After searching and searching we decided to go up to the lodge, the name of such I've since forgotten. Anyway, it was up a long road, overlooking the crater lakes, which were amazing as always. The scenery here really reminds you that you're in the MIDDLE of Africa. No questions about it...
Food time!

View from the lodge
 Anyway, while at the lodge we say a good many things. Birdies, lion sized insects like Chikara (see my flickr), and an amazing view. Check out my 'Safari, December 1st 2010' set on my Flickr for more. Anypoo, as I said, after breakfast (which the visiting friends paid for, how sweet) we wandered the lodge, enjoying Jehovah's differing creations. Bees the size of a helicopter, lizards galore, and of course the food poaching birdies. The sun was coming out, and it was getting hot. Jeans were a bad idea. The two couples took time to themselves, and as the only single guy (a role that I've found myself in many times) I wandered about, giving them their alone time. I don't want to be the bothersome lonely guy, haha!

 After a bit, we sat down and ordered a beer. No, I don't actually like beer, but still on a hot day it is quite refreshing. :]
Then it was time to continue our journey, but heading back home. So off we went, on bad roads again and dust everywhere, eyes peeled to catch a glimps of an elephant or a lion. We did see an elephant, but it was from a huge distance, to where we could just make out its shape. Nothing amazing, but at the same time we are coming back here in January. :] Then its round two!

On the way home, we passed about 10-15 baboons. They were just sitting on the side of the road. I suppose they've learned that the cars will throw out food for them, so they actually followed us. In fact, the sister was going to take a photo of one but he started running up to the open window. Not sure of what would happen, we took off! The car behind us threw out a banana and he greedily snaurghed it up. (Accurate spelling is optional on this blog) A bit beyond our baboon experience, we passed the Equator again! (we passed on the way from home, but didn't stop) I've seen this in pictures, and I've heard of it in stories, but I've never been able to see if for myself! Of course, we stopped. When I got there, I felt a mix of: "Well this is awesome." and "Well this is lame." Its hard to explain, but I ended up leaving with a good feeling. All worth it, I would say! We took pictures of it, but I had to try something...I sat on the line, thus making me in two spots at once! HA! It was great! I've always wanted to do that!
So after that, we left for home. Thus, the long road again. Our day of adventure was over. We headed home, rested up, had dinner, and went to sleep. All in all, my first safari was unforgettable, even if we didn't see any lions!

Thanks for reading, Until next time!





 ~Trevor B

9 comments:

  1. Did the baboon remind you of anyone you might know with the same response toward food?
    Say like when food arrives from the grocery store!!!

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  2. Dear Anon- Have you ever had one of those feelings like you KNOW you should know what someone is talking about or who they are, but for the life of you can't remember? Yeah. I am feeling that right now. And it's killing me!

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  3. Quite an adventure! So does that mean you went to the REAL Wildlife Safari (I know, that was bad!)?
    I wonder if those baboons are secretly the ninja monkey's at night that like to come in and tickle your nose with a feather just enough to keep you from reaching REM thoughtout the night so you wake up in the morning completely exhausted/tired and you don't know why.

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  4. Nautica- It was a lot of fun! As for the Baboons, I am thinking more along the lines that the fairies in the dryer that steal your socks are also responsible for the nose tickling. True story.

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  5. Let me see if i have this right. You woke up, saw vultures eating a carcass (was the carcass cob...maybe you should have given them butter), watched a ravenous bid attack (maybe you were as scared as if it were a lion), then you were hot and decided to drink a beer that you don't even like (I once read real men don't eat yellow snow and don't drink yellow beer... well at least you didn't say it was good), then feeling that you were a 5th wheel maybe have drank a little to much and now all the sudden you are seeing elephants and baboons are after you (right so is the boogie man), and last you pull over to go through what could only be a stargate (for you were in two places at once) to round it off. Well sounds like some day. I am not sure if that first sentence was just one sentence but hey i can do what i want it is my comment. Keep doing awesome over there.

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  6. Wow Blaine, you really narrowed it down well! (For the record, beer is nasty) That was a near record setting sentence, I must admit. You should start a blog with those writing skills!

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  7. Dear first commented Anon- Wait a second, now that I think about it, that is JUST like something that mom would say.
    ...*gasp* Mom?!

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  8. BWAAAHAHA!! Your mom's stalking you (I would laugh harder but I'm busy reading my sister's blog...stalking her heheh! Hey, somebody's got to do it!)!

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  9. Beer IS nasty! Bread in a bottle. Bluck!

    Great adventure!

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