A visit home, missing cutlery, car stuff, mobile phones and security

We have just returned from a three-week visit home.  We hardly stopped for breath as we ticked off (in the birding sense) my dad, all the kids, the grand-daughter, the brothers and sisters and several of their kids and grand-kids.  We even fitted in an aunt and uncle and a few friends.

After two nights with dad in his new retirement village house (very nice!) we headed to our house in Hamilton.  Son Toby and tenant Alem are looking after it very well and we felt like squatters a bit as we had the guest room.  We caught up with work colleagues and friends like Rob and Lou who are coming to visit us in Uganda in June.  Next we had a week in an Airbnb in Reservoir, Melbourne with Toby, daughter Liz and grand-daughter Sophie (from Hobart).  Other son David is back in Melbourne and popped out to see us as well.  While in Melbourne we went to the zoo and had a nice dinner for nephew Callum’s 20th birthday.

A few days after we left the bnb we had a message from the owner saying “Um. We can’t find the cutlery.  Do you have any idea where it might be?”  First reaction was to blame Sophie (only 3 years old) - as we did when we blew out their internet limit.  Then we remembered the fancy dish-washer with its secret cutlery drawer.  Sure enough the owner wasn’t familiar with the drawer and the cutlery turned up safe and sound.

A few days in Ouyen to visit Jenny’s aunt and uncle, then a couple of days in Kinglake with Jenny’s sister (also coming to visit us here) and we were soon back on the plane to Entebbe.

A quick word about birding over the three weeks.  I had a target of 150 species and managed 163 with help from Rob Farnes in Portland and Rob Drummond who was camping at Hattah near Ouyen for Easter.  The weather also helped as it was sunny and warm most of the time.  I’m actually ahead of my average Jan-April total for Australia.  The highlight was seeing my first Lyrebird (up Toolangi way) since 2004.

Freckled Duck, Mill Park Lakes, Melbourne

We had lent our car (a 20 year old Toyota Rav4) to a colleague while we were in Australia and sadly it broke down just before we arrived back.  Kessia and friends took it to Jinja (which Ugandans wrongly insist is The Source of The Nile).  It took them there but refused to start when they wanted to come home.  Still not sure what the problem was but the mechanic ripped us off royally and the car seems fine.  I’m thinking a simple electrical fault that he turned into a major issue requiring new parts that weren’t installed and other work that was never done.  Stilll - it only cost money.  He told us he was ‘born again’ so I hope he can square his dishonesty with his god.

The issue now is that I don’t trust the car to take us on safari to distant national parks and we will have extra expense of  hiring cars for some planned trips.  Also, for some reason the driver’s side electric window has failed so not pleasant driving in warm weather.

The Ugandan government decided, just before Easter, that all mobile phone SIMs have to be re-registered.  This means that all citizens have to show their national ID card - otherwise their phones would cease to work.  They had until the 20th April to do this.  So barely a week with Easter in the middle.  It could be done using their phones actually but about 20% of citizens don’t have an ID number.  It is impossible to function in this country without a mobile phone.  

The situation for expats like us was confused to say the least.  I asked for advice on the Facebook expat forum and was given three conflicting stories within 10 minutes.  1. We could do it online with our passport numbers (wrong!),  2. We had to attend a phone company office and have our passport scanned and photograph taken, or 3. no action required if we had already obtained our SIM with our passport details.  

We also can’t function here without our phones so we visited the phone company office and were told option 3 was for us.  Colleagues who had registered a year or so ago had to re-register.  As it turned out I’ve lost my Ugandan SIM in Australia so had to register a replacement!

Just before the non re-registered phones were to be turned off the government announced a 30 day extension.  Possibly a Supreme Court action influenced this decision.  We are flabbergasted at the cost this exercise must be having on the economy as people wait for hours in queues to provide information that have already provided.  It's not like Uganda can afford the hit!

Security!  We arrived back at our apartment complex (sounds grand doesn’t it?) on Wednesday to a warm welcome from askari Richard.  Nothing was amiss in our little house apart from some gecko poo in places it shouldn’t have been (tables, couches …).  Our co-tenants were happy and well and also pleased to see us.  Yesterday we drove to Mityana to a bank to pay rent (further away but better than driving into Kampala!).  We texted our landlord to flag the payment and unusually he texted back.  “I’m beefing up security because of recent incidents”.  It turns out a couple of local lads have been pushing our security to the extent of stealing a side mirror from a car inside the compound and throwing bottles at Richard over the fence.  So now we have two armed guards helping Richard over night.  

I must say it is disconcerting to see guys in uniform with rifles over their shoulders arriving each evening.  The theory is that it will only be for a couple of weeks then random nights after that.  It’s such a quiet neighborhood here - I’m glad we aren’t in Kampala where this is essential (and sometimes insufficient).

I haven’t done much birding since we came back but have added five new species to the Katuuso School list - Brown-crowned Tchagra, Black Bishop, Thick-billed Weaver., Black-crowned Waxbill and Purple-headed Starling.

Purple-headed Starling

Red-headed Lovebird

Thick-billed Weaver

My bogey bird is currently African Emerald Cuckoo.  I have heard this species in Tanzania and now Uganda in many places but it will not show itself - therefore the rules of twitching declare that I cannot count it.  Normally a forest species, one was calling in an open area at Riverside School a few weeks ago but the bulldozers for the new site started up and I lost it.  One has been calling constantly near the house in recent days but will not reveal itself.  Along with the Leopard this bird will be a reason to keep coming back to Africa.

In a couple of days I drive to Entebbe Airport to collect Lyn and cousin Ian for a two week safari over the school holidays.  The highlight will be three days in Kidepo Valley National Park in far ne Uganda.  Some really cool birds up there.