Of all my activities that I planned during my time in Africa, I have been most excited about my whitewater rafting trip down the Nile River. The source of the Nile begins in Uganda at Lake Victoria and flows north to Egypt. The rapids begin 50 kilometers from Kampala in a town called Jinja. I was up at 6:30am ready to be picked up by the rafting company at 7:30am. Along the way, we picked up a large group that I spent some time getting to know as we made our way to the river. The group was from the United States and they had been in Uganda for a week doing a medical missions trip. They provided a free health clinic to everyone in a small village and surrounding area. By the third day of the clinic they had seen almost 700 patients, and they still had a week left.
When we arrived to the river they invited me to join them in one of their boats. They split their group up into those who wanted a mild ride, and those who wanted a wild ride. I of course got in the wild boat. We put on all our gear and headed down to the boats. Our group was asked for two volunteers, so I volunteered. I was put in the front of the boat along with another guy. Our job was to make sure we were paddling at the same time to keep the boat steady. Before we got to the rapids, our rafting guide, Ron, gave us an overview of some of the important things we would need to know as we went through the rapids. We practiced our paddling strokes and well as our "get down" position when we were in the rapids. Ron also made us practice falling out of the boat and getting back in since he knew it was going to happen to us all. He then showed us what we do when our raft flips over in the middle of a rapid and how we get it turned back right-side up.
As we were getting these instructions, I could begin to hear the sound of water pounding over rocks and it was growing louder as we drifted closer. We pulled over to the side of the river for some last-minute instructions. Rapids are graded by their level of difficulty. The last thing Ron told us before we headed into the rapid was that this was a Grade 5 rapid...it only goes to Grade 6. We began paddling as hard as we could with water splashing all over the place. Then, Ron yelled "get down," so we all got into our positions to ride the rapid. As we whipped down the first drop off, we were met with a giant wave. We crashed into the wave and were jerked all over the place. We continued paddling hard as we went through the next two waves. Finally, we successfully made it to the calm waters, but there was another right in front of us. We began to paddle to build speed as we entered the second rapid. The roar of the rapid was deafening and it was hard to keep focused. We hit the first wave and off I flew. The water sucked me out of the boat and I tossed and turned as I continued whipping through the water. Finally, I made it to calmer water where there was a kayaker waiting to pick up those who didn't make in through the rapid. The kayak dropped me back off on my boat and I joined my group.
The next leg of the river was a long pool of calm water so we spent time getting to know one another as well as taking breaks to swim in the Nile. We slowly made our way through the long pool for 45 minutes before I began to hear the roar of another rapid ahead. We started building speed again and then into the rapid we went. We were tossed all around and flew out of our seats several times. I was determined to stay on this time so I held on to the raft as hard as I could. The water grabbed me, but I held on tight. I made it through another rapid without going overboard.The sun was already beginning to burn and it wasn't even noon yet. There was no safety from the intense heat as we drifted down the river. We pulled over to the bank of the river because there was a Grade 6 rapid that was too difficult for beginner rafters. We walked along the shore until we passed the wicked rapids and then jumped back in. Ron gave us another briefing on our final rapid before we stopped for lunch. We were heading for a rapid named 50-50. Ron explained that there was a 50% chance that our boat would flip and if it did not flip, there was a 50% chance that half our team would go overboard. If we went overboard, he told us to be prepared to hold our breath for 5-10 seconds before we would pop back up. I could hear this rapid before I could see it. It was a steep drop, so we didn't know what to expect until we were already in the rapid, but by then it was too late. In we went, and out I went. The water got a hold of me and sucked me into the roaring rapid. Five seconds seems like an eternity when you are tumbling violently through the water, but after five seconds I popped back up...but the rapid was not over. I had fallen out at the beginning of the rapid, so I went twirling and spinning through the massive waves until I finally made it to the calm water where I kayaker rescued me and took me back to my boat. I am pretty sure I got some war wounds from that rapid. I don't know where they came from, but I got some sweet bumps and bruises in some painful places.
The next leg of the river was a long pool of calm water so we spent time getting to know one another as well as taking breaks to swim in the Nile. We slowly made our way through the long pool for 45 minutes before I began to hear the roar of another rapid ahead. We started building speed again and then into the rapid we went. We were tossed all around and flew out of our seats several times. I was determined to stay on this time so I held on to the raft as hard as I could. The water grabbed me, but I held on tight. I made it through another rapid without going overboard.
We stopped along the riverbank and had a delicious catered lunch. The intense paddling really builds up your appetite. We met the other boat and shared laughs of our rapid adventures. I had really been looking forward to our break because that meant I could reapply my sunscreen. I've never used so much sunscreen in my life, but that sun really gets to you fast. After lunch we headed back to the boats for our next four rapids. I moved to the middle of the boat because the front didn't seem to be working out too well for me. It's pretty easy for a little guy like me to be sucked out of the boat, and as much fun as it is to fall out of the boat, it's much more fun to ride the rapids in the boat.
We headed into our first rapid after lunch, and this time I was going to fight to stay on. In we went as our boat turned every which way through the roaring waves. Ron yelled to paddle, so we paddle as best we could as we were sitting in the raft. Our raft hit a large wave and two of our teammates bounced out of the raft. We contented paddling hard until we made it though to the calm water and picked up our drifting teammates.
We managed to all stay on the raft during the next two rapids. After those two rapids was our longest calm pool of the day. We all took breaks and swam in the Nile and did flips off the front of our raft. We also played some games on the raft. We stood on the edges of the raft and hooked the ends of the paddles together. We then leaned backwards until someone fell into the water.
Unfortunately, our time was coming to an end as we neared the final rapid. Ron gave us another quick briefing and told us that we would be faced with a large wave...and then there would be another one twice that size. We geared up and we were determined to all make it through this final rapid. The water sucked us in and we paddle as hard as we could. One wave crashed into us and turned the boat. We continued paddling until we reached the first massive wave. Half the water ended up in our boat, but we managed to make it through. Then came the second wave. Somehow, we managed to survived the second wave and then I heard Ron yell "abandon ship." Now, "abandon ship" was not something we had practiced during our training at the beginning, so I didn't know what to do. Usually that means jump out of the boat, but we were still in the middle of the biggest rapid yet. He kept yelling "abandon ship." Ron had safely gotten us down the river this far, so I had no reason to not trust him. I chucked my paddle into the water and I jumped into the crashing waves. I have never had a more fun 30 seconds of my life. I tossed and turned as I rode the rapids up and down. It was like I was on a roller coaster. It was the best way to end the best day I have had during my time in Africa. Whitewater rafting is my new favorite sport.
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