Kampala, Uganda

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  Kampala, Uganda
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The "eye candy" discussed previously almost caused us
another missed flight! Ok so I may be exaggerating. We made it to the airport
with time to spare. Sarah and I spent our final Euros and boarded the plane for
Uganda at 12 noon.

The flight was great. KLM took great care of us. I watched
sports highlights, read, and enjoyed tasty airline meals. J

We arrived at the Entebbe airport at 8 pm. The airport was
so quaint and cozy. Carpeted floors gave way to short halls

Death in an airport

. We found ourselves
to be some of the first people in the "Visa" line. J Brief aside: Entry to Uganda
requires a passport, shot record, and visa which can be purchased for $50 upon
arrival. Sarah and I made it through no problem. J
We picked up our bags from baggage check and then headed out the front.....Wait
where were we going? We both realized that we had NO CLUE of what to do next.
Was someone there to pick us up? Were we to catch a taxi? Where were we going? Great!
We were in Africa for the first time- in a country previously torn apart by
war, and we didn't know what we were doing! Before we fainted we saw a sign in
the distance with our names on it. "Kyle and Sarah for Backpackers Hostel."
That was it! We were going to the hostel in Kampala. J I assured Sarah I knew this
was the plan all along. ;)

We boarded the taxi and headed for Kampala

More music

. A nice girl
traveled with us who turned out to be an excellent guide. She answered every
one of my questions regarding Ugandan education, history and economy. As she
answered the questions I bounced up and down- not from excitement, but from the
bumps in the road! This was perhaps the most rural road I have ever ventured
across. What's crazier was that Ugandans would cross with seemingly little
value of their lives! They whizzed in front of us without a moment to spare.
The driver timed his honks in intervals. Let's just say I was glad I wasn't
driving, because we probably would have gone to jail. J

At around 9 pm we arrived at the hostel to find the rest of
the Invisible Children crew waiting! Yay! We made it. Finally, some familiar
faces.

After dropping our stuff off in the rooms, Sarah and I
headed to the living room for beer and music

Redemption Song

. There was an English lad playing
guitar and singing. I ordered a "Nile" beer ( the best and darkest beer in all
of Uganda) and had a seat next to him, hoping I could get involved. After
hearing him start "Creep" by Radiohead I could resist no longer. I sang harmony
while pounding rhythmically on a newfound drum. It was there that a new musical
relationship was forged that would last well into the night. We sang and played
everything under the sun! What's better- we were clear crowd favorites (as if
they had an alternative). Everyone in the hostel made it out to hear our impromptu
concert.

The only downside of such musical glory- drunk Irish girls. While
I appreciated their attention, their alcohol consumption exceeded my drink
consumption for the entire month! Will- you may be the only one who could have
kept up! J
What's worse-these particular girls were terrible at reading body language.  I eventually escaped a half hour later
disease free and with my manliness intact (although some would say the
opposite). J

I brushed my teeth, crawled under my mosquito net, and fell
into a semi- deep sleep (10 beds in close proximity with 1 loud snorer- you do
the math!). Until tomorrow!

 

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