Waking up early in the morning to travel to Jinja, Michael and I slipped into our swimsuits, slathered on suntan lotion, and prepared for the day-long ride of a lifetime. We caught early morning bodas and headed downtown to our meeting spot to meet up with the rest of the visitors. We climbed aboard a bus and made the trek to the town of Jinja, where the source of the Nile River is located. As we crossed a bridge, we could see rapids in the distance. As a first-time rafter, I looked on wide-eyed and amazed. One of the visitors, Dave, looked at me and said, "Dude, that's nothing, probably a level-2. What we're rafting today, that's a level-5! Just wait!" The adrenaline already pumping, I thought to myself, "Either go hard, or don't go at all!" In America, there aren't many level-5 rapids. Level-5 is the highest level of rafting allowed. The Nile is notorious for its adventurous rafting experience. In fact, the Nile River Rapids are listed in the top 10 in the world. Honestly, I don't think I knew what I was getting into.
After an hour and a half of level-5 Uganda roads, we finally arrived to the campsite. We gathered our gear, got a quick pep talk, and headed down to the river. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a nice breeze: perfect for rafting. My instructor was from Memphis, TN, so we chatted about familiar schools and landmarks. I guess Disney was right, it's a small world afterall.
We arrived along the bank, face-to-face with the Great White Nile. "Who's gonna be in the front?" "Oh, I will!" I said enthusiastically, ready to face the day head-on. Climbing onto the boat, we practiced rowing in sync, holding on, protecting our oars, and how to properly flip for safety stuff. Normally impatient, I cautiously listened to my fellow Memphian's advice. There was no room for error. "Has anyone ever died?" someone asked. "No, but last week we airlifted a guy who had spinal injuries." Let's just say I had a few conversations with Jesus after hearing that. Mom, this is why I waited til AFTER the trip to tell you all about it.
With safety procedures understood, we set out for the real thing. As a boat, we were pretty good. We made it through most of the rocky rafts, getting wet, rocked by waves, and smiling in the end. But, one rapid, BIG BROTHER...oh yeah, it was amazing. After easily making it through the first 2 rapids without much struggle, I was beginning to doubt the Nile. But, just when I thought I had it all figured out, Mother Nature slapped me in the face. Literally. We inched through the water as the roar of Big Brother, a level 5 rapid, thundered within feet of us. "Don't forget to row!" shouted our guide. But, it was too late. We were all entranced by the glory of the magnificent waterfall before us. "Forward!" Uncoordinated, we all began waving our paddles into the rushing waters, trying to stay afloat. Ah, but Big Brother wasn't having it. Within seconds, we crashed into the pounding waters, managing to stay afloat for the first wave. But, the second proved to be no match for our plastic paddles and rafting boat. Diving into the water, I tried to swim. However, I soon realized that I wasn't in control. As the Beatles sang, I had to "Let it be" Balling into the fetal position, I crashed into the waves, struggling to hang on to my paddle. I came up into the air, thinking it was over. Nope. Swish! The Nile seemed to slap me in the face, saying, "Take that! You can't handle this!" I crashed in and out of the powerful waves, seeing my "shipmates" flailing around, too. Finally I floated out into the distance and caught hold of the saftey kayaks, who carried me to calm waters along with the rest of the crew. We all gathered into the boat, still shocked from the crash. "THAT WAS AWESOME! LET'S DO IT AGAIN!" I said to the guide. I think everyone thought I was a little loony, but most of the others enjoyed it too. Ah, I think rafting might just become a summer tradition of mine.
We tirelessly rowed through the calmer waters of the Nile after stopping for sandwiches on a small island. I had the sweetest pineapple in my life! Ah, so good! While rafting through the still waters, the sun shone down intensely on us, giving us all crisp tans. We all decided to go for a cool swim down the lazy river. Splishing and splashing through the waters, I realized the beauty of nature and was amazed at God's ability to create such beautiful scenery. The rolling hills of Uganda, the flawless design of birds, the picture-book sky above, it was all so perfect. You always hear about those serene moments that people have with nature, and just like what I just wrote, it sounds kinda cheesy. But, experiencing it there in that moment, it all made sense. From splashing rapids to the calmness of stillness, nature is beautiful.
We successfully made it through more rapids, and approaching the last one of the day, we hopped out of the boat onto dry land, carrying our boat. This last rapid was a level-6, meaning it's un-raftable. We made a barefoot trek through the rocky hills. Our tender feet weren't accustomed to the rough surfaces. Bryan, a local Ugandan, rushed past us easily stepping on the rocky stones and hot surfaces, laughing at our awkward tiptoes and pain-filled grimaces. The tail-end of the last rapid is able to be rafted on, so we perched on a rock, getting one last calm glimpse of the monster that we just passed, before hopping back into the raft for our last adventure of the day.
Safely making it through, we did a celebration swim, hopped back aboard, and made it to our finishing point. Climbing the top of yet another rocky hill, it was all worth as the smell of muchomo (beef, pineapple, onion, pepper shish kabobs) filled the air. We all sat together, tired, excited, adrenaline still pumping, had a drink, ate our feast, and shared stories of how amazing the day was. Just another day in Uganda. Life is but a dream.
-Nick
CHECK OUT OUR GRADUAL PROGRESSION DOWN A WATERFALL ON THE NILE (LEVEL-5); We made it through without flipping! HUAH!
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