Uganda: Fever and Fortune
The lioness crouched beneath the acacia tree, the long blades of golden grass perfectly hiding her muscular frame from the kob some twenty yards away. The African sun beat down on this beautiful patch of rift valley, framed by the Rwenzori mountains that straddle Uganda’s western border with Congo. As hot as it was, I still had chills from the night before. Early explorers to central Africa feared disease even more than the wild creatures that stalk the savannah by night. Malaria, Typhoid Fever, and a myriad of other maladies struck down more than their fair share of adventurers, but I had no idea that I too would fall ill. With the swiftness of an African thunderstorm, my body temperature shot up, my appetite vanished, and my head ached with every pothole on Uganda’s dirt roads. My fever had spiked the night before with the Captain running the shower most of the evening to alleviate my burning skin. I half joked that we should return to Bwindi to see the traditional healer that we had met in the village. If it hadn’t been for the antibiotics we’d brought I shudder to think how bad it would have become. But now that the worst was over I banished the lingering pain and focused on the hunter that crouched in the grass.
Greetings from Seattle!
I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I’ve last updated! So many things have happened that I don’t even know where to start. A new daughter, a new house, and a new city thousands of miles away from our old condo are just the beginning! The early stages of any child’s life are some of the most important and I’ve refrained from doing any serious traveling while I care for our little girl. That doesn’t mean I’ve been idle though, far from it! Our new home provides ample opportunities for photography and outdoor activities in the beautiful Pacific Northwest of the United States. Now that our daughter is a little older, I’m hoping to start posting again soon. HDR images from Deception Pass, and the latter part of our trip to Uganda are forthcoming. Also there might be a brand new adventure abroad later this year so stay tuned…
Uganda: The Pearl of Africa
The Captain and I awake in darkness to the sounds of the jungle outside our tent. I grab my torch and make my way out of the mosquito net that surrounds our bed toward a window. I raise the flap and see the morning mist lingering over the forested mountains. All my life I had dreamed of going to Africa and finally there I was with the love of my life camped out in the Ugandan wilderness. The previous day we ventured out into the lush green jungle in search of mountain gorillas and got more than we bargained for. Afterward we ate our packed lunch on our private deck overlooking the mountains before going on a walking tour of the village. We met villagers including the local medicine man, learned about agriculture, sampled Ugandan waragi, and danced with the Batwa. The Batwa are a tribal group of pygmies driven by the unrest in nearby Congo into the wilds of Uganda. They still face discrimination, but have at least found a home safe from violence. It seemed everywhere we went we were greeted by friendly faces and even friendlier smiles. In all of our travels we had never felt more welcomed than by the Ugandans.
The World Via Standby 
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