Today was a day intended for a little sight seeing. We headed off to Jinja this morning, about an hour and a half drive. We visited first the B— Falls. This is a very popular spot for white water rafting because there are Class 5 sections of the Nile (White Nile). We saw not only the gorgeous landscape and the astounding power of the water, but also some crazy folk kayaking and taking the jerrycan down stream. Many of the kayakers spend a good percentage of the time out of view of spectators as the water swallowed them whole. The jerrycan people, well they are just plain crazy. They went down the waves floating on top of a 5 gallon plastic container.
After some moments to take in the wonder, we headed by bus to the source of the Nile. There, we first ate lunch. Our Fish and Chips for many was an experience as the fish came out whole, eyes and all, welcoming us to dig in. Some did, some didn’t, but all in all, it was a great experience eating with view of the Nile River. We even saw some wildlife over lunch, including monkeys, birds, and a colorful lizard. After lunch, we walked down to the river and boarded two boats, which I would describe as large row boats with a small awning overhead. They did have small engines on the back. Our guide James took us to find wildlife, and as a result we got to see monkeys, one with a baby, three monitor lizards, and a variety of neat birds. We heard a little bit about the Nile, including the fact that it takes 90 days for the water to travel from the source of the Nile to the Mediterranean Sea as it is 4000 miles long. We stopped off at an island that is at the beginning of the Nile River. There, we saw the exact marker for Mile 0 of the river and many members of our team literally crawled (“like cows” according to James) across the Nile to the marker. It was great fun, and our guide James was wonderful.
Afterwards, we had some time to souvenir shop before heading back to the hotel. We had a taxi van plus the coaster on the way back, but due to mechanical difficulties with the cab, we all scrunched into the bus again. I guess that is one thing about being in a country with many older vehicles.
The meeting was beautiful, with worship songs lead by Tim on guitar and Amy at lead vocals. Our people of the day were Chris and Donna P. Here is how their day went:
Chris said he had a wonderful day and that he enjoyed the time to relax. He talked about the 20 minutes he sat on a rock overlooking the falls, with time to calm his mind. He was proud that he didn’t spend a dime, which made the group laugh because most of us knew his refusal to pay the bathroom troll that insisted on charging each participant. He liked the fish and loved the opportunity to stand with his feet in the Nile.
Donna P never dreamed she would see the Nile, and was so excited about that part of her day. She kept thining about yesterday during church, in which people kept thanking her for coming. She felt, “Don’t thank me! It is a privilege to be here!” She is enjoying getting to know not only the team, but also many Ugandans, on a different level. She said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better day,” and she was amazed that we were among the last people to ever see the falls.
Tomorrow’s people of the day are Dan, Donna O, Nancy, and Amy. We will be wishing Dan a happy 60th birthday!!
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