Lake Bunyonyi-- Bushera Island July 2008

While the girls were here,, most managed to spend, at least, a day at one of my favorite places; Lake Bunyonyi, I was invited to join Eveline, Marieke and Lisa and. since I had been to Bushara Island, one of the beautiful islands on the lake, I became the unofficial tour guide for our mini trip to Kabale from where the lake can be most enjoyed. -----When the girls returned from their boating expedition, they snapped me unaware sunning and relaxing on the pier

We stayed in Wyedeh Tree House where another bed was added to the three already cabin, as it is a large room with a spectacular view of the lake.
Remember it is an ecological camp with only solar and wood burning power; which means one needs to notify the management what time you want to shower, so they can bring Geri-cans of hot water ------Just hanging out with friends is fun anytime, but here--well -it was perfect!

After eating dinner in the” Swallows Restaurant ( now that’s a double meaning if I ever heard one, as Bunyoyi actually means “Land of Little Birds” , you are given a kerosene lantern to walk to your cabin. ---Hard to say if sunset or sunrise is my favorite time on Lake Bunyonyi

A favorite memory is the next morning when coffee and fresh mint tea (for me) was delivered to our deck and we sat outside enjoying the morning sounds of the birds and the local people crossing the lake for Sunday service.
I had fallen in love with this place in March when friend Carol and I had visited here, but now became the unofficial tour guide to Lisa from the USA, Eveline from Holland and Marieke from Germany.

The girls decided they could manage a dug out canoe alone without a guide but quickly found the canoe much heavier and more difficult to steer than they ever imagine, resulting in gales of laughter and a short excursion mostly in circles.

Swallows Resturant (how cute is that)
It was a bit too cold for me to brave the lake but Lisa did and happily for me dove back into the lake, after finally getting dried off a bit, as I had knocked my books into the lake. Lisa was my hero and Sue Monk Kidds “When the heart Waits” was saved for yet another day.
O, speaking of Sue Monk Kidd; if you have not yet read her first novel “The Secret Life Of Bees”treat yourself, then follow it up with “The Mermaid Chair, which I knocked off in a couple of days.

Back to Bunyonyi-----the food is great and everyone seemed satisfied, not just me. The girls shared some wine as we sat around a luminous fireplace and conversed with a woman on holiday . It is the kin d of place one comes back to time and time again, as this woman had over several years. I expect I’ll go there occasionally over the next year and a half, whether with friends or “with myself” (‘ala Iyanla Vanzant)
On the way home we had a flat tire, which came at an opportune time as there were Baboons to greet us in the road.

Enjoy the scenery, the fun and the beautiful young woman, I now call friends.
-------------------------------------Marie

---Marieke may be German, but I think she looks a bit like Christopher Columbus discovering a new world!