Uganda pt. 2: Search for the Sinister Swamp Stalker

 Search for the Sinister Swamp Stalker

Finally in Kampala (maybe 16 hours since the Nairobi departure time), after heavy stop and go traffic, we praised the Lord to be off that God forsaken bus. We took a taxi to the nearest shopping mall so I could pick up some malaria pills, some cash, and eat some decent food and a coffee. After waiting in a long line at the Equity bank, I was then told they wouldn't take my NCBA card and that I needed to visit an ATM, but not theirs. Even though I had asked if my NCBA card would work BEFORE I got in line, and the person said yes. Geez.....

So we needed to find an NCBA bank that would still be open. Luckily there was one. Emmy sent two of his people (Hillary and J) to get pick us up in a taxi and take us to the bank. When I got there, they had just closed the security gate 7 minutes earlier. I emplored the gard to let me in but he was rigid. "But your website says you're open until 4:30 pm, and it's only 3:07, how am I supposed to magically know that you're closed." "New Covid hours" he said. This made me absolutely incensed. I had to take a deep breath to calm myself. I took a walk to the car to tell everybody the problem. The daily limit for the ATM machine was only about $250, but we needed about $1000 to send to Emmy for the necessary vehicle repairs. At this rate, we would need to come back the next day, which would shorten our trip by 1 full day. Once I had calmed down, I thought of one possibility. I could call the helpline on my debit card, and ask them to temporarily raise my daily limit. Once I got on the line, the agent agreed and I succeeded in getting the funds. We were on our way. 

J took us all the way to the ferryboat which would take us (the scenic route) to the Nkima Forest Lodge. I had a nice chat with a fellow teacher, who helped me to negotiate a good price for the ferry (about 16,000 ugx or $4.50 usd). About half what we would have paid without her assistance. We said bye to J and enjoyed the evening boat ride in Lake Victoria. We actually passed through the Shoebill swamp on our way to the landing site, from which we got some motorbikes for about 50 cents each, up to the lodge. 

Pied Kingfisher

The next morning, we rolled out of our tent with high spirits. This was the day that Ismail the boatman would take us to see the Sinister Swamp Stalker a.k.a. the SHOEBILL. But a small problem was that our agreed upon shuttle was not there. One of the staff had asked us if we needed a lift to the shoebill site, and we agreed on 7am. But no member of staff was to be found. The other problem was that our cell phones were locked in a room and we had no ability to call either the boat man or our friend Prossy (who was already wondering where we were). We decided to just start walking down the hill even though it was pretty far. We bumped into a staff member on our way who told us we could get our phones from the locked room, but there was no shuttle and we could just walk there. OK? He led us part of the way then told just to keep walking straight so we did. As it turns out, early starts are not critical for the shoebill but it's still not nice to keep a friend waiting. 

Sedge Warbler

Once we were on the water, we easily found a shoebill stalking a backwater for its favourite prey: the lungfish. On our way, we came across a rather bold Papyrus Gonolek, which kept darting into the open to catch aerial insects. It was the most prolonged and enjoyable view I've had of this normally shy species. 

Papyrus Gonolek

Back at the lodge, we chilled at the bar and snapped a quick photo with the Christmas tree. Then we spend some time refining the itinerary. I was keen to visit Mabira Forest Reserve, despite Emmy's warning not to get my expectations up. He said the forest is not what it once was, but I wanted to see for myself. 

Prossy, Sniper, Wilson and Emmy

Double-toothed Barbets