It is commonly thought that taking a baby on an international flight is quite a challenge. I will dispell that myth right here and now. The truth is, taking a baby on an international flight is like going to Six Flags with someone in a wheelchair. We got pushed to the front of the line the whole way- customs, airport check in, airplane bording, etc.. You can't beat that. My little charmer even managed to get us bumped to business class on each leg of our flight. (Apparently they can just put you up there if they want to.)
Of course it wasn't all fun and games. But it was about 45% fun, 45% games, 9% deep breaths, and 1% being totally embarrassed when C spilled A TRAY of orange juice on a non-English speaking stranger one hour into a 10 hour flight. Talk about awkward. BTW, did you know passengers under the age of two can fly as a lap baby on international flights? They can. It's not totally free like on domestic flights, but it's just 10% of an adult ticket price. We plan to take advantage of this again next summer. If the carseat fanatics don't ruin it before then, that is.
It was after the flight that things got interesting. I knew that we were going to have to drive from the airport town (Entebbe) to the town Mike is from (Bukedea). Before the trip, he kept telling it was 120 miles and it was a really tough trip. I didn't buy it. How long can it take to drive 120 miles?
When you share the two-lane road with bicyclists, cows, turkeys (both literal and figurative), ducks, military-ish people collecting bribes, and jillions of pedestrians carrying water on their heads, 120 miles can take 10 hours. Especially when the vehicle you are travelling in breaks down for a while. But after 5 hours you are pretty much ready to stretch your legs, take some pictures, and meet some locals anyway.
Driving in Uganda is not like driving here. For one, they drive on the left side of the road. For two, they honk about as often as they blink. Here is a list* of reasons to honk the horn while driving in Uganda:
1) someone is ahead of you
2) someone is behind you
3) you're passing a pedestrian
4) you're passing an animal
5) good song on the radio
6) it's been more than onemississippi since you last honked
*You should probably print and laminate that list. Keep it in your wallet. Just in case.
I think I could attempt the plane ride, but my eye starts twitching thinking about a 10 hour car ride with a one year old. Your little girl is a trooper!!
ReplyDeleteIf I had known about the car ride I would have thought longer about going!
ReplyDeleteSounds like New Zealand. Except with the music. People there honk when they see food stands.
ReplyDeletehahah! Very informative post! I had no idea about the horn honking. Oh, and can I borrow C for my next trip on a plane? The airlines are dead to me, but they might rise from the dead if I could fly business class...
ReplyDeleteLeslie- YES! A resounding yes. C would love a vacay with her auntie Leslie.
ReplyDeleteLibby- that's funny about the food stands. If my brain had a horn it would honk at food stands as well. I have issues...