Trip to Uganda -- Part 2

Here is more of the ongoing adventure that Judy shared with family and friends as she now has time to recollect and put her thoughts into some structured memories of her trip to Uganda.  Please enjoy them with me. 

"Here is  my account of my travels to Africa. The 1st and 2nd pics are of downtown in Kigali. RW where Halina and I went to buy lunch food. Before entering the mall we had to go through security. The last pic is of giving out shoes at the orphanage. Judy

 

 

 

 

Part #2 of Uganda Adventure

Traveling the Friendly Skies is full of surprises! Thankfully after the suitcase incident things are a lot more fun. I get a big laugh at myself when we board the plane for Brussels in DC and I enter the seating area. Wow! It looks like a lounge. Big cushy seats and lots of leg room! Now where is my seat….the numbers end at #10 and I am bound for #3. I ask the seated passengers where the rest of the seats are and they look at me strangely. Am I in the twilight zone or what? Then I turn red realizing that I am walking through first class. It’s time for Judy’s education to begin. Too long stoking the home fires. Off to Brussels! My seat mate is a sweet lady who needs encouragement and before the flight ends we pray together about her concerns.  A dream comes true. I am in Europe craning my neck to view the beautiful scenery and longing to see more. However it’s only a 4 hour layover and to my chagrin as soon as we land I am whisked off to our remote terminal. Three places to eat and nothing to see. My breakfast is the filling of a sandwich (I am gluten-intolerant) and an orange for 20.00 US. My change is in Euros. Feeling tired now; one more leg to go. We board a Brussels Airline plane to Rwanda. I enjoy hearing French spoken on the PA system and the delicious French cuisine. Much better food than on US flights. At last I sleep a couple of hours. My butt is killing me….too much bone and not much fat. I am here!! In Africa! Is this for real? Down the stairs we go carrying hand baggage and I wishing I had not packed so much reading material, etc. Over bumpy uneven sidewalks and up stairs and finally to the bag pickup carousel. The airport looks gloomy, old and in need of updating. Kinda reminds of the way things looked in the US about 50 years ago. Yes, I am old enough to remember though I don’t know when these years came on me. I should still be about age 30. In my dreams. The baggage comes and we head outside to meet our ride to the motel. It is night and the air is smoky. People burn wood to cook in this nation, that is Rwanda, and in Uganda as well. The ride doesn’t show, phone calls are made to the Guest House but the ride still doesn’t show. Other taxi drivers are eagerly assessing us and one assures us we will fit in his car. Five people with 12 bags between us. I think not. Two taxis are filled and off we go for the ride of our lives. The taxis glide over the bumpy streets filled with people, bicycles, motorcycles and cars. Our driver’s name is Innocent. He’s not the only one we will meet by that name. Nearing our motel we see a dim image of a man riding down the street in a wheelchair. I do mean the street as there are no real sidewalks. At last we reach the Dream Apple Guest House and bed! Halina and I share a clean room with two double beds and a bath. Lock the doors we are told and use your mosquito nets. First a shower. How to turn it on? We figure it out. The plumbing is old and strange. The sink water must be turned off and on underneath the sink. There is a big step-up when you first walk into the bathroom. Don’t miss this in the middle of the night! Sleep comes at last. Breakfast is hard boiled eggs, bananas, and pineapple. Good thing I have stashed some nuts. The motel owners are Indian as are most business owners in this corner of the world. They employ the natives. After breakfast I email Fred to tell him we have arrived safely. The it's up town with a Rwandan friend of the Dobbs to buy lunch food. Our ride coming from Uganda is running late. (That is, African time) We will eat lunch here before leaving for Uganda, another 3 hour drive. I’d better wind this up for now!"