Day 2: Entebbe

Good morning Green Valley Guesthouse!

We wake up and take a day time tour of our guesthouse and grounds.

 

(L to R) Bradford, Hanni, Jessica and Sheila - our local Ugandan cultural attaché & former PSU graduate.

Above: Ashley - attempting to email.

Below: The bedroom that Ashley & I shared.

The guesthouse provided us with a lush backdrop and a nice veranda - conducive to study and conversation.

 

Pictured above: Richard, studious as always.

Pictured below:  Bradford with guesthouse employee Bernard.  Great guy!

Since the majority of us arrived a day early, today was designated as a free day.  We walked to Entebbe's city center to exchange money and grab some lunch. 

 Pictured: Downtown Entebbe - very small town

                                          

                                          

After wandering for a while and experiencing very bad luck finding an establishment that actually had food, we end up eating Chinese food at a place called 4 Turkeys.  Yes, our first meal in Africa is Chinese food.

It should also be noted that all security, no matter the company or location, employs guards armed with AKs or rifles.  This is more than a little disconcerting at first but you eventually get used to it.

                   

After lunch we head to the Uganda Wildlife Education Center to explore the animals on display.  En route we encountered some fun plants, wildlife, and cultural sights.

                                       Trees are neat.

                                 

Above: This is a termite hill!  Their immenseness never ceased to amaze me.

                                                               

Above: An Ibis

             

Above: This interesting fellow is a Marabou Stork.  They are everywhere in Uganda.                               

                

                       We came upon a shrine with heavy Indian influences.  The Indian population in Uganda was quite large before the oppressive rule of Idi Amin.

                                                                                                

                                                                             

                                            

Moving on...

 

We also briefly stop at a war memorial, where we have an interesting cultural experience...

Before reaching our final destination of the Wildlife Education Center we encounter our first real wild monkeys, quickly transforming us into a giggling group of school kids.

We finally pull ourselves away and check out the Education Center.

                                         

The Uganda Wildlife Education Center houses a variety of local species.  Many are here for rehabilitation purposes or simply cannot return to the wild.

                                           

                                           

Below: The Shoebill Stork.  Yes, this bird is awesome.

                                                               

However, what was not awesome were the spiders we encountered in Entebbe.  They were gigantic and intimidating.

                                                                                   
                                 

After running away from the above spider trap, we set out in search of our best view of Lake Victoria, a lake that is not only beautiful but incredibly immense!  It could easily masquerade as an ocean.

We were posing for the requisite Lake Victoria photo op when something funny happened; Hanni was pooped on by a passing bird.  We were lucky enough to capture the moment of impact and the subsequent somewhat restrained reaction.

(L to R) Jessica, Me, Ellen, Donna, Sheila, Ashley, Bradford, Hanni

We finish the evening with dinner and drinks on the balcony overlooking the pool at the Lake Victoria Hotel.  A great way to end our first official day in Uganda.

      

Cheers!