Alive and Kicking!

Well, between lack of internet and being on the move for the last couple of weeks, I seem to be terrible at this blogging thing! I'm now in Uganda (Kampala) so will quickly recap my Kenya experience...

My first week in Kenya was luxurious. I met up with Dona just fine after a problem-free journey from London. Qatar Airways is now my favorite. It has old school luxuries and almost unbelievable staff. Think about it for your next trip!

Dona and I had one night in Mombasa before heading out to the island of Lamu, by bus. The trip was very long and tiring but it was all worth as we saw where we staying. There were 40 of us on the island in four beautiful houses. The largest of the houses was four stories, right on the beach and included an infinity pool. We had our own chef and house staff that catered to our every need. We actually befriended them and we had such a fun time hanging out. They even took us to their local bar. So much more happened on Lamu that I can't include because I'm running out of time here and I want to share my most recent experience.

After Lamu, and meeting up with Dona's friend, Lara, we decided to head to Uganda. Lara had already spent a week in Kenya doing a safari etc. so didn't want to do it again and Dona has a friend who will take us on safari in Tanzania anyway. So we took a bus from Lamu to Mombasa (9 hours), the next day from Mombasa to Nairobi (12 hours) and finally Nairobi to Jinja (12 hours). It was a hellish trip but, again, worth it. Jinja is home to white water rafting on the Nile. The Nile actually begins here and is fed from Lake Victoria. When I heard this, of course being the adventure junky I am, I had to do it!

So we set off on the water last Tuesday. I have to say that it was the most terrifying experience of my life and if my raft isn't gently floating along with my six pack hanging in the water from the back, my bum isn't getting in! We did the full day option which included 10 rapids ranging from class 3 to 5. Obviously we had a lot of training in the water at the beginning and when they wanted is the water I hesitated, it was the Nile after all. That would turn out to be the least of my worries! It's a good thing we had the training because I needed every bit of it. The first rapid we had to conquer was a class 5 and unfortunately for me, I didn't heed the "get down" order from the guide fast enough and turned around just in time to see a wall of water before it flicked me off the raft right into the thick of the rapid. All I thought when it hit was "oh no" then in the water all I could focus on was desperately trying to catch my breath in between beatings from the water. I then hit my foot on a rock and remembered to keep my feet up, just in time as I was pushed between two large rocks jutting out of the water. I cracked my knee on this going through. Then, as fast I was in it, I was out. A safety kayak had come and rescued me and it was only as I clung to the front of his boat that I became conscious of what had just happened. It was going to be a long day - 9 more rapids to get through. By the time we got to the last rapid we had flipped twice and gone over a 10 foot waterfall. Saying I was done would be an understatement. The last rapid of the day was called the bad place and that's exactly where I went mentally and emotionally. We had to get off the raft and walk around the class 6 part of the rapid. It was the scariest thing I have ever seen and the thoughts of getting in the boat again and riding the last part was more terrifying than I can put into words. (Not to mention that it had just poured with rain on us for about an hour - rain like I'd never seen.) So we get in the boat and the guide asks if we are ready - I am on the verge of tears and he must have noticed because he said "Kate, you're going to be ok, got it? We're going to be ok." Not convinced, I choked back my tears. We set off, hit the first rapids...we made it. We were in a calm spot before the next rapid that definitely looked liked we were going to flip. It was then we saw that a girl on our boat had split her lip right through from her paddle smacking her in the face. This made the guide decide to miss out the last rapid so we gently glided through and then back to the bus. I have never felt so broken. My chest and stomach didn't untighten until I was in dry clothes next to the bus half way through my first beer. It was an incredible experience but will be the only time I attempt white water rafting.

We're now in Kampala. We tried to book a trip to see the Gorillas by the border with the Congo but all the permits are sold. So we're going to go up to Mirschesen Falls in the North. Guess it's difficult to get to so the girls are thinking of hitch hiking. Not to keen but we'll see how it goes.

Hope you're all well and I will try to be better at communicating!