Furry Fruit

A week or so after we got back from safari, Alicia, Keanne, Erika, Brecklyn and myself went to a place called The Hairy Lemon. It’s a beautiful little island about 1 ½ hours journey from Jinja (not too close, not too far for some time away). It was a bit of a whirlwind trip as we left on a Monday morning and came back the following afternoon, but it was still long enough to enjoy the peace and quiet. Not only was it extremely relaxing, we were also able to spend some time swimming in the Nile and had the pleasure of sharing the island with a couple British guys who had us laughing late into the night while we hung out and played random games.

The current was really strong in the river which made it really hard to just relax so Erika and I had the great idea to walk up river and ride the current back to where we were stationed on the beach. This turned into an absolute fail as we both underestimated the depth of the water and spent a good 30 seconds caught in the current getting pulverised by rocks. I’m sure Erika looked graceful and poised throughout the entire ordeal, I on the other hand probably looked as helpless and desperate as I felt, floundering and gasping while I tried to get my feet back underneath me.

Tuesday morning, we were woken up by monkeys using our tin roof as a trampoline and spent the day lounging, reading, swimming and just generally soaking up the beauty of the place. 

Because of a connection we have with one of the local rafting companies, we were able to get a ride to and from the island on one of their big trucks as the stopping point is a short walk from where the canoe drops us on the mainland. Shortly after we arrived, a huge storm blew in and though we were under cover, all of us (the rafters and staff included) had to take cover in the kitchen as the wind was blasting the rain in on us and blowing everyone’s salads off their plates. It caused a delay and when we did head back, the dirt roads had us sliding every which way, but it made for some good entertainment.

Other interesting facts about this island? Lots of wildlife. Although they’re around, I have seen maybe 1 or 2 live snakes in Jinja in the whole 20 or so months I’ve lived here. On the island? 2 in the course of 24 hours. And not just any old snakes…very poisonous ones. We also saw a monitor lizard, but they’re just plain cool.     

Taking the short canoe ride to the island (yes, my elbow is in the picture, the redo was blurry)

The path to our cottage

If you look closely, you can see the head of a rather large snake directly to the right of tip of the grassy area. 

The green mamba that slithered out of the water...

The "swimming hole"

It's a giant glowing starfish! Nope, just me. :-)

Pumba & Friends

A bit over a week ago, I went on my first real safari. There are a couple girls, Alicia and Keanne, staying with Ekisa right now who I know from home; in fact, one of them is one of my sister’s best friends and I’ve known her since she was in kindergarten. In regards to the whole Africa experience, a safari was on the top of their list and I figured it was the perfect time for me to experience it for myself.

We (Alicia, Keanne, myself and one of our other volunteers, Hannah) travelled to Kampala on a Wednesday morning to catch a free shuttle from Oasis Mall and had a really great relaxing evening at the Red Chili Hideaway where we’d be leaving from the next morning. It was actually the first time Alicia and I had time to catch up and it was so great to share details of my life here with her and answer all of her questions about Uganda.

The next morning at 7:30am, we headed out and spent the vast majority of the day travelling up to Murchison National Park. The only real break in the day was a stop at the top of Murchison Falls and a consequent hike that took us along falls and around to get a better look. A rain cloud that was looming in the distance took this opportunity to blow over us so all this took place while a light rain fell and thunder competed with the roar of the falling water.

We rolled into camp around 5 that evening and received a quick orientation which included strict instructions to store all food items in a large container at the bar overnight so the warthogs that roam the camp wouldn’t rip through our tents; we also received a quick warning that if hippos decided to join us, we were to keep a very safe distance. After we settled in, we enjoyed dinner and a glass of wine sitting around a fire that refused to light due to the rain; a fact we were grateful for as we instead watched an incredible lightning storm over the park that lit up the sky with sharp, jagged forks of white light.

The next day, we left camp at 6:30am to catch a ferry into Murchison Park and enjoyed a long morning driving along the labyrinth of dirt roads that weave through the 3840 square kms of the park. It wasn’t long before our cameras were glued to our faces taking shots of giraffes, warthogs, elephants, buffalo, hippos and all sorts of antelope.

After a lunch break back at camp, we headed out again, this time aboard a boat that took us on a 3 hour trip to the base of Murchison Falls. We were fortunate during that ride to add alligators and monitor lizards to our list of sightings.

The second night in camp, we played cards and got to know our safari mates a little better (2 Americans, a South Korean and 2 “lady friends” from Belgium), all of us doing our best to hold out until 9pm to retire to our tents given how tired we were from our long day; that was the time we all decided was late enough that we didn’t have to admit we weren’t 17 anymore.

Saturday morning, we headed out early again and braved another 4 hours of driving through the park, the first 30 minutes during  moderate rainfall, before heading south back to Kampala making two stops along the way; one for lunch and one for a quick hike down to Karuma Falls. The journey home ended at about 7:30pm when we crossed the bridge back into Jinja; over 12 hours from when we left Murchison. A long drive and another long day, for sure, but what an incredible time we had.

I recognize this post may read rather point form, but I wanted to share with pictures more than words (a fact I know many of you will appreciate). So, like many times before, click here. Concerning the music, was there every any question? J

Going, going, Gulu!

Last weekend, I finally fulfilled a long ago made promise to visit my friend, Annelise, in Gulu. So early Friday morning, I set out on what turned out to be a 9 and a half hour long journey north. First was the typical 2 hour taxi ride to Kampala where I transferred to a large bus that would take me the final stretch. If you read my last blog post, you’ll be happy to know that I overcame my stubbornness and took a boda straight from the taxi to the bus park and couldn't have been happier about it given it was extra crazy in downtown Kampala that day. The next 6 ½ hours were spent nice and cozy between two men and our luggage in the back row of the bus. I realize 

I’m probably most certainly being overly sentimental but I always feel a sort of unspoken camaraderie with people I share a long journey with; be it plane, train or automobile. At one point we made a brief stop and my neighbor on the left got out to grab something from a vendor. Before he had a chance to board, the bus started leaving. The man on his other side started shouting that we were missing a passenger and we were notified that he was currently sprinting towards the bus. Once he made his way back to us, relieved and out of breath, he was welcomed back with laughter and smiles so maybe I’m not such a sap after all. 

I find that long journeys like that go by quickly and I’m often content with my music, my thoughts, a book and the passing scenery. My neighbor on my right took care to point out any interesting sights like Karuma Falls and baboons along the roadside and answered as best he could any questions I had about the landscape. 

Once I arrived in Gulu, I called Annelise and she met me at the taxi park where we hopped on a boda and went straight to her house to settle in. That first night, we stayed at home and watched a movie with her roommates and made plans for the following day.

Saturday couldn't have been more perfect. We slept in, made French toast and continued our conversations, catching up on the months since we’d seen each other. Then, in good time, we called one of Annelise’s known boda drivers and organized a trip out to Fort Patiko; an historic spot 32km (a 45 minute boda ride) north towards south Sudan. Its significance dates back to the mid 1800’s and involves the British and the Arab controlled slave trade. We first stopped at the sight of some small ruins; stone structures that were used for such purposes as storage and administration. Our boda driver, Jack, had never visited this sight before so it wasn’t without struggle (and without the kind guidance of a handful of villagers along the way) that we made our way along rough trails toward the base of a huge monolith that served as a look-out point for the Arab slave traders and was the location of the death of many slaves who were deemed unfit. Jack’s poor boda took a bit of a beating and there were many portions that Annelise and I dismounted and footed while he navigated the sometimes narrow, steep and rocky paths. 

Eventually, we reached a point where it became necessary to abandon the boda altogether and proceeded to hike up a bare 45 degree rock face complete with lizards scurrying into crevices along the way. We reached the top completely breathless but were rewarded with one of the most amazing views I’ve ever had the pleasure of setting my eyes on. Even though the day was incredibly hot, a steady breeze kept us cool and my lungs were treated to some much appreciated, sweet smelling, smoke and exhaust free, fresh air. We must have spent nearly an hour walking around the level surface of the rock and taking in the sights from every angle before stopping to have a quick cookie picnic and then made our way back down to the bike and rode home. Annelise and I returned sunburnt, wind-blown and covered in a thin layer of red dust but feeling incredibly blessed to have seen such a paradise. 

Highlights from the rest of the day included a shower and dinner out at an Indian restaurant with a group of Annelise’s friends and friends of friends; an interesting glimpse into the missionary and expat community of Gulu.

Sunday was rather low-key; church in the morning, which included some really great worship courtesy of a full band backed up by a choir of children, a quiet afternoon back at the house and dinner at a restaurant called The Wall that Annelise had heard was nice but turned out to be a glorified bar on an open balcony with Fast and Furious playing on a TV screen.

All in all, it was a really great, relaxing weekend with a wonderful friend exploring more of what the Pearl of Africa has to offer. I am truly blessed to live in such a beautiful country.    

One of the trails...

Part of the ruins...

Some of the villagers who helped us find our way...

The base of the monolith where we had to ditch the boda...

Apparently a slang word in Acholi that means something along the lines of...it is what it is...

If you look closely, you can see Annelise on the left and Jack on the right...