Lake Bunyoni, Uganda

Lake Bunyoni sits in southern Uganda just a short drive from the Uganda/Rwanda border. The topography in the region undulates dramatically as islands rise suddenly from the lake providing earth for housing, schools and rustic accommodations for Mzungus. Our transportation was by dugout canoe, which we rowed for an hour to get to our accommodation. We stayed at the Byooni Amagara in a geodesic dome made from bamboo and thatch in the open air complete with a separate outdoor shower. Our bungalow had a great southern view over the lake, which was spotted by several small islands, a primary school and several small farms.

We were there during the last week of our trip and it was the last time Brianne and I would explore a new African country together for some time. As such, it sort of felt like our last little adventure together and it also felt like a slow time for us to think about our two months in Africa and prepare ourselves to return home. The setting was perfect for whiling away the hours, playing cards and reminiscing as dugout canoes slowly rowed by from island to island. Maybe it was our excitement for the journey we had been on, but it felt like I could have stayed there for quite a while, just enjoying the calm and natural beauty. It was a time for rejoicing in what our trip has been, what it meant and who we were. It was also a time to begin thinking about our life in the US, what our goals were, how they had changed and what was really important to us. It really offered everything we were looking for at that late stage of our journey (including a rope swing!) and we were very glad to be in that place together.

On a Return Flight to Denver, CO

We’ve travelled to South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda. We’ve flown through MSP, AMS, JNB, CPT, LVI, LUN, DAR, ZNZ, JRO, ADD, KGL and ATL. We’ve attempted to learn some Afrikaans, Pemba, Tonga, Nyanja, Swahili, Amharic, Kinyarwanda. We’ve spent Rand, Kwacha, Malawian Kwacha, Schillings, Birr, Francs and Ugandan Shillings. And now, we are headed back home to Denver, DIA, English and Dollars.

I’m excited to be heading home, but saddened that our journey is ending. I’ve got a sinking feeling in my gut right now as we’re approaching DIA, like a weight that’s making me aware of the enormity of what we’ve experienced. I have tons of excitement for what’s next but a sadness that what we’ve experienced is over today and we can’t go back and do it again. It’s hard to know that you can’t repeat experiences, whether it’s an experience you want to change or like in this case just one you want to relive, you can’t ever go back. The world goes madly on.

It’s hard to understand what an experience will mean for you, kind of like it’s hard to understand things about your own personality or your own tendencies. For that reason, it’s trust really that compels you to go. You trust that spending two months in a new place, experiencing things that range from exciting, to heart-breaking, to joyful, to confusing, to fun, to uncomfortable, will affect your life in some meaningful way. I’m not going to force myself to contrive certain feelings or try to work to summarize our trip so that it’s easy to answer, “how was it?” I’m just going to let the question be a long answer and let the conversation begin and/or continue with those who we share life with.

We’ll be adding material to and editing the blog stateside for the next few weeks. I’ve got a handful of drafts that I want to add but more importantly my amazing photograph taking wife has lots of images she’ll be working through and we’ll add some of our favorites as well.

We’re back!