In Denial on de Nile

Osiris-ly, you can't be in de Nile when I say that there's nothing better than spending your birthday on the Nile!

Now before you send me to the punitentiary, hear me out. Crocodiles sunbathing on the banks. Hippos bumping the underside of your boat. The roar of a powerful waterfall in your ears. The lyrical cadence of the Luganda language. The entire experience was so deliciously exotic, making for an absolutely unforgettable birthday.

The year was 2007, and it was a red letter one in my books. I had graduated community college and was accepted to my dream school, the University of Virginia; I had a new car to get me around town (my youngest sister loved how it "matched" hers); and that summer I would be spending my twentieth birthday on a mission trip to Uganda, my first international trip!

While the majority of our trip was spent teaching an abstinence-based program to teens and young adults in Kampala, we did take a few days out of our trip to travel north to Murchison Falls National Park along the (White) Nile. It just so happened to coincide with my birthday!

These photos are nine years old, and when my laptop died in 2008, I lost all the original photos and had to scavenge these copies off of my Facebook page. The quality is, at best, fuzzy, so keep that in mind before you tell me, "It sphinx!" (Last punny comment, I promise!)

Fun Fact: Did you know the German word for hippo, flußpferd, literally means "river horse"?! #whoknew

Not gonna lie, seeing this beautiful bird in the heart of Africa gave me a healthy dose of good ol' American pride.

Am I the only one who thinks of Captain Hook's reptilian nemesis when I see crocodiles?!

Ahhhh! ELEPHANTS ON PARADE!!!

"Foam on the waaaater, fire in the skyyy..." (Yay, Deep Purple!)

They may look peaceful, but more people die from hippo attacks than from lions.

Have you ever visited Uganda or seen the Nile?

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After years of hosting the #TravelTuesday link-up, Bonnie has decided to step away from her position as host. Please join us in thanking her for her contributions over the years and wishing her all the best in her endeavors!

With Bonnie’s departure, the current co-hosts of #TravelTuesday - Diana, Rachel, and Katrina – have just one question for you…

Do YOU Want To Be The Next #TravelTuesday Host?!

We’re looking for the next travel crazy, social media savvy, bigger-than-life personality to become the new host and new face of the #TravelTuesday link-up! Nominations for yourself or others will be accepted today, May 3rd, through Sunday, May 15th. A shortlist of nominees will be announced on Tuesday, May 17th, and a vote will open for all to participate in selecting a new host!

Minimum #TravelTuesday Host Requirements:

1. Love TRAVEL and have had an active blog for at least six months.

2. Be awesome (goes without saying, right?).

3. Able to commit to at least a year of being the anchor host. General responsibilities include: the generation of the link-up, promoting the link-up and participants on social media, and in all respects being the face and personality of the #TravelTuesday link-up.

4. Facilitate the nomination and rotation of co-hosts every three months as in the past.

5. If at the end of the year you are unable or unwilling to continue being the anchor host, you will be required to reopen the nomination and voting process of a new anchor host.

Please send your nominations along with a brief explanation as to why you would be a great #TravelTuesday anchor host to any of the three co-hosts listed below before Sunday, May 15th:

Diana: dianadegzz (at) gmail.com

Rachel: anestingnomad (at) gmail.com

Katrina: thriftygypsytravels (at) gmail.com

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<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Travel Tuesday Link up and new Host search" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1463/26711672311_9faea7c3b2_z.jpg" height="250" width="300"/></a><br /><a href="http://www.dianaelleblog.com/" title="Diana Elle Blog, Travel Tuesday Co-Host" target="_blank">Diana</a>, <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/" title="The Thrifty Gypsy's Travels, Travel Tuesday Co-Host" target="_blank">Katrina</a>, and <a href="http://www.anestingnomad.com/" title="A Nesting Nomad, Travel Tuesday Co-Host" target="_blank">Rachel</a></div>

Last Week #TravelTuesday Highlight:
Amsterdam from the Water by My Meena Life ~ Having spent a very, very brief layover in Amsterdam on the way back from Uganda, I loved reading this post and reminiscing on my short cache of memories from this beautiful city!

1. SHARE a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favourite places to stay, or anything in between! Just make it about travelling somewhere! 

2. GRAB the temporary button. If you run into trouble, just make sure to mention one of your co-hosts in a link! 

3. LINKUP goes live every Tuesday at 0800 GMT. 

4. FOLLOW your co-hosts on Bloglovin'.

5. CONNECT with your fellow travel loving bloggers! Be sure to leave a comment, and share your favourite posts on social media.

TIPS: 

1. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future linkups! 

2. The last Tuesday of every month is a themed prompt, if you want to join in. 

3. Include a​ (vertical 735px x 1102px)​ pinnable image in your blog post; as at least one of the co-hosts will be going around pinning your posts. 

4. Don't forget to use the #TravelTuesday hashtag on your social media platforms!

An InLinkz Link-up

Throwback Thursday: Lake Victoria, Uganda (2007)

This photo (which unfortunately is rather grainy as I lost all originals when my college laptop died) is a view of Lake Victoria in Uganda.

For better pictures of Uganda, you could check out Crane Media's Facebook page, particularly this photo.

Destination: Uganda

The Nile, Murchison Falls National Park, Amuru, Uganda
View from the top; August 2007
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

For those of you with an itch to experience the best of the African continent, I would strongly encourage you to visit Uganda, a small country in east central Africa.  Although landlocked, Uganda offers many geographical variations, from jungles to savannahs, marshlands to mountains, rural towns to hilly cities, affirming the reputation of Uganda as the "Pearl of Africa."  But as undeniably beautiful as Uganda's landscape is, I feel that the real attraction is their people; I have never felt more welcome, more at home in another culture, than what I experienced in Uganda.

Sunset over Lake Victoria, Kampala
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

I visited Uganda in August 2007 while on a twelve day mission trip with Grace Community Baptist Church.  It was my very first international trip, and even the nearly twenty hour plane ride couldn't dampen my spirits!  While our primary purpose in Uganda was to host True Love Waits camps for youths and young adults in the capital city of Kampala and to minister with other programs through Kampala Baptist Church, we were also afforded the opportunity to do some sight-seeing in the general area and take an overnight trip north to Murchison Falls National Park to see where the Nile pushes through a 23-foot wide gap to plummet 141 feet below.  It is a powerful, exhilarating sight!  We viewed the falls both from the top which is accessible by automobile and from the bottom on board a riverboat.  Our experience was all the more enhanced with the occasional bump from a submerged hippo and with sightings of crocodiles sunning themselves along the waterfront.  There was no better way to spend my twentieth birthday!
 
Other memorable sights in Uganda were the markets, both open-air and indoors; exploring Garden City mall; devouring an absolutely delicious tilapia dinner on Lake Victoria; watching Ugandans weave in and out of traffic on their boda-bodas; savoring a delicious community-cooked meal of goat meat, cabbage, beans and yams; laughing unsympathetically as my brother had a mild allergic reaction to jack-fruit; having an authentic "African experience" in a fly-infested dormitory on Lake Victoria; and being in absolute awe at the physics-defying loads people would carry on their bicycles!  In future posts I hope to go more in-depth with individual attractions we visited and experienced.

True Love Waits
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

 But to get back to the heart of Uganda -- its people -- for a minute, again I would attest that they are the most friendly, generous, and hospitable people on this planet.  There is something infectiously joyful about Ugandans, manifesting itself in song, smiles, and the simple pleasures of life - a tasty meal, the camaraderie of good friends, and the love of family.  While there are still many financial and economic challenges to be faced in Uganda, I believe their people will continue to improve themselves so long as they keep their motto - "For God and my Country" - close to their hearts.

~ Just a Thrifty Gypsy

P.S.  Shout out to Ray, Isaac, Prosper, Chris, Carol, Pastor Andrew, Faith, and all the others I met while over there!  We shall meet again.

View of one of Kampala's Seven Hills
Taken from Tank Hill, August 2007
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

 

Lake Victoria
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Elephants on parade!  Bugungu Wildlife Reserve
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

"Pumbaa" looking for a snack amongst unsuspecting campers
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Terrace at the Emmaus Guest House
(c) Thrifty Gypsy



Kampala Marketplace
(c) Thrifty Gypsy