The Rescue!!!

I nearly forgot to explain how we got out of Murchison without my car! While Jonathan Mayo (field director) made car-towing arrangements for my Prado, Billy Coppedge drove the field van 2 hours from Arua with his ministry motorcylce in the back. Had he not come to the park, we'd have been stuck there without a vehicle and no way to go on safari OR leave Murchison park. So, thanks to these kind men and all those who worked behind the scenes helping 2 stranded tourists out, we got to still run around the park one day and enjoy the time there. (the photo is of Billy and some men unloading his motorcycle from our field van so he could drive back home).

We considered driving into the animal-viewing area the next day, but because of heavy rains for about 6 hours, and having experienced the BAD clay and slipping and sliding of the van on those roads, we decided we were gun-shy. No more cars breaking down (or possibly in ditches) for at least this trip, please. So, we saw a lot of animals, but not all the ones possible. But we felt more confident in the long run after all the other vehicle experiences.



I missed also saying that in order to see the animals, you have to cross the Nile on a ferry. This photo shows some folks crossing. When we tried, after the heavy rains and with the way the ferry docks on the shore, the van wheels got stuck kind of in mid-air between the ferry and the dock (it is how the docking works, but the mud kept us from going fast enough to push over this gap and we needed 7 people to help push the van onto the ferry!). See? We had PLENTY of adventures while on safari.

Lunch at Fang Fang

Fang Fang is a Chinese restaurant here in Kampala. I took Mom there on Thursday after we went shopping for African crafts and curios for folks back home.

Further shots from Mom's visit

On Friday, we visited Jinja, where the source of the Nile is (where Lake Victoria empties into the Nile). I took Mom to lunch and a visit to that town, 2 hours from Kampala. We saw Bugagali Falls and "The Source" and it was a beautiful day.



Mom & I went to a hill above the Nile/Victoria Source, so you can see both the Lake (on right) and Nile (on left as it moves north).



There were about 16 or so monkeys in the trees at the restaurant where we had a meal overlooking the Nile. The restaurant is about 200 (maybe?) feet above the river on a cliff, and so the monkeys were at eye level although they were high in the trees.



And the weaver bird builds his nest upside down hanging from trees (sometimes 1,000+ are in one medium sized tree!), and whichever one builds the best nest wins the girl!



The flowers pics just turned out so nice, I wanted to include them.

Nile River cruise & Park Safari

Mom & I took a cruise on Tuesday and saw lotsa neat things. It was her first visit to the Nile, and we ended the cruise with a look at Murchison Falls itself.

oooohhh deeeaaarrr....

Instead of writing the whole long drawn out story, just take a look at the pictures below. Then, read on...



45 min. away from our destination, 6+ hours from Kampala, first day of Safari to Murchison Falls national Park, my car just died. No warnings, nada.
And we were on a VERY lonely stretch of road, complete with HOT equatorial sun and MANY MANY tse tse (biting) flies. Hmmm. It was not a time for photos. Instead I sprayed on the insect repellant (it worked SOME) and went to take a look. I had NO idea what was wrong.

VERY kind men from the forestry authority came along and instead of passing (like others were doing), they helped us and stayed for the 2 hours it took to get the car (some starting and going 10 feet, some pulling the car on a jump-rope sized rope!!!, some pushing, some coasting) 6 km. (4 miles?) to the closest hotel/lodge. These men could have ignored us or someone else could have happened along and caused us harm, but God kept us safe. Had this happened on the other side of the river (see above blog), I think we could have been charged by Cape buffalo or left stranded for hours. As it was, we had no cell service till 7 that night (this happened at 11:30 a.m.).

The 2 men pictured are mechanics from the Sambia River Lodge (about 40 min. from the Nile River and our hotel). The employees of that lodge were very kind and if we sat just right and only in a certain place, we were able to call Kampala and have my field director work on things from that end. It felt better just having someone else know the problem we were in!

The Forestry men sent their mechanic and for about 3-4 hours, the lodge men and the forestry men tried in vain to fix the car. At some points the battery would work, others not. Sometimes the fuel pump worked, sometimes not. 2 wires seemed loose, etc.

So at about 5:30 we just started towing the car to the forestry mechanic's site. It should take maybe 30 min., but towing (they had a cable but nothing to tow WITH- no S hooks or anything, and my little ropes were useless-lesson learned) took about 1.5 hours. After several breaks with the ropes, wire and even at once point a t-shirt wrapped around the cable to connect to their truck... and after cracking my wind shield with a pebble from the cable grazing the ground... and sparks flying from the cable as it dragged along the dirt and pebble road... we finally got to the mechanic's area, exhausted, sweaty, frustrated, and not sure when or if my car could be repaired. We arrived at our safari camp hotel at about 7:15 (from 11:30 that morning!). The hotel is called Red Chili; a "backpackers" camp which is rustic, but was perfect after the end of the rough day.

Jonathan Mayo, my field director, called and had worked it out for our Kampala mechanic to send a guy with a proper tow truck (the kind where they lift the car on the bed and haul it out), but not till the next day, of course. They all figured (in Kampala) that it was the computer chip in the car. Makes sense, since several things just shut down all at once. He and others had also worked out for a "rescue" to take place, so Mom and I could try to do some of the safari. See above entry...

A Camel in Kampala?

Driving home after church, we passed a camel! I've not known of camels even being in Uganda at all, so this one is unique to the city and maybe the country! :) The camel's owners were giving rides, apparently!

Palm Sunday in Uganda

We went to one of our churches, called Katale, on Palm Sunday. Seen here are the folks celebrating in worship, Mom and Pastor Wilson talking after church as he showed us around the church school, (new buildings) and the school sign. It is typical here to have long names for schools. And primary means through grade 6, the most many of the students will have opportunity to study due to the rough and expensive life of living in Africa.





The reason I point out the school is that they've only been in existence for a few years, first meeting in the church building. There are 170 children now, with many non-Christian families sending their kids to this church school. Pray these kids and their families can be reached with the Gospel. Things are looking good for this ministry and we want to uphold it in prayer!

Mom's first days in Uganda

My mom got here on the night of April 1st, and she came to school with me to see me "in action" on Thursday and Friday. School ended on a half-day Friday, for Easter break (yay!). Delight and I took Mom to town (Kampala) to show her around on Friday afternoon.



At the Friday Market, we got to see how the ladies make the beads they sell for jewelry, bags, and anything they can imagine. Of course we bought some of these products! :)


Another item they make in Uganda is baskets. Cool designs and colors!



Something totally unique to Uganda is bark cloth, made from a specific tree which grows only here. The above photo shows some of the items. Ugandan kings and other folks will take a long strip of the cloth and drape it over their shoulders (over a modern suit or dress) as a sort of shawl or something. It is very versatile!



On the way home after our jaunt through the city, I noticed my tires were still low-ish, even after having the car at the mechanic's last week. So we went to Total (gas station) and had them check. I had 2 punctures and a leaky valve, and the wheels were not aligned. Good thing we had THAT checked before the Safari on Monday (6th)!



My kind friend Delight helped me out by hosting a party with cake and snacks at her house for my birthday. All the WGM crew in Kampala came to help celebrate my wrinkles. :) Above, of course, is a photo of my YOUNG Mom and YOUNG me. :)