A few more days in Mwanza

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So now I've spent a little more time in Mwanza and have done more things that I'm beginning to realize how nice it is and how I could not spend an entire semester here because of how quiet it is. But luckily I only have to do three weeks. So things I've done recently:

(1) I climbed another Kopje. It was a little bit harder but definitely much more fun. I've got some good pictures from it. These hikes, although a little hard, have made me realize how much I would enjoy rock climbing as a hobby. A few of us on the trip may try to go to a place in Virginia at some point next semester because this is really just way too much fun.

(2) Later in the morning on Tuesday, Dino took us on a boat trip with a local fisherman around the bay near which SAUT is located. The bay is an extension of the Gulf of Mwanza, which itself stems off Lake Victoria. The boat was tiny, just fitting all 9 of us (Dino, me, the four other students, and three rowers). Only a few times did the little boat feel like it was about to tip over, and then it was only because we were between two huge sets of rocks so the water was choppy. Otherwise, the bay was extremely calm which made it really nice to go around the outside of it. We got to see some really cool species, like the Pied Kingfisher as it dove into the water to catch fish, and the African Fish Eagle, which looks remarkably like the American Bald Eagle and stands solitary at the top of tall rocks in a majestic pose. Yes, pictures of this are also available. Another type of bird we saw a lot of (though only for short periods of time) was the Malachite Kingfisher. They are extremely tiny, very shy, and brightly colored. Royal blue, orange, red, purple, and pale yellow meet amazingly on a bird that could easily fit into the palm of my hand (minus their beaks, which penetrate far). At one point, we approached two just nesting on an acacia tree and we were close enough to touch them when they both flew away. Our luck. 😊

Also on the boat trip we observed a really nice variety of plants and animals. In terms of plants, we managed to see papyrus (it does not actually look like paper, but more like a fuzzy ball with a lot of strings coming out), wild hibiscus with purple flowers, the invasive and ecosystem-destroying floating hyacinth, and some fig trees. Although a few were rooted in soil, a lot of them just rested on rocks because they do not require soil to survive. Instead, they just bury their roots into the cracks of rocks and have a few other major ones scaling the outside of rocks. That is the only way they can receive water. Finally, we saw another plant, the leopard orchid, that does not require soil to survive and resembles the fig in that it buries it roots into rock cracks. However, this plant is really rare and Dino was excited that we saw it. Naturally, I took a picture.

On the animal side, we only managed to see a lot of agama lizards (they run around campus as well) and a few monitor lizards. The agama lizards are small and the females are unremarkable in coloring. The males, however, have bright blue bodies and red heads. They are masters at holding on to rocks and have a funny way of scampering. The monitor lizards are nearly the opposite. They are very large and tend to just sit on the tops of rocks drying themselves. The young blend in very well with the rocks, being a pale gray color. The adults are dark black. Yet, despite that, they all just sit there and tan all day.

(3) We all (as in all the students on the program) helped George, the SAUT staff member program director, move houses last night. Ironically, he is moving to the house that is right next to the Kopje we climbed earlier in the morning. Somehow during the move, I got stuck being in the middle of the bus with all the stuff. I was so entrenched that I could barely move for the entire bumpy journey down normal Tanzanian roads. Oh well.

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And that is what I have been up to these past two days...a lot of walking, a lot of animal watching, and a lot of fun. Friday is the 4th of July and I don't know if we know what we're doing yet, but hopefully it will be fun. After all, we are pretty much the only people on campus.

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Comments

[Tory]

lizards
haha...thanks to my animal behavior class, i'd venture a guess that the males are blue and red to attract the females.. :P