‘THE CABBAGE PATCH INSPIRATION‘Episode 1 of Volume 1
By Charlotte Beauvoisin, aka Nagawa, posted from Sunbird Hill, Kibale Forest
(Posted 24th June 2020)
In the first of a series, Charlotte Beauvoisin shares some of her #LockdownDiaries from Kibale Forest in Western Uganda.
“What’s good for the body is good for the soul.”
During the first weeks of lockdown, I immersed myself in the living world. Ornithologist friends (marooned in Uganda when the country went into lockdown)taught me how to call the White-spotted Flufftail out of the bush; we learned forest butterflies; watched chimpanzees and Uganda Mangabeys on the edge of Kibale Forest and were blown away by the sight of Giant Goliath Beetles that are the size of your fist!
After several cancelled flights and endless calls to their insurance company, they were finally on their way but without my ‘birding mentor’ to accompany me it was hard to get enthusiastic about my morning walks. I wanted to start running again, but how?
Cue: rather rude diagram!
Philip Briggs, author of Bradt Guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and beyond, shared this cheeky graphic showing the multiple times he ran around the cabbage patch of his South African garden. Philip’s article “A booze embargo and virtual marathons” got me thinking: if he could keep running in such a mundane setting, surely, I – with 40 acres of forest trails and no visitors – should make a bit of an effort too?
I’ve tried my best to keep active during lockdown. An exercise diary (kind of) keeps me on track. During 92 days of lockdown, I’ve managed to walk or garden or something (!) for 80-something days but I want to push myself. By chance, a special offer led me to download the Walk to 1 Mile app.
The new hobby was going rather well until…
Who is Charlotte sharing the forest trails with… ?
If you enjoyed this story, look out for the next one in this series, exclusively here on ATCNews, written by Charlotte Beauvoisin.
Charlotte is best known for her blog Diary of a Muzungu. She is a travel writer, influencer, marketing manager and trainer and has won key awards as Uganda’s best travel blogger.
