Nose ticks, school celebrations and who knew hiring a car could be so complicated

A few days after we returned from Kibale Forest National Park I sneezed an object out of my nose.  It was happy, plump tick.  I googled ‘ticks in noses’ an the first hit was a story about a scientist from the University of Wisconsin (https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/gory-details/hiding-your-nose-clever-strategy-ticks).  Tony Goldberg had also found a tick in his nose while studying chimpanzee diseases in Kibale Forest a few years ago.  Unlike me he kept his tick and found it to be a previously undescribed species that lives in chimp nostrils - beyond the reach of their probing fingers.

So I emailed Tony to let him know his ticks are still doing well in the forest.  He chastised me for not preserving my specimen and I promised to do so if I encountered any others.

Unlike a nasty bitey tick I had on my leg at Sipi Falls the nose tick was not evident until it decided to depart.

Mine looked just like this!  Cool isn't it?

Kibale Forest NP where apparently all sorts of lovely parasites lurk (not mentioned in the brochures).

It has been a huge week for School For Life.  On Wednesday the Riverside Secondary School at Mbazzi was officially opened ahead of the first secondary students commencing next January.  The staff and students have been busy learning dances and songs including the anthems of Uganda, East Africa and Australia.  The construction crew have been flat out landscaping the grounds and continuing on with construction. 

Lots of Australian supporters arrived with CEO Annabelle on Sunday after a successful charity climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.  We had dinner with them in Kampala on Sunday at the excellent Ndere Group cultural performance.  Not normally my cup of tea but I thoroughly enjoyed it and the locals tell me the dances and songs from various parts of Uganda were quite authentic.  If you are in Kampala do yourself a favour - as someone once said.

The visitors came to the schools and visited the local communities on Monday and Tuesday then joined over 1000 parents and invited guests to the opening.  It was a long day but everyone had a great time.  The mums who dressed up in their finest colorful outfits, the construction crew, the local dignitaries and politicians who were all suitable lauded.  Most of all the kids and teachers who have worked so had on their songs, dances and speeches.

A riotous assembly - our mothers arriving.

Last minute instructions and some photos.

Mbazzi primary kids kicking off the day.

Mary has been at Katuuso School since it started and is now in her final year
 before heading to the new Mbazzi Secondary School in January.

Energy and enthusiasm!

Some teachers on traditional drums.

Colorful costumes made by the talented women of the Kumi Tailoring Program at Katuuso Primary School.

Some traditional story telling via dance and song.

The mums (and a few dads) up and dancing towards the end of festivities.

CEO Annabelle and Country Director Ange saying nice things about each other.

We stayed in Kampala to dine with the visitors again that night but the next day we headed back to Mbazzi and found a very weary bunch of students and teachers.  At Katuuso later we met up with a Channel Nine film crew who had been out a few years earlier and were back to do an update on the progress of the schools.  You can see the first documentary they produced back about 4 years ago on Youtube.

Today we went back into Kampala to collect our hire car for the next 3 weeks on safari.  We had a contract all sorted that said we would be there from 1000 to 1200 and they were to deliver the car to the School For Life office.  We left home about 0800 and soon had a call from the delivery chap to ask where the office was.  I had emailed the address and a detailed, easy to read map.  Never mind, Jenny explained it all again.  A while later we were in a huge traffic jam on the Northern Bypass and he rang again to say he was there.  We explained the jam and reminded him the contract said delivery after 1000.  We arrived about 0930 and he presented us with a bill for about half the amount we had agreed to.  Then he complained about the age of the US dollars in the $350 deposit were were paying.  Jenny pointed out that these were the same old dollars that they had give us when we got our deposit back from the previous car we had rented from them.  Just as he was leaving he mentioned the camping gear for four people in the back of the car.  We did not ask for camping gear!  Three hours later he returned and took the gear away.  In the meantime the owner rang us to apologise and said he had looked at our previous contract and assumed we wanted camping gear again.  I pointed out that we had not rented camping gear last time either.

We think that somewhere in Kampala today some tourists were delivered a car with none of the required camping gear, several hours late and for twice what they were expecting to pay.  I hope they sorted it out and have a great time.

So with the lovely old rented Land Cruiser safely home in Buloba we are monitoring the progress of friends Rob and Lou from Hamilton as they fly to Doha and then down to Entebbe where we will collect them tomorrow afternoon.  Sunday we hit the ground running with a Mabamba Swamp boat trip then we head off to Lake Mburo NP, Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Queen Elizabeth NP and Murchison Falls NP.  It should be a great adventure!