October 9, 2008

We made it out of the jungle and back at the Stevenson's! What a fantastic time of seeing another beautiful part of God's world and the amazing animals that He created for us to enjoy!

We left @ 7:00 a.m on Monday morning in two safari buses. As we bounced along we all wondered what would happend and hoped that we would see many different types of animals. When we came to the equator we all got out and took our pictures and did some shopping. A few of us paid 200 shillings for the privilege of using a Western toilet; then the businessman didn't give us our change! OH, well.

We stopped for lunch at a village/town along the road and had some great American type food. I even had French fries with real ketchup. Yum! Mark had a 'pizza' that was closer to a thick tortilla shell but he pronounced it as 'delicious'. Several of the others had onion rings and a few tried more exotic fare (Patti had something with lentil beans and Heather ate 'chicken on fire'). Everything was really delicious and best of all; another clean Western type bathroom. :-) (As you can see it's the simple things that make us grateful).

After about eight or so hours of traveling (it could have been longer but I lost count) we arrived. The name of the park is Queen Elizabeth Park. We started seeing animals such as zebras (along our way), monkeys and large herds of elephants. That was so exciting because we were so close to them that if they would have been in the mood to charge us we would have been vulnerable. As it was we were able to put the roof up on the bus, stand up and enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery and get some great photos.

After checking into our rooms and eating supper (along with a devotional time) we all went to bed since we were to be up and ready to leave @ 6:30 the next morning.

We met in the morning and drove around and found many more types of animals: (hopefully I get all the names right) water buffalo, wart hogs (ask Hilary about getting real close to take their pictures!), a type of deer, and lions! That was so exciting. We stopped when we saw other groups looking across a lake at them and it was really hard to see them but we tried. After a few minutes we got back in the buses and our guides took us to another spot where we saw several lions – two or three females and two or three cubs. This time we were closer and were able to get some great shots. In our bus we were praising God because we had been asking Him to show us different types of animals and within a few minutes He did. What a great God we serve! He cares enough about us to answer even those types of prayers.

After our great morning we went back to the hostel where we were staying for some breakfast. Then we had time to explore or rest until lunch at the lodge and then off for a boat ride @ 5:00. Some people did rest but others went and checked out the museum that was on the grounds and some went to the lodge.

Our late lunch was very nice at the lodge and we were able to eat on the veranda where many birds tried to join us, even coming around when someone would leave their plate unattended. A mongoose was found under the table and one of our group (not saying his name but his initials are “Chris Hanson”) even fed it and we got some great pictures.

At 5:00 we all went on the boat and enjoyed a two hour cruise on the canal that is between Lake Edward and Lake George. During our cruise we saw many, many groups of hippos and tried to get some good pictures of them opening their mouths! Many large crocodiles were spotted close to the hippos and other animals which made us wonder how they all seemed to be so peacefully cohabitating. Probably the answer is that our guide told us that crocodiles only eat around once every three months so the animals must have felt safe! :-)

We saw many types of birds and one that seemed especially impressive was the African Bald Eagle: very similar to our Bald Eagle. It looked so majestic whether it was flying around us or sitting in a tree.

On a hillside we were fortunate to see a group of hyenas. They were very difficult to see with the naked eye but with a zoom lens one could see them and take their pictures.

We all agreed that the boat ride was relaxing and very enjoyable and a great way to end the day.

This morning we got up even earlier and left @ 6:00 a.m! We were hoping to see some chimpanzees and when we pulled up in front of a couple of huts and two guides with guns ran out throwing on their shoes we had no idea what to expect. They joined us in our buses and after driving a few miles away our drivers stopped and everyone got out. I wondered (as did a few others) what we were doing.

Imagine my surprise when we were told we were going INTO the jungle to track chimpanzees! Me, with my green flip flops! Hilary changed her shoes as did a few others, but alas, I had left my tennis shoes back in Kampala! I know, great planning!

I toyed with the idea of staying in the bus but then decided that I wasn't coming to Africa and wasting this wonderful opportunity! So, thanks to Dr. Steve, my dear new friend Patti and our guide with the gun, Jack, I made it down the slippery slope! They held onto me when the going got tough. That is true love for your fellow man!

We were really in luck! Our guides led us to an area where we saw three chimpanzees grooming themselves. We watched them for a while and then they decided to come down the tree and cross the bridge (think “Indiana Jones”) that we had just crossed to look for food! They found it. It happened to be coleus monkeys and we were witnesses to the screams and yells that the chimps made as they got excited (over finding the monkeys or calling to each other; I'm not sure) but the chimps were successful and a mama monkey lost her baby this morning!

To witness something like that and the chimps in their habitat was such a unique and unforgettable experience! We will never forget it.

After that we went back to the buses, took some pictures, and drove our guides back to their huts with many thanks. Then it was time to get on the road again. We ate lunch at the same American type restaurant on the way back and then did a little roadside shopping on the way.

Driving through Uganda is such an experience of holding on to your seats, trying not to gasp at all the bumps and sharp turns (or when a cow runs into the road) that I am sure when we get back to America we will all be so thankful for the good roads that we have there! Just going through Kampala takes an hour and traffic is just horrendous. We have been told that Kampala is under a terror alert but we know that God has his loving hands around us. That is the only way to explain how we keep making it safely back to the Stevenson's. That, and the wonderful drivers we have here!

I know that this blog was a little long but I wanted to share some details of the safari that we experienced and let you know that we are all healthy (except for a cold that Brenda has picked up) and looking forward to coming back to America and sharing in more detail what God has done in us and through us. What an awesome God we serve!

Well, it is late and except for Alexis (who is watching a movie) I am the only one up so I think I will sign off for now. Thanks so much for your comments on the blog. We enjoy reading them and knowing that you all are praying for us.

In God's loving shelter,
Valerie