Wheelsblog: Uganda (26.10.16)
Today was our rest day, although few British people would describe spending six hours on a bus as restful! Indeed Helen, who wasn’t feeling 100% in the morning and had chosen to stay behind, looked far more rested and well than the rest of us when we returned from Jinja! However, seeing God’s creativity at what Livingstone thought was the source of the Nile was worth the trip.
Despite being fairly close to the main road from Kampala, the waters of Jinja were incredibly peaceful. A short walk down the hill from where the bus parked brought us amazing views of the river Nile and where it meets Lake Victoria. Both the Wheels and RILD team went on a boat trip to see the springs that source part of the river, and Martin even did some shopping at a very conveniently placed hut on stilts!
We enjoyed seeing the variety of birds and wildlife along the river banks; from tiny kingfishers to huge marabou stalks, there was a lot to see. The pelicans looked like they were smirking at some private joke, a monitor lizard made a swift exit as soon as we came close, and hundreds of cormorants amused us by ducking into the water and then popping up somewhere nearby soon after.
After the boat there was time to shop as we made our way back up the hill. We engaged our haggling skills seriously, although occasionally did remember that we had ended up arguing over about 50p! Those that finished sooner had more time to look and play with the monkeys that live at the top of the hill. Most were very tame and would come close if they thought there might be food involved! A late lunch followed shortly afterwards and then it was back to the bus. The hustle and bustle of Ugandan town life and the variety of crops in the fields never fails to make the journey interesting although we were all ready for bed as soon as we got back to the hotel three hours later!