Parent's Trip Part II

Well our anticipation grew and our hearts were broken once again by the coming and going of my parents this time.  My parents flew in a couple of weeks ago, for the trip of a lifetime!!  Their first trip off the continent, first trip to Africa, and most definitely first time to a crazy place like Uganda.  They were no doubt in for a treat!

We started our time in Entebbe staying at a nice little guesthouse near the airport, that we had also stayed at with Emily’s parents.  Being in Entebbe allowed us a nice chance to catch up, walk to the botanical gardens, and eat good western style meals.  Then after a day in Entebbe they got their first chance to see what sarcastically became their favorite part of Uganda, Transportation!  You will have to ask them in person why they loved it so much, but I think they got close to the full experience by the time they left.

When we got back to our site we got a chance to show them what our everyday life looks like, from washing clothes by hand to cooking absolutely everything you plan to meet (no buying a bag of tortilla chips here).  We got to spend some time gardening with them.  I think my dad was a bit surprised when I told him we were going to get manure for fertilizer, and we literally just walked into the field and starting picking up pies.  But time at site was quiet and relaxing.

While they were here we had to give them the full African experience so we took them to the National Park near us (Queen Elizabeth National Park).  We had a good time staying at a local lodge, and enjoying the views overlooking the park.  Then we got up early to go on a game drive.  We had much better luck then the first time Emily and I went to QENP.  On the drive we saw elephants, kob, waterbuck, warthog, baboon, monkeys, LION, and more that I can no longer think of.  Then we went on a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel.  We got to see hippos and Nile crocodiles, as well as a ton of amazing birds.  Queen Elizabeth was a great experience overall and we had great luck.  On another day we tried to push our luck at tracking chimps but our luck had run out. 

The final experience that we had with my parents was some time in Jinja, which is a fun place to spend a few days.  We got a chance to ride horses by the Nile, and take a boat trip on the Nile as well.  We stayed in fun tents that overlooked the river, and was a peaceful conclusion to the end of our trip. 

I think I can say that my parents had a true Africa experience.  From hippos and elephants, to hand washing clothes, to seeing the Nile, to hordes of Ugandan children yelling Mazungu at them, to riding on Uganda’s wonderful transportation system.  I loved having them here and it was hard to see them go.  If you want to see pictures from our time the link is: HERE.

Ryan