Arrival...

After a few close calls that resulted in me sprinting to both of my connecting flights, I finally found Chelsea sitting in Doha and together we boarded our last and final plane to Entebbe.  It was 1:30 am and I had recently suffered some serious emotional setbacks, including a poor wireless connection that wouldn’t let me make my “final FaceTime” and discovering that I had left my iPhone charger in Dublin.  I was ready for a glass of free wine (thanks Qatar Airways!) and some serious sleeping.  Time to get my Uganda game face on.

As the plane fills up, an attendant comes over and says they need to see the person in 17F.  Well, hello.  I awkwardly bump past my recently settled seatmates and follow him up to the front….and then off the plane.  At the bottom of the staircase sits my bag.  Alone.  Well, except for three uniformed guards.  Shit.

 

I play a spirited game of charades with the guards until I connect that he wants me to OPEN the bag.  As I start blindly fumbling with 47 different zippered compartments, the kindly attendant yells some direction from the plane hatch -- there is a light on in my bag.  A light?!  Given my travel weary brain, I was as befuddled as the guards were.  And it showed.  They began to mumble to each other.

The ominous light turned out to be just my headlamp.  I pulled it out, let the guards review it and when they handed it back to me with a nod I assumed I was in the clear.  Back on board I went.  Crisis averted.  A quick thumbs up to Chelsea, a glass of wine and half of “The First Wives Club” later I was dead asleep until the pilot announced our impending decent.

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I was a little disappointed to discover that it was still dark at 6:30am.   I was hoping my first view of equatorial Africa would be from the sky – some majestic Pride Rock sweeping view.  But nerves quickly overcame disappointment as the plane doors open.  No turning back now.  Here we go….