To Jinga with Sam!

When Sally and the boys were no longer able to join us for our 2 day/1 night trip to Jinga, we had to make an alternative plan. Thankfully our dear friend Paige had already connected us to Sam! Sam owns a travel agency and within just a few hour notice, graciously rearranged his schedule to be able to take us. When we met him it felt like we were meeting an old friend. He took so much care to ensure we were getting the full Ugandan experience from learning phrases to trying new foods to understanding our surroundings. Just a few of our favorite moments and memories:
- Laughing continuously for morning till evening 😂
- Learned the phrase TIA “This is Africa” that refers to funny, outrageous things that would only happen. From people using their hands out the windows as blinkers (even where their real one works) to bird watching by toilet!
- Trying Stoney (a ginger soda), chicken on a stick and roasted plantains which all were delicious!
- The gorgeous drive through the country side and Mabira Tropical Rainforest. We went through fields of tea, sugar cane and banana trees on either side of us the whole drive!
- We arrived at our Air BnB that was so remote they had to drop a pin as their wasn’t an address. They even had a guide hop in the car with us to direct us. When he asked us where we from and we said American he responded “beautiful country… from what I see on google!” ❤️ We of course told him how much we loved HIS country!
- We all agreed the air bnb was one of the most stunning places we had ever been to! It was on a hilltop, overlooking the rapids in the Nile.
- We made our way to see the source of the Nile, where is begins! Our guide taught us all about how goes from Lake Victoria (where we were) the water then makes its way to the Mediterranean Sea through central and northern Uganda, Sudan and Egypt. It takes the water 3 months to complete this journey of 4,000 miles. The local name is Omugga Kiyiira.
- A special moment was Lisa teaching Sam how to use binoculars for the first time!
- One of the prettiest parts of the view was watching the fisherman wade in the water as the sun set.
- We had dinner at one of Sally’s favorite restaurants, Igar Cafe in the town of Jinga. We shared tasty chicken stew, hot chipati (bread) and a mango smoothie.
- We ended the night with my first visit to a grocery kiosk. We simply walked in, requested our breakfast supplies and they pulled them from high shelves behind the counter.Read more