Jewell of Africa

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 5 photos

Hemmingway once described Uganda as The Jewell of Africa, Butiaba rests on Lake Albert, the scene of the 1954 Bogart/Hepburn movie the African Queen, after being rescued by a boat heading to Butiaba from Murchinson Falls, a bruised and battered Hemingway & his wife Mary spent the night there before another ill fated attempt to return to Entebbe, there chartered flight crashed shortly after take off and bursted into flames, the couple survived and spent time recuperating in Masindi Hospital before making a full recovery.
These kind of stories only ignited my desire to explore distant shores and it is no secret that I have held a deep love of animals from an early age, childhood consisting of a menagerie of pets from Guinea Pigs to Parrots, Dogs, Cats & Horses not to
mention a Possum or two. Photography and art also playing pivotal roles in early adulthood, so when Jan suggested I enter this contest I thought this would be a wonderful way to merge everything I love together, People, Animals, Photographery
& Travel. My wife of 23 years has continually urged me to continue to enhance my photographery skills as we travel the world by motorcycle documenting in photo extreme & diverse places & cultures, meeting some of the most intriguing people on the planet. Our journey started by shipping our motorbikes to Egypt, before heading south to Sudan where the friendliest people we encountered live in ancient villages scattered thru the Nubian desert and often perched on the banks of the Nile. Arriving in Ethiopia we encountered extreme landscapes & cultures as old as time. Travelling thru Kenya & into Uganda led us to this incredible little fishing village Butiaba the hidden uncut jewell of Africa, just as mother nature intended ! & me a world of opportunities to photograph