Time for some R & R

 Traveling requires flexibility. Traveling in Africa requires a special amount of flexibility. I like to think that I am a pretty flexible traveler and that I have enough experience to be flexible with my travel, but nothing has properly prepared me for the flexibility I needed for this travel in Africa (*Side note: I don't think all travel in Africa resembles this. Probably just because of my location).

On Thursday of last week, I boarded a very small plane bound for Kajjansi Uganda. This is a small town near Entebbe and Kampala Uganda. I have never been on a plane that small before. There were only 5 people on the plane (Plus the pilot) on the first portion of the flight. It is a shuttle flight so we made a stop in Arua Uganda before 3 of us flew to Kajjansi.

When we were near Kajjansi there was a storm coming in. We had gotten some rain but nothing super significant as we flew. A smaller plane like the one we were on doesn't fly as high so we were in the rain more than above it. When we got closer still, we hit some turbulence. I have been in planes through storms before but this was a whole new experience. When a little plane like that one hits turbulence, it is rough. We dropped and dipped a few times. One time was pretty freaky but overall, we landed without issue. The pilot was excellent.

In Kajjansi, at a very small airport, I got to see a little but of the different plant life that is there while I waited for a taxi to pick me up. My driver came and drove me about 30 minutes to my hotel. On the way he explained different parts of the cities that I was seeing. Uganda has a lot of similarities to South Sudan, but near the capital it is much more built up than where I live in Yambio.

Entebbe was the first place I have been to in 2 months that has a paved road or a mall. It was a bit of a culture shock moment seeing all of that again. I won't lie, I was very excited to go into the mall or go grocery shopping. The mall wasn't very large but it was nice, especially since it had a grocery store in it. I walked to the mall, which wasn't very far from my hotel and spent over an hour wandering the isles, finding foods I hadn't had in weeks, and bought food to take back to Yambio with me.

The hotel I stayed at in Entebbe was pretty nice. It is right on Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa. The lake is beautiful and it was nice to stand down by the edge of the water for a while. I also had a balcony overlooking the water from my hotel room. It was nice to be out there and overlook the water and enjoy the ice cream I bought.

On Friday I boarded another small plane. This time there were 10 of us, plus the pilot. Everyone on that plane was there for volunteer services working with refugees, other than me. On the way to Adjamani (where I was getting off the plane), I got to chat with a few of the other people on the plane who happened to do mental health care in South Sudan and now in Uganda working with South Sudanese refugees. It was a good chance to talk about how things function and some other things. I got contact information so I can ask questions and maybe work together in the future.

When I arrived in Adjamani I was surprised at how small their airport was. Each time I have gone somewhere new in Africa I get a little more surprised by the way things are. I got a taxi and headed to the hotel. I booked a hotel outside of the town. It was a nice-looking hotel with a pool and different places to hang out. The room was pretty nice as well, with a nice bed and mosquito netting (a must!). There was a restaurant there as well.

After relaxing at the hotel and going for a swim in their pool, I decided to head towards town and also see if I could find the store that I had found on google. I walked through the village. It was a really nice and peaceful village. I walked for quite a while, through different portions of the village. I never actually made it to the town or to find the store. But I liked walking around. I even met a few people who I chatted with. Everyone was nice.

I hung out at the hotel that night and ate at the restaurant. The next day I got to experience what a refugee camp was like. It was challenging to see because the people there live such a hard like and there is so little that is done to help them. Most of the people there have lived in the camp for over a decade because of the insecurities in their portion of South Sudan. The refugee camp I was in was home to only South Sudanese. My friend's family was there with my friend so I met up with them.

It was a humbling but good experience. I was able to bring some food for the family, which was about all I was able to provide them. I wanted to do something to thank them for having me. We shared meals together that day and talked a little (though it was hard because there was a language barrier). Mostly I caught up with my friend. We also walked to the town and I was able to explore and see a little more in the area. I also got to take a boat ride on the Nile River. I saw a hippo but he was too fast so I couldn't get a photo. (Hippos are the most dangerous animal on the planet so we were lucky he just ignored us).

The next two days I spent more time with my friend and their family. This time we went to my friend’s aunt's house. I won't lie, I am feeling a little homesick and it was hard at first to be around their family because I was missing my own, but they welcomed me in and made me feel like a part of the family as well. In the end it was nice to have that family feeling again. It actually made me a little less homesick. I really enjoyed being with my friend's family. I was able to learn so much.

One of my favorite things we did was I was taught by my friend's cousin how to make paste, their version of peanut butter. I ground the peanuts on a stone with another stone by hand. It is hard work but I actually thought it was pretty fun. It takes a while to grind the paste but it tastes so good. Paste tastes even better than peanut butter. It isn't as sweet, which I actually like. I really had a wonderful few days with my friend and their family. We shared lots of good food and some good conversations.

My last day in Adjamani was quieter. My friend and I wandered around town for a little while. We got grilled pork for lunch which is one of my favorite meals. The food is good. We also went swimming in the hotel pool and just hung out around the pool. It was a very relaxing day. I am grateful to hang out with my friend, and to get some time exploring another part of Uganda. I enjoyed being in Adjamani more than Entebbe.

On Wednesday I flew down to Kajjansi again. The flight was good. We flew over the Nile River again. Of course, I took tones of photos out the plane window. I really enjoyed being on the plane and seeing the different parts of Uganda from the air. I hope to come back one day and see more of it on the road. They drive on the left in Uganda and I struggle with that. Plus, the driving is much more challenging, with different road manners than I am used to.

When I got to Kajjansi I found out my Thursday Flight was canceled. It was time that I started to panic a little. Thankfully I was less nervous than I could have been. I went to my hotel, which didn't have internet, but did have a rooftop bar. I sat up in the bar lounge, and used data to try and book a flight. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to book one due to issues with my credit card. A series of texts to my office, and one of the guys who helps with flights booked my ticket for the next morning.

I found another grocery store that afternoon and wandered around there for a while, buying food for dinner and then some goods to bring back with me to Yambio (like protein bars, chocolate, and some things for work). After getting what I wanted from the store, I headed back to the hotel. It was nice driving around and seeing Kajjansi. I didn't feel like walking around there too much but I liked the drive. At the hotel I ate dinner from some of the food I bought and lounged around. It was a relaxing but early evening.

On Thursday I intended to go to the animal sanctuary but the driver who was taking me got confused, didn't speak English, and we ended up deciding that I should just go to the airport. This time I was flying out of Entebbe instead of Kajjansi. Entebbe's airport is larger, and more like a normal airport. I got there and headed to the information desk for the flight I was booked on. When I went and talked with the woman there, we discovered I had accidentally been booked for a flight on April 30th instead of March 30th. A series of calls and texts to my office and I was rebooked on a flight in a few hours. It worked out that I didn't go to the animal sanctuary so that I could get the flight corrected.

So, I flew back to Juba without much issue after that. I spent some time wandering around the Ugandan airport before the flight. The flight itself was smooth. When I got to Juba a colleague met me and brought me to the office. There I found out that my Friday flight was not going to happen. It was too full. I am going to be in Juba for the weekend. It will work out okay, and I have a nice hotel to stay at.

But all of this requires flexibility. There is more that happened with random other travel things that required flexibility, but I won't get into that. Overall, the trip was great but everything had to be handled with some sense that when things go left, you have to lean in and go left to. Eventually it all works out. Just embrace the adventure and remember to be flexible.