Hiking & Dancing our way through Uganda

Hello fam & friends!! We miss you all! Here is a quick update:

This morning we were up early to catch the African sunrise which is likely just as you imagine it— a big yellow-orange yolk sliding up the pink sky. As it rose, we trekked out in our bus through Murchison National Park observing what animals were grazing that morning and saw elephants, water bucks, kobs and water buffalo. The bus dropped us off on the side of the Victoria Nile (a smaller feeder river to the main Nile) to await our boat that was to take us to our hike. After we boarded the boat, we took in the wildlife that lived both in and beside the Victoria Nile. We passed various schools of hippos protecting their babies and blowing water from their nostrils. We saw crocodiles on the riverbanks sunning themselves and a group of giraffes taking advantage of the vegetation along the riverside. Once the boat arrived at the hike, we all disembarked and headed up the mountain to Murchison Falls which we could see in the distance. This waterfall is the most powerful waterfall in the world, and according to our guide, crocodiles will lie in wait at the base of it for freshly killed fish that die as they are sucked down its turbulent waters. We reached the top and the dry heat of the day was overcome by the mist coming off the explosive, active water. In the mist, we could also see the sunlight refracted to produce a rainbow. We were all in awe of the scenery before us.

Following our hike and a boxed lunch, we loaded back into the bus and returned to the lodge. Some of us (myself included) took a power nap while others journaled or read before dinner as a group. We ate dinner in the open air pavilion, enjoying the cool air and hot food. After the meal, we were treated to a viewing of traditional dancing done by some local Ugandans. This included a group dance of men and women, as well as a rather difficult looking dance performed by the women whereby they balanced three clay pots on their heads as they twirled and whirled about the room. The next song we all joined in the dance (thankfully no clay pots were involved) and did our best to follow our Ugandan friends’ movements. This wasn’t something I was particularly successful at, but we had a blast regardless.

As I mull over the past few days and all the experiences we have had, I am so glad to be here. Our guide asked me today if I would come back to Uganda and I immediately responded, absolutely. Our group has been such fun to be around and I am excited to start teaching and forming new relationships with the locals next week.

Sarah Bowman