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.
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.
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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
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Katrina: thriftygypsytravels (at) gmail.com
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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!
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what a cool experience! #travel tuesday
ReplyDeleteHave never seen the Nile but spent lots of time in Africa when I was young (Zambia). You're so right about those hippos, very mean-spirited!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great experience and I hope you got the abstinence word out! :)
Frank (bbqboy)
don't hate me for not coming over to your blog in forever, but ---oh yay, you got disqus again! :)
ReplyDeleteand your trip to Uganda looks like a successful one.. just by the quantity of animals you got to see!
and P.S. you're so punny! hahaa
I am obsessed with puns and think they are hilarious, so this post literally made my day!!!
ReplyDeleteTop notch puns! 👌🏼
ReplyDeleteThat looks like an awesome trip, I always wish I had started traveling younger. And who knew river horses were so vicious?
To someone never been to Nile, this is good intro!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Hippo in Chinese is also "river horse", word to word.
Whoa! That is what I call a wild birthday! Well, at least you have a memorable birthday story to tell for the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteOh so punny! Those shots are awesome, what an incredible experience that must have been. Also did you know the word hippopotamus comes from the Greek for river horse?! Seeing pc's comment below apparently that's just what they're called everywhere, crazy.
ReplyDeleteI'm in denial that I've never been to De Nile!
ReplyDeleteokay...you win at puns ;)
What a shame you lost your photos. The quality of the ones you have posted is remarkable given that they were scavenged from social media. Is that a bald eagle - it looks like it? I didn't know they had them in Africa.
ReplyDeleteI love that you were at least able to salvage a few photos! Laptop crashes can be devastating! You are a fabulous host, glad you are getting to do this now! :)
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Uganda. And have never seen the Nile (wanted to cruise the river. Twice. Both got cancelled in advance). So sorry that you lost your photos. But at least memories last.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a fantastic trip and a great way to make a difference in the lives of the Ugandans.
ReplyDeleteYou got to see so many animals on this trip! I had no idea that hippos were people-killers? Crazy!
I'm sure that was an awesome and unforgettable experience. How was Uganda, did you feel safe?
ReplyDeleteYes! I absolutely felt safe! I loved being there and made life-long friends out of that brief ten day visit. I can't wait to bring my husband there one day.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had no clue about the hippos until I was there, but it sort of makes sense. Because they look so innocuous compared to crocodiles, people might get closer to them than they would another animal, which risks the attacks. Plus hippos can run for longer distances than crocs, and if they run you down, game over.
ReplyDeleteMan, that stinks having the cruises canceled! Maybe third time is the charm?
ReplyDeleteThanks, girl! :D Yeah, I was pretty devastated when I realized the originals were all lost. Then again, I had a crappy camera, so the originals probably weren't that much better than what I got off of Facebook!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a bald eagle! It was a surprise to me to see it there, but loved that little symbol of America in the heart of Africa. :)
ReplyDelete:) Weiner or loser, puns are so much fun!
ReplyDeleteTotally makes sense! I love words and their literal meanings.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! It'll probably top any birthday I ever have. I doubt I'll go anywhere crazy for the 3-0, but that's ok! At least my 20th was awesome.
ReplyDeleteNice! Makes total sense really. And apparently the English word "hippopotamus" comes from the Greek for river horse, so it's all a grand lingual conspiracy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I do so love puns!
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only pun-happy person around here!
ReplyDeleteHahaha, thank you! I am taking a cyber bow in your direction. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think I heard somewhere that Zambia is one of the best places to see animals in Africa!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It really was. Maybe because it was my first or maybe because I made such a good connections with the Ugandans, but that trip will always be forefront in my travel experiences.
ReplyDelete