Out of Africa

As some of you know I had hoped to blog while in Africa... this was not possible.For a good chunk of our time we had neither electricity nor running water let alone internet coverage! And yet what a banquet of experiences we have shared....from utter terror and real fear for our own safety right through to raucous laughter, uncomplicated joy and sheer wonder at the whole beauty of it all. Uganda is rightly known as the "Pearl of Africa" and so it proved. It is a truly stunning place, I will post photos once I've begun to get my head and home sorted... but expect lions and mountains and more teeth in smiles than you would ever think possible from fellow human beings..to say nothing of majestic fish eagles and utter ramshackle dwellings and "butchers" with the highest standards of cleanliness!
 In short we have had an incredible journey. Upon arrival in Uganda..(I won't tire you with the boredom of travel itinerary) we were met with the reality of the fact that our "guide" was recently imprisoned. We discovered, gradually, that the offence was speeding and evading capture thus hitting a motorcycle and seriously injuring the riders. Although we were met with a more than ample replacement, Samuel, we were left without a vehicle capable of transporting the 5 of us to our destination near Kasese in SW Uganda. So the bargaining and bartering that I have come to understand "is" Africa begun. Sitting in a "cathedral" cafe looking out over the vibrant and yet apparently chaotic life of Kampala we watched and listened and wondered as our "fate" passed between pastors and family men and dare I say shady men, who we knew only by the increasingly bizarre and inflationary demands they seemed to be making as we sought simply a vehicle that could transport us through this teeming jungle of impossibilities. Night drew in and our fate seemed with each passing hour less and less clear, just where was Avis car rental when you needed it? Eventually a vehicle did arrive, there were complications, of course, there was literally no way our luggage could fit (a backup vehicle for the evening was provided until we could lash the luggage on the roof!).And then 50 yards up the teeming Kampalan unlit street we ground to a halt. There are no pictures of this terrifying event, for as we sat in our newly acquired steel coffin the world screamed past us on every side blazing out the internationally recognizable language of abuse that is the screech of a car horn. A fellow pastor eventually returned with a Jerry can of hope and we slumped and bumped our way to the only thing we now craved, a bed for the night. When we awoke at 5am it was time to strap suitcases to the roof and venture again onto the streets of Kampala. Long before I realised we actually were, I commented that we seemed to be travelling a similar route to fellow explorers, May, Hammond and Clarkson of top gear. Africa gradually awoke with children streaming along roadsides, motorcyclists carrying removal trucks and the sights sounds and smells that later became commonplace awakening our senses. And so there had been night and there was morning...the first day....confusion!
More reflections will follow, but note out of confusion comes hope, and we were not disappointed!