White Powder Sand and Pale Blue Waters

I've been in Zanzibar for 4 days now.  The first 2 nights were spent in Stone Town bumming around.  Stone Town in OK: Some cool shops, some good eats... the night market has great food.  Watching the local boys jump into the ocean form the quay wall was amusing.  But it is very built up, in poor condition overall and, a city.  It was not why I came to Zanzibar.  OK, let's be honest: I didn't really kow why I wanted to see Zanzibar.  It's been somewhere I decided long ago I should visit.  So I arrived with no real plans.  Well after 2 days in town I headed across to paje.  It's on the SE coast of the main island.  The beaches are made up of an incredibly fine white powder.  The tide moves in and out hundreds of yards in an hour.  The water is bathtub warm.  It is the typical tropical paradise I suppose, a wonderful place to just kick it.

I managed to get a bit sunburned today.  I wore sunscreen but was out longer than planned.  Wandering around at low tide.  The sand is teeming with critters.  Far off in the distance waves crash against the reef.  Closer to shore boats sit marooned, women collect seaweed from gardens, kid play.  And while there is at least foot of water the kite boarders struggle to learn their new hobby.  The combination of warm shallow waters and a fair wind make this quite the place to learn kite boarding.  I thought about giving it a whirl but decided that can come with my next trip. 

The sand here is different than anyplace I have been.  There are shells everywhere an occasionally coral mixed in.  So it may be generally soft but yu do need to use some caution, especially around the sea urchins.  I am used to seeing them on rocks but here they are randomly strewn across the sandy bottom.  The other curious hazard was the baby sea snake I saw... just a few feet from my ankles.  And twice as I wandered about something large squiggled under my foot and as I stepped away quickly vanished.  I've no idea what it was.  It did feel pretty funny though.               

Tomorrow afternoon I'll need to head back to Stone Town to catch y flight the following day.  I'll be coming back hee though.  I need to see the national forest, go skin diving and possibly learn to kite board.  Zanzibar is a pretty cool place.

My Letter to the Uganda Wildlife Authority

Hello,

I wanted to provide you some direct feedback on my recent climb in the Rwenzori Mountains.  I am copying my outfitter as well, in case this is not the correct e-mail address to submit concerns to.

I climbed Margherita Peak on 10 Jan with Rwenzori Trekking Services.  Our two lead guides on summit day were Enoc and Robert.  If I recall correctly we were the 3rd of five groups to arrive at the second glacier, the steep one.  Our guides were world class professionals.  They knew what they were doing and were vary safe.  I have experience on both glacier climbs as well as winter mountaineering so I am not a novice to the alpine environment.

The reason I have chosen to contact you has to do with the other trekking services on the peak that day.  I don"t know specifically who they were except that they were not from RTS.  My first complaint was not a safety issue but speaks to the lack of professionalism I observed from the other services.  While waiting on our guides to place fixed ropes the next group arrived.  Their lead guide kept looking all about at both us as well as his own clients.  Being that we arrived in the dark and all were wearing headlamps this guide was blinding us each time he looked in our direction.  Headlamp discipline is a basic hiking skill, and this fellow lacked it completely.  By this point several groups were waiting to scale the glacier.  One of the earlier groups had a panicked client and were not handling it well.  We ended up being delayed nearly an hour while the situation was resolved.  Once our guides had a fixed rope in place we began up.  At this point several groups were all waiting to scale the glacier.  As I am sure you are aware climbing this glacier in the dry season creates something of a bottle neck where groups can access the glacier safley.  One of the guides from another service stepped between myself and the other 2 climbers I was to be roped with and began faking out his rope.  I mentioned that I was going to have to step around him and he ignored me.  This is significant because I was wearing crampons on bare rock which is precarious enough.  Additionally they seemed unconcerned who they leapfrogged or how so long as they were on the glacier.  A woman in our first climbing party (we were broken into 2 groups for this glacier) was just starting up and nervous, when a guide from a different service, began changing up her belay rope.  She panicked and I heard her scream for him to stop touching her rope.  She was a novice and was doing her best to follow the directions of our guide Robert who was well up on the glacier at the ice screw securing the fixed rope.  The most concerning things I noticed were other groups crossing over our fixed line in their rush to climb.  Walking across a fixed safety line with crampons is not only poor form but dangerous business for anyone who will be using that line.  Crampons can easily slice a line making it useless.  We finally made the summit but on the return I noticed several clients from other services were using our fixed line while we were descending on it as well.  Again this is a sloppy and dangerous practice that was ignored by their guides. 

As I stated I do not know who the other guiding services were that happened to be on the mountain that day.  I am hoping you can contact them and take some form of corrective action.  They were dangerous and unprofessional and appeared to not have much understanding of alpine skills.  As for myself I will only venture into the Rwenzori"s with Rwenzori Trekking Services as they are he only safe group in the range.

All the best,

Kampala Impressions

Yesterday and today were slow.  The internet is not overly reliable so as I was trying to arrange follow on flights to Zanzibar and Moshi it became an all day affair.  So, if you plan to visit Uganda - and I highly recommend that you do - here are a few things to make the trip smother:

*  Decide on your itinerary and purchase your flights before arrival. I was dithering on my plans up to the last minute and was rather curious to see how well I could wing it.  Not a bad thing but it does waste some time.
*  Buy a SIM card for the local system when you arrive. It is possible to use WeChat and WhatsApp as well as e-mail using free WiFi services but when WiFi is out so is your ability to contact others and research next steps.
*  Make local friends.  Luckily I am pretty good at this step.  It will be your best source for info/where to go/what to pay/how to get around, etc.
*  If you decide to trek in the Rwenzori Mountains only use Rwenzori Trekking Services.  Normally I don"t endorse specific businesses but I have seen their guides as well as the cpompetition in action on a 65 degree slope of glacial ice.  Only RTS has a clue how to move folks safely in that environment.  I sent a scathing e-mail to the Ugandan Wildlife Authority about the lack of professionalism displayed by the other services.

OK, enough for travel tips.  By last night I had my tickets and this morning I booked 2 nights at an Air BnB in Stone Town, Zanzibar so I was wondering what else to do. I ended up visiting a small house where 2 gents bring in homeless kids for a few months to get them ready to travel back home and get back into school.  They were surprised to learn we also have homeless in the good old USA.  After that I had to walk to an ATM for travel funds and to pay my hostel bill tomorrow.  I could have taken a bodeboda but wanted to walk.  Not because bodabodas are dangerous (they absolutely are) but because I wanted to look around a bit.  I walked all they way to the city center about 2 miles away I think.  The air quality is pretty bad during the dry season.  There is excessive exhaust smoke, its hot and a bit humid, it's very dusty.  This is not a pretty city.  Mind you I was not in the nicer areas.  I wanted to see how the average resident lives and shops.  In that regard it is not much different than other 3rd world countries.  it is crowded.  Shops are small but numerous.  Lots of fruit is for sale along the sidewalks.  Not too may folks were smiling but I suppose that is as much a universal city issue.  Waling through traffic is a challenge I suppose.  It requires a great deal of situational awareness.  There are other, cars, trucks and bodsbodas all vying for the same space.  Bodabodas are frequently on the sidewalks as well so you really have to pay attention.  It is also helpful to learn how to pay attention to what is in your pockets and what it feels like.  Reaching for your wallet to make sure it is OK is a fantastic way to alert pick pockets what pocket to target.  I specifically left my daypack behind at the hostel to look slightly less like a backpacker.  Mind you I still stick out.  In my little jaunt I was one of only 5 mzungu (foreigners).  I saw three Chinese and 2 Indians... and then me.  So yup I kind of stood out a bit!             
 

I watched a bodaboda rider die the other day

Bodabodas are the main means of transport for much of Uganda.  They are mostly small Chinese motorbikes.  I`d guess they are 80cc as they're much slower than the 125cc dirt bikes from my youth.  I have seen them carry groups of people, lumber, coffins, all manner of stuff.  Unfortunately the riders are generally poorly trained.  On the way from Kilembe to Kampala there was a small bongo truck and a car in front of us.  As we watched a bodaboda cut directly across the highway and in front of the bongo truck.  The truck lifted as if it had hit a large speed bump at speed.  Because of road work part of the highway was dirt.  This resulted in a a huge cloud of red dust.  The car before us swerved around the truck.  Through the dust cloud, we saw bits of shattered plastic spinning to the ground.  Our driver was quick to brake to avoid the accident.  We drove past in time to see the bongo come to rest on it's side after rolling.  The three occupants climbed out seemingly without serious injury.  There was no sign of the bodaboda or it's rider.  I doubt the guy ever knew what happened.  One moment he was cruising across the highway.  The next moment reality ended for him.  Our driver was pissed that the bodaoda riders do such dangerous and stupid things. It was all over in a matter of seconds.  We continued on our journey.  The following day, a friend and I hired bodabodas to take us across town to the taxi yard, for a lift to Jinja.  Such is life in Uganda.     

Day 7: The Luxury of Dry Clothing

We did a long trek today, 8 miles.  It took about 8 hours.  Distance here in the Rwenzoi's s different from distance elsewhere. For reference here are the flavors of trail in these mountains: steep muddy uphill; steep muddy downhill, rocky scrambles either up or down; flat muddy bog.  It makes for slow hiking.  But this place is magically beautiful.

After leaving camp this morning we climbed a 4500m pass on a new trail.  It was new to us but also only recently built.  We had lunch at the highlands not long after cresting the pass.  It was stark but lovely.  White quartz everywhere, deep and lush yellow moss I lay down in after eating.  The moss was soft and warm.  We transited areas that look so different: rocky highlands, bogs, forested areas that had burned, a bit of everything.  At one point it began sprinkling.  I placed my camera bag into my day pack and donned my rain shell.  Our guide asked if we wanted to put on rain pants.  silly us, we declined thinking it would not last.  Plus it had turned to small hail.  The precipitation alternated between rain and hail for several hours as our pants got quite wet.  Luckily it was cool but much warmer than it has been.  So it was tolerable. 

Now we are at our last camp.  We've changed into dry clothes which seems such a luxury.  Tomorrow we hike out to the hostle.  I don't know how long we'll be hiking but I do know a warm shower and clean hair after 8 days will be most welcome!  

Day 6: kicked my ass!

Well I m back at Hunwick Camp.  It's been an exceptionally long day.  We had breakfast at 02:15 and were on our way to the peak by 3.  Maghareta Peak is not an easy climb, especially in the dry season.  The glaciers have receded dramatically.  So what would have been a much easier climb 15 years ago now involves a 65 degree clmb up glacial ice.  Doing this climb in the wet season is easier I've been told because of all the snow.  The route involves three glacier traverses each direction.  The middle one is the steep SOB.  We were delayed at th base of that section for about an hour as other trekking services with less skill and clients with less fitnesss cloged the path.  It reminded me why I m skeptable of Mt Everest climbs.  I was honsly worried about making the summit because of the delay.  Our guides helped get us up that section in a hurry once it cleared.  At the top of the steepest part they placed an ice screw and a pully.  I didn't realize it at first but once we were roped up one of the guides was tied into our belay on the opposit end of the pully and he began running down the glacier.  This in turn basically pulled us up.  Mind you, running up a 65 degree glacier in crampons even with an assist is exhausting at 4500m!

The views were nearly nonexistant due to cloud cover.  Weather always a crap shoot in the Rwenzoris.  I was feeling like an pld man on this climb but the truth is we were the 3rd of 5 groups on the mountain and the first to summit as well as the first back down, despite the delay.  So I am feeling pretty good about that. 

After the climb we had lunch at camp then packed our stuff and hiked back to this camp.  Two of the four I joined on this adventure have decided not to climb Mt Speke and to return with me instead.  So we have two days to trek back to the Hostle at the base of the mountains.  Lfie is good. 

Day 5: Final Trek before the Summit

It's 7 AM, very early morning by Ugandan standards.  I generally wake at 06:30 so I'm bored already.  That is one of the challenges here.  We are only hiking for 5 or 6 hours a day because of the demands of the terrain.  So tht leaves quite a bit of downtime.  Although I am in Africa close to the equator it's probably in the upper 30's F right now.  A heavy frost is on everything as I sit outside the hut typing.  So we tend to spend a lot of that downtime in the dining huts.  I am with 2 Germans a Romanian and a Belgian, all in their 20's. They are friends on a backpacking holiday in Africa.  They have been playing lots of card games and I've been reading A Brief History of Time.  They are a wonderful group and have been kind enough to speak English for the most part. 

This will be a short trekking day.  The plan is to begin at 9 and get to Mahgareta camp by 13:00 or so.  Then we will go over equipment and ropes.  I'm the only one in our party who is experienced with an ice ax and crampons.  I suspect there will be well established foot prints to follow even up the steep glacier. 

I have been sleeping much better than I had imagined here.  This camp is just below 4000m elevation but the last was above that.  Even so I have been sleeping soundly.  Of course I do get up 2 or 3 times to piss.  It's necessary to stay very well hydrated at elevation so everyone gets up several times for the same reason.  Last night was completely clear so on one trip outside I took in the stars.  The moon was not yet up so I was enjoying seeing all the constellations I don't get to enjoy in LA.  I happened to look for the Big Dipper but it was  not up yet.  On my next trip into the dark the moon was now up.  I saw the Big Dipper this time and thought to look for Polaris.  It took me a moment to realize you can't see the North Star from the Southern hemisphere. LOL 

Day 4 Realization: Trekking the Rwenzori's is an ass kicker!

Wow, distances here in he Rwenzori's don't tell you much about the day ahead.  We left our camp atop the rock this morning and headed up.  Up through a pass named after the poacher who roamed these hills for 20 years.  He helped the Trekking outfit determine where to build trails.  The hike up to the pass was across a hill liberally scattered with quartz.  As we ascended the biome as unraveged by fire and otherworldly.  Next was quite a strenuous descent down a gully.  It was quite steep muddy and rocky.  Once your boots have a coat of mud the rocks are more challenging.  I slipped twice.  The first time I donated a small amount of DNA to the rock.  The 2nd time was in the mud.  My trousers are badly in need of a laundry! 

After we left the gully we were back in bog land.  In many sections the porters have placed branches in the mud to ease the way.  Yesterday I was in rubber boots and the mud was not as much a concern.  Unfortunately those rubber boots were also threatening to give me blisters.  So today I've been in my backpacking boots all day.  It made negotiating the mud a greater challenge, and rather fun. 

The last section we traversed was above some lakes that drain into the Congo.  That part was every bit as arduous as the other parts of the trek.  We hiked a trail through dense foliage, over boulders, through more mud. 

I felt a bit weaker today and am not sure why.  It may have been from dehydration.  It may have been from not eating all my soggy pasta last night.  All in all the food has been excellent so the pasta was an aberation.  I think I am losing weight even though we are so well fed.  This morning we had porage followed by large thin pancakes.  Lunch was lovely potato salad, an apple and mango juice.  I don't know what tonight's dinner will be but as long as we are at the huts there is plenty of tea.  

All in all I'd have to say trekking the Rwenzori's is much more challenging than the trek to Mt Everest Base Camp.  But where the Himalaya are breathtaking for the shear magnificence of the mountains, the Rwenzori's are other worldly for the flora.  And then out of nowhere are blackberries aplenty.  They are tart but still yummy.                 

As physically challenging as this trip is I am so happy to be here! 

Day 3, whimiscally fantastic landscapes

Ah, where to begin.  I suppose my most embarrassing moment is as good place as any.  Last night my body seemed to be working on adjusting to the food.  The food has been exceptional but I had a bit of the runs all the same.  I was hoping it would be resoled by morning but it was not. so tell me, when using a squatty potty, what is the absolute worst thing to drop into it during use?  It seems to me the worst thing to drop is your toilet paper.  Which I did.  Shit! No pun intended.  So getting back to my hut, digging through my duffle and grabbing my full role was a challenge I was not expecting to face on this trip!

The reminder of the day was much better.  The weather has been ood.  Clear half the day with clouds and fog moving in later.  We summited a local peak before tarting the day's trek.  The views were beautiful.  Most of the day as spent gaining elevation up more muddy tracks interspersed with trekking across large bogs of a sort.  It is such  different landscape than any I have witnessed before.  We were in rubber boots all day, as a precaution. In places it was quite welcome.  There are sections of deep mud to negotiate.  I also learned that there rubber boots do a fantastic job of gripping the rock.  On the downside I worry about blisters so I may switch back to my hiking boots tomorrow. 

This was the first day we saw other groups.  One group of 6 was heading back and we passed them on thee margin of the bog.  The other group arrived at r camp shortly after we did.  They did Marghareta Peak and are on their was back.  They said it is very strenuous ascending the glacier.  It's a sixty degree slope of wet ice.  The hike toward the night's hut was also apparently daunting as they were all pretty tired by then. 

One thing Rwenzori Trekking has been doing which I greatly applaud is improving the trails.  When they secured the concession they had to bushwhack trails out of the jungle.  Now they are systematically placing ladders to assist with the more difficult (steep and slippery) sections.  But the best part is the way they are building boardwalks across the boggy sections.  There are generally a single plank wide and just high enough to keep you out of the water in the wet season.  They are of tremendous benefit in preserving the bogs. 

We are now camped in a hut complex atop huge rock above a lovely lake.  It is 2 more days of trekking to reach the camp for the summit push.  I am content.

Our cabins

The most fantastical place I have hiked!

The boardwalks are so much easier than sinking into foot deep mud! 

View from Mutinda Lookout

Day 2, Deep in the jungle

Day two has begun.  Which is to say it's morning.  I didn't sleep too badly last night.  I as a bit chilled until I got into my sleeping bag.  After that I was toasty.  I woke frequently, but was dreaming quite a lot, so I know I slept.  At one point I closed my eyes and saw the familiar patterns of an ayahuasca experience, but in black and white, not color.  That was a surprise.  The night was quite clear and the day is beginning that way as well. It will be interesting to see how the weather behaves.... will it be normal?  Or will I have yet another trek with unusually amazing weather? 

Typical trail in the Rwenzori mountains!

We are now on the other end of the hike (afternoon).  It began with another grunch of uphill hiking but was somehow a bit easier than yesterday.  We hiked past the moss covered trees, through the bamboo forest and into the completely weird zone.  If you happen to be atheist come on this trek.  The landscape up here will make you believe in God.  If you don't believe in enchanted forests, come to the the Rwenzoris.  I was looking closely for witches in the darker, spookier sections of forest. 

It didn't rain today.   Much of today's the hike was in the clouds.  We had an optional hike up a close by peak but I think it's been delayed by the clouds.  If we do it in the morning then there is a better chance it will be clear.

Enoc Falls

Sine Hut, accomodations for 1st night in the Rwenzori's
(2596m elevation)

Breakfast at Sine Hut

The Foot of the Rwenzori Mountains

Porters waiting outside the office at RTS

Yesterday I hired a car and left the dusty noisy streets of Kampala for the Rwenzori Mountains.  I am staying at the Rwenzori Trekkers Hostel in the village of Kilembe (1450m elevation).  The single rooms are quite small but the bed was very comfortable.  The food is simple but good.  The staff is exceptionally professional and friendly.  I finally slept well for the first time since I arrived in Uganda 5 days ago.   The HMFIC of the Trekking business, this hostel and the backpacker's hostel in Kampala is an Aussie ex-SOF guy by the name of John Hunwick who's been in country more than 20 years.  He lobbied the Uganda government for over 10 years to gain the guiding concession for the Rwenzori's and is primarily responsible for the Rwenzori's becoming a well known trekking spot.  He manages the multiple businesses with the able assistance of his wife Catherine, a lovely Ugandan woman who maintains a watchful eye over the operation. 

My room: small but a comfortable bed with a mossie net! 
The duffel is from Nepal and still has my race number on the side

Tomorrow I begin my eight day trek and climb of Mt Stanley.  Up to this point I've felt a bit off balance, here in Uganda.  Back in Entebbe, at Susan's Air BnB, I felt a bit isolated.  In Kampala I felt isolated for different reasons.  Driving the six or so hours we passed countless fields growing: tea, bananas, mangoes, potatoes, pineapple, etc.  The villages seemed to be more prosperous the closer we got to Fort Portal.  It was interesting watching the landscape shift, from verdant lowlands to drier areas, past vast tea estates, over a road that varied from fresh black top to poorly maintained hard surface to red clay and back again.  It was interesting but I was still a bit off balance wondering what I was doing here, in Africa.  Then arriving at the hostel I was initially anxious finding there wasn't internet, and therefore I can't contact my driver, post to this blog or contact the outside world.  That lasted for a hot second when I realized how much better I felt being here, at the edge of this magical mountain range. 

If my posts so move you, and you think you may want to see this place one day, best consider a trip soon.  There is a Chinese run copper and gold mine close by and apparently the Chinese would like to install a tram or stairs to the top of Mt Stanley.  It would be such a crime to deface this Word Heritage site in such a way.  It would be like building a tram to the top of Half Dome from the Yosemite valley floor.  Of course, there is speculation that there my be diamonds in the Rwenzori's.  And building a tram would require a large amount of core sampling...

     

          

Everyone Wants to Come to America

I have been told this several times since arriving in Uganda.  I have heard it before but this time I had an interesting discussion about it.  First off, a good number of Americans mistakenly believe that people in other countries wish to come to the USA to change it.  That is complete rubbish, they do not.  You could argue the point with me but bear in mind I have been to over 27 countries and spoken to countless folks who admire the USA.  So, unless you have similar experience, to counter my observation, just accept that I am right on this point and you are wrong.

I was having a conversation the other night with a local.  she pointed out that everyone wants to come to the USA.  It is heavily driven by media, by film, by news, the net... all things point to the USA as a bastion of personal freedom on a level not seen elsewhere.  But now there is a new wrinkle in play.  Most Americans don't fully appreciate the role the USA plays as a global leader.  I am not talking diplomatically or militarily, but culturally, politically and economically.

Other countries try to rally their populations around new policies that will help them be more like the USA.  They see that USA as stable, and despite our issues, as less corrupt.  A role model.  But this is not set in stone.  There is concern from as far away as East Africa that the recklessness and lack of consistency displayed by the current administration does not bode well.  When the top leadership of the USA presents itself as accepting of greed and happy with inconsistency that attitude bleeds over to other countries as well.  On one hand it lowers the global opinion of the USA but more importantly it lowers expectations across the globe in many, many countries. 

We can proceed as we have for most of our history and lead toward the promise of the American Dream.  It is a dream held far and wide by folks across the planet.  Or we can allow inconsistency and ignorance, a hostility toward science and an acceptance of corruption to lead the world ever closer to the abyss. 

Here is a thought for you... should everything end badly as a result of the current administration it will ripple across the planet.  As life gets worse for humanity all citizens of the USA will own a piece of the responsibility.  Personally, it is not a karmic debt I want to hold!               

Notes on Uganda

Well, after two nights in a suburb of Entebbe I hired a car to come up to Kampala.  When I say suburb, read villiage.  Susan my host was wonderful.  Beautiful room but a bit isolated from Entebbe.  It was wonderful waking up to a view of Lake Victoria.  That is another thing I knew, as a young child, I would one day see.  Susan arranged my ride with Jude.  He brought me here to the backpacker's hostle and then on an ATM run.  I didn't bring too much cash with me so I'll be using ATM's for expenses I van't place on plastic.  Jude informed me that Barclays nd Standard Charteed are the most reliable ATM's here. 

Tomorrow Jude will be collecting me at 07:00 to drive me to Kliembe, at the foot of the Rwenzori mountais.  I'll have a free day there before my trek.  I think I'll fid more to do in a smaller village than this city of nearly 2M folks.  I was hoping to go online and look for a flight from Entebbe to Zanzibar.  Unfortuntely the wifi is down here.  It seems toi be a common issue in Ugnda.  The servie itself is unreliable and on top of that the hosts don't always keep their accout recharged.  So I don't know if I'll be able to do so.  That could impact my decisions.  The big take away hee is when raveling to Uganda do your research before hand.  Of course I would still keep a felxible schedule though.  I was considering taking a bus to Kliembe but was concened aboutt the safety of my duffles.  I have gear for cold weather and snow that I can't easily replace here.  Jude is taking me there for far less that half the cost I was quoted by the tour operator.      

OK, wifi is back up so I am posting this now while I am able.

Cheers!!

New Year in Africa

The last two days were a chore... traveling for  29 hours.  I am not a big fan of spending so much time on my butt!  But last night, at 23:00, I finally arrived in Entebbe.  It had slipped my mind that folks would be celebrating New Year's Eve.  I felt unusually emotional as the taxi drove to my Air BnB with fire works popping all about.  It seemed so right to be here, in Africa, far from home, at the start of 2018.  Out of work.  Waiting to go back to school.  A new chapter in my curious life.  Up till my arrival I kept second guessing what I was doing; if I packed the right things; where I'd be over the next few weeks.  But on that short drive suddenly everything was as it should be. 

Not that finding the Air BnB was without incident.  My Ai BnB host, Susan, had arranged a taxi for me.  But that driver hadn't bothered to make up a sign with my name.  So I found my own taxi at the airport.  This was the same airport that brought Uganda to my attention as a child.  Back then it was a horrible hijacking and daring raid by Israel while Idi Amin was ruling the country that had Uganda dominating the news.  Things are much better now.  So anyway, apparently the Google map link on Air BnB is not so accurate in Uganda.  I ended up at the wrong location.  The taxi driver called Susan and found out we were still 3 km away.  Off we went down a red clay road with red clay speed-bumps on the outskirts of Entebbe.  At one point the drier flagged down a motorcyclist to help show us the way.  As we drove, suddenly the road was blocked by 6 or 8 burning tires.  In Uganda, if you can't afford fireworks then burning old tires is an acceptable substitute.  Unfortunately these tires were all over the road.  It was impossible to drive around them.  The guy on the bike showed us a back road through a different part  of the village that got us past the fires.  I eventually got to the Air BNB somewhere around 12:30, I think. 

There hasn't been any internet connectivity since I arrived.  I realized as I lay in bed this morning how uncomfortable that made me feel.  I suppose if I planned this trip better it would have been a non-issue but I was hoping to do  bit more research once I arrived.  This place is on the far outskirts of Entebbe so I can't just walk into town.  And being January 1st it's a holiday and many places are closed.  I haven't even been able to post that I arrive safely.  Hopefully my family is used to that by now.  It forced me to think about how dependent I have become on connectivity.  It's not a good thing.  I need to go back to using hard copy Travel Guides as a back up.  I also need to seriously consider shifting to  global phone plan for trips. 

Today I am taking it easy.  I reorganized my gear.  I think I planned it pretty well.  The only things that cause me pause are my boots and jackets.  I skipped mountaineering boots in favor of backpacking boots.  The plastic double-boots are much more correct for glacier travel and I'll be doing a bit of that.  But only a wee bit so bringing them didn't seem practical.  And to be air I have done most of my winter mountaineering in backpacking boots anyway.  The issue with jackets is that I only brought down.  I have a good shell so should be able to keep them dry at lower elevations.  But is is still a concern.

OK, time to relax and read the novel I brought.  Tomorrow I head to Kampala and life gets fast again.