Desperately Seeking Simba

We left Bwindi late, not because we needed the sleep (we did) but because the lions don’t climb trees until they get hot and bothered under the tropical sun. We came down the mountain, and entered Inshasha, the southern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

It was prime lion watching day – bright sunshine, clear skies. Edmond told us what to watch for: vultures circling means that there has been a kill; vultures sitting around on the trees means they think there will be a kill. Ibex and other deer-like creatures means they are on the alert because a danger is nearby, et cetera.
We looked. And we looked some more. Edmund was on the phone with other guides, and all of us were looking in vain. The land is beautiful, and there was plenty to see, but not the elusive lion. Soon it was clear that, like mad dogs and Englishmen, we were out in the noonday sun for no apparent reason.

At lunchtime we stopped at “hippo pool,” on the river that separates Congo from Uganda. Actually, the river has changed its course since the boundary was established, so we were 20 feet from Congo Meanwhile, the hippo males were bellowing at one another. Between the bellowing and the border I was happy to leave.
Still no lions. By this time we were hearing that other safari groups had given up and moved on. Somehow, this news made Edmund all the more determined to make sure that we saw our lion. I think at this point it was more important to him than it was to us.
But at 4:00 p.m., even Edmund was ready to give up, so we got back on the main road and began the two hour trip to our lodge. Then, at 4:30. Edmund made contact with yet another guide who had seen the lions and gave him directions to find them. It Was an area we had covered in the morning, but Edmund turned the car around and we raced off, back down the road we had just traveled.

There they were! The pride consisted of three males and two females, plus we saw a cub. They were n the grass, but as we watched, one of the males stood up, yawned, and proceeded to climb the tree. He reached a perch that was clearly a favorite, although it looked pretty uncomfortable to me. Oh, well, I can’t understand som e of the places my kitty chooses to nap, either.
To be clear. Lions climb trees to get away from the bugs and to get a cooling breeze. And once up there, they lie down to nap. This lion had to be 40 feet in the air.
Eventually, Edmund said we had to leave because it was getting late. No complaints from us! Once back on the main road we still have a 90-minute drive in front of us.

I am writing this in the car, but it’s been slow going getting to our destination: Already we’ve had to stop while a family of elephants crossed the road, and then later for the baboons, and still later for the black faced velvet monkeys.
Oh, by the way. Edmund says we are a very lucky group Mary and I say he is an excellent guide.