Safari!

Finally it was time for safari and we headed out. We took only a backpack with a couple days worth of clothes and our valuables. We then had to take an 8 hour drive to Muchison Falls National Park. Again, probably not an 8 hour drive in the US but the condition of the roads... makes it longer. The drive wasn't as bad as the people had gone before warned us about. Apparently a lot of road work had happened since 2 years ago. The ride was comfortable and looking out the window is always interesting. All sorts of living styles - mud homes, corrugated steel homes, plaster houses... The country side is pretty - very green since the wet season just ended. WE saw fields of papyrus, tea, sugar cane... We stopped at a restaurant just before the entrance to the park. I'm sure it's where they take all the tourists but it was weird. First they hand out a menu that has all these great selections like chicken sandwich, pizza, spaghetti... then they come out and tell you none of it's available except the fish or pork. We stopped on the way out of town and the same thing happened - 2 days later! The fish was good.
Once we hit the park, it was still like 2 more hours on a bumpy dirt road. Many times we'd look out the window to see baboons blocking the way, but they quickly move and disappear. When we finally arrived at camp we saw tents and a large grass covered hut that is a meeting place and where they have a cafe. We are assigned a tent and we unpack a bit. This place is run by folks from Australia. The food was DELICIOUS!!!! The first night we just got adjusted, played card games, ate great food and then went to bed.
We got up and headed on safari at 7. The first trip we made was down the Nile to Murchison Falls. It was beautiful! The water was sooo smooth water skiiers would be jealous - well except for the hippos and crocodiles EVERYWHERE! We were looking for animals coming down to the water. We saw some antelopes, birds, water buffalos, crocodiles and hippos. As we got closer to the falls we saw more crocodiles. Apparently they know that animals on top of the falls sometimes fall in and get swept down and die. So they are just sitting there waiting for an easy meal! When we got as close as we could we stopped on the side and a guide lead us on a trip to the top. It was a tough hike - mostly because it was pretty hot but it was definitely worth it! It was beautiful!
We got back and had a nice lunch and rested a bit before we went on an evening safari. We got into 2 safari trucks and crossed to the other side of the Nile. It was evening time and we were hoping to see lots of animals. We did! We saw giraffes, elephants, lions, monkeys, antelope creatures, birds of all sorts... It was fun to see them that close and in their own environment. The guides carried AK47s! I guess in case something charged. I never felt threatened myself. The giraffees were my favorite. We learned that the lighter they are, the younger they are. We saw a couple pretty dark ones!
The next morning we got up and did another safari drive. We were hoping to find leopards which have been seen before but not by any LOL folks. We drove and drove for hours but never saw them. We did see all the animals we saw before. From here we drove back to Kampala because we had to leave for home the next day.
It was a quick safari but packed with beautiful sights.