very well. I was very self-conscious, however, about
the fact that we seldom ate together, and we almost
never slept at the same hotel. They would drop me off
at a hotel--sometimes with Jackie to keep me company--
and then go off to find housing for themselves and
also somewhere to eat. I worried that was for financial
reasons but eventually learned that they really did not
like the food at restaurants that catered to tourists.
What they wanted to eat was what they called "local
food," by which they meant food that had been grown
near the restaurant, not processed, but prepared and
cooked fresh. When I did find that out, I told them that I liked
local food too and would prefer to eat with them. So we went to one of the restaurants they liked and ate rice, potatoes, beans, vegetables, and cooked greens. Emma had no appetite, he said. He said he was concerned that I ate so little (WHAT???)
and particularly that I didn't eat breakfast. He said that if I ate breakfast, I just might catch a break and have my skin become the same healthy color as his. It IS true that my friends consumed more food by weight and volume than I did, but I think in general I consume more calories, in that they seldom eat meat and almost never anything sweet. Anyway, here's Emma suffering from a poor appetite. Sad!
He found enough strength to hit the road after lunch, though, and the roads were so bad I actually do think he needed strength to hang onto to the steering wheel. The roads were still pot-holed and rutted, but the further we drove, the steeper they got. Soon we were driving on roads cut into the sides of mountains. The views were very nice.
But these photos don't give you any idea of how steep the slopes were! There were no guard rails, but at the hairpin curves, there were big piles of dirt so you'd have to try pretty hard to miss the turn.
I don't remember if I have had the occasion to mention here how absolutely terrified of mountain roads I am, and these roads were reminiscent of the worst I've ever experienced, on the Amalfi Coast. I postponed telling Emma as long as possible, because I have found that if I tell the drivers of cars I am riding in about my fear, they take the opportunity to drive a little faster and scare even more of the bejeesus out of me. But when I finally did squeak it out, he said "I know." Gosh, what could there have been about my white knuckles and clenched jaw that clued him in? He cheerfully told me about the last American he'd driven on these roads--HE'd had to stop and vomit. And he was from California! Not a flat-lander like me. I felt a little proud but no less queasy.
In this photo you can see the road ahead one on the largest terace, but again, you just don't get an idea of how steep it was from the photo.
I temporarily forgot where we going, and all I could think was why would anyone want to travel these roads to get there.
That is, until we began to approach the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest!
Welcome to the jungle!! How fantastically gorgeous it is!! I forgot all about the roads, and soon enough, we arrived at our destination, my favorite lodge of all we had stayed at, Rushaga Gorilla Camp. There was a lovely patio, wonderful company, great WiFi, and I had the most beautiful room with my own balcony overlooking the Impenetrable Forest. I could have stayed for weeks and watched the forest form its own clouds.
Room with a view of the Impenetrable Forest!
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