Murchison Falls National Park

Finally... a safari. Without students or responsibilities... in fact, I didn't even PLAN this one, I was just along for the ride. Two of the program interns, Meg and Molly have visitors here this christmas, and so planned a trip to Murchsion Falls National Park. I have been once before exactly 16 years ago on a trip to Congo by road to visit my grandparents for Christmas. I kind of like returning to places you've been before...

Some things were exactly the same, like the Paraa Ferry that takes you across the Nile six cars or so at a time... (its sturdier than it looks)
And it must have been spring in the park-- there were babies EVERYWHERE...

baby baboons...
baby giraffes... (my camera isn't so great at distance shots-- but you see 'em? The three little light colored fellows in the back?)
The rainy season seemed to be over- but only just. There was still a pale green flush to the very tall grass. Made animal viewing rather difficult. I realize this fellows rump is to me in this photo... but the grass is just beautiful, and the colors make me feel at home.
baby buffalos and their egret friends (and moms)...
A patas monkey keeping lookout in a tree for his buddies in the deep thick grass. (You might have noticed, I'm not very good at catching animals actually LOOKING at me.)
We took the boat lanuch up to the base of the falls Saturday afternoon... Meg and I here, photographing the wildlife.
And the other kind of wildlife... baby elephants... CUTE!
Like I said, I seem to get a lot of this: (though this may just be my favorite shot of the trip)
As you get closer to the falls, the river is full of foam. Swirling in magical starry patterns.

The falls from as close as you can get at the base:

On the way out of the park Sunday afternoon we drove to the top of the falls. I have a distinct memory of the last time we were at Murchison. I was oh, 14 I think. We-- and our good family friends-- were staying at some crazy camp site... We got in got set up in our bandas or whathave you and the dads decided to take the kids to the top of the falls. I was in a foul mood- who knows why, being 14 is my only explanation. I refused to go and stayed back with the moms. Doing what exactly, I don't know.... journaling darkly through whatever angst was eating me. (I should look for that journal entry sometime in old journals... I'm sure it was something along the lines of how unfair life is...) Anyhow, this time, I was not so silly as to miss out on the spectacular view from the top.

Molly, Meg and I.
The entire river funnels into a gorge only a few meters wide... pretty intense (I know, I know, you can just hear dad in my voice, yah? Kara? Than? :) I'll own it.
The falls are alive, fresh every second and crazy. The lava flow around it is ages old, frozen in time but mirrors the same movement. Interesting contrast.

It was a fantastic weekend with good people. The bug has bitten... or reawakened perhaps, and now I'm ready for a chop box of my own, a tent, ditty chairs and ditty bags, a thermos for chai, a cooler for sundowners and a little old (reliable) set of (landrover) wheels to take me on all these adventures with a roof rack for sitting on. Oh yes, and more good friends to go with!!

Christmastime and the need for a tree...

Thought I'd publish the photos now and maybe I'll add the narrative later... or maybe not. But after a week and a half of trying to find and figure out a Christmas tree (or some semblance thereof) I think I'm set. I'm quite pleased with my spazzy branch/tree that smells like the Christmas of my childhood.

Sunjuice Showers

One of my most favorite things about this house is the solar water heater. It sits on the roof with Gwyn's water heater and together they spend the days soaking up all the vitamin D and golden delicious sunshine they can, storing it in their water tanks. And in the morning, I get an amazing, piping hot, sunjuice shower... most days. Some mornings, following a rainy or cloudy afternoon, my sunjuice shower is maybe not-so-piping hot (though never cold)... The temperature is determined by the weather the previous day. But I like that too- taking what is given. Not more. Not less.

Now, I suspect you scienc-y folk will give me a knowing and ever so slightly condescending look as you tell me that there is, in fact, no qualitative difference between water heated by sun and water heated by electricity. But I assure you there is. I do have an electric back-up switch, which has been called upon on rare occasion, and it is just not the same. Its harsh. Metallic. Cold, though its scalding hot. Sunjuice, on the other hand, is warm and embracing, gentle even if you need to add cold so as not to get burned...

(The only down side to my shower bliss is the mornings I wake up and find a spider or spiders (!!) in the tub... Last week I had to forgo a shower altogether one day due to a very LARGE spider that was stuck in the tub. Thank you Molly for helping me escort that particular unwanted visitor off the premises later that evening...) (Ok, maybe he was midsized... but he definitely wasn't going to fit down the drain holes... which required removal out of the tub from above. And I don't squish things bigger than mosquitos. I'm not that kind of tough.)

This photo doesn't have anything to do with the wonders of my sunjuice showers... but it is a lovely sunset from my porch, looking down over the neighbors roof top towards the distant hills. (Now if I could just scoot that house over a couple of yards and get it out of my lovely view... )

visitors...

I've had a slew of interesting and exciting visitors over the past few months. Unfortunately I don't always remember to whip out my camera before they leave for the customary farewell photo, but I have managed a few. Among those that I've missed- the enormous oval shaped fellow clinging to my mosquito net and the super speedy centipede with the long red pointy tail. The crickets- ah but they're regulars. The mouse... unfortunately I had to use force with that one-- his welcome was overstayed after he leapt of the counter at my boss one afternoon and I later discovered he'd set up shop in my ROOM... Good gracious. There are a pair of squeaky hornbills that also help to keep the grasshopper population at bay outside my front and back door. I quite enjoy them-- their wild beady eyes and their tap tap taping on the door as they collect their green treats. And always the endless trails of ants, cleaning up after the other bugs, searching for sugary crumbs or whatever they can find. Oh heres one right now-- scurrying across the screen. Must be lost. Can't find the rest of his troop.

Margaret

This is Margaret, one of my co-workers. She is someone I've come to love and appreciate both as a colleague and as a friend.

Sipi Falls

At the end of rural homestays, we all (the group had been split... half went to Serere, half went to Kapchurwa) met up at Sipi Falls, in the foothills of Mount Elgon, on the eastern boarder with Kenya. We spent two nights in a fun place called the Crows Nest for debrief. Its a base camp kind of place for people who are coming through to hike Mt. Elgon, or the falls... so is decent, but on the lower end of tourist catchment. (Mostly your 20-30 somethings who are doing Africa the Hardcore way... bumming around, local transportation, as little bathing as possible, and certainly no clothes washing. Big cameras and big packs.) The Students loved it.

'Debrief' was good Friday night... Saturday was for hiking to the falls... Me and the interns here- before setting out... Meghan, Molly and Jones... (And someone JUST pointed out that Tui-- one of the students is in there too!! Hiding in the shadows, in a creepy, sneaking kind of way.. Oy!)

The first of two falls my group hiked to...

The students....

Looking west into Uganda...

The second set of waterfalls:

Students, getting as close as possible to the pounding torrents of waterfall...

Sunday morning before leaving we hiked up to the top of the hill behind Crows Next.... Looking back down into Uganda-- Serere and lake Kyoga in the far distance, a little hazy to really make out that morning, but a beautiful vista none the less.

rural homestays

I went with half the student group to Serere-- in eastern Uganda. A beautiful, beaufiul place.

Meghan, one of the interns was also on the trip. We stayed with Margaret- our coworker who is from Serere and set up all of the host families... Taking tea is a very important daily activity.
The hill behind Margarets house... Looking towards a stormy afternoon sky, with the sunlight on our backs.
On another, clearer afternoon- looking down at one of the neighbors homesteads...
Resting was another very important daily activity...
Looking towards the kitchen hut... we were attempting to bake a pineapple cake on a little charcoal fire... (which Margaret is monitoring closely) It actually turned out really well!
Stephen, me, Margaret, Meghan and Johnson-- at a staff dinner in Soroti town. Stephen and Johnson help Margaret set up the homestays and are also 'on call' for any additional support during the week. Driving here and there, communicating with host families and whatnot
Long week... but good week!!

a few more...

...that wouldn't upload last night...

The proverbial mango tree classroom:

A papaya tree gone bananas:

Acholi style structures- where we stayed in Gulu: