Escape to Sipi Falls

This weekend, the FSD interns escaped from Jinja to Sipi Falls, a locale in the west of the country near the Kenyan border. Sipi is on the slopes of Mount Elgon, which is one of the tallest mountains in East Africa. The falls are a series of waterfalls that cascade down the side of Mt. Elgon into the valley below.

On Saturday morning, we woke up and climbed up the side of the mountain through groves of coffee and fields of corn. We reached the first waterfall, which dropped from the edge of the mountain and almost turned entirely to mist before it hammered down on the rocks below. Getting close to the fall meant being soaked from head to toe from all the mist.

After a quick dip in an ice-cold stream, we climbed down the side of the mountain to another fall, and were able to go into a cave right below the waterfall. The climb down the side of the mountain was ended up in me sliding on my butt down the side of the muddy slope!

The hike was a great way to escape, and see another side of Uganda. I love mountains, and Jinja and Kampala are very flat. I hadn't realized how long it had been since I had seen mountains and valleys.

It was refreshing to escape from the demands of our work and have a change of scenery from Jinja, and it was hard to leave the amazing views. This week, it's back to work as I prepare for my second training on savings culture!