We've arrived

We've arrived in Kampala! We were met at Entebbe Airport by Pastor Michael Masembe, then travelled an hour through Kampala by bus to our hotel.




Everything and everyone seems to have arrived intact, with no lost or damaged baggage. Our accomodations are very nice... as far as missions trips goes, this is definitely the nicest bed I've had to sleep on! The hotel is the equivalent of a typical lower-budget hotel in North America, though I'd say the quarters are little older and a little more cramped. After some 'negotiations' about the price, we were able to move in and get settled down. For the next week, Hotel Africana will be our home base. We'll meet at 8AM each morning to eat together and to pray, and then ride the half-hour by bus out to Mpigi.

We've setup an internet connection directly from our room (wirelessly, thanks to a handy little Apple base station). Don Webber and I are busy setting up shop, unpacking the film gear and getting the editing equipment setup. The rest of the team is in their respective rooms, recovering from the long flights.

The team is a bit road weary. I'm really feeling the jet lag... the first day is always the hardest. As I write this it's 3AM for my body, but 2PM by the sun. So if my grammar isn't up to snuff, that's my excuse :)



For those who have followed some of my other documentary trips this year, I can't help but notice the remarkable similarities between Uganda and Guinea. The native language sounds very similar to the Fulbe of West Africa. The smells & sounds, the humid air, architecture, the roads, the vehicles, the deep red soil... it all was instantly familiar to me. Uganda is certainly less densely packed with people, and much more economically successful.



I sat next to a Food for the Hungry aid worker on the flight from London to Entebbe. He had lived for six years in Uganda. He commented that the central area of Uganda (in Kampala, and where we are working in Mpigi) has seen remarkable improvement over the last decade. The northern areas of the country have been much less fortunate.



In other news, we've heard that Michael, Ross and perhaps Dr. Gerry Roberts (with us on the team to run the medical clinic in Mpigi) may have the chance to go on national television tomorrow evening. I'll report back when we have more confirmed, but certainly an exciting opportunity.

I'll sign off for now. We'll send an update on the activities tomorrow.