A personal journey through loss, landscape, and memory in Eastern Uganda
Last month, I stood at a crossroads—one that stretched beyond the plains of Pian Upe and deep into my personal life. While guiding a photographic expedition through Uganda's eastern wildscapes, I received news that my daughter, Sisi, had arrived on earth too soon. I was seven hours away from Kampala and couldn't hold her, hear her first cries, or witness her first breath. She stayed with us for just six hours. A brief visit. But I know, even in that short time, she journeyed. And perhaps, in her own way, she too was a traveller.
It's taken me two months to find the words for this trip—my first attempt to write through grief.
That afternoon at Pian Upe, the midday blues were sharper than those at Murchison. As we hiked toward the Napadet cave, I walked behind the group, my mind drifting between sorrow and the beauty ahead. The contrast of travellers' clothing against the vibrant greens and blues felt like a painter's palette come alive. I made a mental note, perhaps one day I'll curate what my travellers wear to mirror the land around us.
At the rock, the ranger narrated its history—tales of refuge during slave raids and clan conflicts. Inside, faded giraffes painted in blood and dye still whisper ancestral memory. While others climbed the hill, I stayed below, sending the drone skyward. An excuse perhaps, but I've always been wary of heights—and this time, grief had added weight to my steps.
As we wrapped up and returned to Jinja, I lingered a little longer. This was the moment when my photographer self stepped away from the guide role. I needed that final stillness with the rock—to grieve, to honor Sisi, to remember.
Climbing Napadet cave was our last activity at Pian Upe before returning to the UWA offices and then head west to Jinja. This journey with ten travellers, part of a Wikipedia community photo project to document natural heritage, tested me beyond logistics. It tested my strength as a leader, a father, and a witness to both loss and landscape.
Sisi's journey was brief. Mine continues.