Uganda info

[Pia!]

Jevon, oh jevon- wait until you see the water. Then decide whether or not you'll need professional lessons.

Uganda IS cheap-if you go out with lots of experienced paddlers who'll take you down the rapids. Get a couple of lessons from Kayak the Nile then find people who you can tag along with- but let them know that you're a beginner so they'll know what they're getting themselves in to

Hmmm-what are jevon's chances:
drowning: 30-40%
death by other means: attack by ugandan longhorn-20%. Shot by Bujagali guy with rifle 40%. Eaten by twinky (that tiny white dog from ATV) 80%
contacting one ( or more of the following ) AIDS/HIV, other STI, malaria, dengue-fever,:use trust condoms and its 99.99%-pretty good odds!
Losing boat/paddles: 50-70%. Swimmers tend to lose things more easily-i learnt that lesson!!

[Jevon]

This has to change my survival betting odds...
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686252_1690372,00.html

but seriously:
1. no one can hook me up w/ the lonely planet...?
2. are there really no other good local kayak companies?  I know I need the lessons...
3. how badly do I need to bring my own gear... i.e. paddle, helmet... boat.  (I'm not even sure I can.)

[Peter O'Sullivan]

1. no one can hook me up w/ the lonely planet...? Easons, look for the East Africa version. Or ask some of the people who were there recently.

2. are there really no other good local kayak companies?  I know I need the lessons... There is only Kayakthenile ( KTN ). There are other rafting companies but only one kayaking company.
 
3. how badly do I need to bring my own gear... i.e. paddle, helmet... boat.  (I'm not even sure I can.) there are no shops out there. Search the web for instructions on how to fly your boat and gear over. You'll need spare paddles as well. No one will lend you gear out there. The river eats gear and people.

[SafeDee]

yeah you can borrow my bradt book but i want it back!

[Pia!]

You can rent gear off kayakthenile but its gonna get pretty expensive when you add in the lessons. You could rent a boat off them but if you want to continue paddling it'll work out cheaper to just buy a helmet, bouyancy aid, blades, spraydeck etc instead of renting.

[bexifurr]

YOu don't need a guide book. It's so much more fun to figure it out yourself.

The local boaters simply won't give you lessons, Jamie at kayakthenile has the monopoly out there, they all work for him and they don't do freelance.

YOur chances of bringing your own gear is getting less every day.

[Sick Boy]

your own gear? do you even have your own booties yet?

[Jevon]

Cian, I appreciate your concern, and I haven't been to Uganda or anything... but I think the water there is supposed to be pretty warm.  I don't think I'll be needing any booties.

[SafeDee]

ah jevon i really hope your messing

[Pia!]

Booties aren't necessarily for warmth-they're also used for when you're walking to/from the get in. Also your feet can get pretty sore if they're bare all day in your boat-booties help to pad them against the hard plastic. Seriously Jevon-i lost my booties in Uganda and it was a pain in the ass

[kmck]

it was a pain in the ass

Where did you lose them?

[Jevon]

what's next?  Are you gonna tell me I need a I life jacket too?!?!

This all sounds like too much work...

I've decided to just bring my speedos and do some extreme whitewater swimming...  That's what everybody says is going to happen anyway, so why bother with guides and equipment?  I'm gonna throw in a mouth guard, jump into Lake Victoria and aim for Egypt!  Plus, bodysurfing's a blast, I don't need no stinkin' boat... or that crutch called a paddle.  If I drink enough cane spirit the night before, the alligators will think I taste funny and spit me out.  Then when I get tired of swimming, I'll kill an alligator or two and eat their livers for extra strength and use their scrotums for booties, their testicles for buoyancy, the pelvis for a helmet and ride the carcass down the rest the river.  I'll arrive in Cairo the best equipped man on the river!

[kmck]

Okay.

[caz]

by jev, was nice knowin ya  :'(

[Lucy]

I quite like the appetite for adventure...you go for it dude!