4:40 AM, Mulago Hospital Guest House--
Isaac: Mom?
Vanessa: What?
Isaac: Are you awake?
V: Why?
I: I had a dream that I was a little boy and we needed to get up early to go some place and you were anxious.
V: Sounds about right..
I: But I was doing a jigsaw puzzle and every ten minutes Caleb would come and remind me of how many minutes were left until we needed to leave. Then it was time to leave and I wasn't done with the puzzle and you came in and said, "You haven't had breakfast yet?" Then I realized that what we needed to leave on time for was the safari and the puzzle was the map....
5:40 AM, Mulago Hospital Guest House
Cell phone rings
V: Hello?
Phone: This is Gordon, your safari guide from Afritours. I am at the hospital gate shall we go?
V: Wait a minute here, pal. It's dark and the hospital gate is about a quarter mile down a steep dirt road. You said you'd pick us up At the Guest House, At 6 AM.
G: Okay. You come to the hospital gate at 6 AM.
6:03 AM, Hospital Gate. Vanessa and Isaac and luggage loaded up in beat up, stripped down, 6 cylinder Toyota Land Cruiser with Gordon. Too dark for photo's.
6:10 AM, Petrol station near Mulago. Vanessa goes to pull out camera to start blog photo's. Can't find. Gordon very nice about going back to Mulago Guest House.
6:20AM, Mulago Hospital Guest House. Vanessa finds camera on lawn where it fell out of pack.
Uses camera to take photo of Gordon and vehicle.
7 AM (dawn) stuck in traffic in Kampala
10 AM Equatorial Africa
The prices are in Uganda shillings per liter (2900 shillings per dollar)
11 AM, On the Road.
Gordon stops at what must be the cleanest, nicest road stop/restaurant in Uganda for lunch at what he says is the halfway point between Kampala in the Southeast of Uganda and Bwindi in the Southwest on the border with Rwanda.
Great Food. Fabulous restrooms.
Able to photo Gordon in daylight. Good guy.
11:50 AM, On Road.
Gordon complains about his stomach. Vanessa tells him he drinks too much black coffee and Red Bull on an empty stomach and gives him Maalox. Gordon explains Africa: Nigerians are liars and theives. Ugandans are the best people in Africa and Uganda will be a world economic power within the next decade. Gordon says that we will arrive in Bwindi within a few hours and we will hike with the Pygmies.
3:00 PM, On Road
Gordon says that he is going to take a short cut. Stops several times to ask directions.
4:00 PM, on Road
Gordon asks an old woman for directions. She asks for a ride for her daughters. We agree and I ask to take their picture. When I step out of the vehicle and they see my white clothes and white skin they think that I am a ghost and run away.
6 PM, Bwindi, Uganda
We arrive at our "luxury accomodations" too late for Pygmy Hike but early enough for Isaac and Vanessa to take a short walk before dinner.
Honestly, not so bad for Uganda. Has its own bathroom.
Today we traveled about 600 kilimeters on sketchy roads. Tomorrow, Gordon tells us, we will leave with him at 6 AM to track gorillas. He warns us it will be a long, steep, muddy, dangerous day and we may not even get to see the gorillas if they choose to hide from us. He warns us that it may rain the entire time.
9 PM We fall asleep to the sound of artillerous thunder and delugional rain wondering why we signed up for the gorillas anyways......
Those of you who saw an advance copy of my itinerary will now know that Gordon is free forming it and I don't really know what comes next.....
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