Whitewater Rafting on the Nile

The first rapid, Overtime

Friday was definitely one of the biggest highlights of our Uganda week!  Nile River Explorers was just up the road from our motel, so soon after 8 that morning, Janell and I walked up and got signed in and had coffee until it was time to go.  After a quick briefing about the itinerary for the day, we were fitted with helmets and life jackets and then grabbed a sack breakfast to eat on the road...(Which btw was amazing! If you don't know what a Ugandan rolex is, you should look it up... super delicious!!! We also had fresh fruit and wonderful juice!) Traveled 15km downriver (yes, bc the Nile flows north) ...got unloaded and maybe around 10:30 or 11:00 we finally got out on the water.  Our group started the day off with a bang... While we were still running through safety procedures, etc. and were practicing how to climb back into our overturned raft, one of the ladies broke her toe (hit it hard on a paddle either while we were tipping or while we were flailing around in the water trying to hoist ourselves back in.)  She spent the whole day in the safety raft where she could just relax and stay comfy and dry.  We weren't positive that it was actually broken, but the next day we met her and her two daughters on the streets of Jinja just after they had been at the hospital and confirmed that it really truly was broken.  

The day was just epic!  A lot of the rapids were class 5, so we had some serious fun.  About halfway through, we had a light lunch on the water, then after getting out, we had an amazing BBQ lunch before we headed back.  We got home around 5:30 or 6:00...just as worn out and exhausted as can be, but just happier than happy.  Looking at these pictures again makes me really wanna pack up and head to Uganda again!! ;)

On our way over...

It's incredible how seconds feel like minutes, long minutes, when you're trapped under the raft and every time you try to swim out, another wall of water hits you full force...

This was the second time we flipped.  Thankfully, I stayed with the raft every time we went over, (I'm the red helmet on the left) so I got in on the adventures of looking for lost people and paddles...BUT totally missed the adventure of being rescued by one of the safety kayaks... Those of us who were still hanging on for dear life to the safety rope would climb up onto the overturned raft and then once we were out in calm water again, we'd jump off and flip it and then climb back in and go retrieve our missing team.  Either they'd get picked up by another raft or one of the safety kayaks.  

This was our final flip.  I was so done after this.  The water looks decently calm on this picture, but I can still feel the power of the beating waves...makes you feel so small and weak...so feeble and vulnerable.  We had just flipped on the rapid before, and knew we likely would again, but I was just exhausted.  So worn out.  Completely drained.  Each time that I thought I was coming up and could gulp some air, I'd only get hit by another huge wave and swallow a bunch of water as I went down  under ... gasping desperately for oxygen.  By the time I was safely stretched out in the raft inhaling the biggest breaths I could, I was just ready to be DONE!{for the day:)}  Feeling partially blind didn't help matters either, since I lost one of my contacts at one point or another in the midst of the battle.  I truly felt as though I had gone through a giant washing machine...and stayed in one cycle too long...but wow!  The whole day was just an extremely satisfactory experience... I'd recommend it to anyone... great service, super outfitters, and when you go - DO be sure to get in Nathan's raft.  He tops them all.  Guaranteed that our United Nathan's Team had the most fun of anyone that day!!! :) :) 

UGANDA

Over Christmas vacation, four of us girls headed to Uganda for the week.  Unfortunately, Rhoda got sick the day we were planning to leave and Stacy's family was around, so I was the only one from Kisumu.  Delores, Jan, and Janell left Nakuru Sunday evening and I joined them around 1:00 a.m. when the bus came through Kisumu.  We had such a wonderful time!  I could write SO much about the week, but I think I will just mostly stick with pictures...

Uganda National Mosque, Kampala Hill
It was just huge!  It can seat up to 15,000 worshipers & can hold another 1,100 in the gallery & an additional 3,500 outside!

View of Kampala

So, so, so many steps... Can't remember how many, but it was a lot!

The four of us... L to R...Delores, Janell, myself, and Jan

Trying to tell the piki drivers where we wanted to go sometimes turned into a big committee meeting with more pikis showing up by the minute...  Also, getting used to the currency took a little... 1 US dollar was approx. 3,500 Ugandan shillings... so it felt like we carried HUGE amounts of cash around and spent equally huge amounts...

The red, red dirt!!!   

This was quite the day and quite the experience.  I've never before been asked to photograph a proposal...and just for the record, it's a little difficult to be taking pictures with her phone and videoing with his phone at the same time... and then he had told me that I should clap when she said "yes" . . . but my hands were just a bit too full... 

On Tuesday, we wound our way in and out and down and around all of these matatus and found one that would take us to Jinja.  We spent the rest of the week there. 

Our hotel was just RIGHT on the Nile, so we had an excellent view of the river...

When the train went through in the middle of the night, you surely didn't sleep through it!

At the source of the Nile :)

Not my plate, but all three of the other girls ordered a pretty fish like this...

The wonderful night BEFORE Jan got so sick...

After Jan's sleepless, miserable night, we took her to Nile International Hospital where we found she had a severe case of typhoid fever.  LONG story here, but I'll leave out all the details... Bless her heart, she was so positive through it all.  Even though we all felt so sorry for her, it somehow added a dimension to our week that we would have never had before.  Our middle of the night memories and unplanned for situations are the memories that will stick...It also provided us with a new set of jokes and most of all, a closeness that we wouldn't have probably gotten if we had all stayed healthy all week.

Spending the day in the hospital...and making little friends ;)

 So glad to have Jan feeling a little better again, even though she needed to be careful not to overdo it.

Esther, a little Ugandan sweetie whose mom was in Instruction Class...

This view of the Nile from my bed...you just CAN'T beat that!!!!!

Uganda's colors :)

Jan, Lois (teacher in Jinja), Janell, and Delores

The three Nakuru girls :) :) :) 

Lois and Janell... Such great times!!!!!

Waiting on our bus...

...and waiting...and waiting... and laughing and talking... and waiting...

Homeward bound... We welcomed 2017 while we were sitting on the border between Uganda and Kenya...

On Thursday, Janell and I went whitewater rafting...We were so disappointed that Jan wasn't able to go along too.  It was hard leaving the girls at the hotel for the day and going ahead with our plans...The next post will have pictures from that amazing day :) :)