Travels from the farm to Gulu and Kitgum

Travels from the farm to Gulu and Kitgum

Maggie Weber

We have moved on from the farm and we hit the ground running so to speak. We left and took a 'two hour' drive to the game park. We ate chipatis and had some spreads on top for lunch. Then we entered the park and headed to catch the boat. The 'forty-five minute' drive (aka two hours) took us through the dirt roads of the park, ridden with baboons and exceptionally colored birds. It wasn't long before the road t-d at the Nile river. We caught our boat to Murchison Falls. It was much warmer and more humid on the Nile. A group of us rode on the top deck of the boat and listened to tour guide David as he explained all of the animals and birds. There were trees with giant pods hanging from them, David told us these pods fermented inside and the elephants eat them to relax. If they eat enough they become drunk. Another tree along the river was a type of palm that had bright orange fruits. These were also treats for the elephants. They would eat these fruits and when the seeds passed in their stool they germinated and grew another tree. Needless to say, the park has many groves of these types of palms. On a side-note, we got one of these fruits to try: they are stringy inside with three giant seeds per each fruit. Most often they are cut open, pealed and placed in water to create a juice. They are also good for cleaning teeth because the string parts act as floss.

As we continued down the river we saw much of the wildlife the park had to offer: hippos, elephants, crocodiles, Goliath Herons, Red Throated bee-eaters, and all types of egrets.

David told us that the movie African Queen starring Audrie Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart was filmed on this part of the river and next to the falls.

Our group hopped off the boat near the falls and hiked to the top. The water rushed with roaring force, we all watched in awe. From there Richard picked us up and we headed back to our lodgings for the evening. We stayed just off of the Nile a little ways and had warthogs and baboons sharing the camp. In the morning we were told that there was a hippo hanging out in the middle grassy area of camp.

We awoke and headed to the Nile to catch the ferry across and head off to see the remainder of the animals of the park. We had a guide who showed us the Jackshom Altabeast, Water Buck, cobs, giraffes, elephants, jackals and Crested Cranes. Unfortunately we didn't see the lions, though we did see one of their kills.

When we left the park we took the 'two-hour' (three and a half) drive to Gulu. We made it to a restaraunt to eat 'lunch' around 2:30pm and ate at 4:30pm. After picking up supplies we headed on our way to Kitgum. It was a long day of driving on the dirt roads of Uganda. It amazes me how well Rogers can navigate the roads and know precisely when to hit the brakes so we don't bottom out or tip the bus. I would relate most of these roads to the road that leads from Bridger, MT to the top of the Pryors. I am thankful for my driving experiences out there because it has well prepared me for these trips here.

After about 14 hours of driving we made it to the hotel. We lived like kings, we had internet and running water.