Early morning, swathed in mosquito nets and awakened by a more beautiful than usual droning Muslim call to prayer and by the heavy traffic from bikes, scooters and lorries on the road in front. Leaving Masindi after passing the prison with its’ inmates in bright yellow digging in the gardens; we briefly discuss the possibility of a similar watch tower to keep students in our boarding school but decide that is it not compatible with the principles of loving grace and cooperation that we seek to move toward.
Not many kilometers later we reach Murchison National Park where we pay the large fee to enter and start down the isolated road. Baboons proliferate on the roadway but these are frightened and wild baboons who, with babies clinging beneath, run into the jungles beside the roads, not towards our open windows. Large and beautiful birds with colorful beaks perch in the trees above, as large as Quinn – we must find their names. Sadly, each time we stop the vehicle to enjoy an animal, we are swarmed by large biting flies, later discovered to indeed be tetses.

Many kilometers later we reach the falls and the kids create a haiku to describe it’s beauty. The micah-encrusted rocks surrounding the gorge remind us to bring Larissa W. back here.
Rock jewels glinting With the water pouring down Thundering steam cloud
Murchison is incredible – a national wonder and treasure yet completely quiet and still and natural. No railings, just two pit latrines away from the falls. We are in awe. We discover too that here in N. Uganda the blue headed lizards so common to us in Bundibugyo have changed color! Black and orange and strikingly beautiful, yet the same lizards in size and behavior, doing push-ups as they watch us beadily from safe perches on the shimmering rocks.

Then on to Paraa Lodge – a real splurge, the nicest place we have stayed in Uganda. The bathrooms and showers are heaven – nothing broken or missing, just luxury of warm, gushing water, thick towels and cleanliness. The kids rave. Most stunning of all, we discover, is that the wild life actually lives surrounding the lodge. As we swim in the pool we are amazed to see an elephant walk by maybe 100 yards away and a few minutes later a troop of wart hogs also passes the pool. We spend an hour or more just watching the evening animals as they forage by the lodge; they are wild and free not tame or fed yet they coexist with us in peaceful beauty. As we head back to our rooms a two foot long baby monitor lizard plods along with tongue working at double speed to provide its’ insect evening meal. I am enchanted.