Friends and family, by no means should you feel the need to read everything...just a reflection of our experiences and a reminder that we (yes, that means each and everyone one of us) is blessed...
Top experiences from Uganda:
Welcome music performances at Mwebaza and St. Paul schools. All of us
Running around in my barefeet at St. Paul giving piggy back rides to my little buddy. Sierra
Taking a walk through the village in St. Paul and touring one of the teacher's houses. Sierra
Spotting the first wild life, a hyena, on our game drive in Murchison Falls Park. Sierra
Holding baby Lola at St. Paul school. Aleah
Seeing the momma lions and baby cubs on our safari drive. Aleah
Getting the stomach flu while sitting in the front seat of gridlock traffic in Kampala (just kidding). Aleah
Driving the streets of Kampala and taking in the buzz of the city, seeing people "moving" and all the makeshift shops. Stand still traffic, even worse than Istanbul. Mike
Early morning game drives and all the wild animals we saw. Mike
The first time we walked into Kyengera and having everyone stare at us due to our white skin and having a sense of what it's like to be a minority. Mike
The Paraa Lodge, a chance to completely unwind by the pool with a view of the River Nile, wonderful food, all in the middle of the National Park. Christa
Driving into St. Paul and seeing the newly constructed school, Agnes, and all the kids. Such love, purity and joy exuded from the kids. While it's a really hard life they live and my emotions cycled by their continued amount of need, I'm always amazed by the resilience and hope from the students and teachers. Christa
Being stuck in yet another tumultuous boating experience as thunder cracked and lightening struck while we were visiting the source of the Nile in Jinja. Christa
We arrived on June 20th, landing at about 3am in Entebbe, Uganda. A bit of a different experience from the last visit six years ago when I travelled with Dale and Tanci. I felt somewhat reassured knowing what to anticipate for the family. After living in Istanbul with the girls the past two years, previous fears of safety were much less prevalent.
We were kindly greeted at the airport by Dale, Ms Namatovu, and Devaki. As we headed out of the airport on our journey towards Kampala, the African night and ease of conversation in the car took hold. We arrived at our hotel, the 4 Pals, at about 5am and rested for a few hours before our day's "programme" at Mwebaza school.
Fortunately, our hotel was very close to the school and was connected by a walking path that led right to the school. We arrived at about 10:30am and were escorted to our seats for the welcoming performance. We were entertained by traditional songs and dances. We spent the remainder of the day having lunch with Namatovu and her family, followed by an open discussion with all the teachers exchanging ideas about teaching and learning.
Following a full day at the Mwebaza school, we packed up and left the next day for St. Paul school. I had forgotten about the hellacious traffic jams with only one road connecting the outer regions to Kampala. The girls and Mike were quite surprised by the remote and primitive nature of St. Paul. Driving through the tall grass we knew we arrived when our car was encircled by all the students and staff. I was amazed to see the newly constructed school as we passed through the last grove of grassland. Again, welcoming ceremonies ensued, songs, dances, drumming and field games captivated our attention.
There is something so pure and innocent about the children of St. Paul. While the living conditions are still extremely difficult to stomach, especially when compared to our mindless automated western amenities, they share a harmonious relationship with nature. This becomes especially apparent through the angelic quality of their singing, rhythmic drumming and freedom when playing with just about anything- rocks, an old bicycle wheel, sticks (so many uses for this tool). Watching Sierra and Aleah fall into sync with the ways at St. Paul brought tears to my eyes.
Sierra shed her shoes and played barefoot with the kids; Aleah embraced the babies and had one glued to her hip the two days we were there; Mike played soccer and caught fireflies with the boys. Sitting back and watching my family find the flow and beauty of St. Paul made the trip one to remember.
I was awe struck by the commitment from Dale and Devaki of their work at St. Paul. The challenges and obstacles of constructing a school in such a remote area along with all the cultural differences- there were many. While there have been many improvements made, I recognized the difficulties the teachers and students appear to be experiencing with fully embracing the changes. The water tanks were well used, but the toilets didn't appear to be getting much use. Instead, I saw more children and staff using the bushes or open spaces for toileting. It was also discouraging to hear that there is still no money from school fees to feed the children. While they have a safe shelter, the basic survival need of food is still scarce. Similar to my previous experience, I cycled through several emotions while at St. Paul, and I could sense my family was experiencing the same. At times, complete sadness for their despair and living conditions, and yet, amazement by their resilience, hope and desire to learn. While our time at St. Paul was brief, I have no doubt it was an experience that will leave a permanent imprint on all of us.
After sleeping on the floor of the school house, we were happy to return to our creature comforts of our hotel. We welcomed the return to the place we called home during our brief stay in Kyengera. We spent the following day in Kampala, meeting with a new Board that's been established for Mwebaza as well as a visit with a Lawyer. Unfortunately, Sierra woke up with a fever. She spent much of the day in the backseat of the car- thank goodness for aspirin and water. Of course, my fear was Malaria, and what would happen if her condition worsened. But of course, Sierra, being her stoic, resilient self, she didn't complain and somehow marched on dozing off and on in the backseat. By the next morning she was back to herself.
Unfortunately, at the peek of Sierra's fever, Aleah started throwing up. Stuck in the center of Kampala, in a total gridlock with sounds flooding in from all sides of the vehicle, Aleah joined Mike in the front seat, bag in hand as she proceeded to get sick on the journey back and well into the evening. What started as worry and concern for Sierra soon transferred to Aleah. Poor thing, she was weak, completely exhausted- all I could think of was the travel insurance we didn't get before arriving and what would happen if her condition worsened. It was horrible to see her so sick, it seemed like there was nothing left in her little body.
We made it through the night and the next day, she was a limp noodle. Mike and Sierra went ahead to Mwebaza, while the two of us remained back at the hotel. In and out of sleep, she steadily improved. Madame Bukeynwa, Namatovu's mom, came to visit to check on her and insisted that Aleah stay well clothed, meanwhile I was trying to get some layers of clothes off her because she was very hot with her fever. Thank goodness Aleah steadily improved. Her appetite stayed very low fora few days but after that she was back to her normal self. By mid- afternoon we were called to all come back to school for the goodbye songs and performances. I ventured back with Sierra and later Mike and Aleah returned for a short bit.
Following our good-byes, I decided to stay behind and talk with the teachers and visit a classroom. Teachers and students attend school for much longer hours. In fact, teachers arrive at 7:00 and often work until 2 on Saturdays, and the intermediate teachers will teach until 8pm, return home and begin preparing lessons for the next day at 10pm. Needless to say, Africans sleep far fewer hours than soft Americans. Sleep is more a matter of function and I've observed Ugandans fall asleep anywhere as long as they're horizontal. No need for high thread cotton sheets or a Temperpedic mattress.
Listening in on one of the lessons at Mwebaza, I was asked to participate in a discussion on HIV as well as growth and development with a grade 6 class. I was impressed with the teacher's candid and articulate conversations about HIV. While initially it took some coaxing from kids, they soon joined in and demonstrated they were engaged and aware of the continued plight in Uganda. Mr. Bruno also mentioned that HIV is spread in villages by "blood brothers" as part of a coming to age initiation. Boys cut their wrists and mix blood as a means of proving their manhood. HIV has also been spread in hospitals via unsterilized equipment and blood donors. Hence my fear when the girls were sick, and my reluctance of visiting any medical care facility in Uganda.
During the student lesson, I was again reminded of how Ugandan children have much higher levels of sustained concentration for longer periods of time. In America, we're often finding ways to "entertain" our kids to help maintain their attention- this idea is laughable in Uganda.
In fact, when sitting in our circle conversation with teachers, which the girls also participated in, we were asked, what students do after school if homes already have dishwashers and washing machines as well as all the modern amenities to do the jobs. Sierra responded mentioning that we "find things for kids to do in the states, such as after school sports and activities." The amount of labor required for daily existence is exacerbating. In fact, many students don't attend school in Uganda because of the labor required to survive: fetching water, cooking over the fire, boiling water, just the basics. Kids caring for kids is also a common theme. Often both parents have to go to work, so older children often stay behind from school to care for the younger ones. When Aleah got sick, I think some people were surprised that I stayed behind to care for her. While the girls have developed more independence, comparatively, it feels that Mike and I tend to still "over parent" at times. In fact, Mike tried for one day not to tell the girls what to do, and he realized just how habitualized this behavior is. No doubt, there's a happy medium and African children could benefit from values being imparted by their parents stemming from time together (as Aleah reminded us when we let them in on the experiment). I think this is where religion comes into play. When asking Namatovu her thoughts on the subject she responded that God takes care of all of us. I think this is often what people fall back on as they don't see any other solution and believing in a higher power provides hope and salvation.
Another startling observation is that the weak are often left behind. Examples of Darwin's theory in practice is apparent in the schools, communities, and surfaces when reading the newspaper. I came across an article in the local newspaper that mentioned students with visual impairments were being dropped off and left at a school because the parents didn't know how to cope. The majority of the country is light years behind in terms of medical, technological advancements, and education. I was told that class sizes in public schools can be up to 200 students to 1 teacher. Under these conditions, it's highly unlikely that any learning is taking place.
School fees are another issue as most families can't afford to pay them. Without an educational certificate in hand, kids are unable to rise above classes and seek better jobs. There are so many children under the age of five, many of the five year olds are tending to the toddlers. Kids are raising kids. I can't say since I was here last that I've seen any signs of economic development as cycles of poverty continue to perpetuate without any sound education. With the same political leader in office for 30 years, change or progress occurs at a snails pace.
After taking in the experiences at the school, we set off on a day excursion to Jinja in the northern region of Uganda. It was farther than expected, but a trip wouldn't be the same without a boat story to tell. We took a longtail boat up to the source of the Nile, viewing several species of birds along the way. About mid-way through the tour heavy rains ensued, enough to take a break on a small man made islands or local fisherman. Our guide didn't expect much from the storm so the break was brief, soon after we entered the river thunder and lightening followed suit. Through the whipping wind our guide attempted to continue the tour until I demanded our return to shore. We made it safely back, watching the monsoon like rains from a protected thatch roofed restaurant where we had the best fish on our trip caught in Lake Victoria.
It was time to say goodbye to Namatovu, Madame Bukeynw and Lubega with a farewell dinner before departing on our safari on the 26th. Picked up by our trusting guide, Moses, at 6:30am, he informed us it would be a long journey ahead. Driving the main road through the villages kept us well occupied. After about 5 hrs we arrived at a 70 acre Rhino Sanctuary in the western region of Uganda. With a guide we trekked some of the few remaining Whilte Rhinos and came within feet of a male, female and her babies. We even saw the male Rhino mark his territory from 15 feet where we were standing to remind us this was his turf. What a "wild" introduction to the wild life we would experience on the adventure.
From there, we continued on towards Murchison Falls Park, winding our way through the knotted jungle. The park spans 3,800 sq kilometers and is home to the big 5 game as well as 451 species of birds. The north and south regions are divided by the river Nile. It's truly a sight to behold.
We entered at the northern end, passing through lush landscape and were ferried across to the northern side. Driving into the Paraa lodge, we were all amazed and quickly understood why British royalty came to stay here. The view overlooked the Nike from all areas of the lodge, the food was superb and our lazy soaks in the pool removed any traces of Istanbul smog locked in our bones. We stayed there 3 nights. The location provided the best access to game in the park, which we woke up for both mornings at 6am to catch the early morning light and morning feed. The endless spans of red road led us to two mama lions and their 9 cubs, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, rare birds, water buffalo, and countless antelope.
We also spent one afternoon on a boat ride up the Nile to Murchison Falls where we hiked up to the top of the falls. The following day, another game drive, lazy lounging by the pool and an afternoon in Paswatch, a village on the outskirts of the park. This was part of our "cultural presentation." We weren't sure what to expect, and anticipated an audience of tourists much like a Hawaiian luau. Well, that wasn't the case. We followed a boda driver, who we later discovered was a night watchman at the Paraa Lodge. He led us to three different communities within the village. The experience wasn't fabricated, but an authentic dip into the cultural ways of the western region of Uganda. We drove into the first community of circular mud huts with thatched roofs, being led into one of the homes. There they explained the rituals of welcoming visitors, sharing their values of community and talking about their local productions.
From there we drove towards another community, passing through thickets until we reached more huts, these appeared to be more worn down. This community we later named "Wiskey Village." Aleah and I felt particularly uncomfortable as we could tell the adults and teenagers had consumed a fair amount of home brew whiskey. We were escorted into one of the huts and they explained the fermenting process. They tried to convince us that banging on the jerry jug, the incessant cat calls, and a man dancing with an axe were traditional ritual dances, but we didn't fall for it, especially not Aleah. What saddened me most from this experience was to see the number of children and wasted males not contributing the families or community. It's such a hard life already that when alcohol is added to the mix, it can really bring a community down. I wanted to rescue some of the children. From some of the faces of the young women, I could sense shame and embarrassment. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this stop for future travelers, it did give a wholistic picture, just like the ravages of alcoholism in our communities in the states.
From there we continued onward driving through a small walking path and headed towards the fishing village. Here there were few women other than those preparing food. Some of the fisherman were happy to share about their practices, others were reserved. What we did discover is the net casting practice that has decimated the Perch population is still taking place. Entire nets are cast and schools of fish, including the babies and pregnant ones, are brought in, an over fishing practice that hasn't been regulated. Sadly, other species will soon be in danger as well. There is such a long way to go for the country with very few regulatory practices in place.
We departed our luxury lodge, heading back towards Kampala. The journey back took a different turn as our engine overheated and we were stuck in Messina for a few hours. The African way, nobody panicked and there wasn't much communication about what was happening. We hunkered down for a few hours a at a lodge within walking distance, played banana grams, ate lunch and made the most of our time. Speaking of time, the idea here is to do less with it than more. We've completely embraced the African Way, with the exception of Aleah, as she continued to ask Moses what was next on the program or how much time was left before arriving at our destination.
After resting at the lodge, we continued onward in our "repaired" vehicle, which we soon discovered wasn't fixed after all. Pulling off on the side of the road, we awaited our rescue. We were driven to a small town, and picked up by a different driver before being driven to Entebbe, 2 Friends Hotel. Sitting on our terrace with a view of Lake Victoria, we were again blessed by a beautiful setting. The lodge's motto was "come as a guest and leave as a friend." We were charmed by Ugandan hospitality and spent the day walking to an African craft market, lounging by the waterfront, and enjoying our last day before returning to our hectic pack up and move back. So many moments to take in from the trip. Blessed by it all.
Top experiences from Uganda:
Welcome music performances at Mwebaza and St. Paul schools. All of us
Running around in my barefeet at St. Paul giving piggy back rides to my little buddy. Sierra
Taking a walk through the village in St. Paul and touring one of the teacher's houses. Sierra
Spotting the first wild life, a hyena, on our game drive in Murchison Falls Park. Sierra
Holding baby Lola at St. Paul school. Aleah
Seeing the momma lions and baby cubs on our safari drive. Aleah
Getting the stomach flu while sitting in the front seat of gridlock traffic in Kampala (just kidding). Aleah
Driving the streets of Kampala and taking in the buzz of the city, seeing people "moving" and all the makeshift shops. Stand still traffic, even worse than Istanbul. Mike
Early morning game drives and all the wild animals we saw. Mike
The first time we walked into Kyengera and having everyone stare at us due to our white skin and having a sense of what it's like to be a minority. Mike
The Paraa Lodge, a chance to completely unwind by the pool with a view of the River Nile, wonderful food, all in the middle of the National Park. Christa
Driving into St. Paul and seeing the newly constructed school, Agnes, and all the kids. Such love, purity and joy exuded from the kids. While it's a really hard life they live and my emotions cycled by their continued amount of need, I'm always amazed by the resilience and hope from the students and teachers. Christa
Being stuck in yet another tumultuous boating experience as thunder cracked and lightening struck while we were visiting the source of the Nile in Jinja. Christa
We arrived on June 20th, landing at about 3am in Entebbe, Uganda. A bit of a different experience from the last visit six years ago when I travelled with Dale and Tanci. I felt somewhat reassured knowing what to anticipate for the family. After living in Istanbul with the girls the past two years, previous fears of safety were much less prevalent.
We were kindly greeted at the airport by Dale, Ms Namatovu, and Devaki. As we headed out of the airport on our journey towards Kampala, the African night and ease of conversation in the car took hold. We arrived at our hotel, the 4 Pals, at about 5am and rested for a few hours before our day's "programme" at Mwebaza school.
Fortunately, our hotel was very close to the school and was connected by a walking path that led right to the school. We arrived at about 10:30am and were escorted to our seats for the welcoming performance. We were entertained by traditional songs and dances. We spent the remainder of the day having lunch with Namatovu and her family, followed by an open discussion with all the teachers exchanging ideas about teaching and learning.
Following a full day at the Mwebaza school, we packed up and left the next day for St. Paul school. I had forgotten about the hellacious traffic jams with only one road connecting the outer regions to Kampala. The girls and Mike were quite surprised by the remote and primitive nature of St. Paul. Driving through the tall grass we knew we arrived when our car was encircled by all the students and staff. I was amazed to see the newly constructed school as we passed through the last grove of grassland. Again, welcoming ceremonies ensued, songs, dances, drumming and field games captivated our attention.
There is something so pure and innocent about the children of St. Paul. While the living conditions are still extremely difficult to stomach, especially when compared to our mindless automated western amenities, they share a harmonious relationship with nature. This becomes especially apparent through the angelic quality of their singing, rhythmic drumming and freedom when playing with just about anything- rocks, an old bicycle wheel, sticks (so many uses for this tool). Watching Sierra and Aleah fall into sync with the ways at St. Paul brought tears to my eyes.
Sierra shed her shoes and played barefoot with the kids; Aleah embraced the babies and had one glued to her hip the two days we were there; Mike played soccer and caught fireflies with the boys. Sitting back and watching my family find the flow and beauty of St. Paul made the trip one to remember.
I was awe struck by the commitment from Dale and Devaki of their work at St. Paul. The challenges and obstacles of constructing a school in such a remote area along with all the cultural differences- there were many. While there have been many improvements made, I recognized the difficulties the teachers and students appear to be experiencing with fully embracing the changes. The water tanks were well used, but the toilets didn't appear to be getting much use. Instead, I saw more children and staff using the bushes or open spaces for toileting. It was also discouraging to hear that there is still no money from school fees to feed the children. While they have a safe shelter, the basic survival need of food is still scarce. Similar to my previous experience, I cycled through several emotions while at St. Paul, and I could sense my family was experiencing the same. At times, complete sadness for their despair and living conditions, and yet, amazement by their resilience, hope and desire to learn. While our time at St. Paul was brief, I have no doubt it was an experience that will leave a permanent imprint on all of us.
After sleeping on the floor of the school house, we were happy to return to our creature comforts of our hotel. We welcomed the return to the place we called home during our brief stay in Kyengera. We spent the following day in Kampala, meeting with a new Board that's been established for Mwebaza as well as a visit with a Lawyer. Unfortunately, Sierra woke up with a fever. She spent much of the day in the backseat of the car- thank goodness for aspirin and water. Of course, my fear was Malaria, and what would happen if her condition worsened. But of course, Sierra, being her stoic, resilient self, she didn't complain and somehow marched on dozing off and on in the backseat. By the next morning she was back to herself.
Unfortunately, at the peek of Sierra's fever, Aleah started throwing up. Stuck in the center of Kampala, in a total gridlock with sounds flooding in from all sides of the vehicle, Aleah joined Mike in the front seat, bag in hand as she proceeded to get sick on the journey back and well into the evening. What started as worry and concern for Sierra soon transferred to Aleah. Poor thing, she was weak, completely exhausted- all I could think of was the travel insurance we didn't get before arriving and what would happen if her condition worsened. It was horrible to see her so sick, it seemed like there was nothing left in her little body.
We made it through the night and the next day, she was a limp noodle. Mike and Sierra went ahead to Mwebaza, while the two of us remained back at the hotel. In and out of sleep, she steadily improved. Madame Bukeynwa, Namatovu's mom, came to visit to check on her and insisted that Aleah stay well clothed, meanwhile I was trying to get some layers of clothes off her because she was very hot with her fever. Thank goodness Aleah steadily improved. Her appetite stayed very low fora few days but after that she was back to her normal self. By mid- afternoon we were called to all come back to school for the goodbye songs and performances. I ventured back with Sierra and later Mike and Aleah returned for a short bit.
Following our good-byes, I decided to stay behind and talk with the teachers and visit a classroom. Teachers and students attend school for much longer hours. In fact, teachers arrive at 7:00 and often work until 2 on Saturdays, and the intermediate teachers will teach until 8pm, return home and begin preparing lessons for the next day at 10pm. Needless to say, Africans sleep far fewer hours than soft Americans. Sleep is more a matter of function and I've observed Ugandans fall asleep anywhere as long as they're horizontal. No need for high thread cotton sheets or a Temperpedic mattress.
Listening in on one of the lessons at Mwebaza, I was asked to participate in a discussion on HIV as well as growth and development with a grade 6 class. I was impressed with the teacher's candid and articulate conversations about HIV. While initially it took some coaxing from kids, they soon joined in and demonstrated they were engaged and aware of the continued plight in Uganda. Mr. Bruno also mentioned that HIV is spread in villages by "blood brothers" as part of a coming to age initiation. Boys cut their wrists and mix blood as a means of proving their manhood. HIV has also been spread in hospitals via unsterilized equipment and blood donors. Hence my fear when the girls were sick, and my reluctance of visiting any medical care facility in Uganda.
During the student lesson, I was again reminded of how Ugandan children have much higher levels of sustained concentration for longer periods of time. In America, we're often finding ways to "entertain" our kids to help maintain their attention- this idea is laughable in Uganda.
In fact, when sitting in our circle conversation with teachers, which the girls also participated in, we were asked, what students do after school if homes already have dishwashers and washing machines as well as all the modern amenities to do the jobs. Sierra responded mentioning that we "find things for kids to do in the states, such as after school sports and activities." The amount of labor required for daily existence is exacerbating. In fact, many students don't attend school in Uganda because of the labor required to survive: fetching water, cooking over the fire, boiling water, just the basics. Kids caring for kids is also a common theme. Often both parents have to go to work, so older children often stay behind from school to care for the younger ones. When Aleah got sick, I think some people were surprised that I stayed behind to care for her. While the girls have developed more independence, comparatively, it feels that Mike and I tend to still "over parent" at times. In fact, Mike tried for one day not to tell the girls what to do, and he realized just how habitualized this behavior is. No doubt, there's a happy medium and African children could benefit from values being imparted by their parents stemming from time together (as Aleah reminded us when we let them in on the experiment). I think this is where religion comes into play. When asking Namatovu her thoughts on the subject she responded that God takes care of all of us. I think this is often what people fall back on as they don't see any other solution and believing in a higher power provides hope and salvation.
Another startling observation is that the weak are often left behind. Examples of Darwin's theory in practice is apparent in the schools, communities, and surfaces when reading the newspaper. I came across an article in the local newspaper that mentioned students with visual impairments were being dropped off and left at a school because the parents didn't know how to cope. The majority of the country is light years behind in terms of medical, technological advancements, and education. I was told that class sizes in public schools can be up to 200 students to 1 teacher. Under these conditions, it's highly unlikely that any learning is taking place.
School fees are another issue as most families can't afford to pay them. Without an educational certificate in hand, kids are unable to rise above classes and seek better jobs. There are so many children under the age of five, many of the five year olds are tending to the toddlers. Kids are raising kids. I can't say since I was here last that I've seen any signs of economic development as cycles of poverty continue to perpetuate without any sound education. With the same political leader in office for 30 years, change or progress occurs at a snails pace.
After taking in the experiences at the school, we set off on a day excursion to Jinja in the northern region of Uganda. It was farther than expected, but a trip wouldn't be the same without a boat story to tell. We took a longtail boat up to the source of the Nile, viewing several species of birds along the way. About mid-way through the tour heavy rains ensued, enough to take a break on a small man made islands or local fisherman. Our guide didn't expect much from the storm so the break was brief, soon after we entered the river thunder and lightening followed suit. Through the whipping wind our guide attempted to continue the tour until I demanded our return to shore. We made it safely back, watching the monsoon like rains from a protected thatch roofed restaurant where we had the best fish on our trip caught in Lake Victoria.
It was time to say goodbye to Namatovu, Madame Bukeynw and Lubega with a farewell dinner before departing on our safari on the 26th. Picked up by our trusting guide, Moses, at 6:30am, he informed us it would be a long journey ahead. Driving the main road through the villages kept us well occupied. After about 5 hrs we arrived at a 70 acre Rhino Sanctuary in the western region of Uganda. With a guide we trekked some of the few remaining Whilte Rhinos and came within feet of a male, female and her babies. We even saw the male Rhino mark his territory from 15 feet where we were standing to remind us this was his turf. What a "wild" introduction to the wild life we would experience on the adventure.
From there, we continued on towards Murchison Falls Park, winding our way through the knotted jungle. The park spans 3,800 sq kilometers and is home to the big 5 game as well as 451 species of birds. The north and south regions are divided by the river Nile. It's truly a sight to behold.
We entered at the northern end, passing through lush landscape and were ferried across to the northern side. Driving into the Paraa lodge, we were all amazed and quickly understood why British royalty came to stay here. The view overlooked the Nike from all areas of the lodge, the food was superb and our lazy soaks in the pool removed any traces of Istanbul smog locked in our bones. We stayed there 3 nights. The location provided the best access to game in the park, which we woke up for both mornings at 6am to catch the early morning light and morning feed. The endless spans of red road led us to two mama lions and their 9 cubs, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, rare birds, water buffalo, and countless antelope.
We also spent one afternoon on a boat ride up the Nile to Murchison Falls where we hiked up to the top of the falls. The following day, another game drive, lazy lounging by the pool and an afternoon in Paswatch, a village on the outskirts of the park. This was part of our "cultural presentation." We weren't sure what to expect, and anticipated an audience of tourists much like a Hawaiian luau. Well, that wasn't the case. We followed a boda driver, who we later discovered was a night watchman at the Paraa Lodge. He led us to three different communities within the village. The experience wasn't fabricated, but an authentic dip into the cultural ways of the western region of Uganda. We drove into the first community of circular mud huts with thatched roofs, being led into one of the homes. There they explained the rituals of welcoming visitors, sharing their values of community and talking about their local productions.
From there we drove towards another community, passing through thickets until we reached more huts, these appeared to be more worn down. This community we later named "Wiskey Village." Aleah and I felt particularly uncomfortable as we could tell the adults and teenagers had consumed a fair amount of home brew whiskey. We were escorted into one of the huts and they explained the fermenting process. They tried to convince us that banging on the jerry jug, the incessant cat calls, and a man dancing with an axe were traditional ritual dances, but we didn't fall for it, especially not Aleah. What saddened me most from this experience was to see the number of children and wasted males not contributing the families or community. It's such a hard life already that when alcohol is added to the mix, it can really bring a community down. I wanted to rescue some of the children. From some of the faces of the young women, I could sense shame and embarrassment. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this stop for future travelers, it did give a wholistic picture, just like the ravages of alcoholism in our communities in the states.
From there we continued onward driving through a small walking path and headed towards the fishing village. Here there were few women other than those preparing food. Some of the fisherman were happy to share about their practices, others were reserved. What we did discover is the net casting practice that has decimated the Perch population is still taking place. Entire nets are cast and schools of fish, including the babies and pregnant ones, are brought in, an over fishing practice that hasn't been regulated. Sadly, other species will soon be in danger as well. There is such a long way to go for the country with very few regulatory practices in place.
We departed our luxury lodge, heading back towards Kampala. The journey back took a different turn as our engine overheated and we were stuck in Messina for a few hours. The African way, nobody panicked and there wasn't much communication about what was happening. We hunkered down for a few hours a at a lodge within walking distance, played banana grams, ate lunch and made the most of our time. Speaking of time, the idea here is to do less with it than more. We've completely embraced the African Way, with the exception of Aleah, as she continued to ask Moses what was next on the program or how much time was left before arriving at our destination.
After resting at the lodge, we continued onward in our "repaired" vehicle, which we soon discovered wasn't fixed after all. Pulling off on the side of the road, we awaited our rescue. We were driven to a small town, and picked up by a different driver before being driven to Entebbe, 2 Friends Hotel. Sitting on our terrace with a view of Lake Victoria, we were again blessed by a beautiful setting. The lodge's motto was "come as a guest and leave as a friend." We were charmed by Ugandan hospitality and spent the day walking to an African craft market, lounging by the waterfront, and enjoying our last day before returning to our hectic pack up and move back. So many moments to take in from the trip. Blessed by it all.