Andrew thought this would be a great opportunity for Ben. There would be 7 adults in total. our friend's 5 year old son and possibly Ben.
I knew Andrew would love the outing- but I was nervous about Ben going! Andrew asked me what I was thinking...
"Taking Ben? Absolutely not!" I exclaimed. "This is the River Nile you are talking about!! A deep, murky, fast-flowing river! If Ben falls in, I'll never seen him again! This is not some nice, calm little river, with a coastguard on hand in case anything goes wrong!"
It is a fact that I have a wonderful imagination. It can be a gift. It can also be the source of nightmarish imaginings, causing me to fret and worry far more than I should. And in this case. my imagination began to run away with me.
In my mind's eye. I envisioned Andrew and Ben in a capsized kayak, the wild current of the rushing Nile pulling my 7 year old son underwater! Or perhaps Ben would be attempting to climb into the kayak, just as an enormous, vicious Nile crocodile emerged from the tangled riverside undergrowth. Its jaws would be wide open, its sharpened teeth bared and flashing in the South Sudanese sunshine- it would thrash through the grass, poised to snack on Ben!
I asked others what they thought. Would my 7 year old be safe in a kayak on the Nile? Most people smiled indulgently and answered that he would be fine. After all, our MAF friend was taking his 5 year old son! And why should I worry when Andrew would be right there with Ben?? But I still had niggling worries...especially about crocodiles!
Last night, we had a South Sudanese friend here for dinner, so I asked him whether it was realistic of me to worry about crocodiles in the Nile? He replied that the Nile crocodiles are not found near Juba. The city is too developed and anyway, the Nile flows too quickly for crocodiles in Juba. Crocodiles prefer quieter inlets and calmer areas, far away from urban development.
My anxieties began to dissipate. Andrew had secured a life-jacket for Ben. I agreed that kayaking on the Nile with his dad would be a wonderful experience for Ben.
Andrew and Ben left early this morning. Esther, Joel and I waved them off. I mentally packed up all my wild imaginings, firmly closing the lid on any thoughts of pesky man-eating crocodiles!
Four hours later, an exuberant Ben burst through the front door, a beaming smile spread across his face.
"It's me!" he announced. And his first words?
"I saw a crocodile!!"
Indeed he had. When Andrew followed Ben into the house, he confirmed Ben's report with photos from his camera. Thankfully, it was not too close and it showed no aggression!
My worries about crocodiles were well founded, then! But at least Andrew and Ben had not run into any actual danger- there was nothing as dramatic as my imagined scenarios! They had a fabulous outing. They got a photo of the croc basking on the riverbank. Andrew even saw a second reptile- or at least, the snout and eyes of another Nile crocodile, just before it slipped quietly out of sight, deeper into the muddy river.
Here are their pictures:
You, Imaginative? Never!!!!!! Glad BEN had his outing, but what about next time? Andrew looks like he's enjoying the rest while BEN does the hard work. You forgot to imagine a crocodile with a STRIPEY tail. Lots of love from your prosaic MAMA xx
ReplyDeleteHave been trying to work out what else is on the river bank. Almost looks like a man and dog?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Would love to do a kayaking trip here as we are here on a flying contract as well. Where did you find the kayaks?
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