Considering our close proximity to the source of the White Nile, it would be a shame to miss an opportunity to spend some time in the water. Shea and I signed up for a day of paddling in a plastic bucket with Kayak the Nile. After a morning of training in the flatwater, we headed off to the rapids where we capsized at almost every turn, but looked good doing it. Luckily our guide David, who competed in the last World Kayak Championships, was there to save us from drowning due to incompetence. This guy was really brilliant. His enthusiasm was contagious as he forward flipped and pirouetted while waiting for us in the flatwater.
The guys at Kayak the Nile really run a slick operation and commendably try to provide as much employment as possible through partnerships with service providers in the community. Our lunch was prepared in the village and the transit to the white-water section of the river was conducted in an “off-road” Mutatu*.
We enjoyed our day out with David so much that I signed up for a second run with my brother, Shaun, when he arrived for our two-week brotherly bonding stint while Shea was attending weddings in the US. We are both naturally competitive and he is bigger than me so I like a rigged game.
After splashing about in the Nile, it was time to say goodbye to Jenny and Chris, our incredibly hospitable hosts in Jinja. We headed through to Sippy Falls for a day of hiking in mountain pastures. What a spot!
Our hike was led by the ever-knowledgeable Patrick, who also took us on a 100% local coffee tour where we were guided through every stage of the coffee making process from picking and drying the beans, to de-husking and roasting on a wood fire. Not to blow our own horn, but we are pretty damn talented coffee roasters. The locals say coffee used to be a beverage reserved for special occasions, but its increased popularity globally has made it much more accessible. The appropriately named Sipi Falls coffee is now grown and sold for export to all corners of the world.
* The East African term used to describe a Minibus Taxi.
Joburg to Scotland 