In the Summer of 2010 I shall be going to Uganda as a research volunteer on the Semliki Chimpanzee Project. I will spend ten weeks following and studying the chimpanzees of Semliki Wildlife Reserve, learning the ropes as a fledgling chimpanzee chaser. This blog will chart the memorable animals, people and events that I encounter along the way and my experiences with the stars of the trip, the Semliki chimpanzees.

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Sketching under the evening sun

My tent here sits upon a raised wooden platform and the area outside it forms a veranda area with a fantastic view over the forest. The spot is bathed each evening in the rich golden glow of the slowly setting sun and is a wonderful place to relax when the afternoon’s tasks have been completed.

I often sit and read in this sun-drenched spot until the dimming light and swarming insects force me inside. I also find it a perfect place to put the small art set my mum gave me to take out here to good use and indulge in an hour or two spent sketching – something I really enjoy but rarely find time to do at home.

Warmed by the sun and accompanied by the sounds of the forest I find my time spent sketching and the concentration it involves very relaxing and a great way to unwind at the end of a long day.

Those evenings spent with sketching pencils in hand have been an unexpected bonus to my time here and I am very grateful for them. It wil be nice to take home a collection of drawings of the animals, birds and other sights that I have encountered here along with the hundreds of photos I am steadily amassing.

I would never have thought that it would take a journey of thousands of miles to an incredible isolated environment and exhausting schedule to bring me back to a past hobby, but I am glad it did and so will happily continue to add to my sketchbook in my remaining evenings here.


Written on Tuesday 1st September

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