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We have no idea how many species of animals that are here in the Kibale National Forest.

If you are just counting insects alone, it is into the millions--and there are lots that don't have names, and researches are finding for the first time. We average 3-5 bites. We wear sleeves, so when we are treking they climb your pants and bite on the seams..but we are doing ok!

There are reptiles like poisonous vipers (the black mambo is the most popular, and the cobra), as well as snakes with teeth that live in the trees (the brown banded tree snake and the mole snake that has a flat snout, and a local one called the 'eyelash snake' that we couldn't find in a book--he has a row of scales over his eyes that bulge like frogs, and he's electric green.) The eyelash loops himself around vines that wind around tree trunks. When you are in the forest, be careful where you put your hands. They like to perch at shoulder level so they have a good view.

There are whole books on the birds with names like the 'African fish eagle' (looks like the American bald eagles but bigger). There are herons, egrets, swallows, finches, and huge storks--the Uganda national bird. http://www.etg-safaris.com/ug.htm (check out the bird on this safari ad)

There are hummingbirds and colored whatchamacallits and bats that fly around your head at night (we have a family of four that lives in our kitchen that is the same species as the ones in the Woodland Park Zoo nocturnal house). There are over 300 species of birds in Mabira Forest alone, which is near to us. http://www.credit-uganda.com/mabira.htm. This site has birding tours, so you can look at all the colors.

Why do the chimps change their diet everyday?
Chimps don't like to eat the same foods, and sometimes they need different minerals, so they change according to what they crave. If you had to eat peanut butter and jelly every day, eventually you'd get tired of it, right? They like beans that grow in trees and different fruits, bark and leaves, and sometimes insects for protien. They really like ants. Really...the chimps we saw just 'get crazy' over them. The Gorillas did too. We were told that local people eat a bean sauce made with 'g-nuts" (peanuts), and that they will also drop the ants in for flavor and cook them up. Annie and Janine love the g-nut sauce, but without ants, thank you very much!

We have seen 9 kinds of primates so far, apes (no tails) and monkeys (have tails). The chimps we saw would be as tall as your teacher's shoulder if they stood on hind feet, and many times stronger than the stongest man by the time they are teenagers. The babies range from basketball size to knee-high.

Are there schools?
Yes, each village has state schools, and there are private schools in the larger city. Our local schools has about 150 kids. You have to pay for your uniform and your books to go to any of the state schools, but grade school is free. Everyone is charged tuition in middle school, high school and college. For us, it costs about $3,000 for one year to go to middle school, but the people are very poor here. Most kids drop out after grade school to help their parents farm and raise other children, and because they cannot afford it.

When a Ugandan asks you for money, it's usually for a scholarship to continue school. They know that their education is a key to a good job and future.

For some perspective, if a mom makes $3.00 from selling potatoes one day, she affords to feed her family for three days and is happy.

What is your favorite thing about the trip so far?
We have liked so many things so far, but the people here have to be our favorite. They are warm and generous with each other and strangers. They work together as teams, and even old people still contribute to the family. As Americans, we are sometimes a little embarrassed by any complaint, since very few kids even have shoes. We have learned how lucky we are.

We also like matooke (ma-toke-eh), which looks like a banana and tastes like a baked potato. It's served steamed in banana leaves. It's good with g-nut sauce.

Waking up to the chatter of the monkeys is great too--you try to imagine what they are saying to each other, and to watch them play in the mornings--tossing branches and swinging around, you wish you could have so much fun just hanging around in trees...

What's the biggest difference between living there and here?

no bathtubs and you always carry your own tissue. (oh, man, are you serious??? Yep.--back to nature.)

Thank you for the questions!

Monkeychatters