Hello everyone,

So we're back in Kenya again after a few weeks in Uganda. We're staying for a few days at the ICIPE research station at Mbita Point on the shores of Lake Victoria. The point is beautiful, the lake is on both sides of us so there are beautiful sunsets and sunrises over the lake everyday. We've finished our first class session now and today is the first day of the second class session. I'm still not sure what I'm going to take, I'm having trouble deciding between anthropology and archaeology.

Wes pent most of our first session in Uganda. All of the areas of the country that we saw were incredibly beautiful. We flew from Nairobi to Entebbe and drove from there to Kibale National Park. The park area is mostly covered with rainforest. It has the highest primate density in the world, and is home to thirteen different species including chimps. We didn't see any chimps, but we did see seven other species including Red Colobus monkeys which are endangered and very rare elsewhere, but common in Kibale. The olive babboons were also hard to miss, especially when they were busy breaking int our rooms or the kitchen!

During the first session I took a conservation ecology course. We spent a lot of time doing small projects in the forest and surrounding wetlands. We did a butterfly biodiversity survey with a local expert, a study of the forest edge, and a water quality assessment in a papyrus swamp. It was really nice to be in one place for a few days and get to know some of the local field assistants who work in the park and know the forest very well.

One day while we were three we took a break from the forest and drove to Lake Nakaruba ecotoursim site. There are about eighty small crater lakes in western Uganda. They are usually no more than 200 meters in diameter, but can be up to 200 metres deep! The one we visited is one of only two safe swimming sites we'll visit on the trip. We hiked up to a look out point where you could look down over several crater lakes and had a beautiful view of the Rwenzori mountains which form the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The mountains are home to several groups of mountain gorillas. After the hike we took advantage of the swimming before heading home.

After finishing up our research projects in Kibale we spent a day driving to Queen Elizabeth National Park. As we drove down out of the foothills of the mountains the forest disappeared and the temperature climbed steadily until we reached the scrub forest savannah that make sup the park. The highlight of the visit was definetly a boat ride on the channel that joins two of the African great lakes, Lake Edward and Lake George. This area is in the midst of a drought, beyone the regular dry seasonand it was very clear that all of the wildlife was concentrated by the waters edge. During the two hour trip we saw too many hippos and buffalo to count, as well as several groups of five or six elephants in the water and browsing in the trees along the edge. We also saw huge flocks of cormorants and pelicans as well as fish eagles and other shore birds. From a distance we also saw a monitor lizard and a small crocodile.

We had an interesting time that evening. There were warthogs wandering around our building all the time, including one which had taken up residence and was raising her family in one of the washrooms! We ended up going to bed early as there were hippos and lions in the area as well. Unfortunately we haven't saeen any lions yet!

The next day we drove on to Lake Nabugabo, a small satellite lake of Lake Victoria and our second swimming spot. My class did some fishing there too have a look at the haplochromide cichlid population, and the primatology class got to observe vervet monky behavious, often up close and personal as they tried to steal our dinners out of our hands!

The last couple of days were spent in Jinja, the source of the river nile as it flows out of Lake Victoria northwards. We were given lectures by many of the scientists at the ugandan fisheries institute and had a chance to visit a fish freezing factory, an aquaculture facility, or go out in a boat to see some wetlands. No surprise I chose the boat trip.

After Jinja we had almost a twelve hour travel day and then spent the first day here studying for and writing our final exam. It's good to be in one spot again and get caught up on sleep and work. Yesterday was our day off but it ended up being quite an intesnse day. I visited the Christian Childern's Fund office on nearby Rusinga Island. In the past five years they have lowered the infant mortality rate from 60% to 15%, only by educating the community about malaria and distributing bednets. The work they've been dong is incredible, and so simple. After that we visited a women's co-op in the next town. The compound houses about 20 widows and their children. They use the income generated from crafts they seell, as well as grants they receive to provide homecare for local AIDS patients, as well as buying school uniforms for orpans and helping with their schooling costs. Most of these children are being cared for by grandparents. Two amazing places.

From here we are travelling to the Maasai Mara, Lake Baringo, Elangata Wuas and several other sites in southern Kenya before heading back to Nairobi. I'm excited for the camping portion of the trip as we've just had two nights in tents so far.

Well I'm off to start another class. Hope to hear from all of you soon.