Uganda

Hello Friends

We've made it to Kampala. We've been here a week now and I still haven't recovered from my white water rafting we're-all-going-to-die experience.

Rafting on the source of the nile is a relatively new phenomenon. They've only been doing it for the last few years and it's not hard to see why. It is a Grade 5 river which means that it has several Grade 5 rapdis (the most challenging rapid a rafter will raft) without portage (this is where it is possible to walk around the rapids). Yoweri Museveni (Ugandan leader) claims that it is safe but I wonder if he's actually been down the rapids himself.

We fell out on the very first rapid. Imagine bobbing around in churning water as your boat comes crashing down over your head, pushing you under. Imagine then that as you frantically grip on to the rope of the boat, your eyes screwed shut because you never open them underwater, you find that there are two bodies equally terrified between you and the surface. Imagine the terror of having to let go of that rope - the one everyone said NOT to let go of - so that you can finally break the surface. Imagine thinking to yourself "Hey, look at me. Now I'm one of those drowning people so desperate to get air that they will pull others around them down. Hey, don't blame me, you know I can't help it". Imagine, this entire ordeal takes only seconds but in your head, it feels like a lifetime.

Malachy wants to do it again of course. We sat out two Grade fives and he wants to complete them. He's crazy. But I find myself reconsidering the bungee jump over the Victoria Falls. What do you think I should do? Reply poste haste please... Should I do the rafting again? Should I do the bungee.

PS. Who's read Harry Potter? I'm on chapter five and it looks pretty good.

Niamh.

Londiani

Hello

Have you heard about the Friends of Londiani? They are a local NGO at home and they are doing fabulous work in Western Uganda. I've never been more impressed by the work of an NGO. The communities that they are helping are so grateful. It's truly wonderful.

We visited them and will be writing about them in the coming weeks.

If you are a CSPE class, why not explore the Friends of Londiani. Fundraise for them. They will put your money to good use. Invite them to speak to you about their time in Londiani - they are very local - but don't tell them I suggested it!

They are working on schools and hospitals and peer education and renovations and health care and so much more. Find out about them.

Niamh.

Nairobi and Mombasa

About Nairobi and Mombassa

Well... we made it to Kenya. It was a really tough journey. Five days on a bus and a lorry to cover 1,450 Km, the Ethiopian half nicely paved, the Kenyan side a rough rough journey. Nairobi has been a treat. We saw 'Madagascar' but missed 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. There are some good restaurants which we have enjoyed, such as Carnivore, where they cook all sorts of meat over a huge round barbeque. We tasted crocodile and ostrich among others.

It's a real shame that the streets get so dangerous at night. We had to take a taxi if we wanted to go out after dark for fear of getting robbed.

We did a short safari in the Masai Mara National Park, which was beautiful, and then took the lunatic express to Mombasa on the Indian Ocean. The overnight train stopped a few hours before Mombasa due to a derailment further up the track. Mombasa was really nice but on our first evening, we returned from dinner to our hotel room to find that someone had broken in stolen our cameras. Our gorgeous photos of the safari were gone! We were gutted.

The old town is a magical labyrinth of narrow streets, ornate doors with Arab inscriptions and upper balconies with intricate latticed wood and iron work. Through an open gate we spotted the blue sea. When we went over to see more, we saw men unloading sacks of grain from a ship by hand, bending under the heavy weight and the strong sun. We wandered around peaceful Fort Jesus and took a couple of day trips down the coast to balmy Tiwi Beach for swims and sunburn.

We'll write lots more soon. Drop us a note if you can.

Malachy