So we left Bwindi and traveled back to Kampala where we were met by a shuttle that drove us to Jinja and the Nile River. Our plan: White Water Rafting on the Nile!
Yikes and away!
Another early start had us arriving in the city of Jinja. There we met at a backpackers’ lodge where the excitement began. After a simple breakfast we were ushered to the lawn for an overview of the day and our “safety and security” talk. We were given our life jackets and helmets and then herded onto trucks that would take us to the starting location. The trip took us through small villages where children waved and shouted as we passed.
Finally we reached the water’s edge. The rafts were unloaded and we began to jump on board. Four rafts of adventurers went out that day along with one “safety” raft which carried supplies, and 4 kayakers who were with us to help “if” any of the rafts should tip. (Let me just say that the kayakers were very busy that day!)
Our first 15 minutes in the water had us practicing: paddling forward and back, ducking down in the raft to prepare for the rapids, tipping – just to practice holding on. Then we were off. In the distance we could hear the roughness of the water. We sat on the edge of the raft, poised and ready to follow our guide’s instructions, “Paddle forward!”
We began to paddle then he shouted, “Down!” The current took us, turned our raft sideways, and flipped the raft. We all went down the river (without the raft). The men in the kayaks were ready and waiting for us at the bottom of the rapids. They scooped us up and plopped us back into our raft. Not a good start to the day.
Rapids: 1 Us: 0
The next rapid was bigger. But we were ready for it. We had already tipped and we knew how to prevent that from happening again. (or so I thought) We paddled to the start of the rapid; we were then instructed to squat down, grab on and enjoy the ride. And we did…. until one of the waves came on board swept me up and threw me over board. (no one else!) Luckily I popped up and found the guide’s oar within my reach. I was pulled on board. Safe and sound! (No more sitting in the front of the boat for me!)
The next set of rapids kept us on our toes. Again the rapids were winning. But we had fun trying to stay in the raft. Our group became very good at holding on when the raft tipped.
We then had a long stretch of calm waters where we ate a light snack of pineapple and biscuits (cookies). Many rafters jumped overboard to enjoy a swim in the Nile. NICE!
Then “the big one”, we were going over a 12 foot waterfall. Again our guide prepped us for the ride and what we should do to prepare for the class 5 rapid. We paddled right, we paddled left then we ducked down and held on. Over the falls we went, crashing at the bottom, but still upright. We made it!!! What a rush!
We still had several more rapids to face before the day was done! In the end we tipped a total of 5 times but had the time of our lives. Another fantastic adventure!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Our travels through Africa….Part 1
We begin our story with travels to Uganda. The adventure takes us to the mountain ranges in the southwest corner of Uganda and deep into the rain forest. There, in Bwindi National Park, we went searching for Silverback Gorillas.
The day started with an early breakfast and a 90 minute drive through the mountain range. The gravel roads were bumpy but the scenery was breathtaking. Dawn was breaking over the peaks of the mountains, bathing all the villages with their banana trees in the light of a new day.
We arrived at the camp and received our briefing for the day’s events. We were informed that several trackers went out earlier that morning to locate the family of gorillas that we would be following. They would radio back to us with the gorillas’ exact location. Then we were off. We began our hike at the top of a mountain following a well worn path. After 100 yards, we turned and moved into the bush. (At this Dan’s only comment was, “Cool, real hiking.”) The guides used their machetes and cleared a path as we went along. The mountainside was steep and the terrain was challenging but we made it to the bottom of the mountain with only 2 of us sliding part of the way. Now we were climbing up the other side. After an hour of hiking, we reached the trackers.
We grabbed our cameras, then slowly and quietly climbed the last of the distance to the plateau where the gorillas were sleeping and eating. It is hard to put into words the experience of being within 3 meters of a family of 10 gorillas. (4 silverbacks, 2 blackbacks–young males, 2 juvenile females, and 2 very young)
We kept low, taking many fantastic pictures of the gorillas as they moved about. It was amazing to see how strong and nimble these gorillas are. This leads to a great story that demonstrates the speed and agility of the gorilla:
We were all huddled on the ground, watching the gorillas around us. One particular gorilla started moving closer, acting very curious. He pulled down a tree’s branch and pretended to eat leaves as he stared us down. Then, quick as a wink, he jumped up and ran towards us. Next thing we knew the gorilla gave Dan’s leg a good WHACK as he ran past. We all stared in shocked disbelief for a few seconds then broke into laughter. The gorilla thought it was great fun. He moved to a nearby tree to turn and watch us.
Shortly thereafter we packed up our things and hiked back to camp. It was a great day and a remarkable experience. The best part being that Dan was slapped by a gorilla and lived to tell about it!!
The day started with an early breakfast and a 90 minute drive through the mountain range. The gravel roads were bumpy but the scenery was breathtaking. Dawn was breaking over the peaks of the mountains, bathing all the villages with their banana trees in the light of a new day.
We arrived at the camp and received our briefing for the day’s events. We were informed that several trackers went out earlier that morning to locate the family of gorillas that we would be following. They would radio back to us with the gorillas’ exact location. Then we were off. We began our hike at the top of a mountain following a well worn path. After 100 yards, we turned and moved into the bush. (At this Dan’s only comment was, “Cool, real hiking.”) The guides used their machetes and cleared a path as we went along. The mountainside was steep and the terrain was challenging but we made it to the bottom of the mountain with only 2 of us sliding part of the way. Now we were climbing up the other side. After an hour of hiking, we reached the trackers.
We grabbed our cameras, then slowly and quietly climbed the last of the distance to the plateau where the gorillas were sleeping and eating. It is hard to put into words the experience of being within 3 meters of a family of 10 gorillas. (4 silverbacks, 2 blackbacks–young males, 2 juvenile females, and 2 very young)
We kept low, taking many fantastic pictures of the gorillas as they moved about. It was amazing to see how strong and nimble these gorillas are. This leads to a great story that demonstrates the speed and agility of the gorilla:
We were all huddled on the ground, watching the gorillas around us. One particular gorilla started moving closer, acting very curious. He pulled down a tree’s branch and pretended to eat leaves as he stared us down. Then, quick as a wink, he jumped up and ran towards us. Next thing we knew the gorilla gave Dan’s leg a good WHACK as he ran past. We all stared in shocked disbelief for a few seconds then broke into laughter. The gorilla thought it was great fun. He moved to a nearby tree to turn and watch us.
Shortly thereafter we packed up our things and hiked back to camp. It was a great day and a remarkable experience. The best part being that Dan was slapped by a gorilla and lived to tell about it!!
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