After getting back from Gulu we took off for a day trip to Jinja, the source of the Nile River, and went white water rafting. It was an awesome experience. There was six of us in a raft with our guide Alex. Alex was interesting because he was Ugandan but spoke with a mix of Ugandan/Australian accent. I guess he has spent too much time around muzungus on holiday.
He was a great guy though and really knew what he was doing and kept us all really safe. He knew when it was important to not flip the raft and when going for a spill would be fun. Our boat flipped a couple of times sending us flying out of the boat. One time I even ended up underneath the raft which was upside-down leaving a pocket of air to keep breathing until I could get out from under. My favorite rapid was somewhere toward the end of the day and included about a 10 to 15 ft mini waterfall. Oddly enough, that was not one of the rapids that sent us swimming.
All in all, it was a great time. We all stayed safe and relatively injury free, save for a few scrapes on our hands and minorly sunburned knees and shoulders. The rapids were great, but it was also fun just to jump out of the boat in the flat water and go for a swim or just relax in the sun as we floated down the Nile. It was day that I won't soon forget.
We bought a DVD of some pictures that they took of us throughout the day. Here are a few of the good ones:
Everyone loading the rafts in the water. I've never seen so many muzungus in my life!
Recovering a little bit after the first rapid.
Get down and hold on!
Our guide, Alex, was even getting down and holding on. I think that is saying something.
About to go swimming...
Bracing for impact.
This is the mini water fall that we got to go down. (See next photo)
Our raft went down backwards. It was quite the thrill.
Trying not to drink to much of the water. Don't want to swallow any parasites...
One half bailed. The other half held on.
Our team of rafters. Our guide Alex is standing in the background.
About to go down the last fall. That is my head sticking up out of the raft.
A view of the Nile after we climbed back up the hill. What a day!
No comments:
Post a Comment