Up early for a photo safari at 7:00am. We went to dining room for a nice breakfast buffet. Met Christopher, our driver and Phillip our safari guide (complete with a loaded rifle) in the lobby and off we went for a 3 1/2 hour safari. We saw warthogs, giraffe, elephants, lots of different types of antelopes, monkeys, some beautiful birds African buffalo and a lioness.

It was amazing to see all these creatures in their wild habitat. The most interesting was the lioness; she was lying very content because several feet away were what was left of a buffalo. She had just eaten. We even saw where the soil was disturbed from the scuffle and the kill. It makes you have a whole new respect for lions and the food chain. We got close enough to this lion to see its breath. The giraffe are such graceful creatures. They are so beautiful. We just sat and watched 3 or 4 for several minutes, of course they were watching us also. I didn’t know the older they get the darker the yellow gets on their skin. The air in the forest where the animals are smelled gamey, you could tell where there was a higher population of animals. We also went to a hippo pond where hippos were hanging out. We were able to walk up close to the water and hear and see when they came up for air. They can hold their breath for 20 minutes.

Then we made our way back to the lodge where Heather went for a Swedish massage. I fell asleep for 45 minutes my first and only nap for the whole trip (other than plane rides). Seems everyday of this adventure we woke to an alarm. No sleeping in for anyone. We “took lunch” at 12:30, of course it was very good; very diverse food, lots of vegetarian, English, Indian and some American. Always dessert tables, but the Africans are not known for their desserts.
After lunch Brent, Alex, Heather and myself headed to the pool while Juliet got her first massage…she says she enjoyed it. We hung out at the pool a couple of hours then we all ended up back in our rooms to read, nap or just rest. Brent and I showered and went back down by the pool for a juice and to have some time enjoying the scenery. There seemed to be a lot of missionaries staying there. We met a woman from Canada who just spent time in Kampala building some paths at an orphanage.


“Lord,
Thank You for this land, the animals and of course the people. Thank You for this whole experience. I pray it will be Your will to return. I think I speak for my whole family when I say that. Lord, I ask that you use this experience to change us all. To grow us closer to You. I lift up Jennifer, Joy, Lillian, Agatha, Brenda, Loy, Monica and Mirriam please protect them and all the children of Otino-Waa. Lord bless the loving staff You have chosen to care for these orphans. Bless Carol and Bob
Thank You I praise Your name”
Amen