Bujugali Falls

So after three weeks living in dirt huts and eating and drinking stuff that required a big... well "here goes hell" sigh and nod to each other, the silent, well if we go down, we go down together... before we ingested anything, and pooping over holes in the ground and showering with buckets or questionable water, we needed a bit or of a respite. Where better than Bujugali falls.. arguably the worlds best white water rafting right at the source of the Nile. We rolled up to camp and found ourselves in Paradise. The campground has a spectacular view of the Nile, the food was westernish, real showers, mosquito nets and toilets!... we were in heaven. It was a fun chance to hang out with some other travelers from all over the world... everyone has their own story. rather than joining one of the rafting groups we got guides and went down the Nile in tandem kayaks. Several class FIVE sections. It was one of the most intense things that I have ever done!... Nelson's guide was good... mine... well I spent more time upside down strapped into a kayak on HUGE rapids than rightside up... literally. To proactively put yourself in the force and energy of class five rapids is really ludicrous and it was amazing... we have some pics. The next day we chilled out and met Robert and travelled to his village. The last day we met up with some locals and took a private kayaking lesson... 17 bucks compared with 115 from the American guy... it was amazing, we worked on rolling and stuff like that and then went down some class three rapids by ourselves... nuts!... it actually gave me a lot of inspiration to help local groups run their own tourism adventure treks. They know the place better than the white guys, but they ALL end up working for the white guys, and sending all profits to Australia, America and Europe. We'll see. Our plan with Matosos is absolutely in stone and we are planning our trip back here in June... SCHAP is the name: Sustainable Comprehensive Humanitarian Assistance and Planning. We are really excited and perfectly hopeful. Once we were thoroughly rested and adventured, we took up our informal research project. We bussed into Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and found a chill hostel. Once there we met up with some new Ugandan friends and became acquainted with the place. LDS church today was really cool. They asked me point blank to speak in Sacrament meeting, so I did. Church was really nice and you could totally feel that LDSness there, in such a far and different place. Good people, working hard to be the best Saints that they can be. After that we ate with some church members and had a bit of a tour around Kampala. I think that we have become immuned to poverty. The sights and the smells don't turn my stomach like they used to. It is for two reasons, I think. One, we have seen lots and lots of it. Two, the people don't think that they are poor, its just life, so why should I think that they are poor. The conditions are horrendous, but they just live in them and operate fairly normal lives. Many of them have respectable jobs and just do the best that they can to put food on the table. On a disturbing note, today we saw a black stream at the bottom of a slum, this is common, the result of all the sewage and waste water running down the hill and collecting at the bottom, no plumbing. This black stream led into a little pool that was full of kids swimming. They were all still alive and apparently having the time of their lives, so all that we could do was laugh right along with them. Now when I see poverty, I analyze the ways that it could and should change, but I don't feel sorry for them.. they are people and should be thought of as people and not just poor helpless, african people. After our walk we concluded our night with a cultural performance featuring several dance styles from eastern Africa. Very cool... until next time.