Perspective: Day 11: Fort Portal (Chimpanzee Trek!)

The alarm goes off very early this morning. Yet, Hanni, Jessica, and I wake up without complaint as we are eager to get up close and personal with our closest living relative - the chimpanzee. William is set to arrive at 6:30am for pick-up and departure.

The 3 of us meet around 6am in the main dining room for breakfast, bleary eyed and giddy. Well, except for one... Hanni is feeling less than stellar and worried about the trek. After we finish eating, William arrives and Hanni, sadly, decides to bow out. The first to be stricken ill on the trip. Therefore, Jessica and I pack up and drive off to Kibale National Forest with William. We arrive promptly at 8am and pay our fee for the trek - $120 (US). The price is well worth it!

After we sign in we are briefed on park history, trek rules, and what to expect. We tuck our pants into our socks and split up into groups. Jess and I coincidently get paired with 2 British couples that we keep running into throughout Fort Portal. We all pack back into our van (it was the largest) and William shuttles us, along with our trek guide Ruth, to the drop point within the park.

Right away I spot a single chimpanzee swinging through the tops of the trees. Nearer though are a few baboons, including a mother and her baby.

After we take a few pictures...

...we move deeper into the forest.

The sounds here are incredible. It's startlingly loud and otherworldly!

When there is enough food to share, the chimps alert other chimp groups of the bounty. They do this via tree drumming. As the trees grow so do their buttresses, which only become more hollow with size and age. The chimps rhythmically pound on these as a signal.

The result is a very loud drumming sound which resonates throughout the entire forest. This drumming is soon followed by much hooting and screaming by other chimps. A fantastic noise that stops those unfamiliar in their tracks... and produces an awe-inspired grin.

After chasing them through the tree-tops, we finally find our first few on the ground.

Sure, they look nice, quiet, and contemplative...

But then...

This one decides to charge us.

Of course I took a picture!

I have brief video of this as well and you can hear our guide Ruth instructing us not to move. "Don't run, don't run. It is just a threat to show he is strong." Still, intimidating! (and awesome)

This is why Ruth has military training in addition to her wildlife and ecosystem education.

The gun is also to protect us from any other animals - stampeding elephants, etc.

We change direction again... following our guide and listening for calls.

Another great sighting!

They soon head back to the tree tops.

We head deeper into the forest and find some interesting trees and bug life.

I found this colorful cicada under a leaf.

A chimpanzee, just hanging around.

After about an hour of great sightings, we begin our hike back to camp.

This is when we stumble upon our best opportunity yet...

A mother chimpanzee and child sitting on a log.

She allows us to come closer. We sit with her for about 10 minutes. I also have video of her grooming and playing with her baby.

They finally move on and then so do we, feeling lucky and thankful for a great tour guide.

We spot these guys on the way out as well. Dung beetles!

Jessica and I arrive back at the Ruwenzori View Guesthouse around 1pm and order up some soup. The rest of the group is still touring the Toro Botanical Gardens. It seems that while we were chasing things in trees, they were actually climbing them.

Abdirisack, Hanni, and guide.

These photos are courtesy of Hanni. Thanks!

Ellen with Toro guides.

Later we all meet up again, head to Gardens Restaurant in town and exchange stories over lunch.

While there, I notice what first appears as dirt or plant material on my arm. My attempts to brush it off are unsuccessful, so I look closer and notice that the flecks of dirt have legs! I have a singular tick on each of my forearms. Richard's wife, Donna, has vaseline and so we cover them in hopes that the lack of air will cause them to evacuate. Nervous, I head to the restroom for further inspection. To my horror, the right side of my body is covered! After screaming internally, I head outside to broadcast my revelation. Sheila helps me remove half of the ticks from my legs before we must head to our next stop: J.E.S.E.

This NGO has been in operation since 1994. They are focusing on sustainable agriculture in 3 major areas: natural, livelihood, and water & sanitation (Yes, the latter are lumped into 1 category) - with special attention to irrigation agriculture and organic farming practices.

They are currently operating in three districts: Kabarole, Kyenjojo, and Kamwenge - with a 4th recently approved.

What I particularly like is their focus on the utilization of indigenous knowledge and not sole reliance on well-educated peoples from outside the local community. They strive to empower the local farming communities and assist them in the productive integration of available natural resources to improve their own socio-economic growth. Most of this is done via training, outreach, research, and information exchange.

Unfortunately, I was not able to completely focus during this interview. I was still half covered in ticks and mildly freaking out. It had started raining during our session at J.E.S.E and all I could think about was running out into the rain, stripping, and scrubbing myself free of ticks. Alas, daydream is all I could do.

After our time at J.E.S.E is over, we head back to the guesthouse and Ashley assists in the removal of my remaining "stowaways." To my amazement, I would later learn that I was the only one in our chimp trek group to get ticks. Go figure.

Once I'm done being groomed, I shower and decompress. We are all ready for dinner and drinks as evening approaches. Tonight shall be a special treat as Ineke has her son build us a bonfire and we are served a buffet-style dinner under the stars.

As an added bonus, Ineke had her kitchen staff prepare Ellen a chocolate cake as a nice welcome back gesture.

The cake looked much better from afar...

Still, it is the thought that counts. Though I suppose what really counts the most is the taste and it was delicious. I remember Sheila being especially excited. It seems that chocolate cake is her favorite indulgence.

Drinks, food and camaraderie ensue!