After breakfast yesterday we swam and layed in the sun whilst over looking the vast lake - quite, quite heavenly!
At 3pm some off us took a boat ride on the lake. It was beautiful. We drew along side water buffalo resting at the waters edge, elephants grazing on the lush graze growing by the lake, birds of every description, lizards large enough to see from 50m away and hippos as near as 5 metres away. Hippos have instantly become my favourite animal - they lay in the water sun bathing all day - idylic!! There are 11 villages within the reserve all of which fish to make a living. As we passed one, the men were heading out for the night in their boats to fish. I wondered if their work, their life, were less stressful than mine?! It certainly looked like it as they paddled off over the horizon........until we were told hippos are their greatest threat. If a mother feels her baby is in danger she will attack and literally drown the occupants of the boat. Perhaps our stresses are just different. Having seen some difficult scenes during the week, this trip today reminded me that this also is an amazing, beautiful country - we try to recreate its beauty and wonder in the UK with our wild life parks etc - we miss by a mile!!
It was an immediate turn around as we headed off on our lion hunt, we searched and search for hours..... all in vain :-( I secretly hoped that as we returned to our lodge that we'd have a repeat of our elephant experience and come across a huge pride.....not so. I'll just have to come again some time........
So to today...... the epic journey back! We're heading back for a few days to revisit both orphanages, have a meal with Paul who we worked with at the school in the first week and then head home. I'm not sure how much blogging I'll manage from now........ xx
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Are we nearly there yet?
Well, we managed to leave yesterday morning at 7.15. I hope I get to stay at Red Chilli again sometime. I think we traveled for about an hour before the roads became slightly less pot holed, just slightly! We passed through town after town, village after village all looking the same. Folks selling there goods along the road side and behind them ram shackled houses of rough brick or mud and tin roofs.We traveled for hours and hours and the story was the same. This trip has opened my eyes to the enormity of this country, to Africa and to its poverty in a way that my friends experiences, documentaries and relief programmes never have. Seeing is believing.
After a few hours we stopped for breakfast...........at the equator!! How cool is that!! We took the obligatory photos! Then we were back in the mini bus for more of the journey.
"One of the pleasantest things in the world is going on a journey" - William Hazitt. Not sure who William is, but I agree. The long journey today gave loads of time for reflection, reading, listening to ipods and Sims guitar playing! There's been so much to take in over the last week or so. I'm also very much enjoying just being the passenger, not being responsible! The biggest decision I've had to make all day is what to eat - perfect!
Our journey took much longer than anticipated with food stops, photo stops & flat tyres! We arrived at our destination in Queen Elizabeth Park at 7.30 - 12 hours after leaving Red Chilli!! We were shown to our beautiful, rustic lodges before dinner. Ah, a shower that is more than a dribble. Ah, mosquito nets around the room not the bed. Ah, silence........... I slept well!!
Til........5.30 and our early morning call!! We were off on our game drive with Musa at 6.30. Jack, Zoe & I sat in the back of the bus. The excitement in the bus was palpable!! What would we see?
Very soon we saw 2 elephants grazing by some bushes, they were slightly hidden but what a fantastic sight. We drove, I guess, for 3 hours and saw buffalo, hyena, cob (sp?), & wart hog. We so wanted to see lions but they evaded us today. There was a sense of disappointment in the van as we headed back to Mweya Lodge for breakfast - we hadn't had a really impressive sighting. Then....we spotted another elephant, and another, and another.........we'd stumbled across an entire family! There must have been 25-30 of them all right beside the road and in the road!! it was so incredibly exciting. There were all sorts of sizes, one tiny one - Musa said he'd only be about a week old!! How many times have I see elephants in zoos, wild life parks, circuses even and yet nothing compared to this experience - seeing them together in their herd in the wild, right there in front of me!! It was amazing. And I was sharing it with Jack & Zoe at the back of the bus - this moment was precious, this moment we'd lived together and could never, ever be taken away - priceless.
Everyone was on such a high as we came in for breakfast. As I sat at the table, still elated from the elephant experience, with bright yellow birds in the greenery above me, blue lizards climbing around me, the vast lake stretching out before me and my children beside me I nearly, for the millionth time, cried! This time because I am so incredibly happy.
There's more to come - a river boat trip at 3pm and another game drive tonight - I'll keep you posted!! xx
After a few hours we stopped for breakfast...........at the equator!! How cool is that!! We took the obligatory photos! Then we were back in the mini bus for more of the journey.
"One of the pleasantest things in the world is going on a journey" - William Hazitt. Not sure who William is, but I agree. The long journey today gave loads of time for reflection, reading, listening to ipods and Sims guitar playing! There's been so much to take in over the last week or so. I'm also very much enjoying just being the passenger, not being responsible! The biggest decision I've had to make all day is what to eat - perfect!
Our journey took much longer than anticipated with food stops, photo stops & flat tyres! We arrived at our destination in Queen Elizabeth Park at 7.30 - 12 hours after leaving Red Chilli!! We were shown to our beautiful, rustic lodges before dinner. Ah, a shower that is more than a dribble. Ah, mosquito nets around the room not the bed. Ah, silence........... I slept well!!
Til........5.30 and our early morning call!! We were off on our game drive with Musa at 6.30. Jack, Zoe & I sat in the back of the bus. The excitement in the bus was palpable!! What would we see?
Very soon we saw 2 elephants grazing by some bushes, they were slightly hidden but what a fantastic sight. We drove, I guess, for 3 hours and saw buffalo, hyena, cob (sp?), & wart hog. We so wanted to see lions but they evaded us today. There was a sense of disappointment in the van as we headed back to Mweya Lodge for breakfast - we hadn't had a really impressive sighting. Then....we spotted another elephant, and another, and another.........we'd stumbled across an entire family! There must have been 25-30 of them all right beside the road and in the road!! it was so incredibly exciting. There were all sorts of sizes, one tiny one - Musa said he'd only be about a week old!! How many times have I see elephants in zoos, wild life parks, circuses even and yet nothing compared to this experience - seeing them together in their herd in the wild, right there in front of me!! It was amazing. And I was sharing it with Jack & Zoe at the back of the bus - this moment was precious, this moment we'd lived together and could never, ever be taken away - priceless.
Everyone was on such a high as we came in for breakfast. As I sat at the table, still elated from the elephant experience, with bright yellow birds in the greenery above me, blue lizards climbing around me, the vast lake stretching out before me and my children beside me I nearly, for the millionth time, cried! This time because I am so incredibly happy.
There's more to come - a river boat trip at 3pm and another game drive tonight - I'll keep you posted!! xx
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