So I know that it’s not going to be possible to put into
words how amazing it was white water rafting down the Nile river- but im gonna
try…
So we began gearing up around 9:30 in the morning. We we’re
given a helmet, life vest, paddle, and a banana. Not really sure why we got a banana, maybe
they were just trying to be fancy. But it was really tasty nonetheless. Anywho
we paused to take a group shot, then headed into the water (which I was glad to
discover was pleasantly warm). We headed right into our first rapid, and Ashley
fell out. I started to freak, falling in the Nile- in Rapids- seemed like a
horrible place to be. Turns out on the smaller ones it’s not scary at all, we
actually got out on purpose in a few places to float through them. These were
class 2’s and 3’s of course- the 3,4,5’s we didn’t really get out on purpose…
So the first hour or so in the water was spent in training.
Our guide taught us how to paddle without killing each other, how to flip with
the boat, how to get down, and generally how to follow his lead. I’d say we
were a pretty sharp team. The flipping practice was quite interesting. I was
like you want me to do what?! Oh ya flip the boat go under, then go under and
flip back- that’s totally normal. Turns out they know what they’re doing (and
it came in handy when we really did flip). We went down a waterfall- which was
a 17 foot drop- on purpose. They told us “outside” which basically meant look
outside, so we wouldn’t break our noses when the impact bent our boat in half…
I’m here to tell you- it doesn’t work(I have the bruised face to prove it). We
got to jump out and swim several times, which was cool in the strange currents.
There were places you could get in a whirlpool and it would just spin you
around in a circle. Then we went down a pretty cool class 4 and got pretty wet,
then stopped on Lunch Island.
During lunch I felt like I was on a tv show. It was this
shady paradise, complete with avocados, pineapples, and Ugandan tea (just the
highlights of course). We got to eat so much, relax, and reapply sunscreen. I
love the fact that there is a seemingly endless supply of fresh fruits here. We
rested for a few minutes and then headed back out. Guess they don’t know about
waiting 30 minutes after eating before you swim.
The next leg of our journey was pretty mild. We went through
one or two crazy rapids, and then had a several mile stretch of calm water-
where we had to either paddle or not move. We got to take our helmets and vests
off and swim. I think altogether they said we went 20 miles. Floating along,
getting some sun, watching out for crocodiles- slightly reminiscent of home
(minus the croc part of course). Paddling for hours made my arms super buff
too!
I think the last leg was definitely the most amazing by far.
We had to paddle really hard to get to shore and not get sucked into the class
6 rapid. Let me tell you- it was SCARY looking. They said pretty much if you
went into it you were a goner. We had to come ashore and walk around, while
they carried our boats. It was huge. Then the part we put back in was still
just as scary looking. I was like excuse me I don’t really want to get in here,
but we had no choice. We did however have a choice to go safely down the class
2, or paddle into the middle- class 4 aftermath- which of course we did. I kept
praying “dear God make me a bird so I can fly, far, far, away” but I think
instead He made me a fish… I’m pretty sure in the next 2 or 3 rapids we
flipped. At one point I went under and wasn’t sure I was ever going to come up.
(I found out later that Kyle and Matt had fell in over me, and Kyle was pushing
me down in his struggle upward) There came a point when I became alarmed and
was fighting for breath, and it turns out you can’t breathe in water. So I shot
up out of the water, thinking finally Hallelujah! But then when I tried to breathe
I still couldn’t. I had ingested quite a bit of water, and it took a couple
seconds of coughing and gagging to get my breath back. Then I realized the
water was sweeping me straight towards the rocks. Luckily for me there are
these cool rescue kayakers, and there was one nearby that came to my rescue. I
held on to the kayak for dear life as he paddled me back to the boat. To make
matters worse we were coming up on another pretty big rapid, and I needed to
get into the boat- fast. In case you
don’t know- I don’t have a lot of upper body strength, which is what is needed
to pull yourself into a raft. It takes a little while for me to get up enough
umph to push myself up, then be dragged the rest of the way in via life vest by
my teammates. Luckily for me God created adrenaline, and I went into high gear
and got in before the next crazy rapid (during which im pretty sure we flipped
again.)
At one point we went through a pretty rough rapid where a
huge wave crashed over our boat. I braced myself and held on as the wave spent
over us. Then I looked up and there was no one in the boat! Turns out Ashley
and Carrie were behind me, but I had a moment of “oh no, the rapture’s
happened, what am I to do here by myself?!” Most of our boat had been swept out
and were struggling for air down the rapid. It was insane.
The last leg was more beautiful, peaceful, and serene that I
could ever explain. After facing what I had thought was sure death and coming
out to this magnificent display of beauty I almost cried. God is such a great
artist, and He made me!
So exhausted we came ashore only to find out there was a
small mountain we had to climb to get to the buses. No big deal, I just
conquered the Nile, no sweat. (I was sooo tired) Anywho It was worth it when we
got to the top they gave us all the beef-pineapple kabobs and drinks we wanted.
All-in-all one of the craziest days of my life.
