Uganda/Rwanda - Hindsight Is Always 20/20

I wish I:

- Had brought more film for my 35mm camera. It was next to impossible to buy more and I seriously underestimated the amount that I could have used. Especially for photographing the gorillas. Even though I'm nowhere close to a professional wildlife photographer, it would have been easy to sqeeze off another two to three rolls of 800 film.

- Had a digital camera that would have taken many photos in rapid sequence. Jan's Canon shot something like 5 shots within seconds, and with all the gorilla movement, it would have been nice to have.

- Had brought more money. We seriously underestimated the amount of U.S. dollars to bring with. Forewarned that it was impossible to cash Travelers Checks, and no place accepted VISA, we still thought there would be an ATM somewhere along the way. So wrong! It cost $120 U.S. just for the Visas to get in and out of Uganda...then there were all the tips for gorilla guides, staff at the tented camps and hotels, drinks (wine and soft drinks), and various Arts and Crafts.

- Had brought more $50 and $100 bills and less $1, $5 and $10's. The exchange rate was better on $50's and $100's then the smaller bills. Fortunately, we had listened and all the money we did bring was post-2001. They will not accept older bills!

- Had given some thought to the fact that Kenya is next door to Uganda. Perhaps we should have spent a few more days visiting Kenya.

Otherwise:

- The food was consistently good to wonderful throughout the trip...a little more so in Uganda than Rwanda. No weight was lost on this trip.

- I'm glad I brought multiple 35mm lenses and camera with. Invaluable on game drives. Unless you have a digital camera with a serious telephoto lens, your camera won't make the grade photographing wildlife.

- The roads were very good by ex-Marine's and my standards. And just one day was extremely long.

- I loved the tented camps. Hearing nocturnal animals sounds - leopards, baboons calling to one another and even the noisy but industrious Weaver Birds.

What more could I possibly say or write about? Uganda had so much more to see than we had both ever imagined, even though the impetus for being there was the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda. The only place of great interest that we missed in Uganda was Murchison Falls National Park because of some wildfire problems. If a picture says a 1,000 words...these should take care of it...and inspire you to visit...