One year ago today: Sept 27, 2005 (Finally, chimpanzees!)

We set off early in the morning for Kanyo Padibi forest, in search once again for the elusive chimpanzee. I was very impressed with our guide's dedication to environmental protection, as well as his use of the Socratic method. He would pepper us with all sorts of questions as we hiked in the forest. Unlike Nyungwe in Rwanda, Padibi was nice and flat with well-trodden trails.

After about 45 minutes or so, our guide spotted our first chimpanzee. It was pretty high up in a tree, perhaps about 60 or 70 feet up. It was pretty difficult to see and photograph, but we did our best. Apparently, it didn't like our presence, so at one point it started spitting food at us. Another highlight was when we heard a group of chimpanzees in the area start to howl in unison -- very loud and primal.

Our guide then identified a group of chimpanzees in the trees nearby and led us onward. It's very difficult to see these guys in the trees, since the foliage is pretty dense, but our guide managed to help us see 5 or 6 of them altogether. He would give us a hard time, because it would take each one of us a very long time to see each one. He would say stuff like, "I can see 5 chimpanzees from this very location. Can you? No? You've got to be kidding me!" It was a fun time and we were happy that we were finally able to see some cool primates in Africa.

Incidentally, they say that chimpanzees are the smartest mammal and closest to humans. But based on my observations, chimps have a long ways to go before being anywhere as smart as people.


Woohoo, a chimpanzee!


Can you find the cicada?

We returned to Kampala after our chimp tracking, with a brief stop to fix a flat tire. In Kampala, we parted ways with our Swiss friends and made arrangements for the next day. Luckily, we were able to connect with the fine folks at Village Enterprise Fund. We would take a 5-6 hour bus journey to Kisumu in Western Kenya in the morning and spend the following 3 days observing their good work near Kakamega.