http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Uganda , Eastern Region , Jinja en-us Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:18:26 +0000 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:18:26 +0000 I'm usually not a big fan of expressions a la 'you haven't lived when you haven't done this or you haven't done that...'. 'You haven't lived if you haven't hurtled yourself down a mountain at breakneck speed killing a few innocent passersby on the way'. 'You haven't lived if haven't gone hitchhiking around the planet and almost killed by some Congolese soldiers high on heroin'. And you think 'I http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-453831.html yes mom and dad i went to Uganda this weekend. and i'm now back in kenya safe and sound but seriously this weekend was probably one of the coolest things i've ever done. i went white water rafting on the Nile i can't even begin to describe how amazing it was. first of all we were in Jinja Uganda and it was soo beautiful ...huge hills so much green trees and flowers we went through http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-450162.html Leaving the gorillas behind we exit Rwanda and retrace our route back through Uganda to Jinja an adventure capital at the source of the great River Nile. Having seen the gorillas we were now able to eat meat wersquod avoided eating anything remotely dodgy beforehand as those with the slightest sign of illness arenrsquot allowed to trek so we happily tucked into goat and chicken at the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-428932.html Back in April I made my first trip to Jinja east of Kampala to see the source of the Nile River. I went with my students on a geography field trip and had so much fun Of course the source of the Nile is Lake Victoria which is unusual since a lake is normally not considered the source of a river. The source is normally the major river that feeds into the lake. But for Lake Victoria http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-418830.html On the way back through Uganda we stopped again in Kampala and stayed at the same campsite as before. It was my turn for cook group again and the dinner was a great success I feel like I am growing up so muchIn Kampala the group went out to an Irish Pub that didn't even have Guinness on tap It was a lot of fun. We danced and I drank Sapphire Tonics with ice which was very lucky treat. Th http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-412712.html Itrsquos midafternoon Irsquove finished work and had a lazy late lunch overlooking the Nile and now Irsquom settling in outside my banda for the afternoon in the shade to do some writingreadingthinking dozing. Irsquom starting to settle into a nice African pace of life now and getting to know the area a little better.Sunday began with a guided walk around the village led by Muganda http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-407247.html Irsquom trying to avoid sounding like a stuck record banging on about contrasts but have I experienced some over the past 24 hours Joburg to Entebbe Ugandarsquos airport is only a fourhour flight north so I was glad of the checkin time at the start to process some of my experiences and prepare for the next stage of the adventure. And by huge astonishing coincidence I bumped into C http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-407246.html Leaving Banana VillageWe had no appointments to make on Wednesday morning and so after checking out of Banana Village and a very leisurely breakfast we set off down the Entebbe road towards Kampala. The Ugandan people were all very busy going about their daily lives which provided some great scenery on our journey. The people are sop enterprising it seems all of them are trying to make a living http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-393652.html Wow I canrsquot believe it has taken me this long to post the blog about the one of greatest experiences here in Africa. It has been about three weeks now since 12 other group members and I traveled to Uganda to go whitewater rafting down the Nile River. We left for our adventure on a Thursday night. Going by bus over night from Nairobi to Jinja in Uganda. The trip was about 10 hours long with http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-387311.html We crossed the border this past weekend to Uganda and rafted the Nile River from where it is released from Lake Victoria. It was a day long trip of white water rafting complete with four class 5 rapids one class 6 rapid unraftable crocodiles backpackers and everyone getting dumped from the raft. The Nile has some of the best rafting in the world not just because of the extreme drop in elev http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-375130.html It is incredibly hotHad a good and busy week had the house to myself on Friday night which was great Benji went to Kampala for a few days and Santos was being Santos and disappeared of the face of the earth which left me to get ready for a BBQ that Benji had arranged for 20 or so people at the house. So was dashing around town balencing on a Boda with 10kg of meat which was leaking all over http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-374517.html Just walked down to town in extreme African rain my theory that no one would be out and therefore I'd be the only one using the internet was correct also means I can sing along to the fantastic music they play in here unfortunatley on the walk here I managed to scare most of the population of Jinja with my bright pink pacamac they really did not know what to make of that.The rain means there http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-372230.html Day 265 311208 Jez's Birthday aka New Years EveBrimming with excitement we were up at 7am to a cloudless blue sky to catch our transfer from the camp to the rafting spot for breaky and the days briefing. We were soon fitting up with helmets life jackets and jumped on the back of the truck and down to the launching point of the White Nile. We allocated ourselves into rafts Carly Jez Nath http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-371933.html I know it's been a while but I am in an internet cafe with a line behind me so I'll have to be quickWe arrived in Jinja Uganda today at the mouth of the Nile where it meets Lake Victoria. It's much more of a tourist town than where I've been and I'm not liking that bit of it we've seen probably 10 other white people which is a TON compared to other places but it's still a very cool town wit http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-370968.html Had a good trip back to Jinja the matatu bus didn't have brakes that functioned that well so instead of breaking when there was a car in front the driver just drove off the side of the road through the trees etc and undertook so I arrived back a bit of a wreak plus there had been a bad accident between Jinja and Kampala so everyone here thought I was dead Watched Jinja loose at a rugby matc http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-369916.html So just a quick update Feeling loads better and the doctors are all happy So been busy went to a copper smelter you just want to say smelter it's the best word and persuaded them to build some beds for this other orphanage we're supporting was a bit of a strange place and I was the only white girl for 200 miles so got some great looks This other orphange is a bit out of town but it's http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-366603.html So been busy since I last posted And finally today the weather has been a little cooler and I'm able to function between 12 and 3pmSo I mentioned the ItalianAmerican company 'Salini' who are constructing the dam either way went last Friday round their camp just outside Jinja was kinda strange but nice They are very hospitable but you get the feeling that if you bad mouth them then you'd http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-365393.html Started work this Monday at the orphanage 'Welcome Home' which has about 60 under 7 years olds. Basically our job is to play with the kids and help out during showers lunch etc. The kids are great their English is pretty poor they can say hi. They call all the volunteers and people who work their 'mummy' which was a bit strange at first but they're starting to learn to say 'mummy katie' whi http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-363727.html So arrived in Jinja yesterday met Benji who looks after us here and said goodbye to the Magnay's. Got on a bodaboda which is a small motorbike where you can pay to get across town for about 30p I have never been so scared in my life I seriously thought I might die and the guy was squeezing through the smallest gaps and driving down the wrong side of the road. Then got a bustaxi minibus th http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-362347.html I woke at 4am to make the first Kalita bus at 5. After finishing some last minute packing making a final sweep and then taking a second to soak in one last look at the place that had been home for the last three months I rushed to the first roundabout in town. The spot being the designated location of departures for the Kalitas. Of course I wasnrsquot surprised to find that no one else had d http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Eastern-Region/Jinja/blog-355581.html