Week 4: Uganda

Somehow, we are already wrapping up our time in Uganda. When we first arrived, we felt like we might have made a mistake booking to stay in one country for so long, and now we are shocked to realize it’s already time to move on! We have had an incredible time here, with some especially memorable moments this past week.

We enjoyed our last days with the kids at school. Will continued to work on math each day we visited, while I had fun teaching the kids various games and creative thinking skills. The kids were eager to learn about us and our experiences, and quickly picked up on so many concepts we discussed. They taught us a lot about Ugandan culture, not least of all the skills required to eat jackfruit. At the end of our time together, they shared such heartfelt gratitude, and one of the older boys wrote us a beautiful letter addressed to “Mr. and Mrs. Will”.

We also hit the road for a serious adventure, which we booked through Red Chilli Hideaway! We left our place in Ggaba Beach early Thursday morning. First stop: the equator!

As we continued driving southwest, we were surprised by how quickly the landscape faded from dusty red roads, large buildings, and roads overloaded with matatus and boda bodas. It wasn’t long before we were driving past huge fields, lush forests, and small towns. We watched as endless Ugandans worked their fields by hand. Our driver, Henry, answered all of the questions we had about the history of the country and the sights we saw along the way. Early in the afternoon, we reached Rwakobo Rock lodge, just outside of Lake Mburo National Park. We were shown to our safari tent, and then given time to enjoy the spectacular scenery. We SO enjoyed hanging out in the pool and sitting quietly in hammocks, soaking up the view!

Later in the afternoon, we were driven down to Lake Mburo. Along the way, we caught our first glimpse of the 15 Rothschild giraffes that were translocated to Lake Mburo National Park in 2015. We then thoroughly enjoyed a boat cruise with our guide, Tom, and a couple from the UK. We were able to spot a crocodile, and had so much fun watching many large herds of hippos. We also saw a huge array of birds, including kingfishers, cranes, greenbacks, hammerkops, and many fish eagles. This place really would be a birder’s paradise!

We then ventured off on our first ever safari game drive. Between the game drives we took Thursday evening and Friday morning, we saw Rothschild giraffes, warthogs, zebras, impallas, elands, monkeys, baboons, waterbucks, water buffalo, topis, dik diks, steenboks, and a few mongoose.

After our safari adventure on Friday, we continued west towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. We stopped five hours into the drive at Lake Bunyonyi, a popular vacation spot for Ugandans and expats. We ate lunch overlooking the lake, and could certainly see ourselves staying in a place like this… that is, if we didn’t have somewhere VERY EXCITING to go next!

We continued driving for a few more hours, finishing the drive with 30 km of very bumpy, washed out dirt road that climbed and dropped many times along the hillside. We arrived at Nkuringo Gorilla Camp in time to see the sun set and enjoy a delicious dinner. Want to know WHY we were at Nkuringo Gorilla Camp? Check out our bonus post,  “GORILLAS!”

Whispers of the Wild

Magical Moments:

Stepping out of our safari tent and being graced with the sight of so many shining stars, a tiny sliver of moon, and the Milky Way.

Moving through the water of Lake Mburo, watching as hippos of all sizes snorted water and yawned.

Standing in our safari vehicle as 15 Rothschild giraffe’s walked right by us.

Watching as zebras positioned themselves to eat in groups when they felt defensive.

Wrapping our heads around the number of vertical fields that exist on the sides of the huge hills here.

10 Things We Learned on Safari:

• Elands are Africa’s largest antelope, with males reaching 900 kg
• Hippos have really rough skin, which we learned by watching and listening to a hippo rub up against a tree
• Hippos live in large herds and eat 40 kg of grass/vegetation each night
• Impallas have the most beautiful horns (Fact? Opinion?)
• Warthogs make holes inside the termite mounds for shelter
• Rothschild giraffes are one of three types of giraffes in the area, and are only found in select parks in Uganda and in western Kenya
• Impallas are very common here, and are incredibly fast and agile. They can cover 10 metres in a single bound!
• Topis have the most beautiful colouring (possibly another opinion)
• HUGE termite hills are everywhere
• “African Massage”: the full body ‘massage’ your body is given as a result of driving down bumpy, washed out roads

This beautiful country has made such an impression on us both. We wanted to share a few of our feelings as we prepare to leave Uganda.

Surprised

Neither of us really knew what to expect before we arrived. Since we were travelling to a continent we had never visited, and a country we had heard very little about, this makes sense. We wondered if we might feel unsafe or unwelcome or, to be honest, even bored. We were pleasantly surprised by how comfortable and safe we felt right away. Although we were asked for money a few times, we really didn’t have any problems with people harassing us or doing anything to scare us. We quickly let down our guard, and this allowed us to make some incredible connections with locals who genuinely wanted to help us. Although many of the people we met did not have a lot to give, this didn’t stop them from wanting to share what they had. Everywhere we went, children greeted us with a huge smile, a wave, and a singsong “hey, mazungu!” And how could we ever have been bored? We certainly had many quiet, relaxing moments, relishing in our freedom from regular routines. We played games, read books, and visited with new friends. However, we paired this with travelling around the country to enjoy the water and the mountains, and all of the creatures living in between.

Relaxed

As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, ‘time’ has a very different meaning here in Uganda. There is no rushing around, no need to get somewhere, no hurry. Aside from the ‘jam’ and the streets of Kampala, that is! People here move at a leisurely pace, visiting with friends as they travel along. We’ve moved away from our daily routines and expectations, and have relished in this slower pace. We’ve enjoyed the feeling of waking up without a set plan, and filling our days with the things we really want to do.

Grateful

We have been so well cared for by the groundskeepers, Travese and Kenneth, and the housekeeper, Esther. These are not roles we are used to having filled at home, and it has been an adjustment to get used to being taken care of. We have stayed in luxury dwellings across the country, and are fully aware of the vast numbers living in small shacks and huts without running water. We were upgraded to a cottage at the Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, which made our guilt-filled hearts even heavier. We have spent so much time around people surviving with so little, observing people working so hard in the fields and women walking for miles with large bags of potatoes and rice on their heads. We have watched as women and men, dressed in the most beautiful clothing, walk down paths we cannot find the beginning to. We have been humbled by our conversations with locals who wonder about snow and vacations and maple syrup. We have questioned so many of the things we have taken for granted, and feel so thankful for the reminder of the one truly important thing in life: relationships.

Awestruck

There is such raw beauty here. This country is filled with varied landscape, welcoming people, and incredible animals. We learned that the grey crowned crane, Uganda’s National Emblem, travel as a couple at all times. This bird also stands for ‘peaceful and faithful’, which is a fitting description for the people we have met while we’ve been in this stunning country. We know most places we stay this year will pale in comparison to the incredible home we've had in Uganda. This place had everything we could dream of, and more, and eased our transition to being away from home.

Random Act of Kindness: Our driver, Henry, took us on a bonus safari game drive, and drove us out to Lake Bunyonyi just because he thought we would love it. He was extremely thoughtful and knowledgeable, and played an important part in this adventure!

We will be flying to Victoria Falls very early tomorrow morning, and although we are sad to say goodbye to Uganda, we are excited to see what Zimbabwe has in store for us!