On Holidays

My cousin doesn't believe that I'm actually in Rwanda for work, she keeps saying that I am "on holidays"...she has a point. I can't deny that my time here has been filled with wonderful excursions around the country. And a few weekends ago, we went up to Uganda to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park. We stayed at the amazing Katara Lodge, which is perched on a hill overlooking the vast park below.

  

 

We were told to not be surprised if woken up in the middle of the night by banging pots and yelling villagers. The elephants in the park sometimes raid the farms below our hotel for sweet potatoes, so the people have to scare them away! Unfortunately, no pillaging elephants came during our stay, but we were able to sleep underneath the stars by wheeling our bed out to the balcony.

 

Our safari started early in the morning, with the sun peeking through the hazy sky. We didn't get to see any lions that day, but gazelles, buffaloes, and elephants were everywhere.

 

 

The landscape was also beautiful...we passed by a volcano lake that has been turned into salt flats. Occasionally, we would pass by farmers bringing their produce (mainly bananas) to market. There are 4 types of bananas grown in this region; two of them can be eaten, while the other two types are used to make banana beer.