Safari (July 30) [Pictures to come later]

Hi everyone!
Just returned yesterday from an incredible safari in western Uganda. The safari lasted 4 days, 3 nights, and we saw so many animals. The first day we went to a rhinoceros sanctuary where we got up close and personal with 5 white rhinos. The next day we actually entered the park and went on a forest walk, where we did not see any chimpanzees unfortunately, but we heard quite a few. After that we crossed the Nile by ferry to get to the northern side of the park where most of the animals are. We went on a game trek that afternoon and saw waterbuck, warthogs, baboons, buffalo, giraffes, elephants, and a lion. We camped that night in the bush, which was pretty cool because we could hear the animals from our campsite. The third day we woke up at 5:30 to do a very early morning game drive, where we saw more giraffes, warthogs, elephants, and waterbuck, but we also saw a leopard, which is very rare. We then traveled back through the park to the river, where we boarded a boat for a trip down the river to Murchison Falls. During the boat trip we saw more elephants, hippos, and crocodiles. Once we got to the waterfall we hiked to the top of it where we were camping for the night. The views of the falls were breathtaking and it was really incredible camping so near to them for the night. The next morning we drove back out of the park and returned home. It was a very successful safari, and we had a great group of people with us of various nationalities, so it was a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy the pictures! I will be going rafting on the Nile on Thursday with some of the girls I met on the safari, so wish me luck…it should be pretty amazing.

-Hilary

3-2-1 Bungee!! (July 23)

Hi guys! This week's blog is slightly more exciting than some of the others – I went bungee jumping on Saturday! A bunch of us went into Jinja, which is about 45 minutes away from Iganga and a very cute slightly touristy town. We had to climb up this tower, and then jump off into the Nile. Some of us (myself included) even dunked in the Nile when we jumped, which was very cool. It was a really amazing experience, and definitely like nothing I've ever done before.

Besides that, things are pretty normal here. I will be leaving for my safari tomorrow, so get ready for some awesome pictures!

-Hilary

Kampala (July 18)

Jambo! It has been a busy week here in Iganga. Last weekend I went with a few friends to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, which was a lot of fun. It was nice to get away for a bit and go to a bigger city. We stayed at some nice hostels and visited a really beautiful cathedral. We also took advantage of the slightly more American aspects of the city, such as the mall and the movie theater.

Back in Iganga, I have been doing a lot of painting with some friends. We painted a nursery school in the area, including repainting the swings, merry go round, and benches, and painting a beautiful mural as well. We will be painting a mural at another school next week.

Besides that, I've been making magazine necklaces at the orphanage and teaching. We are going to the village again tomorrow to see the dancers and musicians, so that should be fun. Enjoy the pictures, I'll send more soon!
-Hilary