UGANDA: KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, DAY 2 - A WALKING SAFARI AND VILLAGE PEOPLE

 July 24, 2025

After breakfast we picked up Zachary at the military base and then drove to an area with a large open savannah. Zachary, Bob, Ella, and I got out of the jeep and started a walking safari and nature walk, something I am sure we would not have dared to do on our own (or without Zachary's rifle).

It didn't help that they first thing we came across was this:

One of my favorite African trees is the Candelabra Tree, a succulent that Zachary warned us not to touch as its sap can be a poisonous irritant. It stood out, not just because it was the only tree around, but because it didn't look like a typical leafy tree. There is no softness about this tree. Its sharp spines testify that it can survive the dry season. It also seems ancient, and it has the aura of an archetypal sentinel standing in the open cathedral of the savannah. 

We came across a large herd of grazing Cape buffalo that took a special interest in our tiny group of four people.  One rifle is no match for a stampeding herd of Cape buffalo, I thought to myself. But Zachary didn't seem to be at all concerned.

             

WE were concerned, however, or at least a trifle nervous. They kept inching closer and closer to us, and the only tree within running distance was that candelabra tree with the poisonous sap and spiny leaves!

UGANDA: ON THE ROAD FROM MURCHISON FALLS TO KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK VIA ACHOLIBUR PRIMARY SCHOOL

 July 22, 2025

After a good night's sleep, we climbed back into our trusty vehicle for the most difficult drive of the trip, which, as you can see, made Ella very happy . . . or maybe just a bit loopy.

And off we went into the sunrise.

Kidepo Valley National Park is in the far northeast corner of Uganda, just south of the South Sudan border. The distance from Murchison Falls to Kidepo Valley NP is only 250 miles, but it took us over ten hours to get there. We did stop for a little over an hour at an elementary school along the way, but even at eight or nine hours that is a pretty slow drive that can be attributed to the poor road conditions.

At first, the road was paved and we made good time for a while. 

INDIA: KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK, DAY 4

 December 20, 2024

On our last day at Kaziranga National Park, Chris, Stan, and I needed a break from driving around in the Jeep and elected to take a boat ride on the Brahmaputra River while Bob went on a morning birding drive with Bablu.

I'm not sure it was the right decision.

It took us almost an hour to drive to the river and appropriate dock, and then there really wasn't much to see.  

We walked out onto the very fine white sand and gazed out at what looked more like a lake than a river. The water didn't seem to be moving, and the expanse was very broad. The Brahmaputra River is the 15th longest river in the world and the 9th largest by output.

We three passengers boarded our luxury yacht with our guide and two people running the boat.

We motored away from shore and upriver for a while.

ECUADOR: HACIENDA CACAO & MANGO AND CHURUTE MANGROVES ECOLOGICAL RESERVE

 March 28, 2022

After hours of winding roads and then dirt roads, which were hard on me but didn't seem to affect anyone else (I'm so wimpy), we finally made it to our last destination of the trip, the Charute Mangroves Ecological Reserve and Cocoa Farm. The Ecological Reserve covers about 220 square miles, and is about 25 miles from the city of Guayaquil.

Map adapted from one found here

We stopped first at Hacienda Cacao & Mango, a farm focused on agritourism.

Our first item of business was a stop at the WC. I don't usually mention that in posts, but this one was extra cute.

Next up was lunch. All the food is grown locally and organically (or so they say). I loved the use of tree sections for placemats.

SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN: GUR-E-AMIR, AKA THE AMIR TIMUR MAUSOLEUM

By the time we got to the Gur-e-Amir, which is Persian for "Tomb of the King" (and which is also known as the Amir Timur Mausoleum), we had seen dozens of gasp-inducing, mind-bending, pinch-me-am-I-really-seeing-this edifices. You'd think we would have been jaded after all we had already seen. Judging by the number of photos I have of this Mausoleum, however, I still had room for a little more awe.

Some of this architecture was, by this time in the trip, very familiar--the huge vertical slabs used as portals to courtyards, the wide towers topped by azure domes, the unbelievably intricate details--but this mausoleum of the most powerful conqueror of Middle Asia was truly over the top, adding even more design features and ostentatious bling to architecture that I had thought could not be made any more elegant.

For example, take a look at the picture below. See that sidewalk leading up to the main entrance?

Here are two better views. Absolutely stunning.

Here is a better look of that vertical panel that frames the portal. Even a close-up shot can't really capture how magnificent this is. Let me remind you that we are talking TILES, not paint.

KAMASHI, UZBEKISTAN, PART 1: FRIDA KAHLO MEETS FRED ASTAIRE

On our second day in Uzbekistan, we took buses to a village named Kamashi. Adobe houses, some with windows and some without, some solitary and others in small clusters, were spread out over dusty hills. Cattle and donkeys roamed freely, and everything was coated with a film of gray-brown dirt.

The farmers in the area live in compounds. As many as 100 family members live in the same area and work together, and the youngest son is given the responsibility of caring for the matriarch.

We were greeted as we got off the bus by residents of the village:

They directed us to pass through an open garage area where six older women danced to a welcome song. All wore similar bright clothing and broad smiles, and they all had gold teeth:

One woman clacked together two lacquer spoons in each hand, and another tapped china saucers with something metal she wore on her fingertips: