UGANDA DIARIES
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Two days back we set off from Entebbe, early in the morning, to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is about 400 kms away.
Armed with some really spicy ‘Indian Pasta’ and snacks we made the 7 hour journey to the Southern Hemisphere. Yup, we crossed the equator! We checked into Kingfisher Safari Lodge, which is a beautiful beautiful resort with a great view of the park
The next day we went on a safari where we spotted some lazing lions, grazing Ugandan Kobs and pissed off wild buffaloes. Not many for this place. The savannah was dry and most of the animals had moved to the banks of The nearby lakes.
So we decided to take a boat tour to see these vacationing animals. Two big lakes-lake George and lake Edward are connected by the Kazinga Channel. Along this channel we had a two hour boat ride. We spotted a herd of African Elephants having a gala time, splashing water on themselves. Hippos hung out with their gangs underwater. Occasionally popping up with a splash, making the children on board scream gleefully.
A bunch of tiny kingfisher birds fluttered behind our boat and made a ruckus as they swooped into the lake and grabbed fish. They added a nice background music to our trip.
At some places we witnessed coexistence as Elephants, buffaloes, hippos, and warthogs all chilled together. As the summer is heating up the land, many of them are just letting off steam in the cool water.
There was also a bachelor pad of many of the adult male elephants that had been kicked out of the herd by the matriarch. According to the guide, this is to avoid inbreeding. Poor guys, but have to admit, what a badass matriarch.! We entered the Lake Edward which is the smallest of the African Great Lakes. The lake is shared by Uganda and DR Congo, with the major part of the lake lying with Congo.
Near the end of the channel there rests a fishing village which lives just on fishing. There’s no agriculture here as the soil is not fertile due to volcanic activity. These people sometimes spend upto 12 hours at a time out fishing.
In this album you’ll see some of the pictures from the safari and boat ride. And many pictures of the fresh juices I am enjoying at every stop. You guys know where my priorities lie.
PS: Currently sipping on some African masala tea. Enjoying a great view. I must say I am right about in my happy place right now.— layout: post title: “UGANDA DIARIES” author: naz category: Travel —
In Saudi everything looks bleak and dusty. The skies are usually covered in dust or grey-brown clouds. The eye and the body tire pretty quickly of the monotony. So when I landed in Uganda, my eyes were probably literally cooled by the lush green all around. It was like I was suddenly seeing everything in HD quality. A curtain I wasn’t aware of had been lifted and I could now see colors in all their vividness. Not just colors, even tastes become more pronounced.
My tongue feasted on fresh tomatoes that were sweet and juicy and not fake tasting soggy pulp like in other places. I relished tangy passion fruit juice and ripe mangoes, in salads, juices, and smoothies. And let’s not even talk about the just-plucked-from-the-tree avocados, devoured with a squirt of lemon and a dash of salt.
When I wake up here I hear all kinds of birds around. From baby birds with the sweetest of chirps to annoying ones with squawks that sound like an old goat being burgeoned to death. At night it is crickets and the geckos and frogs making their presence known. From the ‘beach’ nearby the sounds of beats come in as people dance to music to mark the weekend.
This trip has been a feast to all my senses. My eyes are relaxed, my tongue is pleased, my skin is softer and my ears are thrilled to hear more birds and less traffic.
Nazreen Fazal
Writer, Wife, Mother, Indian, Muslim. So many labels, one me. I write, I rant, I ramble in order to make sense of everything happening around. Join me on this journey as I share snippets of my life, going about work, my parenting wins and fails, and the murky waters that's long distance marriage.
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