Monday 19^th February.  Little Elephant and mixed emotions

The last couple of days have been ones of very mixed emotions for us. We were privileged yesterday to go to the nearby Game Park where we had a most relaxing day with much to see as always. It certainly was a good day to build up relations between all those who are working here at present.

 

At times Homo Sapiens was the main species visible! There were more tourist vehicles in the park than we had ever seen before.

 

We were very fortunate to see 3 lion cubs

 

During a relaxing drink we were watching a Maribou Stork trying to pour himself a Nile Special!

 

The Black Headed Gonolek one of Uganda's most beautiful birds

 

One of the many African Skimmers we saw which I was very pleased about as only the second time I had seen these.

 

A pied Kingfisher poised to strike!

 

Tiem to get out of the water everyone.

On our way out of the park we saw a lone baby elephant. This isn’t something you ever see. He was probably about 4 years old and looking rather thin and the rest of the herd nowhere to be seen. We informed the park warden at the gate but he seemed somewhat disinterested. “The others will return. They remember for 100 years!!” 

 The four year old orphan elephant

Once on the main road we came across a vehicle which had broken down with a fractured radiator. The occupants were a teacher in his early 30’s from the UK but working at a school in Kampala and his father in law. They were headed for Little Elephant Camp! They were towed for approximately 20Kms and were extremely grateful to have been rescued. The man’s wife, a trainee paediatrician wasn’t too fazed as she had been brought up in Ethiopia and was used to her father dealing with vehicle breakdowns! We eventually arrived back at Kagando at 9pm having left originally at 6.30am.

Today Ann and I used the time at the Rainbow Room telling the story of Jesus stilling the storm when he was in the boat and reminding everyone that even when problems overwhelm us Jesus is still with us in the midst of a crisis. This was very poignantly sandwiched between an experience when I arrived in Out Patients an hour earlier to find that a 49 year old man had died after crashing a motorcycle and immediately after telling the story one of the women present received news that her pregnant daughter had just died. We were truly lost for words except to say how sorry we genuinely both were.