Today was bit of a bust. The chimps were nowhere to be found; the sky was dark and ominous; the lake was extremely choppy; and then the rains began. As the droplets got larger and larger and the thunder rumblings grew louder and louder my hopes to see the chimps were steadily washed away.

I moved from chair to chair in the main ten unable to calm my racing thoughts. This paradise was soon becoming my No Exit. I went back to my hut after lunch and reclined on the bed for a while. Suddenly I could feel some eyes watching me and when I sat up, there was a large troupe of about 20 baboons about to enter my room. They were on the deck and some were about to swing in from the roof. All stopped when they saw me, and then quickly disappeared. I sat on me bed for a while and then I saw a few stragglers who were late for the party pass by and peep in looking for their friends. There expressions were funny as if confused and not sure what to do. Then from behind my tent was a huge squabble complete with barking, slapping, and shrieking. I could hear the rustling of the tree branches as they jumped from tree to tree.

At 3:30ish I headed back to the main tent. At least I could sit and watch the lake and eat some cookies and have a drink. As I walked to my front deck, the alpha baboon, the leader of the pack, was drinking from my foot bath at the base of the deck (I use it to rinse the sand from my feet before entering my hut). I stomped my feet trying to scare him off, but he looked up at me and kept drinking. Then, when he finished, he strolled slowly off to the forest. He made sure to show his fellow baboons that the big chimp (me) in the tent was no match for him.

To my annoyance there was another discussion in the main tent about the sad state of the 3rd world and how the 1st world is leaving them behind. I liked staying at the camp I was at before this in the Serengeti because it did not have the plantation feel. There the camp was managed by a black Tanzanian, the guides were black and so was the staff. The conversation with the guests at dinner tended not to end up in this uncomfortable subject area. But at Mahale the managers were a British/South African couple and the guests (the talkers) were the same so when the discussion of how the white South African farmers are being bludgeoned and killed by the barbaric blacks I could listen no more. I just stood up unable to sit there any longer and listen to their drivel and said, “I find it funny that when whites brutalize a nation and steal the land and resources, and enslave the people, it is called progress but when violence is perpetrated upon them by the people they enslaved it is barbaric.”

Then the Americans started a discussion about how the apartheid government was wrong. Then I just said, “This dominant culture crap is not limited to South Africa, I can look at my own country and how they treated the Indians – hell my own great-great grandfather had been a slave. He was the slave owner’s child. How barbaric and inhuman is that to enslave your own child! There is no need to look backwards. Heck, the Nomad camp that I stayed in in the Serengeti was run by a black Tanzanian I don’t even have to wonder whether he is paid a salary equal to ½ of what you and Kate are making.” With that last comment, the wind shifted and there was complete silence. Not wanting to spoil the rest of the trip, I said, “Sorry I find these conversations rather distressing, perhaps I made it too personal.” Then Cameron said, “Yes, perhaps political discussions like these should be left off the discussion topics.” Then he offered to get everyone a drink, which everyone happily accepted.

With a drink in hand, I chuckled and said, “how about those crazy baboons?” Everyone laughed and then entered into polite discussion of baboon antics.

Then Mwiga and Butati showed up and the whole evening became fun and light-hearted with the hopes of seeing the chimps the next day. The weather should be clear, but just to make sure we would have a good sighting, we all sat around with drums and had a drumming circle – which is supposed to attract the chimps.

After our un-rhythmic drumming session, we had more drinks and then dinner and went to bed.