Gazing out our windows as the land whipped by in the early morning light, we passed men straining to push their rusty bicycles, heavily loaded with green bananas, up the steep roads. We hadn’t traveled for too long before stopping at a local open-air market so that Cosmus could pick up supplies. The market was bustling, and you can imagine the staring that went on when a truck load of mzungus wandered into the mix. We allowed ourselves to be carried along with the buzzing crowd, attempting to take in all that was going on around us… the fresh produce stacked in neat towers upon old tarps and burlap, piles of pale green cabbages that stood as tall as the women selling them, plumes of smoke rising from chimneys, children tied securely to women’s backsides with colorful cloth, men pushing rickety wheelbarrows through the throngs of people… it was a sight to behold and we were thrilled to have such an authentic African experience along the “tourist trail.” It wasn’t long before we were surrounded by curious children. We made friends within moments and had great fun taking their photos and then showing them- the children would erupt into fits of laughter and point at the camera screen. Before leaving the market we purchased some mendazi (fried bread dough) and fresh chapatti… delicious!
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mendazi
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Such a sweetie!
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The Chapati Man
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Mmmmm! Warm, chewy chapati… delicious! (Nevermind my frazzled “bus hair”)
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Another pass over the equator…
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Colin attempting to scale the Equator sign… a highlight of the trip for sure! My sides still hurt from laughing!!!
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He made it! =)
Once back on the truck, our travels took us along Wrenzori mountain range, skirting along the border of the Congo- at times we were less than 10km away. After several more hours of driving we arrived at the Queen Elizabeth National Park Hippo Camp. The terrain of the park was very different from other places we’d visited in Uganda. The temperatures were much higher, and the land was dry and dusty. Curious cactus-like trees dotted the landscape. The afternoon sun was beating down on us as we set up camp, and a light breeze we so desperately hoped for was no where to be found. Luckily, we soon escaped from our arid campsite to the Kazinga Channel, where we boarded a boat for an afternoon river cruise. We stayed on the bottom deck, where we enjoyed the comforts of seats and shading from the sun. Within moments of beginning our cruise we came across elephants and cape buffalo. It wasn’t much longer before we spotted the first of many hippos, as well as crocodiles and numerous bird species. Much like our experience with Chobe National Park river cruise 3 years ago, the Kazinga Channel cruise allowed us to get within close proximity to the animals, which provided not only a thrill, but wonderful photo opportunities!
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Pumba (wart hog)… another of Africa’s Ugly 5
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Note all the “decorating” the pied kingfishers have done on the back of this poor hippo!
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Weavers’ nests
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Crocodile
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Hammercock
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Cormorants stood rigidly in clusters towards the wind with mouths gaping, loose skins flapping, in order to cool down.
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Is that not the sweetest Cape Buffalo you’ve ever seen?! Looks like the family dog, all curled up at on the sofa.
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Stork, cormorant, egret.
I love the cormorant above… he looks so proud of the feather he’s just plucked from the water.
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Towards the end of our cruise, we passed a fishing village. While we did not have the privilege of viewing any lions on our trip, we were informed there were many in the park, as this particular village suffered 13 lion related deaths in the last year!
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Pelican
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Once back on land we went for an uneventful evening game drive, and saw a few elephants. That evening, as we lay in our tents, we listened to the chorus of chirping of bats swooping overhead as we drifted off to sleep.
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