Hix Does Uganda (Part I) - All But A Shoebill

nanoboy said:
One problem I found with the smaller binoculars I bought in the past, was that they were no good in low light.
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You may already know this, but the second number in the specs (as in 10X50) refers to the diameter of the lens (in this case 50mm). The larger the lens, the more light it lets in.

nanoboy said:
Are you taking a satellite phone? I have read that they are pretty cheap these days to rent, like $8pd. According to Google, a prepaid phone card with 75 minutes of air time, will cost $195. Come to think of it, I used to pay similar rates for mobile phone calls in the 90s.
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No. I may get one for emergencies when I go driving around Australia again (but that won't be for a couple of years); I don't see the point of having one for this trip as there ain't nobody I'm likely to call. I'll probably be too busy having fun to think about anyone back home.


I fly out three weeks from today.

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
You may already know this, but the second number in the specs (as in 10X50) refers to the diameter of the lens (in this case 50mm). The larger the lens, the more light it lets in.



No. I may get one for emergencies when I go driving around Australia again (but that won't be for a couple of years); I don't see the point of having one for this trip as there ain't nobody I'm likely to call. I'll probably be too busy having fun to think about anyone back home.


I fly out three weeks from today.

:p

Hix
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Yup, I thought the little ones would have been ok, but in the end I had to go with a bigger lens for more light. It also means that I lug around a Canon camera around my neck, and a big binoculars slung across my shoulder - not very comfortable during bush walking.

We also have no one to call in an emergency or to give updates! Haha. Maybe we should call each other. :p
 
Hix said:
Yes I know. My first two nights in Uganda will be spent at the UWEC. However, there is a national park where Giant Forest Hogs are regularly seen during the day - they appear to be more active and less shy than usual in this park (just can't remember where it is at the moment). So I hope to have plenty of photos of them in the wild. :) :) :)
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I researched this in advance of my trip a year ago, and spoke with several local guides on the ground specifically about giant forest hogs - so thought I'd share, fwiw.

Theoretically, the tracks nearest Mweya Lodge are among the best. I went along the Queen's Circuit a couple of times and didn't see them though - nor anywhere else in the park over the course of a few days. Then - as luck would have it, we saw an adult male, and an adult female with two young on our Kazinga channel cruise. I simply asked the captain of the boat if he'd seen any recently (he was actually surprised I was interested) but he crossed to the opposite side of the channel and there they were.

I don't usually advocate for asking a safari guide to key in on a certain species - but my sense is that the guides don't consider the giant forest hog a priority for their average customer (it's lions). Kyambura Gorge is 45-60 minutes from Mweya, so it might be worth discussin, as he might be able to add a little extra time to explore the areas around Mweya before or after your Kazinga cruise. Of course, you may see them enroute from Fort Portal as most come in via the Kasenyi sector - which for my money, was the best region of QEP outside of the Kazinga channel (and if I recall correctly, the best area for lions).

Best of luck!
 
Thanks for that Terp924!

As I mentioned earlier I hope to spend some time around Mweya (and maybe visit the bird hides if there's time) after the Kazinga boatride. And I'll be sure to mention any target mammals to the captain if I need to.

:p

Hix
 
I had my first Cholera vaccination last Friday? It was oral, too, something I've not come across before. A shame the other vaccines can't be delivered the same way.

Last day at work today. I fly out in eleven days. But whose counting?

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
I had my first Cholera vaccination last Friday? It was oral, too, something I've not come across before. A shame the other vaccines can't be delivered the same way.
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Never had a polio vaccination before?
 
They sadly did away with the sugar lump at some point; when I had mine I got the vaccine alone :p
 
Anyone had a smallpox vaccine? Now that looks like it was painful!! (Smallpox was eradicated before my time.)
 
I remember a smallpox scare when I was quite young, everyone was queuing in the doctors and my gp had his wife helping out, my doll was also vaccinated, I don't think either of us made a fuss, we were tough in them days!
 
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Sounds like a great trip Hix! I look forward to hearing about it and checking out the photos.

As you will be on safari with a number of ladies, I suggest that we henceforth refer to it as the "Hix' Harem Tour." ;)

Seriously, the value of this Zoochat website is the chance to read posts from contributors like yourself, snowleopard, glyn and Steve Robinson. I learn so much that is of interest to me and, I'm sure, many others.
 
I thought, considering we're trekking with gorillas and chimps, that "Hix's Hairy Tour" would be more apt.

One week to go.

:p

Hix
 
Nope. Been there, done that.

:p

Hix
 
How I arranged Hix's trip to Uganda ;)

Willard Price taught me gorillas were good guys. I don't know which came next Jambo's family at Jersey or David Attenborough & Life on Earth but I have long wanted to see gorillas in the wild.

The idea was getting nearer the top of the to do list and then my friend went to Uganda last year with Churchill and had a great time and recommended them highly.

I looked at their primate itinerary and thought it looked wonderful but my 2 friends are not primate nuts so I asked Churchill to put a couple of days in the middle (the Queen Elizabeth National Park bit) to add more non-primate stuff. The resulting itinerary passed the quality control of my friends.

We were going to go last year but about the time we were due to book the problems in the gorilla sector in DRC increased and we were a bit nervous about committing all that money with no ABTA type guarantees not knowing what would happen and whether a changed itinerary would do everything else but miss the gorillas, the whole point of the trip. This might have been an over-reaction but it was very much a journey into the unknown for us.

However a couple of my contemporaries have suffered illnesses that would mean they could never again do this sort of holiday so I was determined this would be the year.

We booked and then a few weeks later got an email "This is to request you to accept one of our clients to join you on your trip. This is ONLY if it's okay with the 3 of you. He will be booked seperately and he understands that's it's YOUR trip that he is joining."

My first thought was "Noooo", this is our special holiday of a lifetime and we had an extremely surreal and somewhat unpleasant experience with another 'traveller' on a trip last year. However on reflection we decided that although it's a complete lottery this extra person could enhance the trip (and WN was anxious that he might not get on another trip) so we said yes. The news that the mystery man was Australian made us feel a bit better (we met lovely people in Australia in 2002, the only negative being their constant references to us being rubbish at cricket ;) ).

It was very strange to discover that it is someone on here and to read about MY holiday being dissected.

And so Hix finds himself travelling in Uganda with the travellers known as Walks Noisily (knows that's bad on treks), Looks Cold (yes even in the middle of Africa) and Stops for Photo (of course).

I feel as though I have spent the last few weeks worrying about vaccinations, mosquito repellants and cameras. Now it's time to pore over the itinerary and look forward to the trip, less that a week to go :eek:

PS Hix your message box is full
 
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Ooh how exciting. I love the story behind the story.

What's the temperatures/weather like this time of year?
 
The forecast for this week in Kampala is highs of 26º and 27ºC and overnight lows in the mid-teens (although one website predicts Saturday to be 31ºC and 12ºC overnight). Obviously it will be colder in the mountains. OrangePerson better pack the sunblock lest she becomes a ScarletPerson.

Humidity around 90%. Yechhh.

:p

Hix
 
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