Sources of the White Nile are the perfect culmination of a journey of more than seven months in Africa. A geographic symbol that obsessed the great nineteenth-century European explorers; the veins of a sea, Lake Victoria, that escapes to the Mediterranean. Uganda, perhaps the most beautiful country of all for those who've been in these lands, is the beginning of the most historic river in the world. End here, front of a small plaque that reads "Welcome to the real source of the Nile" was fascinating.
In the first encounter with the onset of flow crossed the bridge leading to Jinja, and on the sacred waters a few kilometers from its source. A slap of progress, that knows no picture frames, put us on a dam, Ripon Dam, left, and a smoky factory right. Despite the crushing of the first image, no objection. Save a few prey, Insurance, a few lives of people living without power with which to preserve food or drinking water without playing Russian roulette.
The first toll-free number for reporting got AIDS or malaria cost us almost a month to get. The trouble is that we had to answer fell to 666, the devil's number, what is denied in several communities.
We went then to the hotel Haven: accommodation that we had recommended Jan-Willem, a Dutch, Gorilla Tours representative, who speaks Spanish and who also heads a unique cooperation project on rural health through sms (In Africa trip over a lot of people working on things that will dwarf). After dinner, paired with the inevitable South African wines, Jan tells us funny stories about your NGO. "The first toll-free number for reporting put AIDS or Malaria cost us nearly a month to get it. The trouble is that we had to answer fell to 666, the devil's number, what is denied in several communities. We had to go back to change everything ", explains. "Another time we hired a truck megaphone for raffles and report on preventive health care. We realized it was better to stay in a hospital area and not that they were moving through the area. We ask them to stay quiet, but the driver told us that he had been told to be circular. For them it was worse, They spend more money with gasoline, but it was impossible to understand that type improvised another plan " (an anecdote with which I also stumbled several times on the trip: Africans have a sense of orders, sort of fear of not doing what they have been ordered someone already). In order, was a great night, in a place of unique beauty. The Nile is there a card.
In the morning we took the car and went to our meeting with the coveted sources. We stopped first at the Bujagali falls. The river runs wild in an area where many people fast for rafting. Fishermen mend their nets, on the shore, while dozens of young men go hunting for tourists who got into a boat, sell a photo or, like me, offer a song. Where are you?, I asked a boy of about 12 years. “España”, tell. "If you give me money I sing a song". "I'd rather listen to the river, although I'm sure you do better ". The boy looks puzzled me, hold to see if I change my mind, and goes down when he sees a new group of "victims".
After nearly an hour at Bujagali, decided to go and the meeting with Speke and historical discovery for Europeans (have the bad habit in western discovery call things they had discovered. It is as if African school books say that the Rhine was discovered in 1874, date that was the first African [is an example not real]). Cover 24.000 shillings to enter the park of the Nile Sources. We paid exactly 4.000 more than the price indicated the door to a policeman who looked at us with a face of "I love the tips".
"If you give me money I sing a song". "I'd rather listen to the river, although I'm sure you do better ". The child looks at me puzzled and goes down when you see a new group of "victims".
We arrived at a parking lot in a brand of beer sponsor of the site. For the first time in Jinja, the country's tourism place, ran into an avalanche of souvenir shops that are on the sides of the stairs leading to the flow. Down, the boatmen are rushing to offer their services. Not a problem, the same all the paraphernalia of the dollar, from the coast you can see the immense Lake Victoria in the background and sees the beginning of the magical Nile. I sit quietly contemplating the scene. The feeling of having reached this nails in my stomach is moving in the seven months of unforgettable trip. Negotiate with a boatman to take us to the exact spot where the river begins (the 70 percent of the flow of the White Nile from Lake Victoria and 30 percent of a spring coming out of the bowels of the earth and that is between two islands. There is still much controversy about this statement).
For half an hour cruising between fishermen who cast their nets into the lake and calm waters. We went down to see the monolith also commemorates the discovery of Speke 1862. To celebrate so many emotions, just taking us a beer in the river, compared to sources, in a pub full of soccer teams jerseys (Spain, R Madrid and Barcelona had a special place) and we listened to country music: effects of globalization that is sure to change a little the landscape he saw Speke. He had come to the sources, with my partner in this adventure VOD, Ricardo, and was a perfect time to enjoy life. I'm a lucky guy.
