This past weekend was my first excursion out of the city of Mbarara and I was more than ready to escape the constant stream of motorcycles that involves exploring any urban center here. Along with three other girls, we arranged for a private driver and car to take us the three hour drive south to explore Lake Bunyoni. There are many other expats in Mbarara, most of whom are in the field of medicine and public health. In our group, Kayla is a current Fulbrighter from the U.S. doing research on women's health, Adriana is from Canada and here on a Queen Elizabeth fellowship doing research on community health and Shyrose is also from Canada on the same fellowship doing research on children's health.
The four of us left early on Saturday morning and headed southwest to the lake. Driving anywhere in Uganda is time-consuming and tiring because of chaotic traffic, police stops, constant speed bumps, unexpected traffic hazards like cows, goats and accidents, poor road conditions and unpredictable weather. When we reached the edge of the lake, we boarded a motorized canoe to take us to the island where we were staying. Lake Bunyoni lies near the border of Rwanda and is one of Uganda's deepest lakes. It has several islands, many of which are developed for tourism and we stayed at Entusi Resort on one of the larger of the islands.
We were the only group at the resort that weekend so it was quiet and we had a lot of help and attention. After some fresh passion fruit juice, we had a quick lunch and then went on a boat tour of the lake which included history of some of the more interesting islands. Punishment Island was where young girls who were pregnant and unmarried were left to die as a warning to others. Another island called Sharps Island was once a leprosy colony and eventually a treatment center. We stopped at an island that's now a wildlife refuge and was able to spot a few zebras and impalas. While exploring the refuge, we got caught in the afternoon deluge and had some beers at the lodge while we waited for the rain to pass.
We spent the late afternoon and evening curled up by the fireplace with tea and books, which was a welcome change from the heat, noise and mosquitoes of the city. At sunset, we took a quick hike, wine glasses and bottle in hand, to see Mother Nature's nightly show from the top of hill nearest our resort and the view did not disappoint. After a late dinner, we headed to bed in our communal tent and were awakened by a cacophony of birds at 6:00 a.m. the following morning.
On Sunday, we went hiking and then swimming (Lake Bunyoni is the only freshwater lake in which it's safe to swim as there is no "Swimmer's Itch" bacteria present) before starting the long drive back home. I'm grateful for the time spent outside in nature and for the chance to get to know some new friends and colleagues. Hopefully, this is just one of many weekend trips to come in the next ten months.
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