Throughout Uganda one can
find a plethora of hidden gems… Gorillas in the southwest, the Source of The
Nile and milkshakes in the East, katenge fabric in the northwest and waterfalls
that straddle the Kenyan border.
As my time in the UG as a
Peace Corps Volunteer is quickly winding, there was one more thing I had to do…
Waterfalls.
Well thanks to a couple
days escape from the concrete city, I was able to take in series of falls just
north of Mbale.
Sipi Falls is a series of
three waterfalls that bring many people out to the remote Kapchorwa District
for hikes, breathtaking scenes, and the opportunity to find them one with
Mother Nature.
Originally the falls were
called Seb, which in the language of Kupsabiny that is spoken in that area
means the flow of water in large quantities. A very fitting name for the place.
Well then story goes that
an American man was then visiting the area and he was from Mississippi and the
people enjoyed the name that they decided to shorten it and rename the falls
Sipi!
The Sabiny tribe, who
resides in the area surrounding the Falls is the only tribe that speaks the
Kupsabiny language in all of Uganda but they have associate tribes in
Kenya.
Sipi Falls is
approximately 432 kilometers from the border.
Heights of the various
falls are as follows…
Top fall is measured at 78
meters.
The second fall, which
cannot be seen in the picture is behind the white house in the middle of the
picture towards the left, is measured at 60 meters.
The last and longest fall,
all the way on the left is measured at 99 meters.
My extension has been
everything and more but it has also emotionally and mentally drained me. I have not had many days off and when I do, I
am usually spending it with my youth in some capacity. Now I am not working 40-hours a week but it
always seems that I have 40-hours of work to complete…. From Peace Corps
mandated reports to program planning and getting in moments with my youth,
there never seems to be a free day to myself.
For my sanity and in order to end on a high note, I needed to rejuvenate.
This sparked my trip to
Sipi.
With my iPod in tote and
all other technological contraptions at home, I was ready for a 2-day escape.
After making it to my
accommodation at Crow’s Nest, which was started by a Peace Corps Volunteer some
years back, I was able to soak in my surroundings with a walk around the place. I saw the ominous clouds roll in over the
mountains and decided to make my way back, in which I was awe struck by the
rainbow that encompassed all the waterfalls.
While captured on film, there
is no justice that this picture does.
My two days were spent
with Malisha, one of the staff employees who shared the above information with
me, Antonio, my new 2-year-old friend, flocks of chickens, tea accompanied with
rice cakes topped with odii and dates, and reading a book on creative
facilitation written by the organization that In Movement bases its work off
of.
The days spent amongst the
trees and cooking fires were well enjoyed.
The hours spent on the bus
and taxi allowed for me to reminiscence. As landscape passed me by, I found that I was
moved to tears knowing that these were the final moments.
Moments that will last a
lifetime.
Thanks Sipi for a great
beginning to my final chapter as a PCV in the UG.
No comments:
Post a Comment