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Published: December 1st 2011
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Day 11 - Day 10 of tour
We left Lake Bunyonyi to go to Lake Mburo for a game drive and an overnight stay.
On the way we stopped at Mbarara for 45 minutes to restock for food and supplies. You can tell that Mbarara is a wealthier town; the buildings were in better shape and more modern. We shopped at the market but the prices were more expensive and I definitely some opportunities for shopping in Kabale!
We encountered one Chinese person in a shop (the first Chinese local I've seen) and while we walked by, he was staring at me and I was staring at him and he waved enthusiastically.
Next, we had lunch at Lake Mburo and a game drive through the park. There were impalas, zebra and warthogs. It started raining heavily and we stuck to the main road since Steve, our driver, felt we may get stuck in the mud if we took the side roads.
We cut our game drive short, and went to our campsite located in the park. It started raining heavily and there were warthogs EVERYWHERE eating the grass. They look cute when they are far away and when you are safe in a truck, but close up, I was a bit concerned. Those tusks are huge and look like they can put a nice gash in you. After observing them for a bit, and keeping a safe distance from them by staying in the undercover outside "kitchen" area, I got over my initial fear, and then thought it was very cool! Of course, we started posing with them (within a safe distance) and taking pictures.
It continued to rain heavily but we decided that if we wait any longer, it may rain even harder, so we decided to "suck it up" and pitch our tent.
Although it was a basic campsite, there was a bar...they have their priorities straight! The pit toilet was a hole cut out of the concrete floor inside a wood shack. It had many flies and it was the worst pit toilet I've ever seen!
After checking out the toilet, we decided that we needed a drink from the bar to relax and forget the horrors of the pit toilet and make the rain a bit more tolerable. The bar was situated by the lake and we could see hippotamuses emerge every few minutes to take a breath (reminded me of whales). The hippos kept moving closer but did not come on land.
That night we were advised by our guide that our campsite is a favourite feeding place for the hippos and they come out at night to eat. Hippos are also the most dangerous creatures in Africa and kill more people than any other animal. How do they kill people? When a hippo is scared, they run towards water and nothing is going to stop a 3000 kg rampaging hippo and one should not stand between a hippo and the water. They can also be very aggressive when provoked. Therefore, we were told that if we needed to use the toilet at night to go by the tent and not to walk to the toilet.
Luckily or unluckily, I'm a heavy sleeper and I was tired so despite the stories, I fell fast asleep and did not hear any noises...
Hmmm....hippos...what hippos? Nonsense!
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