Wednesday August 11, 2010 – Boat trip to the falls and Nile River Camp

Wednesday August 11, 2010 – Boat trip to the falls and Nile River Camp


It started raining again at 4:30 this morning, but by the time we got up at a leisurely 7:00 it had stopped and the ground was drying up. We headed back to the Para jetty for our boat tour up river to the base of Murchison Falls. The boat was a small aluminum craft with bench seats and a sun canopy that held about 12 people, along with the guide and the driver. We spent two hours slowly working our way up the river, stopping along the bank to look at birds and animals. The vegetation is really rich and dense, with marshes along the edges, and large floating islands of papyrus and weed. There were so many hippo families – some in the water with only their heads out, lying in heaps on the river bank, or grazing in the marshes and floating papyrus islands. We saw some big males sparring, and a tiny baby that was apparently only a few weeks old. There were also a number of crocodiles – quite a few medium sized ones lying on the bank here and there, with a large number in a place they called the crocodile pool just where the water slowed down after the flow from the falls. We saw one really huge crocodile sleeping in the sun on the bank right next to the river – over 10 metres in length – and then we pulled up against the bank to get a better look at it, and they turned the engine off! I would have said we were way too close, but apparently this particular crocodile is ‘very peaceful” and it was OK. Neither Sarah or I was convinced. We also saw warthogs, a number of groups of waterbuck including some young ones, a big male buffalo, black and white colobus way up in the trees, and some other antelope. The bird-life was also really good – lots of herons and egrets, fish eagles galore, pied kingfishers diving for their prey, malachite kingfishers in the reeds, angingas drying their wings in the sun, and quite a few others. As we approached the falls we could see the spray, and then finally the torrent of water as it came through the rocky gorge we had stood above on Monday. We didn’t go too close (just as well as the boat wasn’t very big) but pulled up to a cluster of rocks in the middle of the stream where we could get out and have our picture taken with the falls in the background. Everyone except Sarah, who refused to leave the boat. The trip back took about half the time, landing us at the jetty bang on 11:30 as planned.
Back to Red Chili to back up the tent – we are working on the rapid pack method – deflate thermarests, pile them with the sleeping bags on top, then collapse the tent and fold side to side, then once end to end. Then stuff the whole thing in the back of the car. No rolling or stuffing according to this method. Lunch was not a total success, Elizabeth’s meal was missed on the initial order and took at least an hour and a half to arrive – a bit hard to explain as she got the pasta salad, which was apparently pre-made in the kitchen. Pasta salad here seems to consist of a bowl of vegetables and three noodles mixed in. Ordering and receiving food is one of the mysteries of Africa – one never knows quite how it is going to work. After lunch and paying up our tab we loaded the last of the drying laundry and moved camp down the road to Nile Resort –only 7 km down the short cut leading through the park employees accommodation area, out of the park proper, and into a bit of a different world. When we arrived we were officially greeted and brought damp towels to remove the dust of the road from our hands and faces. The enthusiasm was slightly dampened when it was determined that we were camping at 10$ per person per night, rather than staying in one of the lovely river-facing cabins at 160$ per person per night. But we redeemed ourselves by paying for swimming – the plan is to spend the afternoon swimming in a pool overlooking the river, sunning, reading our books. We drove to the attached campground, a lovely bit of grassy slope overlooking the river, and guarded by Fred. I’m happy in terms of vehicle safety, but really Fred is there to keep the baboons from trashing everything. Bathing suits and towels in hands we walked the 5 minutes through the woods (bumping into a troop of baboons along the way – Sarah is petrified of baboons and talks about the one that they shot when we were in Mana Pools a few years ago) back to the main lodge, changed, and straight into the pool. Heaven. At least for about 10 minutes until the thunderheads that were gathering to the east started to storm, and there was rain, then thunder and lightning and serious rain. So much for our big poolside treat. We went from sweltering to being chilly in very little time. Changed and towels over our heads to keep the rain off we scampered back to the lodge to sit under the thatched dining area, drink tea, read books and maps, and chat with a British family working in Kampala but here with UK relatives on vacation. We decided to do dinner here so settled into the comfy chairs, and then by the fire, waiting for the 7:30 dinner call – really a bit late for Sarah but we’re trying to stretch for it.
Dinner was lovely – three courses – soup, main, and dessert. Table-cloth and cloth napkins, wine glasses, the whole 9 yards. Good food and we were stuffed. Sarah barely made it through til the end though, it was almost 8:30 by the time the main course arrived. I had brought the car over, anticipating an exhausted crew so we drove back - managing not to get stuck in a mudhole on the way. The guard had lanterns out and a fire burning and the sky had cleared and the stars were shining – hippos and frogs forming a nighttime chorus. The girls dove for the tent and were asleep in minutes; I chatted to the guard a bit before retiring into the tent for the night as well.