Escaping the Snow

 Feb. 14 -  Day +1

Happy Valentine's Day to all the lovers out there.  We celebrated ours by touching down at Entebbe airport on time just after 10 AM.

Mother nature sent us a snowstorm the morning of our departure, so we left at 4:15 am to drive through moderately heavy snowfall, slushy roads, aggressive drivers, and saw many vehicles in the ditches or stuck on ramps on the 401.  Fortunately, our driver, Sean, got us to Pearson safely, although the journey took more than an hour longer than usual.

Dropping our bags at the airline counter went smoothly, then we discovered the security lineup extending all along the front of Terminal 1 from aisle 11 to aisle 1, then to the back of aisle 1, along to aisle 6, then finally to the back hallway where the sign advised 50 minutes from that point.  Over 2 hours lined up for security!!  Apparently many of the TSA staff did not make it in due to weather, and they compressed the stations for international and domestic departures into 1 single station.

50 minutes from here (after queueing for 1 hour

The flight from Toronto to Addis Ababa was smooth - Carly & Scott and Bonnie had the luxury of an empty middle seat in their rows.  Most of us had trouble sleeping and arrived feeling bloated and stuffed after 19 hours in the air  and 4 airline meals.  Our itinerary had us skimming the south coast of Newfoundland, crossing Spain then flying most of the length of the Mediterranean, skirting the North coast of Egypt before following the Red Sea south.  We were amazed at the size of Addis Ababa and the number of modern highways and highrise buildings.

 

Addis Ababa skyline

Hills near Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa airport is impressively large and modern.  It appears Ethiopian Airlines has a near monopoly on commercial carrier operations.  We were almost thankful for the long walk to our next gate.  Boarding procedures were even more chaotic than at Pearson.  We massed in front of the small gate counter that had 2 employees.  The television monitor above the desk showed information for a completely different flight, and the girl checking us in didn't even make a pretense of verifying our passport ID photos.

Smooth flight to Entebbe, Uganda (and yet another meal!).  The entry process now involves applying for and purchasing an entry VISA online, prior to travel,  including uploading passport scans, proof of yellow fever immunization, flight info and answering plenty of questions about your planned trip, rather than purchasing the Visa at immigration.  I had hoped this would expedite the flow through the immigration counters.  Not so - this is Uganda, after all.

Once beyond the luggage carousels, we can see the airport itself has been greatly expanded and modernized, but most of the new infrastructure seems focused on providing large impressive halls and retail outlet spaces rather than focusing on passenger processing areas.

Once outside, Davis runs up to greet and give us huge hugs.  The man appears not to have aged a day in the past 5 years!  He now has 5 children to raise and is relieved that the tourism industry has again picked up after the pandemic.  He and his nephew, Anthony, load us into 2 vehicles.

Why do these Mzungu's need soo much luggage?

Finally here.  Front:  Bonnie, Sue, Carly.  Rear:  Jamie, Alicia, Alan, Scott

 

Banana village, only a 15 minute drive from the airport, is showing its' age.  Diana looks as elegant as ever, but the grounds and buildings are looking a bit more run down.   

Davis runs Carly, Scott, and Alan back in to Victoria Mall in Entebbe, so Alan can try his luck at the ATMs while the other 2 purchase SIM cards and plans.  Alan's RBC debit card shows only symbols for Interac and the PLUS network of ATMs, which doesn't match any of the ATM network symbols on the Diamond Trust or ABSA bank machines, so his card is spit back at him unceremoniously.

We pick up  water (and some lollipops for Jackie and the kids), then head back to find the others catching some zzz's in their huts.  Everyone rises when Jackie arrives a few minutes later.  So wonderful to see her again, and, like Davis, she looks as young and beautiful as ever.

Jamie explores an abandoned structure at Banana V

Alicia amused by some of the visitors trying Yoga

 

Anticipating early bedtimes, we place our pizza and spaghetti orders with the kitchen staff, then a few of us head to the pool.  The water is warm but yet welcome and refreshing after these few hours in the equatorial heat.  The meals are not as tasty as we remember and appetites are meagre after all the airline food.  So, it's early to bed in the glow of starting a whole new adventure.