Uganda 4: November 17, 2003

I bought a goat.

Liz had been agitating for a pet, preferably a dog, and I decided to compromise. Welcome to our home, Munchy.

Actually, at one point I had two goats, though Liz is thankful that I ended up with none.

Last Friday, I represented the Ambassador at a graduation ceremony for youth peer counselors in Kasese, a small city located in the far west of Uganda -- actually fairly near Semliki, where Liz and I visited last month. As the guest of honor, I was called on to serve as auctioneer at a community fundraiser for a new youth center. The goods to be auctioned, prize goats. The first purchaser graciously donated his goat to me and I, caught in the excitement of the moment, outbid the town mayor and regional commissioner for a second. There was a slightly awkward moment when the event organizers tried to stuff the goats in the back of the Embassy Land Rover, much to the horror of my driver, but I used my years of diplomatic training to save the day by re-donating the goats to the local youth musical group. Smiles all around. For those who doubt the story, I was given a receipt for my goat, which I intend to scan on to the computer for posterity. Can I itemize my re-donation on my tax return?

The ceremony itself was quite an affair, with the local Bishop of the Church of Uganda presiding. He guided me around the facility as I cut the ribbon on the dental center, broke ground for the new youth hostel, and handed out diplomas to the recent graduates, wondering the entire time how to address him (I started with "your eminence," but learned later that its "your lordship" which was fine as everyone (again mistaking me for the Ambassador) kept refering to me as "your excellency.") When invited to appear on the Ambassador's behalf, I asked the Bishop whether I was expected to say a few words. He said, this being Africa, that perhaps a 30 minute presentation would work. Other than the Atlanta Braves, and maybe Michigan football, I can't talk about anything for close to 30 minutes, so I was wondering how I was going to fillibuster my way through that. In any event, I needn't have worried. I spoke last at what turned out to be an 8 hour affair (all of it in the hot sun, in my suit, though we sat under canopies) and by the time I got up to give my rousing benediction ("this is a great day for Uganda!"), most of the crowd of 300 had tuned out and I managed to finish in about 7 minutes. Phew. Prior to my speech, there had been several local dances, one of which featured a buxom young lady gyrating for my benefit in front of the crowd. As a married man, I was unfazed by such behavior from an amorous female, though I suppose some in the gathering found my dignified response somewhat amusing.

Kasese sits at the base of the Rwenzori mountains, known since the time of Herodotus as the "Mountains of the Moon" and one of the primary sources of the waters of the Nile (via Lakes George, Edward and Albert). It was a rare clear day, and as we ate lunch I could glimpse the snowspecked peaks of Mt. Speke and Mt. Margherita looming 17,000 feet above the valley. A little bit beyond view lie some of the world's only equatorial glaciers, though the Ugandan ski industry has yet to take off.

I spent two nights at a lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda's wildlife jewels. I woke to find warthogs meandering the grounds in front of my room. Vast grassland savannahs, meandering rivers, and rolling hills come right out of the National Geographic specials I grew up with. Queen Elizabeth is home to a large amount of wildlife, herds of giant elephants, packs of hyenas, buffalos, hippo, and 220 lions. We went out for a sunrise safari. As the sun came up, we came head to head with a hippo happily feeding on the road. We calmly waited for him to shamble off and went on our way looking for lions. We had great luck and came upon a group of two lionesses and six cubs. One of the lionesses had just killed a gazelle and I got some great shots of her bringing home breakfast for the family. We then met up with an adult lion and lioness soaking up some sun together (attached), while another lion lounged in the bushes. It was a great scene, but the scattered bones lying over the plains indicate its not a place to take a casual walk.

Unlike our trip to Semliki, this time we headed out along the southern route, which is PAVED the entire way. Its a bit longer, but quicker. We skirted Lake Victoria, passing several cars with Nile Perch tied to the grilles (to keep them fresh according to the locals) and headed for the equator. After stopping for a photo of me with one leg in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern, we continued on past a village of drum makers and a village that makes brightly colored stools, displayed in dazzling patterns against the light blue sky. A burnt out tank on the side of the road was a reminder that Uganda still suffers from periodic instability, though this tank likely was left over from 1986, when the current President took power. We then entered drier, cattle country, with local boys tending herds of remarkably long horned cattle. On the way back through this area, we saw a few zebra peacefully munching on the underbrush. Then came the vast banana plantations as we journeyed into a low mountain chain with some farms clinging impossibly to nearly vertical hillsides. Finally, Queen Elizabeth, grassland, and animals.