Friday, December 31, 2004
So where did I leave off? The trip to Kampala was uneventful, just long - except for the start. Our bus reservations suddenly weren't any good, because the bus company decided not to run a bus that day. Fortunately there were enough of us that we could rent a minivan to take us to the border with Uganda, and then we could take a local bus for the rest of the way.
We stayed at the Blue Mango, then went to Jinji and the Nile River Explorers the next day. The Blue Mango was a hostel - sleeping dorm style, but the restaurant, pool and lounge were quite posh. Quite a change from the usual Peace Corps digs.
Rafting the Nile headwaters below the Owen Falls Dam was a real KICK. The guys in my raft were all gung ho to do things the hard way, so our guide made sure that we went through all the Class 5 rapids sideways instead of head on. Nice guy! I was in the middle of the boat, which I think is rather like being in the middle of the roller coaster - it is the front and the back that get the biggest thrills. In the middle, it was, well - paddle like hell, grab the rope on the side of the boat and lean toward the middle, look up at the wall of water coming at you, yell as the raft flies away from you, enjoy all the bubbles while getting swept along and waiting to come back to the surface, swim toward the boat, or hitch a ride with the kayak safety guys. It was sort of like being in a washing machine, but fun.
After the Nile, the gang split up in different directions. I need to go back to my site to get some forms that need to be filled out before out meeing in Dar es Salaam next week. So I am writing from Bukoba, just got a first class berth for the overnight ferry back. Think I will be asleep when the new year rings in.
Mike was a Canadian in our raft, nice guy. After the Nile we both went to the Red Chili in Kampala for our last night in Uganda. The RC is a campsite, much lower key than the Blue Mango. But that kind of place seems friendlier, and more interesting things happen. There were some Uganda Peace Corps people there, and it was fun to get their perspective on things, though it sounded pretty familiar overall. They tend to be teaching teachers though, working on methods and stuff, rather than actually BEING teachers the way we are in Tanzania. Seems like that might make a stronger contribution to change, somehow.
Mike met an Australian there who had swung a deal. The UN has five ambulances in Kampala, and was looking for drivers to take them to Darfur in the Sudan. So the Aussy and Mike both signed on. Four days driving under UN auspices, earning $50/day and getting a flight back to Nairobi. Not bad! If I weren't in the Peace Corps....
We stayed at the Blue Mango, then went to Jinji and the Nile River Explorers the next day. The Blue Mango was a hostel - sleeping dorm style, but the restaurant, pool and lounge were quite posh. Quite a change from the usual Peace Corps digs.
Rafting the Nile headwaters below the Owen Falls Dam was a real KICK. The guys in my raft were all gung ho to do things the hard way, so our guide made sure that we went through all the Class 5 rapids sideways instead of head on. Nice guy! I was in the middle of the boat, which I think is rather like being in the middle of the roller coaster - it is the front and the back that get the biggest thrills. In the middle, it was, well - paddle like hell, grab the rope on the side of the boat and lean toward the middle, look up at the wall of water coming at you, yell as the raft flies away from you, enjoy all the bubbles while getting swept along and waiting to come back to the surface, swim toward the boat, or hitch a ride with the kayak safety guys. It was sort of like being in a washing machine, but fun.
After the Nile, the gang split up in different directions. I need to go back to my site to get some forms that need to be filled out before out meeing in Dar es Salaam next week. So I am writing from Bukoba, just got a first class berth for the overnight ferry back. Think I will be asleep when the new year rings in.
Mike was a Canadian in our raft, nice guy. After the Nile we both went to the Red Chili in Kampala for our last night in Uganda. The RC is a campsite, much lower key than the Blue Mango. But that kind of place seems friendlier, and more interesting things happen. There were some Uganda Peace Corps people there, and it was fun to get their perspective on things, though it sounded pretty familiar overall. They tend to be teaching teachers though, working on methods and stuff, rather than actually BEING teachers the way we are in Tanzania. Seems like that might make a stronger contribution to change, somehow.
Mike met an Australian there who had swung a deal. The UN has five ambulances in Kampala, and was looking for drivers to take them to Darfur in the Sudan. So the Aussy and Mike both signed on. Four days driving under UN auspices, earning $50/day and getting a flight back to Nairobi. Not bad! If I weren't in the Peace Corps....
