Arriving in Uganda
After a very smooth but long flight from London, I landed in Entebbe this morning. The familiar smell of smoke hung in the air as we walked across the tarmac to the terminal.
Getting my visa and luggage was a breeze, and before I knew it, Richard had whisked me away to JGI, a lovely breezy house on the shore of Lake Victoria. I dropped off my bags, and then we drove straight into Kampala.
Lake Victoria's shore, Entebbe
Even though I haven't been here before, it was so familiar. Deep red earth, goats, chickens, bikes, fires, stalls with neatly piled tomatoes and oranges. huge trucks loaded down with people and bananas, all lined the road to Kampala.
Handpainted signs for hairdressers, machine parts, groceries, all pointing to low, brightly painted cement buildings. And people everywhere - I'm always amazed me how quickly children here grow up. I saw a young boy, not much older than three, walking along the side of the road, by himself, carrying something on his head.
Richard did an expert job of negotiating the kamikaze traffic as we neared the city. I had braced myself for a harrowing experience at the Ugandan Commission for Science and Technology, where I was to pick up my research clearance, but all was very smooth.
We visited the bank, and had sodas at the Speke hotel. I was surprised to see Marabou storks nesting in the trees lining the city streets.
Before long, were back at JGI, eating a nice lunch on the lawn, chatting with the employees, and anticipating a long nap.
I have nothing major planned for tomorrow, but on Sunday I will be going to the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which is run by JGI.
Then off to Kibale on Monday.
Ian
