CROCS, HIPPOS, AND ELEPHANTS ON THE NILE, BEDTIME STORIES FOR EMMA

by charityrattray

Emma it’s summer and school is out, THANK THE GOOD LORD! I wonder are you staying up later? When I was your age I couldn’t stay up past 9pm. It was a challenge. I even fell asleep at Disneyland. I found a spot where they were selling sweatshirts and I curled up right there and drifted off, lucky for me my mom saw and I didn’t wake up the next morning on those Mickey Mouse sweatshirts. I can fall asleep just about anywhere. Although I would recommend somewhere more comfortable for sleeping.

Are you settled in? It’s a good thing to sleep safely, calm and quiet in cold sheets when it’s hot hot hot and warm blankets when it’s cold cold cold and most of all protected by your mom and dad, UNLESS you are in Africa like Maggie at age 18. That’s 10 more years than you are now. She could sleep anywhere too.

Emma if you were in Uganda with Maggie, Jacque, Dannel, Ashley, Brooke and myself you would have to wake up sooo early to take a 5 hour drive to the most famous of the Ugandan Safari parks. Barbara and Esther joined in on the day excursion with all of us traveling in one van, trying to sleep sitting up on the way. BUMP. BUMP. BUMP. LOOK out for cows on the road! (It wasn’t easy.)

FUN FACT Emma, United States President Theodore Roosevelt went on safari at Murchison Falls National Park. Winston Churchill had visited this park too. This would be our first Safari and the first close encounter we had with too many hippos to count. Have you ever been to see a waterfall Emma? Well running wide and majestic through the park is the Victoria Nile River. This is one of the main sources for the same river you read about in history, and part of it starts in Uganda and will find it’s way to Egypt.

We boarded our boat safari and set off for the view of the magnificent Murchison Falls where the Nile passes through 6 meters of rock on its turbulent fall and churn into the Devil’s Cauldron. On our way we were lucky enough to see the African Fish Eagle in flight along with hippo after hippo after hippo. Because we woke so early Maggie was practicing her sleeping while sitting routine.

When I took this picture I thought to myself DON’T FALL IN, Maggie.

She didn’t and it’s a good thing because there are crocs in those waters. Emma do you think you could sleep right there on the boat like Maggie? With flies that bite and bugs that sting? Jesus slept on a boat in a storm, he must have had that sleep anywhere talent too.

Do you think the hippos are ever frightened to be in the same river as the crocodiles? NOT AT ALL. Crocs respect the hippos. Hippos are the most dangerous water dweller in the whole river. They are only at risk when they are babies, but once they get big no croc will dare mess with them. And when they are young both mom and dad take protection to a James Bond level. Now Emma an elephant can walk into a hippo herd without fear because hippo’s respect the elephants.

One of our favorite encounters was with a bold elephant at the river’s edge Emma. He wasn’t afraid of no hippo. We saw him eating trunk full after trunk full of tall grass.

The next time we went on Safari I didn’t think it could get any better than this! BUT IT DID. Emma we were in for a real treat. We saw even more elephants.

There was no sleeping while on top of the safari van. Especially when a herd of elephants block your way. The mama was going to make sure her babies didn’t come to any harm. She blocked our way until SAM OUR SAFARI GUIDE began to whistle his “move out of the way” whistle. And like a faithful mama she made sure her parade of baby elephants stayed close to her and far from us as she stood her ground. Sam was like an expert elephant negotiator arranging for all parties to keep calm and move along. She almost charged at us when we tried to pass but Sam had done his job and instead she just let out a loud trumpet call and threw some dirt our way.

Sleep sweet Emma, safe in your mama’s care.

Dream of Africa at night with all the elephants on parade protecting you and hearing the sounds of the Savanna while you sleep.

Love Char