Adventures with Julia

Here are a couple of photos I just received from Scott and could not resist sending. Hope you enjoy them.

 

 

October 6, 2018

Mark and I left the Seychelles October 6^thin the early morning, after a glorious 5 days and nights on Fregate Island.  I can’t fully express how relaxing and luxurious and wonderful the tiny island was for our wellbeing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On October 1, we flew into Mahe, the main and largest Seychelles island, on Ethiopian Airlines, and were immediately taken to the helipad for a 15-minute helicopter ride to Fregate Island, one of hundreds of Seychelles islands, only a few of which are inhabited.  On the way we learned that the total population of the Seychelles is 94,000, 70,000 of whom reside on Mahe.  The capital city is called Victoria and the islands, now an independent and democratic country, were last colonized by the UK.  English is the main language and driving is done on the left.  As the country is so small and lies 750 miles east of Nairobi in the Indian Ocean, it is very safe.  Life is low key and quiet.  Perfect for our visit.

 

On landing we were greeted by the resort manager, Wayne, who told us a bit about the island and what to expect.  He also introduced us to our PA or Personal Assistant, Sumith, who is from Sri Lanka and will be attending our every need.  Wow!  Am not sure if we will be able to adjust to such service.  His first task was to take us in our personal electric golf cart to Villa 8 for our stay.

Along the way we could not miss the Aldabra giant tortoises everywhere.  We learned there are 5,000 on Fregate and they have the right of way at all times.  There are 11 miles of concrete road on the island, more like wide sidewalks, traveled only by electric carts. There are 16 villas that can accommodate about 40 people at a time.  The villas are nearly identical, except a few have 2 bedrooms for families. Total staff on the island is about 150 people.  There are no people on the island that are not connected with the resort, which is owned by a German, who takes great pride in sustainable management of everything on the island.

Villa 8 exceeded our expectations.  We climbed several irregular rock steps to reach the wooden door to our private garden, then descend several more steps to the villa entrance.  The scene alone was dramatic as we could see the ocean directly through the front door and the entry room.  To the left of the entry room was a large living room and to the right was an equally large bedroom.  It was like a large one-bedroom apartment with glass windows and doors everywhere.  It even had an outdoor shower.

Much of the time we stayed in our villa, reading, blogging, swimming in our own pool and going to our private beach just below the villa.

The water was a beautiful color and the perfect temperature.  Mark went body surfing a few times.  I went once and crashed upside down so many times, I gave up.  It took a couple of showers to get all the sand out of my hair, ears, etc.  We ate breakfast in the public dining room every morning except the last one when Mark proposed we have it in the tree house.  Sumith obliged.  Why not. It was fun to be high in a banyan tree with the birds.  We happily skipped lunch every day and snacked on fruit and nuts, which were always present in our living room.

During our first full day, we hired a boat to go off shore and I went scuba diving with the dive master.  Mark was not interested.   First, we motored around Little Fregate Island and noticed that the huge rocks on the island looked a bit like Stonehenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While there, we saw several dolphin and one large sea turtle.  The wind and waves were too rough to dive there so we went to the leeward side of Fregate, near our villa where the water was calmer.  It has been 9 years since I last went diving and I knew I was rusty.  Fortunately, the dive master was very helpful and made sure I had a fun and safe experience. We stayed underwater 55 minutes and went to 20 meters.

I saw two sharks, one of which was a sleeping nurse shark, three octopuses, three Spanish dancers (nudibranchs), one of which danced for us, several eels, sting rays, a lion fish, a box fish and many other fish.  I was saddened to see so much dead corral, but also noticed that it was recovering well in some places.  Later I learned that the tsunami that occurred during the early 2000’s was the source of the die off.

One day Wayne invited us on a forest walk and told us about the history of the island.  In 1502 Vasco de Gama explored the islands.  No one lived here at the time.  He did not stay.  In 1742 the Frenchman, Lazare Picault, discovered Mahe Island.  By 1768 the French and slavers settled in the Seychelles.  One story tells of a pirate named Le Buse, who captured a ship bearing gold religious objects, including a large solid gold cross, and buried the stash somewhere on Fregate Island.  Many people have since dug many holes to no avail.  A few small gold items have turned up over the years.  Then in 1794, the British fought the French and took the islands.  They manage the Seychelles, Reunion and Mauritius from Mauritius.  In 1903, the islands become a separate British colony.  They gained independence in 1976.  Since then there have been a succession of different leaders.  The current leader, Denny Farue, took over in 2016. He was given succession by the previous elected official.  Under his leadership there is free health care and free education in primary and secondary schools.   So much for my knowledge of Seychelles history.

Wayne also told us about the giant tortoises and how they have been brought back from major depletion.   He thinks that, with the current rate of births, there will be 20,000 tortoises in less than 10 years.  Only a few years ago there were just a few hundred.  Giant tortoises can live well over 100 years.  Wayne gets them to move by rubbing part of their shell, rather like ticketing them.  The current owner has worked diligently to have rats, domestic animals, bamboo and other invasive species eradicated and is reintroducing depleted native species such as the Seychelles Magpie Robin, the Fairy Tern andother birds.

We walked across the island, going through the forest to a beach on the far side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost every bird on the island has one or more tags on its legs.  Other things Wayne pointed out included:  termite nests attached to trees,  an old cemetery dating from the 1800’s, a rare palm called the Coco de Mer–only six exist and three of them are on Fregate, and the very common banyan trees that grow everywhere from the top down.

 

Another day we visited the island’s hydroponic garden and walked around with the head gardener, Simon, who explained how the system works.  Getting the correct amount of water and nutrients to each plant is key.  He has worked in the garden for most of the last 20 years and has free reign to do what he wants.   No wonder the food was so good.  We were eating fresh garden vegetables and fruits grown on the island every day.  We walked through the garden with Simon sampling some new varieties for us like Water Spinach, Chinese Broccoli and fresh tropical fruits.

We told Sumith our anniversary was coming soon, so he organized an anniversary dinner for us in the resort library.  It was very thoughtful of him and we enjoyed to meal.

The cake was very pretty and tasty too.   One morning we had breakfast in a treetop.  It was delightful being in the trees with the birds.

For dinner on our last night, Sumith planned a lovely Indian meal on the beach.  It was a fitting end to our stay on Fregate Island.  We thought five nights would be long enough.  Faced with imminent departure, we wanted to stay much longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few times we ventured away from our own digs to check out other beaches.  Here are a few of our images including the beach reputed to have the finest sand and the prettiest setting. It also appeared in the pages of Conde Nast as one of the world’s best beaches.  It was exquisite.  Mark went swimming, but declared the undercurrent too strong for me so I did not go in.  We stayed to watch the sunset on our last night on the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 25, 2018

Today the group was up at 7 and at the hospital at 8am for the daily prayer time. Attended by most of the staff, volunteer workers and visitors. Mimi and Phil gave the talk for the day. After their talk, Phil played a set on the drums.  Their efforts were appreciated by everyone.

Then Scott proceeded to give our group an indepth tour of the hospital. We visited every department except the OR.  Departments we visited included: the Mother’s waiting hostel, pediatrics, the maternity ward, the kitchen where families prepare meals for their hospitalized relative, the premium ward for post-surgical patients, the ER, Administration and the HIV ward.   Scott kept up a running commentary as we walked along. He certainly has a big heart for this hospital and its benefits to the local population.  Births are up, childhood deaths are way down, malaria is vastly reduced due to the distribution of bed nets for children and mothers. and HIV is under control.

People are healthier and happier. I did not have a note pad so I did not get the stats that Scott rattled off. Sorry.  If you want to know more about the hospital and what it is doing, please google Bwindi Community Hospital, Uganda or TheKellermannFoundation.org.   Scott finished his talk at the top of the hill looking down on the facilities and spoke of his desire to create a teaching environment at BCH so people will come here to learn more about how to improve hospital practices in other African locations. He envisions a second floor above the Premium Ward for classrooms and another building adjacent to it for an ICU ward and more hospital beds.

If you are interested in helping bring Scott’s vision to reality feel free to contact him, the Kellermann Foundation or even me.

Mark treated everyone to Samosas at Susan’s Café next to the Hospital entrance and then we had lunch at the lodge.  We were supposed to drive to another school in the afternoon, but it required a 3 hour round trip drive.  The group nixed that and opted to go back to the Victory School so everyone could experience it.  Back we went and this time the school was waiting for us and the 65 recorders.

We left school supplies as well as the recorders and were escorted by the little children to chairs placed in the shade.

The performance lasted about an hour and included a handful of students playing our recorders, which made me very happy.

 

 

They were not practiced, but their sound merged with the singing and drumming.  At one point the kids dragged us off our chairs to dance.  Everyone obliged laughing all the while.

When they finished, I invited Phil to play the drums for them and he obliged.  The kids loved his playing.  When we dragged ourselves away we were all grateful that we had to drive only a few minutes to get back to Mahogany Springs Lodge.

We happily shopped in the Batwa Craft Banda and stayed in for dinner and the evening.  Word got out that Mark and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary soon and so Larry made sure we had a celebration with dessert.  It was very sweet of everyone.  It is also Al and Lynne’s  anniversary soon too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 26, 2018

This was the big day for the group to go gorilla trekking.   Everyone was up and properly dressed for a hardy breakfast by 7:15. Mark and I escorted them to the starting point at 8am and waited while they were briefed on the does and don’ts, were assigned one porter each and a walking stick.  They each had plenty of water as well as lunch.  Larry chose to go with a slower group that would, hopefully, not have to walk far to see the gorillas.  It felt a bit like watching children go off to school for the first time.

After they were gone, Mark and I went back to the hospital to connect with Jean and Scott.  This time Scott bought a round of Samosas.  Then the four of us took 45 recorders to St Mathews Catholic School up the hill from Juliana’s parents’ home.  The teachers were very appreciative and showed us around the school. Jean had previously organized a sister school relationship between Mount St Mary’s Academy in Grass Valley and St Mathew’s School and we were shown the desks that Mt St Mary’s students had provided for the St Mathew’s classrooms.  We took photos so she can show them to the Mt St Mary’s students.   This school is very needy.   Some of the classrooms are not yet completed and need floors, windows, doors and furnishing.   There are many more students than there are completed classrooms to accommodate them

When we left the school and drove to Scott’s place, called Gorilla House, as it is next to the park entrance.  Jean is staying there at the moment.   We had tea on the deck and soon Larry showed up as his hike was over by 11:30. He had a super experience with gorillas without having to work hard.

We had a tentative meeting planned with Canon Jovhan, the Batwa Development Program manager, to give him the rest of the recorders to distribute as needed to various outlying schools.  He was out to lunch on our first attempt, so we left the bag or recorders beside the door and left.  Later, we hired a bodaboda (motorbike) to take us to the BDP office and finally connected with him about 4:45pm.  With him was the BDP music teacher, who happily took charge of the remaining 128 recorders.  At last, I was free of my commitment to distribute recorders.  Hopefully, they will be used judiciously and students will have another instrument to play.  Jovhan promised to keep me informed about their distribution.

Back at the lodge, the rest of the group arrived about 4:30.  They had had a really long and arduous trek to see the animals and were exhausted.  Unfortunately, this was the night we were to have a party at the Guest House, aka the Monkey House, with Diane Stanton’s missionary group.  Our group rallied, cleaned up and went to the party…….for awhile.  Unfortunately, the food was not served timely and six of them returned home without dinner and went to bed.  I felt badly, especially as the food was served about 5 minutes after they left.

The rest of us ate dinner and left too.  Oh well.

 

September 27, 2018

After another early breakfast, we all checked out of the Mahogany Springs at 7:45 and went to the hospital for one last prayer service. This time it was Any and Mike, who are from Denver, who lead the prayers and gave a homily.  As a number of people were preparing to leave Bwindi, there were a lot of tears and good bye’s.  We said our farewells too and headed back to the Park entrance to begin our walk to Clouds Resort.  Larry and Phil had opted out of the hike and went in the vehicle with KK and most of the bags.  They took off directly from the lodge at 7:45. Amy also did not want to hike and rode with Mike after he dropped off the rest of us at the park entrance.  We thought we would beat them to Clouds as the drive is about 6.5 hours.

When we started the hike to Clouds we know it would be steep and long, but we all thought it would be more fun and interesting than the long, bumpy drive around the park that the cars had to do.   It had not been planned that way.  The hike was originally a 3.5 hour walk that Mark and I remembered doing 2 years ago. Unfortunately, we heard just a few days earlier that a bridge had washed out and the short trail was not useable. We were forced to take the longer, harder trail.  Scott told us it would be difficult, but we all thought we could do it.  Well, we succeeded, but it was brutal—8.9 miles of very steep terrain.  We started at 4,802 feet elevation, according to Mark’s phone app, climbed gradually to 5,307, then down to 4,710, then up to 5,048 and down again to 4,900, then we climbed gradually back to 5,000 feet before making the steep ascent to 6,968 feet.  The last 1,000 feet were really steep, 33 % according to Mark’s calculations, and slow going.  Thank goodness we each had a porter and a  stick.  The porters went between each of us with one pulling and the other pushing us up the hills.  Mark was in the lead and handled the hike better than anyone.  I was near the rear and feared I might get heat stroke from the sun and exertion.  The porters made palm fans and kept me cool whenever we stopped. Thankfully, much of the hike was in the shade of the forest, but the steepest parts were mostly in full sun.

The forest scenery was lush and verdant and full of birds.  About half way into the trek, we came upon a group of habituated gorillas who were not afraid of us.  They were on the other side of a small stream eating greenery.  We stopped and took many photos.  We were pleased with ourselves for having the opportunity to see the animals.  At one point a medium sized gorilla crossed the steam to our side and sat on the bank casually munching away.  Wow! We all enjoyed the surprise encounter, but were soon back at the task ahead.  Not long after that encounter, we stopped for lunch, ate what we wanted and gave the rest to the appreciative porters.  During the gradual climbing and descending we crossed several foot bridges and many streams.  Gradually, the really hard work began.  We passed out of the forested park and into sunny, rocky terrain.  It was then, I stopped paying attention to the scenery and concentrated on getting myself up the mountain.  It became as steep as climbing deep uneven stairs.  It moved from hiking to climbing.

As we crested the top of one hill, we were only at the bottom of the next. I was push and pulled up the steepest parts.  Eventually, we ascended into steep farm land.  There were near vertical fields of potatoes, beans, coffee, tea and other foods. At last we crested the final hill and could see our destination.  We arrived at 4pm.  Our drivers had beat us and our bags were waiting.

With cold towels and welcome drinks in hand, we collapsed into the cushioned chairs.  Soon hot appetizers and alcoholic beverages were being served and we bagan to relax.

Finally, Mark and I went to our room.  Coincidently, the same one we had two years ago, and were met by the same butler, John Bosco.  It was a happy reunion.  I felt much better after a hot shower and was ready for dinner at 7pm.  The food was excellent.  We all ordered fresh tilapia.  It was delicious. No one lingered after dinner.  I, for one, collapsed into bed.

 

 

 

October 3, 2018

The entire Uganda/Rwanda group trip has come and gone.  It was a spectacular success, while also being exhausting.  I had no time or energy to write.  Now Mark and I are on Fregate Island in the Seychelles and I, at last, have some time. However, it may be a condensed version of my usual saga.

September 21, 2018

 

 

 

On the 21st, Scott, Jean, Mark and I went on an early morning game drive with no guide.  It was fun to be on our own in the game park. We saw many birds, a few cobb and wart hogs, and several elephants at a distance. None close up until we were headed back to the lodge.  Suddenly, just off the road, we spotted a herd of mother elephants with babies.  We quietly slipped out of the car to take photos and probably got a little closer than we should.  When one mother turned to look at us, we beat it back to the car.  We were thrilled by the experience and happy with some good images.

There was just enough time to have breakfast, pack our bags, check out and load the car before heading to the Mweya airstrip to pick up our 8 guests coming in from Jinja.  The chartered plane landed at 11:45.  My nervous concern about how their experience had been so far, evaporated as they each disembarked with big smiles and effusive comments about where they had been. They loved Wild Waters, the Serena Lodge and the charter flight.  The trip was off to a good start.

Back at Mweya Lodge, the whole group had lunch on the veranda overlooking the Kazinga Channel and Lake George.   The conversation and laughter were a pleasure to my ears as I watched everyone having a good time.

At 2pm we got on a very comfortable flat-bottomed boat to cruise the Kazinga Channel while viewing wildlife.  The Channel, a wide, shallow river between Lakes George and Edwards, is considered to have the greatest biodiversity of animals on the planet.

I don’t know if that is true, but we sure saw a lot of creatures including: a wide variety of birds, crocodiles, hippos, elephants, monitor lizards, Cape Buffalo, wart hogs and more, all coming to the water’s edge to drink and get cool.  The weather was perfect—comfortable with a slight cooling breeze—blue sky and not too hot. The 2-hour boat ride flew by. Back at the lodge, everyone used the restrooms and then we were off in our three vehicles, two Toyota Land Cruisers provided by the Uganda Safari Company with driver/guides, named Mike and KK, and a different vehicle that belonged to the Kellermann Foundation, that Scott drove.   The goal for the rest of the day was to get to the Kyambura Gorge Lodge before dark so we could see our accommodations and the area around them.

We made it with an hour of daylight left.  The lodge looked out over a large, lush, undulating valley with hills in the distance.  Our individual apartments were spacious, attractive and welcoming.  We had a large, private patio, an outdoor shower, a lounge area and a great bed.  I had been a bit nervous about this lodge as I had not been there before, but it more than lived up to expectations.  We had a lovely dinner on the veranda, total quiet to sleep by, a pleasant breakfast and a box lunch that was filling, if not exciting.

September 22, 2018

By 8am we were off on our long, 8-hour drive to Bwindi with a stop at Ishasha to change money, then on to a rendezvous with four, fat lions lounging on limbs in a large acacia tree, a pause for lunch in a shady camp site Scott knew about, and multiple stops to view game.

More appealing than the tree-climbing lions, was an especially long stop to watch a Cobb, a type of antelope, give birth, clean the new born and help it get up.

We stayed-over an hour- until the baby stood and took a few steps.  We were all mesmerized and felt blessed to come upon the mother near the road with the baby’s head partially out and the mother squeezing to help it come.

At 3:30 we arrived at the Batwa village called Kihembe.  This was the group’s first meeting with Batwa people. It was electric.  We were greeted with singing and dancing and drumming before we could get out of the vehicles.  The new banda, a covered meeting space with concrete floor, partial walls on three sides and an enclosed storage room at one end, was festively decorated and ready to be blessed by our group.  Preparations had been underway for days in anticipation of our arrival. The ribbon was cut and everyone entered.

The Batwa crowded into the space, while we mzungus (Swahili for white people) sat in front.

Many speeches were given and just before the last speech, the sky burst open and the whole area was deluged.  We could have tolerated rain, but the strong wind blew the rain sideways into the open banda.  Everyone tried to squeeze into the storage room hoping the storm would pass quickly. Eventually the wind abated, but everything was soaked.  With undampened spirits, the ladies uncovered the food and everyone began to eat in spite of being soaking wet.  The ground nuts and cinnamon rolls were quite delicious.  Some said the storm  was a good omen.  For Mark and me, it was a treat to see this very poor village finally have a clean, covered meeting place for services, general meetings, schooling, craft making, woodworking and other activities.  In addition to the banda, a new pit latrine had been completed and a brick kitchen was being built.

Another treat for us was the appearance of Anivious, the Batwa student we sponsor.  She had been brought to the Kihembe just to meet us.  She was dressed well and looked very mature and self-possessed for a 13-year old.  When we last saw her, she was a very shy 11-year old.  On this day, she gave a lovely speech in English and in Rechiga that she had prepared herself.  Although very proud of her, neither Mark nor I can recall what she talked about.  Shame on us.

With the festivities cut short by the storm, we climbed back into the dry vehicles and made the final  45-minute leg to Bwindi.  Anivious joined Jean and me in Scott’s car so we could talk privately with her. Another Batwa woman, Sylvia, joined us. Having been mentored by Scott and Carol for many years and secured a master’s degree, Sylvia is the most educated and successful Batwa person so far.  She helped Jean and me impress on Anivious the benefits of studying hard and taking advantage of our sponsorship.   Her teachers believe Anivious has the capacity to become the next Sylvia.

Our caravan arrived at Mahogany Springs in Buhoma in time to clean up and have dinner.  Everyone was happy to have the long drive over and settle into our accommodations for the next five days.  Buhoma is the village where Scott and Carol Kellermann set up their small clinic in 2004.  It is also a gateway to the Bwindi Impenetrable forest and gorilla trekking.  Today the Bwindi Community Hospital (BCH) is a huge sprawling facility that is highly rated in Uganda.

On Sunday, September 23, our group joined the BCH community for services at 8am.  As a large crowd was expected the service was held in the Nursing School lecture hall.   The gathering was large and there was much music, singing and dancing.  Everyone in our group and in Diane Stanton’s group were individually introduced and asked to say why they were there.  Brandon, a minister in Diane’s group gave a very nice homily on Forgiveness.  Then items were auctioned to provide funds for the church.  Several live chickens went for $20 each.  Pineapples also fetched $20 apiece.  A bushel of potatoes went for $10 and a number of handmade baskets went for lesser amounts.

After the service, Scott and Jane, the director of the Nursing School, gave our group a tour of the school.  We saw class rooms, and residence halls and met a few teachers and students.  We learned that all the students who have graduated so far, about 190, have passed with 100% on their test scores.  Because of the success rate, more and more students are applying to attend the school, resulting in stricter entrance requirements and more crowding.

 

In the afternoon, some went shopping at the local Batwa craft store, others relaxed in their rooms.  At 6pm we all went to the Gorilla Forest Camp just inside the park entrance for a prearranged dinner.  Before dinner we were treated to folk music around the campfire by a musician named Warren.   Mark and I had stayed at this camp twice in years passed and wanted to give the group a taste of the place and its rustic outdoor elegance.  The food was up to our expectations.