The Nile

Beautiful river, green green foliage, 12 rapids 5 of which are class 5, a bunch of misplaced ex-pat river guides looking living life from one river to the next, and 7 unsuspecting little rowers on a big red boat = one heck of a time.

- Training lasted about 20 min

- The first rapid we hit with enthusiasm, confidence, and deaf ears becuase we never heard Peter (who told us he was Muzungu before he moved to Uganda, but since he's been living here so long the sun has turned him African) yell "GET DOWN!". Which meant we flipped right off the bat. It's amazing in all the tumbling water, tumbling people, and tumbling oars that I bumped right into the boat and found the rope to grab on to (for dear life). Much struggling later we all managed to get back into the boat to find someone's oar hit Peter smack in the nose on the way down. Happy Birthday Peter. This is our gift to you - a gash on your nose. You won't soon forget us. :)

- The coolest rapid was going down a 4 meter drop waterfall, and surviving. We almost landed on another boat that was stuck in the fall but they got out just in the nick of time. We, or course, had no idea there was any problem. We were just trying to get ourselves stuck off a rock. Good thing we were stuck...

- The worst rapid was just ahead. Class 5. Hard forward, then get down. We got down this time. It's quite the rush to see yourself speeding uncontrolably at a giant wall of angry water thinking you are going to go over the top of it with no problems. Right. Mother Nature demands respect. I can believe why a cat would never make it in a washing machine. Certain death. And that is what I thought - not about the cat, but about teh washing machine. I may have even said to myself "This could be the end". Tumbling, tumbling, around and around not moving toward the top of the water. I had to remind myself to stay calm. Eventually my life jacket would do it's job. Don't panic because that just makes it worse. After what seemed a literal eternity I felt myself being pulled to the top (all in slow motion but I'm sure it happened within a matter of 45 seconds) and I popped to the top, gasped for air and was greeted with another giant slap of white water and under again. wash, rinse, repeat about 4 more times.

I like to think I'm all hard core. But sometimes it's just more fun to stay in the boat and not feel like you are drowning and this was exactly what it was like last time you were caught in a rip tide in the Atlantic OCean the day after a hurricane - no relief from the waves always being pushed under. But all things in life, it came to an end and I'm still alive. :) I knew I would be. Not being able to breath can just make you forget a bit of logic every once in a while.

- The people I met were awesome. We had a boat of kids staying in Kenya. Just when you think you are living a pretty cool life, you meet someone who has been to Pakistan for the earthquake and Thailand for the Tsunami, and Liberia and here and there and Sudan and Chad and then you think "This is the person who wants the same job I do". IT's always funny to meet a muzungu in Africa. We're so displaced that you have to be doing something cool or have some crazy story to tell. I just love meeting people and hearing all about their incredible lives.

- Rafting was great. I got a wonderful gospel analogy out of it, a serious bruise on my bum from meeting a rock going Mach 3 after falling out at "The Bad Place" on our last rapid, matching bruises on my shins and arms right above my elbow (odd), new friends from S. Africa and Phildelphia, and the right to say "I rafted the Nile". It was totally worth it. My bum is already starting to feel better and it's only been a week. :)