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Daily Diary In Uganda - Week Two

This page contains the daily diary updates from the Team during week 2 of their visit to Uganda. Also don't miss the full picture gallery

Day 9 - Saturday 25th October 2008

Saturday we had the visit to the historical site, where the ‘Baganda creation story’ comes from. We were shown sacrificial pots and and 24 holes in the ground representing the different spirits.

Traditionally the local people come here and pray to the spirits to solve their problems and worries.

....followed by a visit to the market…

During the evenings each day, we’ve met to write notes, make comments or speak of what has struck us about the day. These have been really wonderful sessions where we have all aired views and spoken openly and in a very real way of what’s been learnt – both about Uganda and about ourselves. There have been real challenges about poverty, about friendship, about how we cope and we have all learnt so much.

Day 10 - Sunday 26th October 2008

And then onto the big day for all of the Mityana Diocese – Sunday with the consecration of the new bishop. All the bishops of the whole of Uganda will be there and many retired bishops. And many of them are staying in our hotel…lucky them.

About ½ the Testbourne team came to the service and escaped after 4 hours (Dodie stayed to the end!) and then they went on to the Junior school where they painted all the black boards and helped with the painting of the 2nd classroom – what a difference it made.

Then it was back to the hotel to pack and be ready for a 8.30 departure to Murchison Falls….and what a way to end an incredible two weeks…..

Day 11 - Monday 27th October 2008

After a long day spent travelling from Mityana to Murchison Falls Country Park, we enjoyed a 90-minute tour around part of one of the many huge forests in the park.  

After being split into two groups, were taken on opposite circular routes with the enormity of the place being breathtaking. We were told about the different types of trees and learnt a lot about the animal life and how the forest has changed and expanded over the years.

Half the team were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of chimps running through the forestry, with the other group being able to hear them and taking many detours in search of them but just closely missing out! It was a great start to our Murchison adventure and good experience to journey through a real and natural 'African forest'.

                                            .......by Chloe Nightingale

Days 12 & 13 - Tuesday & Wednesday 28/29th October 2008  - Safari

Two very early 5am starts to go on safari. The safari trip was in three re-built Toyota Land Cruisers with roofs which could be raised. We stayed at Sambiya River Lodge inside the Murchison Falls National Park which is the largest N P in Uganda, being about the size of Northern Ireland.

The main game-viewing areas are across the Victoria Nile from where we were staying so both game drives involved crossing the river by an open vehicle ferry. The Park included areas of woodland and savannah grassland in addition to the gentle grassy slopes down to the delta area at the entrance to Lake Albert. The whole place is beautiful and enormous and it is all within the Great African Rift Valley.

We saw no end of game and birds including Ugandan kob, okabi and hartebeest (all antelopes), giraffe, elephant, baboons, two sorts of monkeys, hippo, lions, crocodiles, buffalo, ground hornbills, hamerkop, guinea fowl, African fish eagle, marabou storks, monitor lizard and many others.

We also went on an afternoon boat trip to the bottom of the Falls and a drive and walk to the top of Murchison. On the boat trip we had a view of a very rare Pel's fishing owl and many views of the common pied kingfishers diving into the Nile to fish.

The falls themselves were brilliant - so full of water in Uganda's rainy season and so powerful. The river reduces in width from about 70 metres to a main channel of 7 metres which then drops 43 metres before spreading out much wider than before. It really seems amazing that the river turns north at Lake Albert and then ends up in the Mediterranean Sea!

Day 14 - Thursday 30th October 2008

The return, all day journey back to Entebbe.

Day 15 - Friday 31st October 2008

On the last day we visited a Chimpanzee Sanctuary on an island 23km away from Entebbe. It was a gorgeous day and we travelled there by boat, crossing the equator.

The whole island is dedicated to the well being of the chimps, with a tiny corner fenced off where the staff sleep and the rest an untouched forest free for the chimps to roam in. We were able to go up onto the platforms intimate for feeding time, where they throw water melon and passion fruit over the fence and watch them argue over it! It was great to see them so close up and they did the funniest things.

We all splashed out at the island shop which sold amazing things, all home-made and the profit went straight back in to looking after the chimps and keeping the island going which was great to know.

                                       .................by Chloe Nightingale