Sunday, 29 January 2017

George II

Sunday morning four of us take the river cruise while Scott and Carly enjoy some down time.  We are thrilled to see lots of hippos and an amazing array of birds.
Sunrise overlooking the pool bar at Paara

we pass a couple of warthogs walking to breakfast

the signs don't lie at this lodge

red-throated bee-eaters are beautiful


this family was frolicking on the grass at the boat launch

never smile at a crockodile



snake bird


the captain offers lots of great information


That evening we all do a safari game drive which yields great encounters with giraffes and three lions pulling their kill into some tall grass.







they ordered take-away tonight


The guide for our Monday morning game drive is George, and we're amazed to learn he is the son-in-law of "George of the Jungle", who entertained us greatly as our guide when we last visited Paara. George II does not disappoint, finding us a leopard on a tree limb, then spotting six lions on a plain, as well as some elephants.


we're very lucky to view this leopard




George is the one with the "walking stick"




We accompany Carly & Scott for the afternoon river cruise, exiting upstream to take the long, high climb to the top of Murchison Falls.  The spectacular views are well worth the physical discomfort.  Abraham meets us at the top and stops at Sambiya Lodge for refreshments on the return journey.  We speak with the owner of this popular fishing destination property, who moved from Michigan and built the facility 20 years ago.
unusual to see a hippo on land during daylight hours

young love

busy neighbourhood of red-throated bee eaters

this kingfisher is just one of the hundreds of bird species in Uganda

fish eagle

mother protecting her nest





long hike up to view the falls

making new friends

Murchison Falls
the entire flow of the Nile is funneled into a 7m wide opening

view from the top

a few welcome sodas after a long climb

ferry ride across the Nile at sunset


Tuesday is another long travel day, this time returning to Banana Village.  We're thrilled to get some great views of elephants while exiting the park.  The craft vendors at a different gas station prove to be uncomfortably aggressive.  We marvel at the mud hut villages in this part of the country, and the strong women carrying bundles of firewood and other loads long distances on their heads.



Tragedy strikes as we reach the outskirts of Kampala, in the form of an urgent message for Sue to contact her aunt.  Sue's father, Nelson, has suffered from chronic heart disease for about 10 years, and she is given the news that he died in his winter trailer in Florida the night before.  Susan is devastated by the event, particularly since we now must inform Alicia.  She is back in Lindsay attending college and was always quite close to her Papa Nelson.  Thankfully, Alicia's boyfriend, Taylor, and our great friends back home rally to console and watch over Alicia while her parents are half way around the world.

Susan endures the frustrations of trying to contact her uncle, who is in Florida and is now dealing with the authorities there, and trying to start arrangements from this far away.  Carly takes Scott to Kabona to expose him to some of the local night life culture.