Africa
From the time she was a little girl, Wendy aspired to visit Africa because of her father’s World War II pictures and stories including those about his pet monkey. While in the U.S. Army Air Corps between 1943 and 1945, her father visited/was stationed in ten countries (one of which is now four separate ones) before returning stateside. Wendy first achieved her dream in 1997 when she and Rick safari’d in Kenya and Tanzania for two weeks. But clearly, Africa called her back.
The Walleighs moved to Swaziland for six months in 2006 then to Nairobi, Kenya for 2007 to work for TechnoServe as part of their encore careers, also traveling extensively while living there. Since 2007, Rick and Wendy have traveled to Africa several times, most recently in May 2012 to Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda. Throughout her travels Wendy has been astounded by how much rural Africa is still similar to her father’s pictures from 60 years ago. Though of course the urban centers are larger and more modern, sadly the surrounding slums are also huge compared to the 1940s. In any case, Wendy recognized how much of a life-changing experience her father’s 2+ years living in Africa must have been for him. Her time in Africa certainly was life-changing for her.
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Uganda: Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary
With their son, daughter and friends the Hubers, Wendy and Rick took a 1.5 hour boat ride on Lake Victoria from near Entebbe to reach Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary. Almost as soon as their luggage hit the tent floor*, they were off to view chimps from the platforms...
Uganda: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to Trek Mountain Gorillas
One of the Walleighs’ three most memorable animal adventures in Uganda was trekking the Mountain Gorillas. One of the national parks protecting the last 500 to 700 Mountain Gorillas in the world, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is only one kilometer from the border of the...
Uganda: Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Parks
Each of the two national parks Wendy and Rick visited--Murchison Falls northwest of Kampala and Queen Elizabeth near Uganda’s southwestern border—had wonderful animals as seen on the Uganda Animal page. Plus each had unique geographical elements. Along the way to...
Uganda: Modern Capital Kampala to Lush, Mountainous Countryside
Uganda is a lush country with amazing rainfall, soil, and crop diversity. It has deep valleys, is crossed and bordered by stretches of mountains and dotted with a few huge lakes. In fact Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest with 26,000 square miles of surface (Lake...
Uganda: Typical Animals and Birds
Between working on TechnoServe Uganda projects, Rick and Wendy visited two national parks--Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Parks--and the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Wild Chimp Forest. Landscapes of both parks, the Ngamba Chimp Sanctuary, and trekking...
Mozambique: Recovering from Failed Marxism
As many African countries did, Mozambique began its fight for independence from the Portuguese colonialists in the 1960s. After a 13-year struggle, Mozambique-- twice the landmass of California--became independent in 1975. Unfortunately the timing coincided with the...
Kenya’s Maasai Mara–Animals & Tribal Culture
Perhaps two of the most famous safari locations in Africa are the adjacent Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Maasai Mara in Kenya. During approximately August through September, columns with millions of Wildebeests and Zebras migrate back and forth between the...
Rural Kenya Starts on Edges of Cities
Though the Walleighs spent lots of time working and living in Nairobi in 2007, during their many visits to Kenya, starting in 1997 and into 2012, they passed through many rural areas of the country. It fascinated them how rural zones merge with the edges of most...
Central Kenya: Aberdare, Treetops, The Ark and Lewa Downs
The Walleighs took another trip to central Kenya with their friends Fred and Judy (and their adorable sons) to the Outspan Hotel near Aberdare National Park, not far from Mt. Kenya. While there, Rick and Wendy traveled nearby to the Treetops resort, famous for its...