We were about half way through a 24 day trip on the Omo river when one of my co-workers was becoming increasingly more ill. We were running out of options and were considering calling the US embassy for a heli flight. We decided to push on one more day to go down to where work was started on the Gibe dam. The dam was being built by an Italian contracting firm and we were hoping the would have a western medical clinic. We approached the dam site in our 4 rafts and the workers looked shocked. Robel, our translator for the trip, got on shore and proceeded to explain who we were and what we needed. The workers went and got the bosses and the Italians were more than helpful to take our sick into there clinic for treatment. That night, while lying on the shore next to what in a few years would kill this river, yet possibly provide much needed electricity for Ethiopia and Kenya was rather confusing. My mind just couldn’t grasp what was right.