Lake Bunyonyi, in Uganda, has become my favorite "escape to" place in Africa. It's just across the border near Kabale, and less than 3 hours from Kigali. This is my second trip there, (I discovered the place in January), and it will certainly not be my last! If it weren't for the Ugandan visa and the hassle in crossing the border, I'd probably be there once a month. Lake Bunyonyi means "the place of many little birds," and it's surrounded by 29 islands, all unique in their own way. I've stayed on two islands, Itambira and Bushara, and the only way there is by dugout canoe. There's no running water or electricity and everything is solar generated. I love it! We had a short "fall break," (I guess I can call it that even though there's no fall season here!) We had Friday and Monday off school, so I decided to get out of the city. Every now and then I need to be surrounded by creation; and see things that God has carved out with His hands, and man hasn't intervened in them yet. I spent a great weekend swimming in the hippo-free, croc-free, blizharia-free lake! (a rarity here!) The lake is 900 meteres deep, making it the second largest in Africa. It has a HUGE otter population. The food was amazing, cheap, I slept in a tent and geodome, had time to journal, pray and write, and just THINK! My spirit feels refreshed for sure. I'm thankful for a place like this where I can experience peace in nature. It's my Merriewoode of Africa, and I love it!
This is the only pic from January's trip. All the rest are from this weekend. I realized that I didn't post a pic of "Punishment Island." This island, with only one tiny tree, is where the Bakiga people used to leave unmarried pregnant girls. They would paddle them out to this tiny place and leave them to die of hunger or die while trying to swim to the mainland (swimming skills were rare). This practice was to educate the rest of the girls, to show them not to do the same. The only way the woman could escape the island is if a poor man without enough cows to pay the bridewealth went and picked her up to become his wife. Can you believe it!?! This practice got abandoned around 1950, but there are still women living on other islands who were picked from Punishment Island. We met one in January!
The only mode of transportation. I loved seeing the colorful Kayevu Market where everyone arrived in canoes!
We stayed in this awesome geodome at Byoona Amagara Saturday and Sunday night. It was open so we could lie in bed at have an incredible view of the lake. Byoona Amagara is a not-for-profit place that is dedicated to supporting education and sustainable community development at Lake Bunyonyi. 100% of their proceeds support local programs in sustainable agriculture, indigenous forestry, education and literacy, cross-cultural exchange, and even the development of a new "library" on the island. In January we stayed in a tiny log cabin that I loved as well, but I think I prefer the view in the geodomes. Even though the lizards, frogs, and other critters can enter in, the view is totally worth it!
I woke up to this!
We rented these dugout canoes for $1 a day, and paddled all over the place.
Enjoying one of the simple things in life....:-)
Our "bathroom"
If you wanted a shower, you ordered it ahead of time, and a man would boil some water over coals for you, and carry it to your tent in a container on his head, and then climb the ladder and pour it in the bucket for you. I just swam in the lake everyday and counted that as my shower. (just like camp days!)
One afternoon we attempted to swim to this far island, called "Sharp's Island." After realizing a storm was brewing, we swam back to the dock. This island is better known as "Leper's Island," because until the 1980's it was a colony of people who suffered from leprosy. In 1931, a missionary named Dr. Sharp established the colony. The rationale behind the "voluntary segregation" was to create a happy community for leprosy sufferers to live in, so more would be attracted to the island, thus removing them from communities where they could infect others. Now, the old hospital is now a boarding school from kids who live on the islands.
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