Heather Goes Abroad

UGANDA!! Kenya believe our time in our first country has come to an end??! Uganda be kidding me!! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the puns!) We left Lewa early and made our way with Jan and Turbo to the border! After a couple hours we all got our entry approved and it was time for money exchange! Exchanging currency at the border was an experience like I’ve never had! There were people in bright yellow jackets that worked for exchange companies so we went to them since banks at the border just don’t exist. When meeting with the men we first had to negotiate an exchange rate. Who knew you could barter for exchange rates! They want to make money and most tourist wouldn’t notice the difference so they give you a crazy beginning price that you have to barter to a more realistic price! After that we carefully counted all of our money and successfully sealed our deals! It was pretty stressful and the 30 degree equatorial heat and sunshine wasn’t helping, but as far as international border crossings go, everything went very smoothly! From there we continued our drive to Jinja, Uganda. We passed through some of the most incredible places I’ve ever seen. Kenya was stunning, but there’s something about Uganda that is its indescribable. Immodestly we noticed the difference between the tin and wooden Kenyan homes and the orange brick and dirt Ugandan homes. Uganda is a million times more orange than Kenya (or so it seems at least!) and it is so beautiful!! Uganda also seems much more lush and vibrant. I’m not sure how much of this is our location but in comparison of the places we’ve been, there’s a huge difference which is really interesting! By the end of the day we arrived at our camping area in Jinja, Uganda at the Nalubale Rafting Headquarters. We set up camp and cooked some supper then all went to bed early to prepare for a wild day tomorrow!