Tuesday, September 01, 2015

Uganda - Jinja - The Source of the Nile

The first order of business today was a private boat tour on the Nile River to see the birds and make a stop at the source of the Nile.


Alison looking all hot.


Descending the stairs to the boat launch. Make it sew.


The Jinja bridges over the Nile.


On the boat.


This was our boat captain and guide, Samuel.


Sometimes the shadows make it difficult to get a good picture of our faces.


Add a little flash gets us 3 of the 4...  In front of us is our personal ornithologist who is a member of the high council in the Jinja District and has spent a lot of time studying birds.  Following are a bunch of pictures of birds, most of which names I don't remember.  Uganda is a bird watcher's paradise and has more birds and types of birds per square mile than anywhere else in the world (source: locals).


Woodland King Fisher.


Birds in a tree.


Bird in the bush.


Another Woodland King Fisher.


Drying his wings.


Monitor lizard.


Birding.


Pied King Fisher.


Black bird.


Loch Ness bird.


White bird.


A memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.  After his death some of his ashes were scattered here at the source of the Nile.


Live Every Moment.


Some of the local ladies coming down to the river for water.


An Ibis.


Look at the happy couple.


These huts are on a small island in the middle of the Nile. They're some small shops for tourists at the source of the Nile.


Do not pee.


At the source of R. Nile. Jinja. World's Longest River.  The Nile is fed from two sources, Lake Victoria and an underground spring that sits just behind this sign (you can see some of the bubbling of the water).  I heard that 70% of the water comes from the spring and the remaining water from the Lake.


With this hat I can join Jean's Golden Girls (the old ladies who dance at the Jazz, Utes and BYU basketball halftime show each year)...


Our boat, the Pearl of Africa.  It was nice, but it certainly wasn't a pearl...


A family at their river-side hut with their pigs.