I got up after a sleepless night and enjoyed an amazing downpour of tropical rain, preceded as always in Africa by a very strong smell of the red earth. No sooner had it stopped than the sun came out and off we set on a long cross country odyssey all the way to the western border. Uganda has been booming for some time. The population has just surpassed 40 million and I think I saw all of them today. The towns are brimming with life, a press of people, lively markets filled with beautiful fruit and vegetables and all the stuff of modern life, and traffic everywhere. The land is green, even at the end of the dry season and the soil is obviously very fertile as crops abound - many fruit trees, avocado, coffee, tea. Plant it and it will grow in this climate.
We crossed the equator on the way and stopped for a moment for pictures. A heavy lunch made me very sleepy! Finally, our destination, Queen Elizabeth National Park and a spectacular view over the plains to Lake Edward, marking the border with the poorly named Democratic Republic of Congo. The Ruwenzori Mountains rise to the right. Rain threatens as the long rains begin. The air is filled with birdsong and is very warm. This is a moment in paradise.
No comments:
Post a Comment