Uganda - February 9, 2013

This was a travel day -- a LOT of travel.  After the midnight takeoff from Entebbe, the flight was 8 hours, landing us in Amsterdam at 6 a.m. (8 a.m. Uganda time).  I actually was able to get in a good block of sleep during this flight.  Once in Amsterdam I split off from the rest of the group who were booked on a direct flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis-St. Paul.  By the time I had made my plane reservations, the price had increased so much that I saved over $400 by routing myself through Paris and then on to MSP.  Because my flight left before theirs, I would arrive home only an hour later so the effort seemed worth the savings.

My scheduled 8 a.m. flight didn't leave until 9:07 because of bad weather/snow in Paris.  While we made up a little time in the air, I was still left me with only 45 minutes before the scheduled departure of my Delta flight to MSP.  Charles DeGaulle airport is huge, not well organized, and unfamiliar to me.  I rushed like mad and made it -- barely.  There were only a few people left to get on when I arrived, panting, at the gate.  Wonderful for me (if not so great for Delta), there were a number of empty seats on the plane, including the one next to me.  Lots of room to spread out and be comfortable!

Very much enjoyed eating a salad (fresh vegetables and fruit that can't be peeled are not recommended in Africa) and watching two movies:  Lincoln and Argo.  At least I will now have seen at least some of the movies up for Academy Awards.  Plane actually landed a couple of minutes early -- 1:30 p.m. Minnesota time, 8:30 p.m. Amsterdam time, 10:30 p.m. Entebbe time.  By this point I'd been up for 39 hours and traveling for 27 hours.  Should sleep well tonight.

While I made the plane in Paris, my suitcase did not.  So after arrival I had to check on my bag and make arrangements to have it delivered to me on Sunday.  Then home to see Jackson and make arrangements to get Katy back.  It is so good to see my furry family.

Once again, I can say that I'm glad I made this trip even though it was very difficult.  I'm not sure I'd return to Uganda again -- but won't say never.  If Marian/Maliamu, the girl I'm sponsoring for school, and I develop a relationship, it's possible I will want to visit her at some point in the future.  And perhaps the clinic will call me back to see its further development.  But for right now lots of other places are much higher on my travel agenda.

Until my next trip to someplace interesting enough to write about, the blog is finished.