We had been craving nature and a chance to get away. Uganda was exactly what we needed – refreshing time with friends and colleagues in Western Uganda (including their three energetic young kids), and then a week of real relaxation inside Murchison Falls National Park.
Seeing the majesty of these big animals in their natural habitat never gets old. The elephants, in particular, are so interesting to watch in their family groups. I read a book last year called Beyond Words: What animals think and feel about the complex social systems and emotional intelligence of a few animals, such as elephants, which makes me appreciate even more the expressive nature of these amazing creatures.
We took a boat ride up the Nile river towards Murchison Falls, and then hiked a couple of miles to get to the top of the falls. The river plunges through a gorge just 6 meters wide at these falls, and it is a dramatic show of the power that water has. Seeing the beauty and feeling the spray of these falls was exhilerating.
We are growing into an appreciation of birds, and enjoy trying to see and identify them. The red-throated bee-eater was a new one for us. From the veranda of the lodge we could watch them swoop down from their perch to snag an insect and then loop back to their perch. The pied kingfishers were another fun one to watch, as they hovered stationary high above the water, beating their wings vigorously, and then would dive straight down to grab a fish in the water without going under. The beauty and the unique character that God created in each bird species is truly incredible!
We also spent two days in the Budongo forest, where we found butterflies in such abundance that we said ‘it is snowing butterflies!” We watched monkeys (like the colubus above) leap through the tops of trees, and mused on the barking of the babboons. We spotted a few birds, but realized that in a dense forest seeing them is a real challenge!
Our flight from Aruba to Juba was on a small 12-seater plane. It was a rare experience for us to be on a plane where we could see out the FRONT window as well as the sides! Just as the plane revved up its engines and started down the dirt airstrip in Arua for takeoff, the pilot slammed on the brakes. We could see a few cows ambling across the runway in front of us. Fortunately, we did stop in time, and simply had to turn around and start the takeoff over again. But it was a reminder to be grateful for safe travel, especially in a place where we are reminded that you never know what to expect!
We are very grateful for this opportunity to get away and enjoy some of the natural beauty in this region. After this wonderful vacation, though, we were eager to get home to Juba, and grateful for our community and the ministries of the church here that make it a welcoming place to return to.
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