Jambo Uganda!

Hello Uganda! Actually Africans say "Hujambo" to each other, to which the reply is "Sijambo"--that's Swahili. But when we Americans speak to Africans it's proper to say simply "Jambo."

So we are saying "Jambo" to Uganda this week!
http://wikitravel.org/en/Uganda

Passport? Socks? Compass? Guidebook?
The photo essay of Kanyawara Village takes off
this Thursday, March 15, 2007. http://blueearth.org/projects/kanayara/index.html

Track our flight status http://www.timeticker.com/

Leave: 2pm PST on Northwest oo34 March 15.
Arrive: Kampala, Uganda (EBB) at 9:05pm. March 16.

We'll stay in the capital city of Kampala our first night. http://www.ugandatourism.org/maps%20of%20uganda.php.

After a big yawn and stretch on the morning of March 17 and coffee for our jetlag (NO Starbucks?!) we start the trip to the fabled "Mountains of the Moon" and Kanyawara Village outside the Kibale National Forest. http://home.debitel.net/user/nitsch.l/exsn/eafrica/gall_01.htm

When we are having breakfast, what will you be doing?

Michael Stern is driving, (thank goodness!) as Ugandans have the reputation for driving really fast AND in the center of the road. He and his wife Rebecca are Americans, friends and scientists that work with the Kibale Wood Fuel Project. http://www.chimp-n-sea.org/

They will be guiding us how to shop for food and supplies in Fort Portal.
http://www.ugandatourism.org/maps%20of%20uganda.php.

There are lots of things in Uganda to eat that can make us sick, so we need to be cautious. Westerners can only drink bottled water, or water that has been boiled for 5 minutes. We cannot eat any lettuce! In fact everything needs to be cooked, except for fruit we peel ourselves. So we'll buy canned goods for the camp.

What can you imagine that we also have in our bags? mosquito nets? medicine?--pills to prevent malaria, a dose of antibiotics? How should we dress? It's the start of the rainy season, so we are bringing our ponchos! What's the temperature in the forest?

Here's where we will be for the next two weeks:
Makerere University Biological Field Station (MUBFS)
http://www.usu.edu/mubfs/frames.html

Annie will be taking along lots of heavy cameras and equipment like batteries, lights and film, and all of it in extra-special waterproof containers that look a lot like Ziplock bags. She will need more luggage space than Janine! Josh Uhlir, Annie's husband and also a writer, is coming to help out.

Send us any questions you might have, or messages for the kids here. You can write to the blog, or send personal messages to kennedy@primateplay.com.

A special thanks to all you superstar sock-hopin' kids at Valley School in Seattle, Washington.

We will keep you posted on our progress whenever we have electricity and Internet.

Speak to you soon! (Monkeychatters)
Annie, Janine and Josh