In the washing machine
Flippin' heck! That's me in the pink helmet.
The safety boatBy breakfast time on the Saturday news was beginning to filter through of trouble in nearby Kampala. The picture was very unclear, but the rumours suggested that there had been widespread violence in the street and 10 people had been killed. JJ was very grave about the situation and said he would find out more during the day. Obviously, the safety of the group was paramount and decisions had to be made about the progress of our trip.
Concerning though all of this was it did not dampen my enthusiasm for what I intended to do with our free day.
The previous evening a young American called Bob had called by over dinner to tell the group about white water rafting. It sounded wicked and since most of the falls to be faced were Grade 5, much tougher than the Grade 3 rafting we had in Turkey it presented a new and exciting challenge. But when Bob asked who was interested only one hand shot in the air - mine.
Overnight though two of the younger members of the group, Helen and Susie, decided that they would take up the challenge too. The three of us made our way to the bar area where we were to meet with Bob and sign up for a full day of rafting the Nile.
The Company that organises the rafting is called Adrift and they operate out of a little shack next to the bar. As we each paid our money there was a cry of 'Snake!' and the people in the shack soon left it.
A burly guy with a scaffolding pole then stepped in and took control of the situation. From where I was I saw this chap conduct a mighty battle with what I took to be a monstrous serpent that was hidden from my view behind the counter. I heard the word 'cobra' mentioned. After several minutes of jabbing with the pole and putting his life on the line our hero emerged, complete with snake.
The snake was green in colour and no more than 10 inches long. It appeared to be what is referred to as a house snake. Despite this poor thing being no more dangerous than the corn snakes I keep at home this guy decapitated it with grim satisfaction. It seems he had a thing about snakes.
Not the best start to the day and it didn't improve much when our new friend Bob seemed to have an attitude problem that soon earned him the epithet 'Bob the Knob'. Maybe he was just hung over or maybe he was disappointed at the number and quality of his clients. Apart from Helen, Susie and me there were just two others - a pair of very nice Indian ladies who were touring Africa together. One of them couldn't swim. It seemed that the trouble in Kampala had reduced the client base.
Kitted out with life vests, helmets and paddles the five of us made our way down to the river with Bob, who went through the rudiments of rafting and various drills. His mood did not lighten and it became obvious that he didn't want the Indian ladies on board. He made this obvious through his constant suggestions that they'd be better of in the safety boat where no paddling is required and which hardly ever flips over.
But the ladies in question stuck to their guns, they'd paid for adventure and they were going to have it . But when Bob the Knob explained how he was going to flip our boat over on purpose by way of a practice for getting it upright again and climbing back on board their resolve finally failed and they opted to move to the safety boat. Helen also went as she was concerned about a severe injury to her elbow that had occurred only a few months previously. And then there were three - Susie, Bob the Knob and me.
What followed was a fantastic adventure that epitomised everything this trip was about for me. Over the course of the day we navigated more than 20 miles of the River Nile, negotiating five Grade 5 rapids and other lesser falls. Grade 5 is the highest level that can be attempted commercially.
All the rapids had names, such as Easy Rider, Point Break and Overtime. Often there were long stretches of slack water between them when we could drift with the current and simply enjoy being on this awe inspiring river. Our route was dotted with Fish Eagles and other wild life. Nile perch broke the surface here and there. On both banks there were people going about their daily business and using the river as a wash room and launderette.
The presence of these people added another safety feature into our journey as they kill any Nile Crocodiles that appear in order to protect their children. Good news for us but bad news for the crocodiles.
When we rafted in Turkey there were stretches of river where we could get out of the raft and float alongside. When Susie and I suggested this to Bob he quickly quashed the idea. Perhaps he wasn't confident that all the crocs had been taken care of.
As it was we had plenty of opportunities to swim. A giant wave flipped Susie and I out of the raft on one occasion and despite our best efforts the boat completely flipped over three times. By the last time I was finally getting the hang of it and managed to hang on to the boat with one hand and my paddle with the other even though it felt like I was in a washing machine.
The scariest part when being suddenly catapulted into the water is the few seconds of being pounded by the water when you can't tell up from down and wonder where the next breath is coming from. But despite its ferocity, the Nile is relatively safe to raft down as it is very deep so there is little chance of hitting a rock or getting wedged under one.
This wasn't the case for a previous visitor from Holland. He decided to save a few dollars by avoiding the organised rafting and set out on his own in one of those small inflatable rafts you see at the seaside. He actually made it an incredibly long way before choosing the wrong side of the river and heading into a Grade 6 rapid. Bob showed us the rapid in question which is now known as The Dead Dutchman.
It was a day I will never forget and as it wore on Bob became more and more affable. He was very good at his job and was clearly very happy to live a nomadic lifestyle picking up rafting jobs and working as a ski instructor, according to season. At one point he even joined me in singing a very rude song my children introduced me to that was perfect for the occasion - 'I'm on a boat' by Incredibad.
As a souvenir Helen, Susie and I all bought CDs containing pictures of our journey. Looking at those pictures I still find it incredible that an average, middle aged bloke from Yorkshire should find himself plunging down one of the world's legendary rivers in a mix of awe and adrenalin. I came to Africa looking for adventure and found it in abundance on the Nile.
Concerning though all of this was it did not dampen my enthusiasm for what I intended to do with our free day.
The previous evening a young American called Bob had called by over dinner to tell the group about white water rafting. It sounded wicked and since most of the falls to be faced were Grade 5, much tougher than the Grade 3 rafting we had in Turkey it presented a new and exciting challenge. But when Bob asked who was interested only one hand shot in the air - mine.
Overnight though two of the younger members of the group, Helen and Susie, decided that they would take up the challenge too. The three of us made our way to the bar area where we were to meet with Bob and sign up for a full day of rafting the Nile.
The Company that organises the rafting is called Adrift and they operate out of a little shack next to the bar. As we each paid our money there was a cry of 'Snake!' and the people in the shack soon left it.
A burly guy with a scaffolding pole then stepped in and took control of the situation. From where I was I saw this chap conduct a mighty battle with what I took to be a monstrous serpent that was hidden from my view behind the counter. I heard the word 'cobra' mentioned. After several minutes of jabbing with the pole and putting his life on the line our hero emerged, complete with snake.
The snake was green in colour and no more than 10 inches long. It appeared to be what is referred to as a house snake. Despite this poor thing being no more dangerous than the corn snakes I keep at home this guy decapitated it with grim satisfaction. It seems he had a thing about snakes.
Not the best start to the day and it didn't improve much when our new friend Bob seemed to have an attitude problem that soon earned him the epithet 'Bob the Knob'. Maybe he was just hung over or maybe he was disappointed at the number and quality of his clients. Apart from Helen, Susie and me there were just two others - a pair of very nice Indian ladies who were touring Africa together. One of them couldn't swim. It seemed that the trouble in Kampala had reduced the client base.
Kitted out with life vests, helmets and paddles the five of us made our way down to the river with Bob, who went through the rudiments of rafting and various drills. His mood did not lighten and it became obvious that he didn't want the Indian ladies on board. He made this obvious through his constant suggestions that they'd be better of in the safety boat where no paddling is required and which hardly ever flips over.
But the ladies in question stuck to their guns, they'd paid for adventure and they were going to have it . But when Bob the Knob explained how he was going to flip our boat over on purpose by way of a practice for getting it upright again and climbing back on board their resolve finally failed and they opted to move to the safety boat. Helen also went as she was concerned about a severe injury to her elbow that had occurred only a few months previously. And then there were three - Susie, Bob the Knob and me.
What followed was a fantastic adventure that epitomised everything this trip was about for me. Over the course of the day we navigated more than 20 miles of the River Nile, negotiating five Grade 5 rapids and other lesser falls. Grade 5 is the highest level that can be attempted commercially.
All the rapids had names, such as Easy Rider, Point Break and Overtime. Often there were long stretches of slack water between them when we could drift with the current and simply enjoy being on this awe inspiring river. Our route was dotted with Fish Eagles and other wild life. Nile perch broke the surface here and there. On both banks there were people going about their daily business and using the river as a wash room and launderette.
The presence of these people added another safety feature into our journey as they kill any Nile Crocodiles that appear in order to protect their children. Good news for us but bad news for the crocodiles.
When we rafted in Turkey there were stretches of river where we could get out of the raft and float alongside. When Susie and I suggested this to Bob he quickly quashed the idea. Perhaps he wasn't confident that all the crocs had been taken care of.
As it was we had plenty of opportunities to swim. A giant wave flipped Susie and I out of the raft on one occasion and despite our best efforts the boat completely flipped over three times. By the last time I was finally getting the hang of it and managed to hang on to the boat with one hand and my paddle with the other even though it felt like I was in a washing machine.
The scariest part when being suddenly catapulted into the water is the few seconds of being pounded by the water when you can't tell up from down and wonder where the next breath is coming from. But despite its ferocity, the Nile is relatively safe to raft down as it is very deep so there is little chance of hitting a rock or getting wedged under one.
This wasn't the case for a previous visitor from Holland. He decided to save a few dollars by avoiding the organised rafting and set out on his own in one of those small inflatable rafts you see at the seaside. He actually made it an incredibly long way before choosing the wrong side of the river and heading into a Grade 6 rapid. Bob showed us the rapid in question which is now known as The Dead Dutchman.
It was a day I will never forget and as it wore on Bob became more and more affable. He was very good at his job and was clearly very happy to live a nomadic lifestyle picking up rafting jobs and working as a ski instructor, according to season. At one point he even joined me in singing a very rude song my children introduced me to that was perfect for the occasion - 'I'm on a boat' by Incredibad.
As a souvenir Helen, Susie and I all bought CDs containing pictures of our journey. Looking at those pictures I still find it incredible that an average, middle aged bloke from Yorkshire should find himself plunging down one of the world's legendary rivers in a mix of awe and adrenalin. I came to Africa looking for adventure and found it in abundance on the Nile.
Bryan your blog is fab and bringing back many good memories.
ReplyDeleteHappy travelling!