Lion Around :)

So, here's the first installment of pictures from my most recent travels. These are the tree climbing lions of Ishasha (southern edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park here in western Uganda). I'm not a lion expert or anything close to it, but evidently lions don't usually climb trees. So, these prides are quite unusual in this behavior and there are few other places in Africa where they take to the trees like this.

Our search for the lions began at the park entrance gate (well, actually we had our eyes peeled for them in the trees as we were driving the Ishasha road - not knowing that it was pretty ridiculous to think that we might actually just see them from the road). When we paid our park entrance fees we asked the park staff where the lions had been seen recently and he wasn't sure but recommended the south road, but said that if we wanted a guide we could find them at the information center. We weren't sure if we wanted to pay for a guide, but thought we'd start by looking for the information center...one would think that an information center would be conveniently located near the park entrance - one would also be wrong...a way down the south road there was no information center to be seen, so we turned around and decided to try the other branch...also to no avail...what use is an information center that you can't find?! No signs no nothing in any direction...so we decided to go with the gate staff's south road recommendation again and went back to the south road we had already traveled...now, we've been in enough game parks to know that a good way to find lions and other highly sought after game sights, is to ask the people in the vehicles that are traveling out of the park on the road you are traveling in on...the first few hadn't seen them, then we spotted a big dark green land rover and knew by looking at the vehicle that these were people who likely knew what they were doing...so I flagged them down and asked the African driver/tour operator at the wheel if they had seen the lions yet that morning. He affirmed that they had seen them, "wuh hoo!" I thought (or could very well be that I said it outloud), and I proceeded to ask for directions. Initially, from his facial expressions, it seemed he thought we'd never be able to find them on our own, but he told us we would find them about 10 km from where we were stopped and to take the next branch left, and then continue on that road until we found them in the large fig tree on the left. We did just as he said, and had to make a few more decisions about various other branches in the road he had failed to mention but at almost exactly 10km according to the odometer, there on the left side of the road but directly infront of us as we approached was a huge fig tree with 4 lions lounging in the branches as you see above.

A couple we had mocked when passing them in their Rav 4 with the windows up (obviously making use of their air conditioning even though it was not yet noon - but really we were just jealous I think :), they were waving us down as we approached, wanting to make sure we knew the lions were there. In game parks most everyone (meaning other humans) is an ally...not really the case in the rest of life here, I'm finding, but you are all after the same goal and you work together to help each other find the treasures you've found. So we circled the tree, taking photos (until the batteries on my camera died - and guess who didn't have extras packed with her...silly), another vehicle or two showed up during the hour or hour and a half we sat there just watching the lions in wonder.

So, I remarked several times that they were "so cute!"...Nathan begged to differ, being of the opinion that they are beautiful/magnificent/powerful, but not "cute"...I still hold to my "cute" observation - I just wanted to give one of them a big hug, or shake hand/paw...don't worry, I didn't, but I wanted to...but I can see the beauty/magnificence/power as well for sure. One of the lions had the hiccups, immediately likened by Sarah and Nathan to me...I mean, me and the lion we had some things in common...have about the same color hair, like lounging around, are both female, and have a healthy appreciation for a good shade tree...but all in all, we have fairly significant differences as well :)

We read from the Bible as well as we sat in awe and wonder....Psalm 29 (always was a favorite of my brother's for the words it puts to God's power and splendor demonstrated in the natural world), and then Isaiah 11 which speaks of Christ's return and the peace and harmony that will be restored to a natural order which has not known peace and harmony as such since the Fall...As I read these verses today as I write, I am struck by God's timing...what good news it is, what music to my ears, what salve for my soul it is to read/hear of God's promise to restore us to one another in peace...

"The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them...the nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra...they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

We also read from 1 Peter 5,

"humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

So, we sat in awe and wonder at what God has made and at what He promises to use through the use of imagery of these spectacular creatures he has made and kindly allowed us the priviledge of spending an hour or so with. Alas, we couldn't sit there all day, one of us had to pee so we each sighed a satisfied, contented, sigh and drove back the way we had been so kindly and accurately directed. We never did find the information center.