The Long Journey to Entebbe, Uganda
Fully executing on my signature moves I was at the airport with plenty of time to spare, and 10+ checks later my passport was still in the same spot I originally put it. My first flight was ten hours to London Heathrow and it was on an old 747. The seats were very tight with zero leg room and God forbid you hit turbulence and the tray table came down, pinning you helplessly in your seat. I had a five hour layover and it took an hour just to go through transfers. With four hours to kill I hit the bar even though it was only 8am. Over the years I have found a nice lager goes quite well with eggs and bacon. But I was in London so they included beans, which I ate, giggled, and then felt very sorry for the person sitting next to me on my next flight. I also found that they do not announce the gate until an hour before the plane departs. So you sit in a common area hoping you get lucky and your gate is within a short walk.
Due to the tight seating on my previous flight I was running without any sleep and boarded my flight to Entebbe which was only eight hours, but at least had more roomy seats. We arrived in Uganda and were all quarantined do to the Ebola situation while we filled out a health form and had our temperature taken with thermal scanners. Once cleared we were allowed to enter the country and wait for our luggage, which had me worrying as it seemed my pack was the last to arrive. But maybe this was because I was five hours early and my pack was also the first to be put on the plane. While I waited for my backpack to arrive I thought, yup, this smells like the Africa I remember.
I grabbed my backpack and headed out of the airport in search of a shuttle to my hotel. Someone came up to me asking if I needed a cab and I told them no I was looking for my hotel shuttle to the Protea hotel. They then went in search of my driver and I thought, OK they are searching for a tip. A few seconds later they returned with my driver and I tried to give them two bucks, but they refused. I was confused at first but would learn over the next few days that Ugandans are eager to help and make sure you are safe. The U.S. state department currently rates Uganda as high threat for terrorism, so maybe the general population is trying to dispel this myth and make visitors feel welcome. Anyway I would quickly fall in love with the Ugandans and in only a few days Uganda would make its way in to my top 3 favorite destinations.
We got to the hotel and I had to go through a metal detector as well as have my luggage scanned. At first I felt this is good, but then I wondered, wait, why is this being done? Turns out the Ugandan government recently foiled a terrorist plot against the U.S. embassy and was still advising U.S. workers to remain home, as well as maintaining increased security at the airport, which I would experience in the morning when I flew out. I was at the hotel and could finally shower and sleep in a proper bed for a few hours before heading out to camp to start my travels tracking the mountain gorillas of Uganda.
View of Lake Victoria from my room.
