12 APR 2007 – The Arrival

12 APR 2007 – The Arrival

Hello from Entebbe, Uganda!

I’m sorry it has taken me so long to write but the past few weeks have been crazy: work, moving, doctor’s appointments, a two-day road trip to Oregon, a two-day non-rev flight trip to Minneapolis via Salt Lake City, speeding tickets and lost luggage, tying up loose ends, visiting family, trying to visit as many friends as possible, telling my “story” again and again. It’s not everyday someone packs up and moves to central Africa so it’s to be expected I suppose.

The trip to Uganda was uneventful and easy – just the way I like ‘em. Northwest nonstop from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, then KLM nonstop from Amsterdam to Entebbe. Two back to back eight hour flights with a three-hour layover in Amsterdam. I was pretty lucky – one of the other new-hires came from Ft. Worth, Texas. His trip included stops in Chicago, Brussels, and Nairobi.

So… first things first. I had started my first blog entry on the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam and planned on publishing it the first chance I got. It was pretty lengthy, detailing what I’ll be doing in the Congo, what I’d be flying, my thoughts, emotions, that kind of yadda-yadda.

But this is Africa, and things change.

More accurately this is life, and things change.

Long story short: I was originally hired to fly a Cessna Caravan out of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At some point there was a mix-up at the corporate office and my flight-time summary got attached to the wrong resume. When I arrived at work yesterday they realized I was the mystery candidate with 400 hours of KingAir time and asked me how I felt about Afghanistan. Afghanistan???

I had been here less then 24 hours and already I managed to get myself promoted and upgraded to a bigger airplane.

But… like I said, this is life and things change; and so it appears (at least for now) I’ll be heading to Kabul, Afghanistan. My departure date isn’t known just yet, but I will be going to South Africa initially for training and to take a CAA (the South African FAA) check ride so I can fly the South African registered airplanes. I’ll be honest though, I’m a bit bummed. I was very much looking forward to flying the Caravan in Africa, especially the single-pilot aspect of it. It’s been a long time since I’ve flown an airplane by myself and in the KingAir I’ll have a first officer. However, if after a year of employment if I decide to stick around, I have a lot of say on where I’ll be based and Air Serv does their best in accommodating that. It’s hard to say how I’ll feel in a year but Africa is definitely a place I’d like to come back to.

And I know Afghanistan will be it’s own unique adventure and is absolutely something I’m excited about and looking forward to. It’s not everyday an American is offered a job in the Middle East and not asked to pick up a gun and start shooting people. The mission is the same as it is in Africa – flying aid and aid workers in and out of villages and towns to those who need it. I’ve seen photos – they need it. But for now, until I have a class date in South Africa, I’m pretty much on a paid vacation here in Entebbe. Things could definitely be worse!

Speaking of Entebbe, for those of you who have been to Ensenada, Mexico, at first glance they are very similar. Some of the roads are paved, some aren’t. They installed speed bumps but you never drive too fast anyway because of all the potholes. They drive on the left and the steering wheel is on the right. Yesterday I was handed the keys and asked if I wanted to give it a shot but declined – 8 hours of jetlag and very little sleep the past three days equals a bad idea. I want to try it before I go though. The time difference by the way if you’re in the Midwest is 8 hours ahead, 10 if you’re on the west coast.

The Air Serv office is located at Entebbe International Airport. If you saw the movie The Last King of Scotland, airport terminal where General Amin kept the hostages is located right next to the Air Serv hangar. The terminal is undergoing renovation right now and the place is gutted but apparently the bullet holes are still visible where the Israeli Special Forces came and shot the place up.

One thing I’ve found interesting is despite the unfinished roads and the unfinished buildings (which remind me of Mexico), is the amount of technology in use. Cell phones work everywhere, and if you go into the corner convenience store they have electronic scanners and registers just like your local 7-Eleven. You go out to lunch and get a nice printed receipt just like the US. Uganda is unique in this regard and is why so many people come here for vacation. The local currency is the schilling and Uganda is one of the only African countries where they don’t accept American dollar.

The climate and scenery is tropical – it is very lush, green, humid and warm. Entebbe is directly on the equator but the temperature is comfortable due to the 4,000′ altitude and the breeze that blows off of Lake Victoria. There is no shortage of bugs and creepy-crawlies, and at night I sleep under a mosquito net. When the lights go out little lizards about the size of a gecko come out and line the walls and ceiling of my hotel room. They’re harmless and eat mosquitoes so I don’t mind having them around. It’s 1:45 am as I write this and I can’t see them but I can hear them running around up there. There are roosters all over and for whatever reason begin their cock-a-doodle-doo’s between 3:30 and 4 even the though the sun doesn’t begin to come up until about 6. This apparently upsets the dogs so they then begin to bark. The hotel doesn’t have any glass on the windows, only screens so it’s kinda like being on a farm I suppose. It doesn’t matter though – my schedule is all screwed up and I haven’t been sleeping at night anyway.

The Ugandan people are very friendly and make you feel welcome. Tourism is a big part of their economy and my guess is that might have a little something to do with it. But then again, they might just be that way. Tourism is a big part of the San Diego economy and I admit I was probably not as friendly to the tourists as I could have been. Everything is relative I guess.

For now that’s it. There is so much scenery and culture here it’s hard to put into words. I have photos and will get them uploaded asap.

~dj