Adventures with Julia

August 9, 2016 continued

Mark and Julia at Wildwaters with the Nile behind them

After breakfast we went fishing for Nile perch. Over the course of a hour I improved my casting skills, but caught no fish. Our guide said the water level is too high.

Fishing for Nile perch. No luck.

Apparently there is a dam, the Owens Falls Dam, just after the nile exits the lake and before the rapids where Wildwaters is located. Increasing amounts of water are let out through the course of the day until 10pm. Then the dam is closed until 7am. Best time to fish is 7am.  Naturally, we did not time our fishing properly.  Maybe next time.

Boardwalk at Wildwaters

August 10, 2016

Yesterday at lunchtime at Wildwaters, the sky opened up and we had a deluge even in the dining area. After half an hour, it let up some and we were served. After another hour the rain stopped and we took the canoe back to the car. (Look on the map of Uganda for Jinja, a bit east of Kampala. You will see where the Nile leave Lake Victoria and where we were.) The ride back to Jonathan’s house took 2.5 hours even though the distance is relatively short. The roads for half the distance are deeply potholed mud and dirt. Finally back on macadam roads, the traffic was horrendous. Once back at Jonathan’s, we had another good dinner and long visit with him. Born in Uganda to British parents, he was educated in Britain and has lived in Uganda most of his life. He is very knowledgeable about politics in Britain and Africa and Uganda in particular. He is very interesting to listen to and loves to share his knowledge. Consequently, we did not get to bed until late

The morning of the 10th, we had breakfast and departed for the airport with Dixon at 9am. Traveling over similar roads as yesterday, we arrived at the airport at 11:30 for what we thought was a 1pm flight, to learn the plane was leaving early and waiting just for us. An airline employee, rushed us through and around all the checkpoints to the gate. We were sure surprised at the speedy service. Our flight took us southwest over Lake Victoria and marsh, cultivated fields and rolling hills of tea to the town of Kahihi. The Mahogany Springs driver picked us up and drove another hour plus to the lodge in Bwindi, near where the Kellermann Foundation’s facilities are located. The whole area is truly jungle. Hot, humid, lush overgrown vegetation, birds and bugs everywhere. Our boma looks out across a creek and up toward hills where the Batwa people shared the jungle with gorillas for centuries.

It is about a 12 minute walk from Mahogany Springs to BCH, the Batwa Community Hospital, the site where Scott and Carol Kellermann first began their work with the Batwa (Pygmy) people. Now there is not only a hospital with 6 full time doctors, but a nursing school with 87 students on three year programs, residential buildings for staff and volunteers and primary and secondary schools.

Mark and I became interested in the work Kellermanns were doing to help the Batwa people 14 years ago when we first visited them near the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. There were no buildings. Scott and Carol drove around the countryside in their white ambulance-like vehicle, picked a spot and stopped along the roadside. While he set out a stool for himself and a blanket and box of supplies for Carol to do wound care, a crowd would appear. Two to three hours later they would have attended to the physical needs of 100 people or more.

We were the first friends from the US to visit them and they were overjoyed to see people from home. Scott had been our family doctor before he quit his practice in Nevada CIty to do this work, so we know how good a doctor he was. We joined them on their “rounds” for two or three days and were impressed by their dedication and willingness to put up with great hardship to help these impoverished and downtrodden people. Sometimes, a person would have malaria so bad he would put them in the ambulance and drive them back to Bwindi, where they lived in a small waterless hut, just so he could take care of them. Mark and I left after a few days, but did not forget our experience. Two years later we returned to Bwindi. By there the Kellermanns had managed to get a clinic and a better home for themselves built. Again we made the “rounds” with them as people did not know about the clinic or would be too sick to get to it.

Now 12 more years have passed and the place is not recognizable to us. The medical and educational facilities are expanding and booming.

Although I plan to to add more images of Jonathan’s home and Bwindi, it will have to wait as we will be very busy with meetings and visits for the next couple of days and we have very little internet access out here in the Impenetrable Forest.

Many thanks to those of you who have commented in the blog or sent email messages to us.  Although I do not have time to respond to them individually, please know that i am reading them all and appreciating every one.   I hope you will keep commenting.  They help me stay encouraged to continue writing.