Chobe Safari Lodge: A Slice of Heaven: Part II

The interior décor is a gigantic work of art. Masterfully crafted African sculptures with grotesque expressions lend their primal beauty to the place.  An Omweso board with two heads on either side for handles sits atop a table with legs made of antelope horns.   

The animal paintings on the wall are so lifelike; one gets the impression of looking through a window at the wildlife. The soft-leather, black, dirt-brown and patterned sofas whistle as you settle down in them, so soft that one feels like they are suspended in air. Glass doors open to reveal the Nile River in all its glory; a lazy serpent zigzagging along its ancient course. Hippos grunt in the shallow riverbanks and the birds chirp in the trees, composing an orchestra of music that soothes the soul. 

Below are some of the art pieces that made my eyes roll back in their sockets: 

With all this talk that the best accommodation in Uganda can only be found in Kampala or Entebbe, Chobe Safari Lodge located in Amuru District begs to differ. The excellent service, delectable cuisine, spacious sleeping quarters with a stunning view all round and the bonus of sitting snug in the middle of beautiful African wild make this an experience one has to have at least once in their lives.

Chobe Safari Lodge: A Slice of Heaven: Part I

My first impression of Chobe Safari Lodge, located in the heart of Murchison Falls National Park was like I had just stumbled into a day dream.  It felt like a desert mirage after all the travelling we had done. The perfection of the place is like nothing I had ever experienced. 

There is a healthy blend of stone-work and vanished wood that stays true to the natural aesthetics of its environs. The spectacular African art and sculptures had my eyes almost pop out of their sockets with amazement.  The service delivery was top-notch. I looked at a receptionist with wonder; I had no idea that a human smile could spread so wide.  I savoured my first slice of heaven; a truly 5-star experience. 

The General Manager, Kim Allen is an energetic, intriguing individual; she was everywhere all at once, managing, directing, organising everything like a conductor on an opera stage.  In the spirit of her perfectionism, the entire lodge runs like a well-oiled machine bustling with life and well-being. My prior experience with 5-star hotels had made me feel like I was in transit, with the hotel staff impatient to get rid of me for more clients; at Chobe, it was the opposite. I wanted to stay longer and enjoy the retreat with nature all around me. Perhaps it was my imagination but I thought I saw the receptionist pout when it was time to leave. 

 (End of Part I)

Lingering Scar

The 30^th November of the year 2008 was one of my worst days and I have had many of those this cursed year. The dream and hope I’d been nursing for 4 years went down the drain.

Lingering Scar, the embodiment of all the qualities intellectual, physical or otherwise I desire in a female finally put a stop to my day dreaming.

She doesn’t want me.

Actually she still wants me though not the way I want her; she doesn’t love me. And I worship the ground she walks on. How ironic.

How ironic can life get. Couldn’t I just love her with this monstrosity of a love and couldn’t that be enough? My love supersedes anything; any emotion I’ve ever had for a human being (over-exaggerated, I know, but it can pass) Let that be enough.

What I am trying to say is, for me to give up what I feel and have cultivated for almost half a decade is like asking me to give up breathing; you’re asking mine to die. Not so soon. Maybe I’ll love her for as long as I live, maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll love again, maybe I won’t. I don’t set about trying t find solutions to every problem and question in life. This is just my first love.

I honed my gift in writing and poetry not so I impress her or line her. She likes poetry and I like poetry. Let that be enough. On the other hand, I wish not my poetry be something she liked and something I wrote but something we shared, our thing.

Before the situation could sink in, I begged and coaxed and threatened and pleaded. I claimed my undying love to no avail. I swelled with rage and paced with anxiety, and deflated with defeat.  And she acted calm as the sea through it all: God! How I love her.

She doesn’t love me.

Maybe she does. Maybe she doesn’t maybe I’m wrong and she isn’t what I make her out to be. Who cares! I relish the ignorance. True love? Fallacy? Infatuation? Look at it your way. It won’t modify what I feel in any way. Maybe I know that it’s over.

I am torn to think that someone else is loving her. That someone else is ogling her with lust and I who stripped off her surface and peeped into her inside, I am here. Alone, this minute wondering why the hell we don’t always get what we want in life. She asked me this one time, She asked me this:

“Why don’t we always get what we want in life?” she wants me. I want her. The chemistry is right, the compatibility is perfect; the genetics are suspect but what the hell. If every word I wrote was to win her over, I’d write them all. Without her, I feel ruptured, incomplete; an umbilical cord has been torn from me. My thoughts are scattered in a million ways but yet all crowd together when I think about her.

I still get goose bumps like a plucked chicken when I remember her ways: the way she calls my name, the way she guffaws when she’s amused and slightly embarrassed by something I said; the way she writes in that ugly, cute handwriting. The way she double-writes my name. ..I am lost for words. She’s perfect to me. Perfect for me/

To imagine that I lose her at such a time when I need her the most is most cruel. I could wait for her I know, but what If I wait in vain? What if I put ideas in my mind that she’s The ONE and she isn’t. Wouldn’t I miss hooking up with my one true love? What if Scar is the ONE and I need only to try harder if we are to go places?

So many questions and very few answers in this part-tribute, part-reflection, part-memory. I pray karma is kinder on me.

Paraa Safari Lodge, Part II: Paradise in the Wild

Paraa Safari Lodge is located within the vicinity of Murchison Falls National Park. Against the backdrop of untainted African wild, the beasts roam free, confident of their place in the savanna grasslands that strech as far as the eye can see.

My first sighting was a Jackson's Hartebeest, a deer-like animal with a strange head that eerily resembles a grasshopper's
Our guide informed us that the hartebeest is known for it's forgetfulness (Much like a grasshopper) It could spy a lion stalking it and then forgets all about it a few seconds later. Next time it remembers is when lion teeth have gone for the jugular and by then it's too late.

The waterbuck is another deer-like animal we saw. The ones I saw were hornless and furry and frankly looked delish! Our guide told me to save my breathe. and saliva. The waterbuck he said when panicked does something to its flesh. The meat is totally unappealing, I heard and for that reason, they tend not to be targeted by predators.

Corne Schalkwyk of Marasa Africa that runs Paraa Safari Lodge described the unique species of giraffe at Murchison Falls National Park as 'White Socks'. The Rothchild's Giraffe's spots unlike other giraffes' stop at the knees and below is pure white. Watching them is an experience that words can't fully describe. They are graceful but awkward, tall but down-to-earth,  Spotted but hard to find, endangered but here for now. I fell in love with these gentle beauties and their heavily lashed eyes as they fed on tall acacia trees. My mind screamed ENCORE.

Being my first time to see a live Hippopotamus, the first thing that came to mind was, "Hungry Hungry Hippo!" I half-expected them to get in line and sing me that beloved nursery rhyme. They grunt like bad-tempered old men and blow out  air like whales. I was told by my guide that their sweat and milk is pink which is a weird thing. I loved to watch them in the shallow banks of the Nile river going about their domestic affairs without a fuss. I was a bit terrified though- their reputation of capsizing boats precedes them. As Paraa and Chobe Safari Lodges are built quite close to the Nile, the Hippos were easy to spot and added to the magical aura of the place. I loved watching them.

During our boat-ride, I saw these spectacular erosion-made river banks that are an attraction in itself. Considering the current water level of the Nile, what kept nagging me at the back of my mind was: Was the Nile at one time that deep? Wow! A keen eye would notice tiny holes at some point: These are bird nests if I can call them that. I was in la-la land at this point.

Along these banks, my guide informed us that the legendary American author, Ernest Hemingway crashed his plane not once but twice and lived to talk about it. That was one bit of history I had no idea about, wikipedia simply says it happened somewhere in Africa. Now I knew that it happened at Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda.



I saw lots of other animals but not being a seasoned tourist, I only had my cellphone with which I took the pictures I had. The beauty of this place still oozes through and I have to say, I feel more in touch with my roots and can't wait for another opportunity to present itself. I felt I belonged for once in my life. It was a life-changing experience. My journey didn't end there though. More to come...