Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2010-52

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IN THIS ISSUE

• Zvonko Springer is homeward-bound on their safari
• Lyle Meeres describes the Three Gorges Dam in China
• Betty Fehlhaber, Dixie Augusteijn, and Doris Dignard write
• Verda Cook sends a poem that describes many Christmas Eves
• Betty Audet forwards a story of a parrot
• Betty also shares a Christmas poem
• The editor sends you a seasonal greeting
• Sites are suggested by Anne Rahamut, Betty Fehlhaber, Peter Rollo, and Shirley Grayman

Zvonko Springer and family have just reached Queen Elisabeth Park on their

SECOND AFRICAN SAFARI

Driving cautiously at 40km/h, we reached the Ishasha entrance of the Queen Elisabeth National Park, which stretched along the east bank of Lake Edward, around midday. Unfortunately the ranger, George, had left on his bike to have lunch at the camp. There was no hurry so we crawled along a path between several herds of hundreds topi (with black markings) and kob antelopes, as well as buffalo. We passed near a mud pond whose surface consisted of dark brown rounded of "waves". Then suddenly a huge mouth opened and we heard the well-known sound "Ho-ho-hooh-hoooo.…" Can you imagine hundreds of hippo bodies buried in mud, one against the other? Incredible - there was no free pond surface to be seen. These scenes occurred a few times more but we had to get to the camp to find George.

We got to the camp and a mighty man appeared to be the Ranger George. I worried about my car, whether the front axle could take another load of say 100kg. Fortunately, a VW-Carman arrived, driven by a single person with no safari equipment, but he knew George well. We followed the Carman with George looking for lions dwelling in trees. The cruising continued for some time on unmarked paths until we came to place where three lionesses lay in the shade of a mighty tree. Some 6m above lay a lioness on a branch, with her legs hanging down. We took pictures, but they suffered the same fate as the earlier ones.

We drove on, passing hundreds of topi antelopes, many about to give birth and some still with wet calves. We continued to look for a lion in a tree but without success.

Ljiljana served us dry snacks and drinks while I drove behind the Carman at a safe distance. Our convoy stirred up a huge herd of buffalo, starting a mighty stampede which stopped as suddenly as it had started. The herd did not move from the place there were grazing.

After two hours it was time to say goodbye to the last of the Ugandan National Parks that we had visited on the long safari in 1966. We left the Ishasha region still with its abundance of animals. Was it just a matter of time that this growth would last?

We were back on track looking for the main road to Kabale. At the right moment Ljiljana spotted an overturned board with a sign "KABALE". I turned onto a road with plenty of vertical and horizontal curves leading through the Kigezi district. The people greeted us with friendly waves. They look more sturdy and well dressed, living in this mountainous region. As we climbed slowly, the rare settlements vanished completely as we left the steppe. The narrow road climbed first through thick shrub, to leaf forest, to pine forest.

We met children coming out of school as we drove through small places like Kilifi, Bulimia, and Karma. The houses had gardens and there were a few plantations of tea. We almost missed the right turn at Kanungu and had to return to the correct direction of Kabale. Now the road turned into a real mountainous narrow track of 3m width with tight curves. I had put on the lights as there was no horn to warn any oncoming vehicles. I had to drive mostly in first gear along this stretch of path through the rain forest like a tunnel. The steep road stopped abruptly after what seemed to me like an eternity. It had been a very long climb for the vehicle as well as for the driver.

The Mafuga forest we went through was the watershed in Uganda South. We emerged out of it and stopped at a lookout on the pass overlooking the valley. On the slopes were planted huge plots of pine forest interspersed by strips of eucalyptus trees for the prevention of spreading fire. We reached this pass just at the right time as a long convoy of heavy trucks loaded with tree trunks was climbing towards us. After these monstrous vehicles left we continued our descent, thanking our guardian angels that we had not met them on that narrow road.

The descending road was in better shape because of its use by the forestry trucks. Ljiljana asked me to stop to ask why a well-dressed man waved to us in such a friendly way. It turned out that he just wanted to greet us while he waited in a long queue at the forestry wage department. We continued descending to the picturesque valley and came to a junction at last. The right road lead towards Kiroro and Rutshuru in the Congo and the left one went straight to Kabale.

I was disturbed because the car drifted strangely in the curves. My anxiety increased with every curve we reached on this never-ending trip.

As we were leaving the last forest, a small group of Grivet monkeys ran across the road. The Grivet is an Old World monkey with long white tufts of hair along the sides of its face with black facial skin, hands, and feet, and a white line above the eyes. Vesna told us that, reading from her omni-knowledgeable book, and that the Grivets are rarely be seen.

The valley was originally a large swamp that had drained, becoming perfect agricultural land. The main road to Kabale was in a bad state, so I drove at 30km/h as we approached this city. Kabale was the capital of a former Uganda kingdom and was now the D.C. seat. We got a nice room in the White Horse Inn, and after settling in, we decided to stroll through the downtown. The main street meandered in the valley with shops and offices, whereas the residential areas spread over several surrounding hills. There was a golf course that reminded us of the one at Molo, with many ups and downs that would be quite strenuous for any player. A perfect dinner satisfied our great hunger so we went to bed to have a well-deserved long sleep. As the night was very cold we had to put on everything available and huddled together to keep warm. Tiredness took over at last.

The brilliant morning sun woke us, and after breakfast we descended to the town. We were too early for any shopping and after I got gas, we decided to scrap the visit to Kisoro. Allegedly one could see from there five active volcanoes, but I did not want to take any risks because of the car´s deficiencies. Instead we went to Lake Bunyony, only 10km away yet with an extremely sharp climb to a pass at +2.745m. Then there was a short descent to the lake at +2.165m, so I had use first gear again. Several row boats were available on the lake but the whole situation seemed too mystifying. The lake was of glacier origin with several small islands of conical shape, obviously the remnants of volcanic activity. No way to get Ljiljana or Vesna onto such a lake!

The return was a grand effort for the driver and the engine, climbing in first gear uphill, and in 2nd cum both brakes active again. The rest of the day we spent at leisure in the hotel or wandering on the golf course. Ljiljana and Vesna went window-shopping, looking for some native artifacts. We enjoyed the last evening thoroughly because in the morning we would start our return journey, which would include an essential stop at the VW service station in Kampala. The state of our car had me concerned, and I wondered if we would reach Kampala and Mombasa safely.

To be continued.

Lyle Meeres has just toured the site of the terracotta warriors on their

BRIEF TOUR OF CHINA

After our tour, the bus took us to the airport for our flight to Chongqing. This turned out to be tiring as the flight was late, the gate was changed, and we had time to eat a boxed lunch before our one- hour flight. Chongqing, we discovered, is huge: 6-8 million in the city and 30-32 million if you include the environs. In China, a place cannot be classed as a city unless it has at least one million inhabitants. I guess Red Deer might qualify as a village with our mere 90,000.

Chongqing is in the mountains, so the bus drove up and down hills, and over bridges as two rivers flow through the city. When we arrived in a poor section of the city, we left the bus and immediately faced what our guide called the "bamboo army". These people are carriers who can haul enormous loads on bamboo poles. They are harmless but very, very persistent (read ´grabby´). For $2 U.S. or 10 yuan, they would carry our luggage down numerous steps, across lengthy pontoon bridges, over ships that were linked together, to the Viking Sun, our ship. We were told to carry our own luggage if we could, but the steps and bridges looked intimidating. So did the bamboo army. They do bother people because they grab luggage aggressively, and we´re not used to such insistence. Most of our group, including us, carried our own luggage, but people who would have had difficulty used the carriers.

We went directly to our cabin, which was pleasant and more spacious than the cabin we had on the Danube/Rhine cruise. We bought the "Silver Spirits" package at 1140 yuan each, or about $456 Canadian. It included two cocktails each and a choice of wines that would be about $60-85, and we had other options such as cappuccino, juice, etc. By the time we left the cruise, I decided it was a poor deal because it excluded many of the better wines, and servers pushed Chinese wines, which tend to be sweet. I had a pleasing fish dinner and Pat had stuffed chicken which was passable. We went to bed soon after.

Day 6 began with a lecture about the ship, and at 10:30 a lecture on the river. The name "Yangtze" is a Western misnomer. One segment of the river was known by that name and Westerners applied the name to the whole river. We ate a soup and salad (a no-no since the veggies were not cooked) lunch which tasted good, and Pat had an espresso.

Shibaozhai Pagoda (Click on image to enlarge)

At 2:30 we walked into town, past vendors at display tables, over a suspension bridge, to the Shibaozhai Pagoda. Pat did the climb up the stairs inside. I stayed outside and took pictures. The pagoda clings to the rocks and the 12 levels have circular openings which people inside used to look out at the view. Pat did the whole walk, which comes out at a little building at a lower level about a city block from the pagoda. Her legs were tired, but she did well.

Dinner was a Chinese meal with a bit of spice here and there - rather forgettable. We had a Spanish red wine and I promised myself to try the French red next time.

On day 7 we arrived at Wushan and after breakfast moved to the sundeck as we sailed through Qutang Gorge, which our travel book said was the most scenic of the three gorges. I took a few pictures, trying to get ridges that shaded one after the other. The gorge is attractive, but I´m certain not close to the beauty that was present before the Three-Gorges Dam raised the water level so much. We did see the new houses and some farming on steep slopes after we passed through the gorge.

At 9:30 our groups moved to two smaller boats that could navigate the Lesser Three Gorges. The boats were decorated to give a pagoda-like appearance. The Lesser Gorges were not very dramatic, but stretches were attractive. A few people saw monkeys (ship staff set out food to draw them to areas where they might be seen), but we did not. We did see a hanging coffin and heard two theories about the way they might have been placed away up the cliff. One was that they were lowered to the cave site; the second was that the river had not carved so deeply then, so steps could be cut, the coffins placed, and the steps removed. As to why the coffins were in cliff caves, it could have been for safety from wild animals, or for protection from grave robbers, or to place the ancestors closer to heaven.

The Lesser Gorges are on the Daning River, which formerly had to have even smaller vessels on it to do the cruise. Now water levels are so much higher that bigger vessels work, though not as big as the Viking Sun.

Right after lunch, back on the Viking Sun, we came to the Wu (Witches) Gorge, which featured some peaks with rough, sharp edges. The water level rises in winter and subsides in summer, a difference of about 100 feet. The reservoir back of the Three-Gorges Dam is not up to the expected maximum yet. The guides talked as though young people were happy to move into the new highrises or replacement houses, whereas elders missed their old homes and occupations.

Pat attended the information session on the Three Gorges Dam while I read. Then we went for drinks. From two of us at the table, it was soon four, then six, then ten. We enjoyed the lively conversation.

On day 8 I got Mao´s revenge, or whatever the local variety of diarrhea is called (I should have avoided uncooked veggies!). I ate nothing and slept through the day and night. Pat went to see the Three Gorges Dam.

On day 9 I avoided food and slept. We both skipped the tour through a local school. We would soon be packing up.

To be concluded.

ED. NOTE: For an article on the Three Gorges Dam in the Scientific American, go to http://arunaurl.com/42c3

CORRESPONDENCE

Betty Fehlhaber writes: Thank you so much for Rolf Harris and his "Six White Boomers". It brought back some wonderful memories of his days at the Arctic Club in Vancouver. He was at the Arctic Club for 18 months straight until it burned down. He then transferred to The Cave, but it was too big for his style of entertaining. The Arctic Club was smaller and more intimate and regulars such as my husband and I went at least once a week for dinner and the show and got to know him. Prices were a lot less then too, and we could afford dinner and drinks at least once a week. Often we took friends, who also enjoyed him. My husband translated into German the words for "Oh Mein Papa", which became a regular song in his repertoire.

ED. NOTE: For those interested in Rolf Harris´ career, check out Wikipedia. Rolf is still performing, has garnered many honours, and now lives in Britain.

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Dixie Augusteijn writes: I am expecting all the family here for the holidays, and Sarah in Afghanistan has put in her resignation. She has had an interesting two and a half years and an opportunity to see different parts of that world. Now, what next? Laura in B.C. has been chasing butterflies and bees this summer, trying to find an explanation for their disappearing. I think much of the new agriculture is to blame - we are losing many things with the growth of these large corporate one-crop farms, along with quality of the food we eat. But I stray from the subject that is I am so glad they are all going to be here for a brief time together.

ED. NOTE: I know that all readers wish Dixie and her family a happy gathering, and a new year filled with joy and laughter.

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Doris Dignard writes: Thanks for printing "Louise" again. I loved it the first time and just as much the second time. You could make it an annual.

ED. NOTE: And I am pleased to find someone else who thinks the story is hilarious.

Verda Cook writes: Stanley and I bought two boxes of doll furniture for our granddaughter´s doll house as a Christmas gift. The kits came with the wooden pieces, all ready to be punched out of a sheet of wood. A diagram on the back of the box showed each piece numbered and we had to number each piece according to the diagram. It took us a whole day but the furniture is now assembled. Then I saw this poem in my file and thought your readers might have experienced this too:

´TWAS THE REAL NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
I searched for the tools to hand to my spouse.
Instructions were studied and we were inspired,
in hopes we could manage "Some Assembly Required."

The children were quiet (not asleep) in their beds,
while Dad and I faced the evening with dread:
A kitchen, two bikes, Barbie´s townhouse to boot!
And now, thanks to Grandpa, a train with a toot!

We opened the boxes,
my heart skipped a beat -
let no parts be missing
or parts incomplete!

Too late for last-minute returns or replacement;
if we can´t get it right, it goes straight to the basement!
When what to my worrying eyes should appear
but 50 sheets of directions, concise, but not clear,

With each part numbered and every slot named,
so if we failed, only we could be blamed.
More rapid than eagles the parts then fell out,
all over the carpet they were scattered about.

"Now bolt it! Now twist it! Attach it right there!
Slide on the seats, and staple the stair!
Hammer the shelves, and nail to the stand."
"Honey," said hubby, "you just glued my hand."

And then in a twinkling, I knew for a fact
that all the toy dealers had indeed made a pact
to keep parents busy ail Christmas Eve night
with "assembly required" till morning´s first light.

We spoke not a word, but kept bent at our work,
till our eyes, they went blurry; our fingers all hurt.
The coffee went cold and the night, it wore thin
before we attached the last rod and last pin.

Then laying the tools away in the chest,
we fell into bed for a well-deserved rest.
But I said to my husband just before I passed out,
"This will be the best Christmas, without any doubt.

"Tomorrow we´ll cheer, let the holiday ring,
and not run to the store for one single thing!
We did it! We did it! The toys are all set
for the perfect, most magical Christmas, I bet!"

Then off to dreamland and sweet repose
I gratefully went, though I suppose
there´s something to say for those self-deluded -
I´d forgotten that BATTERIES are never included!

- Author Unknown

Betty Audet forwards this old but funny story:

THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.

Every word out of the bird´s´ mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird´s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and anything else he could think of to clean up the bird´s vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even more rude. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he´d hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John´s outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I´m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behaviour."

John was stunned at the change in the bird´s attitude.

As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke up, very softly, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

Betty also forwards this poignant poem:

CHRISTMAS

I´ve sent the cards;
I´ve wrapped the gifts;
I´ve listened to the children sing.
It was as though someone other than I
Was doing the conventional thing.

Each place I stopped had a memory that hurt;
Each gaily decked window brought pain;
Each Christmas song had lost its joy.
But people around me were laughing and gay
Celebrating the birth of that boy.

Then someone dear across the miles
Sent a message of love and care;
Telling the plans of kith and kin;
Thanking me for a little gift,
And a bit of Christmas crept in.

By Isabel Halbert Edmiston, who died Monday, November 8, 2010

FROM THE EDITOR´S DESKTOP

My joy in the season is now the exchange of letters and cards with long-ago and far-away friends and the exchange of greetings and good wishes with local friends and online friends and subscribers to The Spinner. To the latter I send this politically-correct season´s greeting, which I adopted from a number of posts:

Please accept, with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally-conscious, socially-responsible, low- stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practised within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

In addition, please also accept my best wishes for a fiscally successful, personally-fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make this country great (not to imply that this country is necessarily greater than any other country or area of choice), and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual orientation of the recipient or others.

This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. This holiday wish is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or observances, or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious community, group, individual, or belief (or lack thereof).

Note: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason, or for no reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wisher himself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non-implementation of it. This greeting is void where prohibited by law.

For my official card to you, please go to http://arunaurl.com/42c4

SUGGESTED SITES

Anne Rahamut forwards a link to a video of a three-year-old having a wonderful time conducting the fourth movement of Beethoven´s Fifth Symphohy:

Betty Fehlhaber writes: BC Hydro has a card at the following site. They will donate to the BC Children´s hospital each time someone activates the site:

On a lighter note, Betty suggests this video of frolicsome baby goats:

Catherine Green suggests this version of animals "singing" Deck the Halls:

Peter Rollo forwards a link to this lively Christmas can-can:

Shirley Grayman sends this URL for a doggie Christmas:

Sophie Harrison is a Grade 11 student at Prince of Wales Secondary School in Vancouver. She started the youth group Kids for Climate Action, and wrote this open letter to Prime Minister Harper asking him to show real leadership in combatting climate change: