U-Gan-Da-rned Mosquitos

As I've written before, we were cautioned about two things when we moved here. The first danger was traffic, the much-justified target of last month's (and I'm sure future) rants. The second danger we were warned of was malaria, but I'm really not too concerned about any of us getting sick. We are all taking Malarone and malaria cases aren't that prevalent within the city. Typhoid is a far more real fear at the moment.  I also don't see us taking the girls too many places where they have a good chance of catching malaria. It is the vessel that carries malaria that has gotten under my saddle.

The mosquito - what I am now labeling the Scourge of Uganda - has reared it's very ugly head during our current dry season (I'm swatting them even as I sit typing this). According to my informal and, of course, highly scientific survey of friends and colleagues, we seem to have it the worst in our neighborhood, located adjacent to Kampala's Nakivubo Swamp. As such, I've had to add a new step to the girls' bedtime ritual - the hunt. I begin by whistling the tune from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" and while Laura bathes the girls, I search every nook and cranny of our bedrooms and bathrooms for the offending varmints. Once located, I annihilate them with an electrified device resembling a small tennis racquet:

I never really cared for tennis, but I've developed a mean backhand with this

I'll kill as many as 20 during this period, knowing more lurk elsewhere. While apparently only a small percentage of the 4000 species are the ones that drink blood, it seems that the entire population of that small percentage is living within a few feet of our front and back doors. Notwithstanding my best efforts, I can't figure out how they are getting into our house and through our mosquito nets, but they are. We frequently wake up in the morning with bites, and Stella seems considered by them to be especially delectable.

Given its pure annoyance, I have great difficulty understanding the validity of the existence of the mosquito and anyone who takes any action that directly or indirectly preserves the mosquito should be committed.  No offense, Rachel Carson (who also argued for limited pesticide use when faced with the tremendous human toll of malaria). Some scientists believe that mosquitoes play an important part of the ecosystem, for example providing sustenance for Larry, George, and Henry - my geckos. But in talking with them, I think that they would just find another food. In fact, I've found that the rest of science agrees with us. A 2010 article in Nature, written by the brilliant researcher Janet Fang, confirms our hypothesis that the world would be no worse off without these flying bloodsuckers. Those organisms (such as my gecko friends) that consume mosquitoes would easily replace them in their diet. It's kind of like when I moved to Uganda and couldn't get Tasty Tacos anymore. I survived - it was difficult for a time, but I have persevered and found new life in vegetable samosas.

Throughout history, man has feared vampires and vampire bats, but no one has mounted a serious attack on the one organism that actually flies around with the expressed purpose of sucking our blood. If only tools like wooden stakes, holy water, or silver bullets and axes would suffice. As an aside, despite what Laura tells you, Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter is not a historical documentary.

Because the mosquitoes are so bad right now, it has completely distracted me from the problems of traffic that returned with the new school semester. But I'll spare everyone from my rants for now and move on to the family updates:

Late January, February, and March have been busy. I traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and determined that A) everyone in Ethiopia knows of and loves Bob Marley and B) Ethiopian food might be a viable alternative to Tasty Tacos. Never a replacement, mind you, but an alternative.  I didn't have much free time, but I was able to take a day trip south of Addis to see the prehistoric archaeological site at Melka Kunture. This was disappointing in that, according to my guide, this was one of two major excavated prehistoric sites - the other being where the bones of Lucy were discovered - and it was not very well preserved. In fact, there was litter within the excavation shown to the public. There was no security, no protection from the elements, and worst of all, no gift shop.

This site, excavated during the 1960's and 1970's, is thought to be about 800,000 years old.

  

Archaeologists are able to determine the age by looking at surrounding evidence.
The indicated hippo tusk seems to have been eaten during the "Plastics Era."

My next stop on my journey through history was Adadi Mariam,  a rock-hewn church built in the 13th century, slightly more recent than the more famous rock-hewn churches in Lalibela. It is not nearly as elaborate as the churches in Lalibela and is believed to have not been completed before it fell out of use during the 1600's.  Due to warring tribes or Muslim conquest, it was then filled in and forgotten until the late 19th century, when Menelik II excavated and restored the structure.

The cross lights up like something from Vegas, but I don't think it is original to the structure.
The decorative flags are remnants of the previous week's festival celebrating the Ark of the Covenant

One of the four hallways surrounding the central chapel (which I wasn't allowed to see)

One of the most interesting features of the church was not the fact that hand tools were used to excavate this entire structure (while that in itself is amazing). Surrounding the perimeter of the church yard were about 25 or so small shed-type structures of varying quality, constructed of wood, tin, or stone.

No zoning laws here either?

After the proper tithe, we had a nice conversation with the church deacon who informed us that the structures were constructed on the sites of graves. Apparently, families built the structures over the final resting places of their relatives and donated them to the church for use as homeless shelters. This process could be a refutation of the late, great Al Czervik's argument in Caddyshack that "...country clubs and cemeteries are the biggest wastes of prime real estate."

The final site visit (before a delicious Ethiopian lunch in a rural town) was a UNESCO World Heritage site at Tiya, Ethiopia. Here lie about 40 carved rock stelae from a still unknown culture. Archaeologists have been unable to decipher the carvings of swords, plants, and circles, but they are assumed to have some afterlife significance as a number of graves were found both nearby and among the rocks.

As we returned to Addis, I took a few pictures of the amazing landscape. Everything is brown due to the dry season, but during the rainy season, everything is a lush green. I also saw some local livestock including donkeys (Tepper's new favorite animal), cows, and herd of camels being driven to the local slaughterhouse by local tribesmen. Mmmm. Camelburgers...

The cause of a rural traffic jam

Would be happy to hear from our readers if anyone knows the difference between
one-humped camels and two-humped camels.

I returned from Ethiopia just in time for the most hallowed week of the year - Tepper and Stella's birthday week. For those of you who don't know, their birthdays are two days apart. And no, that wasn't planned. But I am looking at doing a joint bat mitzvah in about 12 years.

Their birthday extravaganza was complete with our new backyard playground, face painting, and the ever popular bouncy castle. Tepper had a great time, as you can see from the photos. Stella, on the other hand, slept through almost the entire party. Due to her excitement for the day, she got up way to early that morning and just couldn't stay awake.

Wings courtesy of Funcle and Kelly. Thank you to Grandma Danger and Grampie for the ballerina doll and tutu.
And yes, she thinks she can fly. She called herself a fairy princess.

The most peaceful moment of the week. Toward the end of the week, Laura and I would have said this photo belongs on a Post Office wall next to the FBI's Most Wanted. Wardrobe of new owl and cupcake pajamas brought to you by Trixie.

The cake. You may notice some missing Oreo cookies. It wasn't me.
Blame the vulturous kids who were circling the cake, like sharks at feeding time.

Birthday Tiger!

Tired Tiger

February was finally Laura's turn to travel in Africa, having made a quick business trip to Nairobi, Kenya. She described Nairobi as a "great city," though I'm not so sure about a place where armed gangs are known to rob motorists stuck in traffic jams. At least that kind of thing doesn't happen in Uganda.

Then, a week later, she braved disease, robbery, and roadside vehicle breakdowns to climb Mt. Elgon, Uganda's cheaper, less-crowded version of Mt. Kilimanjaro. An extinct volcano, Mt. Elgon is Africa's 17th highest peak and has possibly the world's largest caldera. On the way up, her traveling companions developed blisters and altitude sickness. Despite the maladies, the group was able to summit.

I heard that Laura's group paid a local tribesman to run up the mountain and bring the sign down a few thousand meters.

On the way down, stopping at Sipi Falls, her group was accosted by a gang of machete-wielding youths demanding money (They got nothing. No one messes with Laura and lives to tell about it). And on the way back to Kampala, one of the two vehicles developed a crack in its coolant box, thus blowing the head gasket and leaving 6 people to cram into one car for the 6 hour ride back to Kampala. Laura had to share a seatbelt. This leads us to another lesson we've learned about Africa: Never buy a Land Rover that's more than 5 years old. You'll end up putting three times the money into it than the purchase price. What's nice about my Isuzu Wizard is that I'll only pay double.

Now that its March, things are going to be a bit more calm. We'll have a lot more time for things like art:

Where Tep-Picasso is supposed to paint: Her easel

Where Tep-Picasso is not supposed to paint or draw: the kitchen wall

relaxing in the pool:

Dora the Explorer Fan Club Pool Party

reading (with friends) on the lanai:

Tepper was actually mad here - she, Bonnie, and Hello Kitty wanted to read Laura's magazine about unicorns.

eating good food:

There's nothing like having a little eggs while still in your PJs.

acting goofy:

Tep-Potatohead

and swinging on the swing set.

Since I'm STILL waiting for my job to start, I plan to play in a few golf events now that the Uganda Golf Union has finally issued me a registered handicap. Much like the USGA system, the UGU used a very complex scientific and mathematical formulaic process. It cost me $15 and required me to play 9 holes with the local club pro. After carding 4 birdies and 2 double bogies, the pro told me, "You hit the ball like a 1 [handicap], have the mind of a 10 or a 12 [handicap], so I'll give you a 6 [handicap]." And so it shall be. Ugandan National championship, here I come.

That's about all for now. Stay tuned for my next rant, I mean insightful post, - mostly likely about a distant cousin of the mosquito - the boda.