Entebbe, Uganda & Kampala, Uganda

Thursday, 7 July
I fllew out of Knoxville at the crack of dawn (or rather a bit before dawn) to Washington D.C., and then we took a direct, 12-hour flight to Addis Ababa.  I was pleased to discover that I had again packed relatively light (though not as much as I'd have liked to), and that I apparently had escaped having to tote a lot of the group paraphernalia.  After a short layover, and my first African bathroom experience, we got on another plan for a 2-hour flight to Entebbe, Uganda.  After our small dinner at a nearby restaurant we collapsed.

Saturday, 9 July
Entebbe is a pretty town just north of the equator and sits on Lake Victoria.  On Friday we went to the Uganda Wildlife Education Center, which is akin to wildlife education centers in the States, though of course their local wildlife is a bit different.  Following this we walked to the nearby Entebbe Botanical Gardens which were quite gorgeous... not many flowers, more like Eden with giant trees, flowing waters, and stairways that were medieval in appearance.  This was followed by a delicious lunch at Goretti's Pizzeria which is seated on a beach of Lake Victoria.  Palm trees shaded us and I drank Pepsi from a glass 300 mL bottle.  A cool breeze sometimes caused a stir as it was mistaken for large spiders parachuting out of the trees. 

Boda bodas, or the local motorcycle taxis, careened throughout the red dirt streets, narrowly dodging the minibus taxis (14 passenger vans).  Like much of Europe, when encountering a paved road, the painted lines are often merely suggestions, and the horns are often used to warn drivers and pedestrians alike of approaching vehicles.  The sun shines.  The birds I've never seen before chirp.  The day is good.

Memorable Bathroom Experience #2
I've begun to realize that the handles of toilets sometimes need to be pumped or wiggled a bit to get the toilet to flush.  In my experimentation I happened to notice that the door to the adjoining stall remained closed and muffled noises seeped through the hardwood door.  Later, I found out that a fellow travel heard condom discussions coming from that same stall just before a man and woman exited.  Scandalous!  Condom wrappers were also found at the Botanical Gardens- it's good to know that people are practicing safe sex!


This was followed by a minibus ride to Kampala, which is about a 1-hour drive north of Entebbe.  In Kampala we reached the Willis Hotel, unloaded our worldly possessions and headed out for a night on the town.  After a death-defying minibus drive to a tasty Indian restaurant, we stopped by an Uchumi Supermarket for water, nutella, and a newspaper.  Then showers and bed. 

Sunday, 10 July
Breakfast was served on the linai, before we headed to church, more specifically Miracle Center Cathedral, the largest Pentecostal Church in Kampala.  Because of churches' strong ties to politics, it was important to experience the megachurch's Sunday service.  With charismatic singing and dancing, we were warmly welcomed.  This was followed by an outdoor Ethiopian lunch at the hotel...  pictures soon.