Travel Log: African Safari (2009)

It's both a pain and a pleasure to look back on my blog posts from my time abroad in Uganda. Pleasure, because I love reading exactly how I was feeling in the midst of my African adventure- a pain because the spotty internet access left me with an inability to include pictures in my posts. Plus- I was so busy while I was over there I didn't even get around to posting about the really exciting things I was doing. So, as of today, I am making a conscious effort to re-live those moments and post about my amazing adventure...even if it is over three years late!

Towards the end of my semester at Uganda Christian University, the group of students I was with all decided to partake in a safari at the Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Reserve. We slept in tents while the sounds of trumpeting elephants and roaring lions lulled us to sleep (which sounds cool, but at the time was pretty terrifying).



This was about halfway into our trip- crossing into the Southern hemisphere!



The crazy thing about being in the Southern hemisphere was stargazing at night- all the constellations that I was used to seeing (Big Dipper, Orion's Belt, etc) were nowhere to be found- but I got to see the Southern Cross!

Sadly, this was the closest we got to seeing a lion.

The Circle of Life

Speaking of The Circle of Life, it's safe to assume that the entire trip was like living in The Lion King. Hakuna Matata was playing on repeat in my head all weekend long.

Although it would have been ten times cooler to drive around in one of those safari Jeeps you see in movies- it was much cheaper on our poor college student budgets to go the route of taking a 15-passenger van.

This warthog was right outside our campsite. That building in the back was where we showered and did our business.

Still outside our campsite. A family of antelopes!

Another view from our campsite. I hated being so close to the water because there were hippos that were way too close for comfort. They're notoriously mean and kill more people annually than sharks!

Baby elephant! *Squeal*

Yeah, we had to stop in the middle of the road to allow a family of elephants to cross! It was incredible to be so close to them- I've never seen something so majestic and beautiful.

That gives you a glimpse into my African safari adventure. It was the most surreal and breathtaking experience and left me completely marveling at the almighty power of God that he could've created such incredible creatures. Unfortunately, I had an awful case of strep throat at the time of the safari which, I think, kept me from enjoying the weekend to its full extent.

In hindsight, however, I cherish these memories. How many people can say they've gone on an African safari in their life!? This was such a beautiful experience and I'm so blessed to have seen this little corner of the world :)

Stay tuned for more travel logs from my globetrotting adventures!