It is 4 o’clock in the morning and something has awoken me. I peer into the darkness. A faint glow illuminates the front of my room where a hurricane lamp stands on the verandah to give a tiny amount of light in the otherwise pitch dark surroundings. I am not totally sure why I have roused and then…. Flash! Lightning and a deafening bang! A huge clap of thunder explodes overhead. Then the rain starts – so loud in the night and then the wind begins. Unfortunately my room on this occasion is facing directly into the incoming storm. The mosquito net begins to billow and then it is streaming out at the side of the bed. Higher and higher. No protection from mosquitos now but they would not be able to fly in this tempest! Somehow the net remains tucked in at the base of the bed but now the horizontal rain is delivering a fine mist through the net and I am getting damp.
There is a solution to this crisis which would be to untie and draw the heavy plastic curtains across the front of my room. However as a one person operation in the dark I feel this would be quite a task and would involve:-
- getting out of bed
- obviously getting very wet
- probably tripping over something
- probably breaking a nail or two
- maybe encountering something scary en route
I decide to stay put as long as the end part of the mosquito net remains tucked in. I pull the duvet up to my chin and watch the lightning flashes over the lake. This is a really incredible experience but does prevent any further sleep. Remarkably the roof has sustained no leaks during the torrential deluge. Baboons are apt to steal the thatching and it is only when there is a rain storm that the damage becomes apparent.
This morning I drink my tea in bed and am in no rush to go to breakfast. There will be no chimp activity until the rain stops so this will be a lazy morning. As I head to breakfast, it is still raining, so I go barefoot and I grab an umbrella which is hanging on the rafters on the entrance to my room.
We eat leisurely breakfast, sit drinking coffee and chatting. Eventually the rain stops and the sky begins to brighten. Julien suggests we have an early lunch so that if the chimps appear we will be ready. Best laid plans…. Chimps have been seen close to where we left them yesterday. We have a choice. Chimps or lunch? Its a no brainer – chimps! We rush back to rooms and collect our gear. Cookie jars are taken onto the boat so we can at least have a little sustenance for the afternoon.
We find the chimps after a short walk along the path from the beach. This time they are sitting high up in the branches with no apparent sign of coming down any time soon. We stand below, craning our necks and can see 3 chimpanzees. We wait and wait and then think that it has started raining as we hear a pitter patter on the leaves. Er..no! This is toilet time from high above. There is then a plop, plop, plop crashing through the foliage. You’ve guessed it – No 2s! Note to self – never ever stand directly beneath a chimp in a tree. Mwiga says this is a good sign and they are preparing to come down. He is totally correct and shortly they climb down and start foraging.
Initially it is very hard to see the chimps. The undergrowth is dense and they insist on browsing in the thick of it. However eventually the show their faces. I attempt to take pictures following advice I received from Helen earlier this morning. She advised me to set my camera to auto ISO, RAW (so I can adjust the ISO later) and use in manual mode. Yes – I know – it’s complicated! Whenever I have tried to use full manual mode in the past it has been less than successful. Anyway it was so difficult to take decent shots yesterday I resolve to give it a go.
I am actually really pleased that this appears to be working and although the light is poor I am taking some better pictures.
We hear that there is a group of mums and babies in the trees not far away. Do we want to go there? Of course we do. We set off and encounter a lone male who shows off by screaming , grabbing a stick and running down the path thumping the ground and really making his presence felt. Always amusing and always slightly intimidating. I am sure that is the complete aim! Again I capture the moment on video so shall need to properly process this when I get home.
After a short walk we leave the main track for a much narrower and more overgrown path. Every so often we find that our route is impassable and a scout goes ahead to find alternative paths. His machete is essential. It really is incredibly dense in places with pretty vicious thorny plants so we watch what we are doing and hold branches for each other to avoid being whiplashed.
We have to climb up a steep bank and then we are standing beneath trees with chimps above us. There is the most delightful baby playing in the tree directly above me. I could watch him all day. He has little pink hands and feet and is holding a twig with one foot and trying to grab it with a hand. There is nil co-ordination between his foot and hand and it makes for very entertaining viewing.
Other chimps leap from tree to tree and climb up and down tree trunks. It is impossible to count how many chimps there are and all of us are getting cricks in our necks by staring upwards for so long. Capturing it on film has been unbelievably hard. Dark light conditions, moving targets that are also dark, back light and subjects that are not particularly close. However, I would not have missed the experience for the world. Just fantastic!
Mwiga says it is now time for us to leave and head back to the boat. We have certainly had a good hour’s viewing. We head off through the dense undergrowth but return on a less steep and slippery track than our approach route.
Today we are so lucky for as we walk back down the main track there are chimpanzees walking along it too. There is Teddy, whom the rangers believe is destined to be the new alpha male. He has a wonderful temperament and could possibly become the youngest alpha ever. There are others including Bonobo, Emory and Christina. We are now in for a real treat. We stand on the edge of the path and they walk past us, sit in front of us and we see all sorts of behaviour patterns. One takes a stick and lays it on the path to collect ants which it then eats. Bonobo sits quietly under a bush and we all take a real liking to him. He looks so wise with his white beard and sits serenely observing the world. Mwiga walks past Bonobo and waits on the path ahead of us with an iPhone. He then tells us to walk slowly towards him, one at a time, passing by Bonobo to our left. He films us all as we walk towards him
The great thing now is that we are ahead of the troop and as they walk towards us we can not only film them but the light is now behind us so any photos should be reasonable. As it turns out the photos are better than that. I am really rather pleased with myself!
Emory comes down the path and sits in front of Bonobo.
I have so many astonishingly good photos that it is hard to choose what to share with you. I would have been very happy to end my day with the chimpanzees here but there was still a little more action for us. Christina is in oestrus and that means pretty promiscuous. She sees Emory sitting on the path and sits in front of him. She wants to mate and mate they do. It actually seems to be a bit of a non-event. Emory does not move very much and Christina sits on him three times. It is quiet and that is that. Apparently Christina will now mate with any males she can find. Naughty girl!!
What an astonishingly fantastic and awesome afternoon. We head back to camp pinching ourselves, not quite able to believe just how much we have encountered. We walk along the beach to the boat feeling elated and very ready to wash the sweat off.
The skies are clearing now and it is the most beautiful evening. I take some final sunset shots with my phone and try and imprint the essence of Mahale in my mind.
A table is laid on the beach for our final dinner together. There are six of us. John and Helen, Nina and Cristin, Julien the camp manager and me. It is quite remarkable how well we have all bonded. We are all very different and yet have completely enjoyed and been totally comfortable in each other’s company. There have been diverse conversations and some great banter. Nina and Cristin are always laughing and relating stories of the latest terrifying and unseen critters invading their room. Tonight is a very special evening. There is much personal conversation, the wine flows and we finally very reluctantly wend our way to bed at 2 o’clock. Over dinner we resolve that we must all go on safari again together and this is absolutely not the drink talking.
Lynne
All beautiful – all that trepidation about Mahale has most definitely been worth it.
Let’s face it just how many people have the privilege of being up close and personal with wild chimpanzees? Yes, we can watch nature programmes but me thinks that is nothing like the same as watching them as you have.
Sounds like more holidays to plan – Oh dear – what a chore……
Welcome Home to your memories and dreams.
maggiegoingsolo
Mahale was the most magical place and it was not just about the chimpanzees. I would describe absolutely everything about it as a totally life changing experience and for sure I have come back a different person.
David
Maggie, What can I say that has not already been said. You have great photos and videos to enjoy and share with your friends and others.