This morning we woke before dawn (like most mornings on this trip) to head to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a morning "game drive." On the way there, we passed by a horrific traffic accident in which a bus had had a run-in with a hippo...not something I've seen too often in the US.
The game drive was absolutely amazing. These animals are really something to see in their natural habitat. Sorry, Dad, but our "nature shows" don't even come close--no matter how cool I think Marty Stouffer (the guy from "Wild America") is. We watched baboons, impala, water buffalo, water bucks, bush bucks, enormous termite mounds, warthogs, vultures, 
and even a pride of lions who had just finished breakfast. We arrived just a little to late to see the kill. By this time, the lions were "fat and happy," very lethargic after gorging themselves on their meal. We took tons of pictures...thanks for the camera Mom and Dad! 
After a couple of hours, we made our way to our next stopover, the Mweya Safari Lodge. I've got to say that this may be the most beautiful place on God's Earth. It lay at the end of a game trail and is flanked on almost all sides by Lake Edward to the north and west and The Kazinga Channel to the south. The lodge sits at the top of a huge hill, allowing you to see wild animals and breathtaking scenery for miles in all directions--over land and water.
We had a bite for lunch--complete with the absolute best passion-fruit juice I've never had--then set out for a hippo cruise in the channel. We saw tons (literally) of hippos, rare African fish eagles, more water buffalo, crocodiles, and all kinds of water fowl. The cruise was fantastic, but the slow moving barge with its droning engines made it hard for anyone to stay awake; I even caught Dr. Haglund bobbing his head a few times. We crammed so much activity into our time, and it was starting to catch up with us.
But, again, the best was yet to come. While we were out cruising The Kazinga Channel, our drivers were out scouting those elusive elephants. Upon our arrival back at the docks, we piled back into the vans and headed off into the bush again. A storm was brewing, and just as the heavens opened up with a torrential rain, a mother elephant and her calf showed up from behind a grouping of trees. They were majestic in the rain, basking in it and shaking off the water with those huge ears. What a find!After taking quick nap and grabbing a shower, we ate dinner and proceeded to the lobby for a little talent show that some of the team had been preparing. We had all grown pretty close having worked so hard together in such close proximity, so now it was time to let our hair down a little. Senthil slayed us with his own breed of stand-up comedy, while Dave Gleason, one of our anesthetists, regaled us with his new rendition of "I Crossed the Line," sung to the tune of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." (To reference, the Mulago theatres had a pronounced red line on the floor at the OR suite entrance where we were required to remove our shoes and put on these rubber-like slippers to maintain a clean environment there. We all thought it was kind of funny considering all the dirt, mildew, and wild critters that were already behind said line). It was a great way to cap off a full day of hanging out together and just enjoying each other's company.
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