WE RAFTED THE NILE RIVER Y’ALL!!!! As you can tell, I didnt enjoy it at all! Haha! But in all seriousness this was one of the most INSANE things I have ever done! We split up into two rafts and when given the choice to do the “wild” or “mild” ride my raft (me, Paul, Elena, Kelsie, Rae, Jose, and Mike) chose wild while the other boat had the more timid rafters and they chose the mild route. After our in water safety briefing and orientation we made our way to our first rapid! Because of the regulations by ARCC, the highest class of rapids we could do was 4, but let me tell you it was still unbelievably awesome! At one point we reached class 5 or 6 (I can’t remember!) rapids and so we got our and walked and watched the kayakers conquer the waves!! We re-entered our rafts and continued the adventure stopping for an incredible lunch halfway before finishing up mid afternoon! During our time on the river, we didn’t just raft but we also got to swim and do jumps and flips of the rafts as well as we all SWAM through class 3 rapids!! It doesn’t sound like much but at the time let me tell you I thought I was going to die!! You jumped off the raft right before the rapids then we all went head on to face the rapids. They threw you all around upside down, forwards and backwards and I don’t think I breathed in any air for over 2 minutes but by the time we made it out alive we couldn’t believe what we had just done!! It was SOOO terrifying and exhilarating and when I think of that moment I know that is a feeling and experience I will cherish forever. By the end of the day we were all so exhausted and despite the 3+ layers of spf 50 waterproof sunscreen we all applied, we were the reddest tomatoes you’d ever seen! When I say this African sun is crazy, I mean it. And I’m sure being rig along the equator adds to the intensity as well! We ended our night looking through the few hundred photos the photographer took and we ordered Indian takeout which we enjoyed in the lounging area. This is definitely one of the most memorable days of my life, without a doubt.
(The company photographer POPPED OFF and took over 300 amazing photos so choosing a few is hard but if you ever want to see more, i’ve got tons!!)
Heather Goes Abroad 