Today marks our first week in Kalinzu and it’s amazing how quickly we have settled in. It is much like a larger version of our tent. In the week here we have done laundry, found out where to buy local produce, became comfortable if not competent on the bikes, cleaned and organized the center, become friendly with some of the NFA staff, gotten lost (and found), visited one of the schools (see lost and found), discovered many new and beautiful birds, and generally made Kalinzu our temporary home.
This morning we rode to Bushenyi to pick up some groceries and some things for the center. We had been there with Stephanie so we had an idea of what to expect and everything went according to plan. The only hairy part of the ride (nearly 60km in all) was the town of Ishaka with people, animals, bikes, trucks, taxis, mopeds and speed bumps. But we made it.
After lunch we were invited to join a group going down the road and into the woods for a baptism. They were singing and laughing and were dressed in their best – many in purple. We changed out of shorts and tagged along but soon got the feeling we were intruding so we quickly became birders and watched the harrier hawk dive into the velliot weaver’s nests to steal eggs while the weavers engage in aerial dog fights to drive him off.
Before dinner we walked back to the baptism site for some more birding. On the way home the women from the tea estate who were waiting for a ride sang to us and we all laughed. We laughed with joy. They, I suspect, laughed at us. But we all laughed!
