| Hi all,
So much has happened since the last time I wrote from Kampala that I thought an update was in order.
Postbus ride to camp I was able to collect all my research permits etc. in record time and early on Wednesday morning, I started the long journey to camp.
To get there, I decided like last time to ride the postbus. This is a bus that takes the mail to the various towns in Uganda and they also have seats to take people (and animals) as well.
The postbus leaves at 8am and you have to be there at 7:30 to buy a ticket. Getting to the bus was actually the part of the trip that worried me the most since my baggage in total weighed about 45 kg (about 100 lbs) and I wasn't sure i could carry it all if I had too.
Luckily, 2 other people staying at my hotel were headed to the post office and god bless them for helping me carry those bags across the street. I will be forever grateful.
Anyways, because of the huge bag issue, I was last getting on the bus headed to Masindi meaning that I had to sit in the last row.
For those of you who might remember your school bus days - although the last row is the coolest place to be, it is also the most dangerous.
And given the condition of Ugandan roads, you can only imagine how bumpy the ride was. I normally prefer to ride right up front with the driver.
There is a small tradeoff here: If you sit in the back, you will catch air and hit your head on the roof of the bus.
If you sit in the front, despite the smoother ride, you get to see all the goats, cows, bikes, people, poles, cars and trucks that you miss hitting by about an inch.
Marriage-proposal Next time I am on the postbus - I'll be wearing a helmet and a blindfold just to cover all possibilities.
That should also keep people from talking to me as well - I had 3 people ask me if I was married on this bus ride because they were interested in moving to America and heard that it was easier if you could find someone to marry over there.
Darren - don't worry, I turned them all down.
Back in camp: quarantine After arriving in Masindi, Katie and Simon - two researchers who are at camp with me - were waiting at the post office to come and collect me.
After a nice chicken sandwich lunch and a bit of shopping we headed back to camp.
Nothing much has changed here - except that the kids are a little older.
It's as if time just passes a lot slower over on this side of the world. Before going out with the chimps, you have to spend a few days in quarantine just to make sure you haven't picked up any bug that could get transmitted to the chimps.
They are very susceptible to human diseases, so it is important that we make sure not to enter the forest for a few days.
Besides, after 3 days of non-stop travel, I was ready just to unpack and relax a little bit. My room is lovely with a HUGE queen sized bed. I got the nicest room at camp because I am staying the longest. It makes it feel more like home to have a nice, cozy room and a comfy bed.
Chimps again
Saturday was my first day out with the chimps and it was awesome. It was like seeing old friends and remarking how much bigger they were, or how much weight they had lost.
The chimps have been around camp the last few days and have been in very large groups. All of the males are hanging out together with the exception of Duane, the alpha male.
He has disappeared for the last few weeks, which is actually not unusual for him at all.
We suspect that he leaves the group for a little while to hang out with females that only he knows about. He'll probably show up in a few weeks just to make sure he's still in charge.
Although, from what I have heard, it has been a tumultuous few months among the males and it seems like some of the younger males are trying to increase their rank.
I wouldn't be surprised if Duane is deposed soon. After an 11 year reign - one of the longest standing alpha males that we know of - it might be time for Duane to step down, although I don't think it will happen without a fight. Muscle and fat
For the last 2 days, although the chimps spend the morning around camp, they have been making us walk quite far. I think that we have walked almost 20 km over the past 2 days.
I came to camp about 15 lbs heavier than I normally am because I knew I was going to lose weight while I was here.
For those of you who saw me before I left, you will know that I was on a systematic mission to replace muscle with fat - which actually seemed to work quite well by eating cake with almost every meal.
Well I am certainly feeling the consequences of my actions as the fat is slowly resisting conversion back to muscle. And although Budongo is a lot flatter and smaller than other chimpanzee research sites, it's not always a walk in the park.
The last few days, the chimps have been going outside the area where we have marked trails making it especially difficult to follow them.
Zarin as Catherine Zeta Jones
To get an idea of how hard it is to follow them off-trail, imagine the movie Entrapment with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery.
You might remember that she has to do this contortionist routine to get past all of these lasers.
Well replace the lasers with vines that have thorns and biting ants crawling on them and replace Catherine Zeta Jones with me (except that I would be sweaty, smelly wearing the most unattractive outfit possible) and that is what following chimps is like.
For those of you who haven't seen the film, it's basically like Cirque de Soleil meets American Gladiators.
So you might be asking is it all worth it?
I'm sure those of you who follow chimps will agree with me that there is nothing greater in the world than stumbling through the forest blinded with sweat pouring into your eyes trying to follow the sounds of pant-hooting and buttress drumming.
And then, when you actually have a moment to sit down surrounded by the chimps - watching them feed or play or even just sleep, you remember that you are one of a handful of people in the whole world that actually get to do this and get paid for it.
Despite the grant writing and teaching and more grant writing, this really is the best job in the whole world.
Well that is all from me for now. I will be here doing my thing for the next little while but will keep you all posted if anything happens.
Thank you so much for all the greetings that you have sent - it has been so nice to hear from all of you! Love Zarin
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