Ssese: The verdict

Sure, it was nice enough; that's as far as I'd go to describe the visit to Ssese islands. I won't make claims that it's "the most beautiful place" I've ever been to; after all, it's hard to impress a person who's lived in Norway all his life.

But that's not the full story. There was one aspect that took me entirely by awe, you see. Now, what especially fascinates me is that I didn't even notice it to begin with, even though it was all around me, everywhere. It was only when our forest guide happened to mention the sounds that it all truly came alive.

The sounds of nature. Birds, insects, water, wind. Waves crashing on the beach, life erupting from the trees. It was all just... there. Everything had this aura of peace and calm. A serenity to it all that would almost make you freeze in place just to be able to soak just a fraction of it in. Almost a crime that, just earlier, my brain had decided to shut this out, of all things. Unbelievable.