Day 1 - relaxation

Despite being dog tired and falling asleep quickly, I awaken early to the cries of roosters and song from some of the myriad Ugandan birds.  On my way to the "internet cafe", I am amused by the monkeys who seem more populous this year and take over the Banana Village trees and lawns every morning and evening.

Joshua greets us in the dining hall and we recall with pleasure the BV omelets.  Their coffee actually isn't too bad this morning, and Sue enjoys some African tea.  Jackie arrives just after breakfast, but unfortunately we are unable to be productive sorting goods and toys brought for the kids with our bags still in transit.  Davis picks us all up and transports us to Victoria Mall in Entebbe where I get a sim card and we indulge in some KFC.  After picking up water, some Bailey's (improves the coffee 100%) and a few other items, it's apparent that my cell phone connection still is not active.

We return to the Airtel office and have a bit of an ordeal wherein the helpful employee again completes my full application, including a headshot, thumbprint scan and photo of the entry stamp on my passport.  All the information is sent to Airtel head office with the expectation the sim card will be activated within 5 minutes.  After 3 attempts, the girl reaches someone at head office who states I was rejected because the stamp on my passport slightly overlapped a previous stamp!  We complete another full application in Sue's name, which fortunately passes muster.  At least the cost is reasonable:  38,000 shillings (about $15 CAD) buys us the sim card, 9GB of data over 30 days, and the government tax of 6,000 shillings/month for using social media (?).

We note the road construction between BV and Entebbe has been mostly completed, and the addition of functioning traffic lights is a complete novelty!

traffic lights!

After that, we have some down time poolside before heading out to Malakai Eco Lodge, a 25 minute drive away towards Kampala.  This is a very swank resort with water features, LED lighting illuminating paths through lush greenery, fancy 2-story cottages for rent, and an expansive dining hall.  We explore some of our ideas for getting a Kulikayo school up and running, while waiting almost 2 hours for our pizza orders to arrive!  Jackie discovers the potency of a Long Island Iced Tea while the rest of us chuckle.

Sue & Jackie

Malakai lodge restaurant