After spending months working long hours on the ship I figured I would be ready for a vacation. I decided to join three friends on a two week safari through East Africa. This vacation was anything but relaxing and yet created an unforgettable adventure.
Our safari began in Nairboi, Kenya, where we loaded onto a very large overland truck with about twenty other adventurers.
Long, bumpy, uncomfortable drives seemed to be the name of the game as everyone pitched in to do their assigned chores of food prep, truck clean and pot wash to keep us running smoothly. In order to keep costs low we camped the entire time. Although we got tired of the hard ground, burning out flashlights, and being wet and smelly for days on end, Mel and I became pros at setting up and tearing down our tent in a hurry! We often did this in the dark as we grew accustomed to 5am starts. Not much of a chance to be "girly" on this trip. Toasted bread on the fire, some instant coffee and our day began.
First stop: Masai Mara, Kenya. Here we had our first full day of game driving. I felt like I was in a movie as we drove alongside lions, giraffes, zebras, leopards, and about every other wild African animal you can name. I was in awe at the majesty of them all, watching them in their natural environment.
The Masai people are a people rich in tradition and culture. They are known for wearing bright colors, specifically red as it wards off predators, and for adorning their necks and widely stretched earlobes with beads and jewels. We were invited to tour their village and several men came back to our campsite that night to dance. I was intrigued by what we learned. Masai boys become men at age fifteen when they are tied to a pole in the middle of the village and publicly circumcised. They are not allowed to show any signs of pain. In order to become warriors they are then sent out into the bush for three years with the goal of killing a lion. Eventually they return and are granted wives based on the number of cattle they own or how high they can jump (seriously!). Unfortunately there is a severe drought in Kenya right now and their cows are dying quickly.
Masai women are expected to build a mud/cow dung house for their husbands before they marry. It saddened me to hear that they also continue to practice female circumcision and that women are completely controlled by men. What an interesting culture.
Next stop: Kampala, Uganda. What a beautiful country! The terrain is stunning and the culture on a whole felt more welcoming and safe than Kenya. Mel and I enjoyed running down Ugandan roads for some exercise.
Lake Bunyoni: we made this our "base camp" for several days. Here we bordered both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We were able to take a day trip into Rwanda to visit the Kigali Memorial Center. This center is dedicated to the mass genocide that occurred in Rwanda not even a decade ago. My heart absolutely broke as I read accounts of people watching their family members raped, beaten and killed. How can humans be so evil? It saddened my heart so much. Various other genocides that have occurred worldwide were also highlighted and I became angry at my own ignorance. How can something so awful be happening and we barely hear word of it in our comfortable little worlds? Obviously we cannot save the entire world but I felt like God was showing me how much His heart breaks every minute.
We also visited Hotel Rwanda (from the movie) where many Tootsis were hidden and their lives spared. Quite a humbling day. I was left with the question: are there even resources available now to help deal with the aftermath of such an atrocity?
Not really.
The next day was a bit more fun...an early 4am start to go gorilla trekking! Only eight people can go each day so our group met the guides and set out to find the largest family of gorillas in the world: 34 in total. There are only about 700 gorillas left in the wild so trekking rules are strict in that you are only allowed one hour with them once they are spotted.
This was no easy hike! We scaled straight uphill through thick lush rainforest vegetation- falling and getting attacked by fire ants along the way. :) The guides know the forest like their own backyard and after a couple hours we sighted one. Quietly we approached them and stood amidst the whole family as they ate, climbed trees, beat their chest, and at one point charged straight at us. "Don't be afraid and don't run" the guides said.
What a thrill!
It rained buckets on our hike back but getting muddy and drenched was the least of our worries...driving home on the steep, muddy roads was a different story. We prayed hard for protection as the car slid towards the cliffs edge on several occasions. Praise God we were fine. :)
Some kids from the orphanage came for a visit and danced with us by the fire. So fun!
Doing laundry was often attempted in vain. We were never blessed with quite enough sun on our days off to dry our clothes so all of us smelled quite damp and musty.
I enjoyed spending lots of time with God as we had ample time to ourselves either on the truck or at the campsite. It was hard to have limited internet access and not be able to communicate with people (especially Jeffrey :)) but it taught me to spend my time praying for them instead.
I actually enjoyed studying Revelations this week. I was so encouraged to keep on being obedient and 'endure patiently.'
"I know that you have little strength yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name...since you have kept my command to endure patiently I will also keep you from the hour of trial. I am coming soon. Hold onto what you have!" Rev 3:10-11.
I also prayed that this safari would not be merely about fun but that somehow we would be used as examples of Christ. God honored us with several chances to explain and show what we believe. How humbling to be used as His ambassadors! I love that we can claim this promise:
"they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger, never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" Rev 7:15-17.
Next stop: Jinja, Uganda:
Here some of us opted to go extreme white water rafting down the Nile! I have to admit, I was a bit nervous- this full day of rafting included braving a couple Grade 5 rapids and even demanded that we get out and carry our raft around a Grade 6 (fatal) rapid. Our guide didn't comfort us much when he said that all the rafts had to stick together today due to a hippo sighting in our water recently. Uffda. :) There were moments of panic but in reality we had such a blast! What a rush. Again, another favorite day. :)
We got to celebrate Melanie's 24th birthday on safari! The poor girl had to sit in a truck all day but her day improved with a long country run and a night in an actual bed to escape the rain. We loved feeling like girls again...it's amazing what a bath, bed, and face mask will do! We had some good laughs eating cake with our fingers and trying to open our wine with a coat hanger. We are so unprepared. :)
Kembu, Uganda:
Today a few of us opted to bike through Hell's Gate Natl Park, getting up close and personal with the wildlife. It was so much fun to be active and enjoy the sun, chasing giraffes and warthogs through grassy fields. We then hiked down into Hell's Gate- where Tomb Raider was filmed. :)
Nakuru Natl Park held some unique sights...rhinos, flamingos and vast salt fields!
Dec 5th brought us back to Nairobi. Two weeks of camping together brings you quite close as a group so we celebrated our last day together by going out to Carnivores, a world famous restaurant that serves all-you-can-eat meat. What a great way to end our time!
I spent a couple more days exploring Nairobi, a day in Istanbul and I was on my way home. I am so thankful for the fun experiences I had! Thanks for your prayers. :)
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