Lake Bunyonyi

Its been a pretty hectic life for me the last 12months. Third year of study; Final good times at university, organising the expedition and dealing with the drama that Nick Kershaw has become famous for attracting in his life. So two days, on a private island, in the middle of a totally still and beautiful lake would seem like perfection. It was so far from anything, that we had to canoe for an hour to get there - pretty tough work in the humidity. And it was...eventually! You see, in 12 months, I haven't stopped. I tried to shut my mind down, and I simply could not work it out. All this time to sit and do nothing, I was thrown into disarray. Lisa kept bugging me to sit back and relax, but I didn't know where to start. We met some great people, a 6ft8 aussie, our very own Charlie Thomas returnedto our consciousness and 3 Oxford students joined us. It was great fun, and we really enjoyed having some conversation other than each other! Sadly, that lot left the day after we got to the lake. On that day we sorted out a 'geodome' - an open fronted thatched hut, with views out over the lake and a private balcony. Perfection. This time finally helped me relax, I even achieved 9 out of 10 on Lisa's Relaxation Scale and it was very pleasant, one more day would have gone down a treat. Swimming in the lake was a delight, reading by the lake was wonderfully quiet, sleeping to the gentle sound of crickets and bird song was a feeling that I cannot compare to anything else. I don't think I could spend too long in a place with so little to put my mind to work. I appreciate being distracted from my own thoughts, but for what it was the Lake will have a special place in my memories of the trip. The first time in 12 months where I let my mind go quiet and my body could just flop. The Lake is known as 'the place of a thousand small birds' and, I must confess, I was fascinated by all the different shapes and colours on display. I have never in my life considered myself remotely interested in birds, let alone a bird watcher. But as I sat on our balcony, I was loving spotting the brilliant colours that set these tiny birds apart from any I have previously encountered. The birdsong that gently wakes you up in the morning is full of many different tones and rhythms, again, unlike any I have known before. Lisa, being a Leeds lass, thought my new found interest in birds was a tad on the sad and pathetic side, but I remain firm that I was appreciating my surroundings. Anyway, it proved a good way of switching my mind off! The place needed a touch more sun and a ping pong table to be complete. But good food, good company, beautiful room and an unbeatable, smooth lake and the whole time there, all inc. cost about 25 pounds. Tomorrow we travel up to the crazy Kampala again. Then onwards to our safari, so no blog for a while methinks. I will do my best though. After safari we depart Uganda for Kenya, specifically Nairobi, very much looking forward to a rather special hotel that has been booked for us there! Best Wishes Nick