Following our Active April initiative, Aubrey and I decided to hike what always refer to as “the hill,” but what is actually called “Wanale Cliff.” On Saturday morning, we armed ourselves with water, a loaf of bread, peanut butter, salt and vinegar chips and two apples. One of our friends had given us the most obscure directions via text message, and off we went.
In the beginning, we managed to understand the absurd directions, but at some point, we began to wonder if we were ever going to climb this hill or just wander around it. When we asked a passerby for help, he directed us up this tiny path through someone’s matooke garden. Along the way, we continued to ask for guidance, and everyone was happy to help us. Finally, we reached the beginning of the path up.
This path could be better classified as stairs made of rocks! It was very steep, and we quickly found ourselves out of breath. Every so often, we would stop to “take pictures” and “admire the scenery,” while actually we were really trying to regain normal breathing. Meanwhile, people passed us as they went up or down. When people come down the hill, they essentially run, despite the slick rocks and precarious paths. Often, they are carrying various items on their heads and managed to maintain perfect balance without even using a hand to keep their belongings from falling! Aubrey and I continued to struggle up the hill with our frequent breaks for water and panting.
When we had nearly reached the top, it began to drizzle. It was so humid and I was so sweaty that I could no longer wear my sunglasses because they stayed permanently fogged. Needless to say, I began to worry about the descent before we had even finished the ascent! If we were having trouble keeping our traction now, what kind of disaster will occur on our way down? A few children, who were just hanging around, including one nearly asleep in a tree, found us to be a very interesting addition to their day. They began to follow behind us, playing along the way, as we slowly trudged to the top. Finally, we reached and lunch was the first business!
A little ways from the path was an awesome cliff that looked like the perfect place to have lunch. In order to reach it, we had to cross a small stream and a crevasse between the rocks. Aubrey and I were very uncertain whether or not it was a good idea to leap across because the rocks were slick with rain. As we stood there debating, one of the kids following us jumped across without any consideration. Well, we couldn’t get shown up by a bunch of kids. Laughing nervously, we both leaped across to our perfect lunch spot. Unfortunately, I’m a little anxious around heights, but once I sat down with my peanut butter sandwich, I started to feel a little more comfortable. I still kept freaking out watching this young boy stand so near a cliff that drops off into nothing for at least 200 feet. The two boys vultured around us for the entirety of our lunch, just waiting for any scraps we would share with them. Once we had finished our sandwiches, we gave them the remaining loaf of bread, which they devoured immediately.
As we opened our chips, we heard thunder. We are so high that we’re essentially in the clouds. Hearing thunder isn’t necessarily a good sign. Without too much panic, we decided to leave our cliff and move closer to the path before working on our salt and vinegar chips. We settled into a grassy spot just above the path and munched on our chips, while listening to the thunder. Eventually, we saw a streak of lightening and decided it was time to get away from the strike zone. Sadly, the chips were put away, and we made tentative lightening plans of diving into a ditch if need be! The way down was fast, but difficult from the mud and water on the path. Our soles quickly became caked with mud and grass, resulting in many slips and falls. Thankfully, we didn’t get hurt, just dirty and muddy.
When we were on the final stretch before reaching Mbale and a shower, we walked along the dilapidated road. As Americans, we always assume the side of the road to be the safe place for pedestrians. Well, that’s not always the case in Uganda. Apparently this road was so uneven with potholes, motorcycles prefer the side of the road. I have no idea how I heard the motorcycle behind us because he didn’t honk or even yell out, regardless I pushed Aubrey to the side but wasn’t quite out of the way as he passed us. He managed to run over my ankle and smack the side of my backpack, which sent me spinning. Of course, he was mad at us for being in the way! Although I usually can keep my cool in most situations, I couldn’t help yelling some very American phrases his way as he sped off. With great luck, I managed to get run over by a motorcycle, but escape unhurt! We didn’t tempt our fate again; we finished the remainder of our journey by walking in the middle of the road!
Below are some photos from our journey to Wanale Cliff.
In the beginning, we managed to understand the absurd directions, but at some point, we began to wonder if we were ever going to climb this hill or just wander around it. When we asked a passerby for help, he directed us up this tiny path through someone’s matooke garden. Along the way, we continued to ask for guidance, and everyone was happy to help us. Finally, we reached the beginning of the path up.
This path could be better classified as stairs made of rocks! It was very steep, and we quickly found ourselves out of breath. Every so often, we would stop to “take pictures” and “admire the scenery,” while actually we were really trying to regain normal breathing. Meanwhile, people passed us as they went up or down. When people come down the hill, they essentially run, despite the slick rocks and precarious paths. Often, they are carrying various items on their heads and managed to maintain perfect balance without even using a hand to keep their belongings from falling! Aubrey and I continued to struggle up the hill with our frequent breaks for water and panting.
When we had nearly reached the top, it began to drizzle. It was so humid and I was so sweaty that I could no longer wear my sunglasses because they stayed permanently fogged. Needless to say, I began to worry about the descent before we had even finished the ascent! If we were having trouble keeping our traction now, what kind of disaster will occur on our way down? A few children, who were just hanging around, including one nearly asleep in a tree, found us to be a very interesting addition to their day. They began to follow behind us, playing along the way, as we slowly trudged to the top. Finally, we reached and lunch was the first business!
A little ways from the path was an awesome cliff that looked like the perfect place to have lunch. In order to reach it, we had to cross a small stream and a crevasse between the rocks. Aubrey and I were very uncertain whether or not it was a good idea to leap across because the rocks were slick with rain. As we stood there debating, one of the kids following us jumped across without any consideration. Well, we couldn’t get shown up by a bunch of kids. Laughing nervously, we both leaped across to our perfect lunch spot. Unfortunately, I’m a little anxious around heights, but once I sat down with my peanut butter sandwich, I started to feel a little more comfortable. I still kept freaking out watching this young boy stand so near a cliff that drops off into nothing for at least 200 feet. The two boys vultured around us for the entirety of our lunch, just waiting for any scraps we would share with them. Once we had finished our sandwiches, we gave them the remaining loaf of bread, which they devoured immediately.
As we opened our chips, we heard thunder. We are so high that we’re essentially in the clouds. Hearing thunder isn’t necessarily a good sign. Without too much panic, we decided to leave our cliff and move closer to the path before working on our salt and vinegar chips. We settled into a grassy spot just above the path and munched on our chips, while listening to the thunder. Eventually, we saw a streak of lightening and decided it was time to get away from the strike zone. Sadly, the chips were put away, and we made tentative lightening plans of diving into a ditch if need be! The way down was fast, but difficult from the mud and water on the path. Our soles quickly became caked with mud and grass, resulting in many slips and falls. Thankfully, we didn’t get hurt, just dirty and muddy.
When we were on the final stretch before reaching Mbale and a shower, we walked along the dilapidated road. As Americans, we always assume the side of the road to be the safe place for pedestrians. Well, that’s not always the case in Uganda. Apparently this road was so uneven with potholes, motorcycles prefer the side of the road. I have no idea how I heard the motorcycle behind us because he didn’t honk or even yell out, regardless I pushed Aubrey to the side but wasn’t quite out of the way as he passed us. He managed to run over my ankle and smack the side of my backpack, which sent me spinning. Of course, he was mad at us for being in the way! Although I usually can keep my cool in most situations, I couldn’t help yelling some very American phrases his way as he sped off. With great luck, I managed to get run over by a motorcycle, but escape unhurt! We didn’t tempt our fate again; we finished the remainder of our journey by walking in the middle of the road!
Below are some photos from our journey to Wanale Cliff.
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