One thing is for sure: I have never learnt so much about poisonous animals in the last 6 months here.
There are three main scary categories in this area: scorpion, snake and mosquito.
Let's start with the first one which is also my zodiac sign: scorpion.
-Usually black (but occasionally we found some red ones). Apparently if a scorpion bites you is no big deal. You're going to get a bad a rash, it will be swollen for a while but you'll live. They can be found pretty much anywhere (we have tons in our compound) and they can also be eaten ( I have never tried and NEVER will).
Number two: snakes.
-Now you have to watch out for those! Some of them are normal snakes and not lethal. The bad ones are very poisonous and I just found out no one in this village has the antidote (not even the UN!!) cause it's way too expensive and no one can afford it. So, in the event of a snake bite (also the name of a DELICIOUS cocktail) you have to pray that the effect is not lethal. Some bites can be lethal from 1 to 24 hours so the odds are.. ehm.. OK!!!
Good thing is that the very poisonous snakes are hard to find. Unless you venture in the high grass or in the fields (no one does that because of the mines but that's another story..), you should be safe!
For the record: I have a snake phobia so every time I see one I start screaming hysterically.. apparently a lot of people find it hilarious.
And now the final category, my favorite: mosquitoes.
The funniest thing about mosquitoes is that they have the weirdest effects on your body.
Of course there is the malaria one..but I have already covered that.
Then remember the mango fly? The one that lays eggs in the clothes and turns you into a character of the mummy?
The best one is the one that makes you narcoleptic, it's hilarious!! Last April we were driving through South Sudan to reach Kidepo National Park, in Northern Uganda. Right after the border we met a village chief, a guy who knows our driver very well. They started chatting and after a while we were ready to go. He pops his head into the car and he goes: now roll up your window.
I looked at him, then at my friends in the car and then at the driver. It's 40 degrees outside, AC is not working, still 3 hours to reach Kidepo and we need to roll up our windows? The answer was positive.
Yes, he said, now the sleep mosquitoes are coming. The way they work? Really simple: they bite you and after a x time you fall asleep just for a minute or so. Then of course you wake up like nothing happened. Isn't it funny? A bit less maybe if you're driving and you suddenly fall asleep (you might wake up with the car in a ditch or similar.. not advisable!); which is why we obviously had to roll up all the windows and suffer in the heat for 2 hours.
Good thing is that these mosquitoes are only in some spots, especially where a lot of vegetation is growing; you would never find them in a town or a dry scenario.
There are many other types of mosquitoes but these three are definitely the coolest ones (well except for the malaria one).
So one thing I'd def recommend before flying here is mosquito repellent: works for mosquitoes but also for pretty much everything else!!
