Africa: Day 7

Monday May 17

Another early morning yet again. This vacation was far from relaxing, but it was absolutely amazing and totally worth the work. The first safari was southwest from Kampala, whereas the next would be northwest. We packed everything up, got some gas, and also some candy (so we could bribe people for their picture along the road). We saw so many great people and things happening along our drive.

People driving boda bodas (motorcycles), riding bikes with loads of anything from sticks to bananas to people to whatever the need transported , taking care of kids, slashing weeds, selling things, building bricks, hauling matokie (a green banana thats super bland), massive trucks broken down for carrying tons of coal, etc.

We were so mesmerized by people-watching that we missed our turn off and kept going 28km in the wrong direction. So, we backtracked and made our way to Murchison Falls National Park (Paraa Lodge).

(These are a few of the frequent sites: huge termite mounds, monkeys and warthogs everywhere.)

We took a crazy bumpy back way so that we could hike up to the Falls. WOW!! We got so close and saw the Falls from most angles. The best part of all was knowing that it's the Nile River. THE NILE!!! It was fabulous.

After checking that out for awhile, and taking a ton of pictures and video, we got back in the truck and took that crazy bumpy road back around to where we took a ferry across the river (with the truck) to our Lodge.

We saw the first hippo and crocodile while we were on the ferry! It was awesome, and a bit of foreshadow that we'd see a ton more!! So, we got to Paraa Lodge and checked in. It's called "The Jewel of the Nile." The hotel is right on the Nile and we had a spectacular view!

We didn't do any game drives that day but we did go swimming in the pool. Not the Nile. That's not smart. From the pool you can see the river though, so that was sweet. For the meals, they have a dining room and that night was buffet style, where they gave us a few options. I didn't try any of the crazy stuff; just kept it basic.