Sorry guys, I have been away from a computer for a few days. I'll try to catch up on the highlights of last week.
Friday I went rafting on the Nile. Starting at the "Source of the Nile," above Lake Victoria, and rafting some 28 kilometers. Throughout the day we hit several large class 4's and 5's, as well as one eight-foot water fall. In between rapids was smooth riding, and everyone was quick to jump in for a swim. The scenery was amazing and we saw tons of wildlife. We counted ten Red-tailed monkeys and later in the afternoon, watched as hundreds of bats flew overhead. In one area we jumped in for a swim without getting permission. Our guide Palo quickly let us know it wasn't a good place to get in. "Why not?" we asked, "Are there rocks?" "No, there's crocodiles."
Over the course of the day, our raft flipped twice and I got flung out another two times. Once I took the guide with me. I caught him with my feet and knocked him out of the boat. Just after hitting Bujagali falls, we stopped to watch a local African guy go through the rapids with nothing but a Jerry-can. "It's how he makes his money." Palo explained.
Back in Kampala on Sunday, I was still feeling very much awake so I went out on the town. I met some guys around my age who took me to the local hangout spots. We played pool and watched Karaoke. I went into a casino and turned my 10,000 into 25,000 in less than thirty minutes. Too bad it was only Ugandan Shillings and it takes 1500 of them to make a dollar. Later that night I got a Boda and took a night tour of the city. There was hardly anyone out after midnight and the streets were surprisingly peaceful. My driver even switched me spots for a while and I got to drive.
When I made it back to Backpackers, it was closed and someone had taken my bunk. I tried to get some sleep on the concrete, but it never ended up working. Between the mosquito's, and lack of comfort, I may have got an hour of sleep. I ended up putting my head inside my mesh laundry bag to keep the bugs from biting my face anymore.
The next morning I had a three hour drive to catch up on sleep. I was on my way to Murchison falls for a Safari! Boo-ya! We took a boat up the Nile where we saw tons of hippos and crocs. One of the Hippos even charged the boat.
On the game drive, I pretty much got to see everything I ever wanted to; elephants, baboons, buffalo, all sorts of antelope and deer, giraffes, and even lions. Earlier that morning our guide told us how just the day before they nearly had a lion attack. If people move around too much, they see it as aggression and they'll jump on the vehicle. I was up on the roof rack when we came upon them. I felt a bit vulnerable just sitting out in the open with wild lions twenty feet away.
Back at the camp I stayed in a little one man tent. In the middle of the first night I was woke up from snorts coming from just outside my tent. The guy from my group who woke me up in the morning told me he found a pile of wart hogs outside my tent. The morning after that, we all woke up to find two hippos in our camp.
Today was our final day of safari and we went on a Chimp hike. It ended up being a bust and we never found them. Nonetheless, I still got to walk through a rain forest. Afterwards, the rest or the group headed back south to Kampala and I stayed behind to catch a bus heading North to Gulu.
I met William, who shares a small hut with his big brother, and the three of us are hanging out tonight. I've been so blessed along this trip. I seem to always meet the right people to help me find the way. Tomorrow I'll be reaching Atiak, just 20km from Sudan. I hear it's got the largest IDP camp in Uganda.
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