Last Saturday (10/30) I decided to hitch a ride with some other adoptive families to Jinja to see some touristy stuff. It ended up being four families and we took two mini-vans, which gave the kids a bit of room for the ride. Jinja is about 1.5- 3 hours away (depending on traffic) from Kampala and is a popular tourist stop. In my previous trips to Uganda I’ve only driven through and used the scary bathroom at the gas station. So I was excited to see a bit more. Jinja is home to the famed “Source of the Nile River”. Supposedly this is the start of the Nile that flows out of Lake Victoria. Remember, the Nile flows north, so it starts in Jinja and goes all of the way up to Egypt. Our first stop was at the Speke Monument. This is to commemorate the British man that allegedly first discovered the source. I asked our guide if he was really the first to discover it. He said, “No, us Africans knew it for years, we just didn’t know to tell anyone.” There is also a controversy over whether or not Mr. Speke was the first white man to make the discovery, but it says he is important on the monument, so he must be. From there we got on a great, rickety boat that took us around to see a bit of wildlife and some fishermen and led us straight to the “source” at the edge of Lake Victoria.
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| Fisherman on the Nile |
If you look closely in the picture below you can see some bubbles and circles… this is where the natural springs bubble up supplying the water.
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| Source of Nile River |
At the source there is also a marker/monument used to measure the distance to Egypt. As we pulled up to it, I asked the guide the significance of the men in the white robes. I was thinking it was some great baptismal service or they were there for some ancient rituals. The guide said, “I don’t know who those men are!” I was dying to know, and thankfully, one of them came up to me and started asking about our children. I guess four mzungu families with Ugandan babies was as much a sight to see as they were. Turns out they were Catholic Brothers out sightseeing. They work in Kampala feeding the poor and running an orphanage. They were so nice. I am glad one of them were as nosy as me.
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| Start of Nile River |
From there we went to Bugajali Falls. This is about 30 minutes away from the Source. These are very powerful rapids and a beautiful sight to see. You can even pay a man $5 to ride down the rapids on a jerry can (big plastic water can). Of course I had to do this. A few in the group saw it as an ethical dilemma… the man risking his life. I saw him as a capitalist and I figured that he does this all day long, what are the odds that the time I pay him is when he seriously hurts himself. I have video of this event, but unfortunately, I am in Africa where it takes 9 million years to upload video, so you’ll have to wait for that one. But it was pretty cool.
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| Bugajali Falls... doesn't Mercy look thrilled to be there. |
Then we went to lunch at a great restaurant that overlooked the Nile. We sat outside and we could watch the water. I had nachos for lunch! They were so yummy! I felt like I was in paradise. The restaurant is part of a mini-resort, so they also had a pool. Laney (Beth and Laney happened to be in Jinja the same day and met us for lunch) decided to keep Mercy entertained during lunch, so she took her to stick her feet in the pool. She loved it and I enjoyed finishing my meal and visiting without wrestling a toddler.
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| First time at a pool.... just feet this time. |
After lunch we headed back toward Kampala and stopped at Ssezziwe (sp??) Falls on the way. Part of me was tired (it was about 3 o’clock by this time) and not too interested in this stop. But oh my, I am so glad we did. It was gorgeous and so peaceful. It’s in the middle of nowhere and all of the sudden there is a great waterfall and you feel like you are in Hawaii… only more rustic. We got to hike up to the top of the falls. This was no easy task with a baby in a sling and wearing flip flops. Thankfully a couple of the other dads gave me a hand. Along the way, our guide explained to us that this is the site of a lot of ancestral worship and tribal ceremonies. We saw a cave where people come when they have a need and leave gifts (spears, food, and baskets, and other treasures) to their ancestors in order to have their prayers answered. At the sight there were some people having a celebration meal. The guide said that their prayers were answered so they brought the meal as a thank you. We also saw another area where a fire must always be burning. This is in honor of the King of Buganda (the main tribe in the greater Kampala area). Then around it were smaller “tents” set up with fires and gifts for the ancestors. It was very interesting to see, especially as Americans where we give so little thought to our ancestors or heritage, and these people go as far as to worship them. I wish they all could know the “Ancient of Days” who is the ultimate authority and longs to be their God.
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| Waterfall |
All in all it was a great day of sight-seeing and visiting. Mercy did great, except for a minor meltdown on the way home. And the day was a good distraction for me. Sometimes I need a day like that to keep my sanity. Aunt Trudy, why have you never taken me to Jinja before?
