Around the world

Cute monkey video

https://zarrf.smugmug.com/Travel/Uganda/

Amazing to be back in Africa, we arrived in Entebbe Uganda. After helping our taxi driver find our hotel, thank you Google maps, we took a brief sleep and met our local trip director for a briefing. Then we walked the botanical gardens here. It was surprisingly large, full of fun plants and a shockingly amount of wildlife. We saw two species of monkeys, wild orchids, a monitor lizard, tropical fruits, and 20 – 30 species of birds. After the botanical garden, we went for a beer at the beach with our guide Michael and his lady friend Lydia, and then off for a Sundowner cruise on Lake Victoria. Not a lot to see but very relaxing, good drinks, good snacks, and we crossed the equator! We got to try the local gin made from plantains, which was pretty tasty. We came back to a rather fancy dinner at the hotel. Tomorrow morning we’re leaving early for our hotel near the Bwindi impenetrable Forest.

Our day started at 2:26am when the heavens opened and one hell of a rainstorm hit! Thunder reverberated through our room, lightning crashed, the chaos directly overhead, good fun all around! After that part of storm passed we went back to sleep and when we got up, went back to Galata Tower. Yesterday we hadn’t gone up it. The view was gorgeous! Also learned most of the info from the plaque out front was wrong (as well as Wikipedia) but no need for more history! After another rainstorm hit while we were on top of the tower, we had a quick breakfast up there, another walk around the top of the tower, then back to the hotel to check out. After check out we visited the Archeological museum and immersed ourselves in grave stones, sarcophagi, and ancient relics for awhile. After a few beers and a trip to the airport, we’re now off to Entebbe Uganda.

Today we undertook the long sea voyage to Asia, it took about half an hour 😆. It was a multi continent anniversary!!! Before that we walked across the Golden Horn bridge which surprisingly has a metro stop in the middle of it. We saw the beautiful Maiden tower which was first built in 300bc and has a long history of love, lions, and political intrigue. After that we took the metro back to Europe and visiting the Basilica Cistern for the Hagia Sophia. It was dark, thankfully cool, and shockingly lacking water. A stunning place nonetheless. Forget to mention, we also happened upon the Galata Tower by accident. Built in the 400s to keep watch for fire over Istanbul until in a pique of irony burned down in the 1300s. Then rebuilt also in the 1300s, it has yet to burn down again 😉. Finally, we went to Taksim via underground funicular, yes as weird as it sounds, and saw a slightly sad park which is the last large green space in Istanbul. It was the center of major protests when the government tried to turn it into a shopping mall.