After a 24 hour or so journey I made it to Kampala last night. That much time on airplanes is really draining, though sleep helps time pass. It also sets up a surreal feeling which the jet lag keeps up. I went through Amsterdam and swapped planes. That was my first time in the Amsterdam airport and it was really nice. Great to take a break in the lounge and see the internet. It is really sad that I seem to go into withdrawal without it, I really barely looked at my email, but just having it there helped me feel connected. My next flight took me through Kigali, but we didn’t get off the plane, just waited for others to get on and off. Does it count as my having been in Rwanda? Or do I have to get off the plane to make it count? After an hour wait we moved on to Entebbe. Getting my luggage off the carousel was a relief. I always stress a little when I check bags even on a non stop, but this time I checked three bags and my luck held out because they all showed up on the carousel! This put me in a good mood as I walked out into the crowd to look for a sign with my company name on it. Sure enough, there was Max waiting to pick me up. That was my second stress, what if no one picked me up? I’ve never been so happy to see a stranger.
Max took me out to his car and I started around to the passenger door to get in when he said “no, no, not unless you’re driving.” Because, Uganda follows the British driving rules and the passenger door is on the other side. Max is a great driver, mind you they aren’t as lane conscious as we are in the states so that caused me to close my eyes a couple of times and hit my imaginary break. He took passing slow cars to a new level for me. I think it will be a while if at all before I drive here and if I do I’ll be one of those passed I’m guessing, as opposed to doing the passing.
