Oh what a day – it’s really what we all came for. Yes – yes – we came to do good work, but come on… We came to see wild rolling savannas and herds of water buffalo and wild things. And we were not disappointed. Up at 4:30 AM, standing in front of the Mosque for our tour pickup, we left about 6:00 but not before causing somewhat of a stir while we waited as a group of seven glow-in-the-dark Muni. I’m sure we must (glow-in-the-dark) because even in the black of night when you can’t see your hand in front of your face, we are identified as Munu. So there may have been some suspicion of our presence there, all just hanging about.
Two carloads of us left in the dark and drove for about an hour until we discovered there was only one car. Turning around, we discovered the other about thirty minutes back, hood open with steam pouring out of the radiator. Not to belabor the point, but it was a real clusterf___ as they tried to jump the battery, etc. Obvious to everyone else, the car had over heated, the engine block probably cracked because they added cold water in a steaming engine, and a battery-jump does not cure that. Another car arrived after an hour and a half and we continued our drive over roller-coaster roads and finally reached the park gates some hours later. Stating that we are a group of teachers living in the country for the next two years (pretty close to the truth) we were able to have the entry fee waived.
And finally the fun began. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking – rolling savanna as far as the eye could see. Totally pristine land, never developed, no remnants of camps, nothing but a dirt road through tall grass and animals.
First came the warthogs, with their funny bouncy trot and whiskers, then some giraffe spotted on the horizon, then up close, right next to the road. Cape buffalo looking fierce – snorting in our direction when they weren’t wallowing in the mud holes, herds of Springboc, Heartebeest, Waterbucks, schools of Hippos and crocodile, flocks of saddlebill storks, a few eagles, and 450 species of birds. Just stunning… and a real boost to the spirit to be among these fabulous creatures.
Oh yes – and elephants – up close and personal, baboons – stealing lunch and anything they can grab from tourists (one escaped with a bag of oranges). We are fair game I suppose, but warned not to have bags with us. Although we locked them in the car, one baboon tried to climb in a window and when that failed he simply sat on the top of the car, daring us to enter. Later he got bored, sat down and stretched a two inch bubble gum pink penis like silly putty to a length of at least eight inches. How do they doooo that? Sorry, but animals are awfully entertaining.
We took a three hour boat ride up the Nile to (Lake Albert at this point) and went to the foot of Murchison Falls, noting hundreds of hippos along the way and 20 foot long crocs. When we arrived back at the dock, our elephant family had moved into the parking area to munch on tree limbs, pulled down by the big bull.
It was an 18 hour day, and I’d recommend staying in the Paraa Lodge – a gorgeous place over looking the Nile and not unreasonably priced for three meals a day. So my friends – pack your bags.
So that’s the report from Gulu Town. Back to work Monday and two days of a Perma-gardening workshop to hopefully take some techniques back to the villages to improve crop output and maybe harvest enough excess to sell.
The marching band has tuned up down the street, and the Mosque or church is in full-tilt in the other direction. Time for a brownie…