Monday we got up for breakfast before packing up and heading to Jinja for the day. We also took Kristine Ardavanis who is doing a 2month stint living and serving at the Hurleys with us(her dad Scott is a Pastor in LA and as I write at TSBC Impact Conference at Riverbend). Kristine is 18, bubbly, helpful and a great servant, also full of fun and has been a huge encouragement and good friend to our kids Zach Sam and Bri.We headed for Jinja arriving for lunch so went straight for Ozzies Café for lunch (yummy hamburgers) before driving down to the edge of Lake Victoria to find Shortie (our local Ugandan friend and boat driver) who took us out on to Lake Victoria up to the Jinja Rock and explained the history of the Nile River and falls before we headed to the John Speke Monument, to be greeted by monkeys in the trees, just probably 3-5metres from where we were standing, so cute!!! We got back in the boat and rode on the Nile River back to the village where we had boarded.
We got in the vehicle and went up to Bujagli Falls (where we as a family had been before) to show the others and James paid a man to go down the falls with only a gerry can tied around his waist! It was hard case on the dirt road to the falls there were a group of kids who had put a road block across the road, so that everytime a car stopped they would ask for money for the roadblock to be removed, easy pocketmoney I guess, Deane said NO WAY but on the
back he stopped and handed them a handful of lollies, by the look on their faces I’m not too sure that was exactly what they wanted!!!
Back to Jinja and a stop at Ling Ling’s for the most yummy and cheapest Chinese dinner. We decided to have early dinner and head home for carrotcake dessert before it got dark so that we didn’t have to endure another night drive!!!! All to bed rather late again!!!
Tuesday – a day I wasn’t looking forward to, after the death of my nana on the 11th May and the 1st years anniversary of my dads passing, having to say goodbye to the Majors, I was feeling quite unsettled. Deane asked if I would like to go home, I said yes please!!!
Anyway breakfast over and the Majors all packed up, we headed for Kampala to do some souvenir shopping and a quick drive around a bit of Kampala city. Zach negotiated a boda boda price and James, Bea and Laura with Zach headed for Pap Café. So they got to do a boda in the middle of the City, great excitement! Yummy lunch and James was wanting some quick action, so asked if they could possibly hurry the lunch as we were heading for the airport – fastest service of meal we have ever had in Uganda!!! (think we may try that one again) Time whizzed by and before we knew it we needed to head for the airport. A slight problem tho that the road we used to get on to the airport had no right turn so we had to go back up thru the lights to the roundabout and down again to get on to the road, only as about 5,000 others were trying to do the same thing!!! Made it to the road to Entebbe to be confronted with snail pace traffic, large traffic jam and so once we were out of that and on the main road (not really a highway) Deane did the fastest bit of driving to get to the airport. Departure was 4.15pm, checkin 1.15pm and we got to the airport at around 2.30pm I think, cutting it a bit fine, aye James!!!!
Anyway our first experience (and hopefully not the last) of departures from the Entebbe airport and you drop off everyone at the door, not flying – then not entering the airport is the rule!!! So after a fast goodbye (which was best I think) we stood on the outside of the windows and watched as the Majors checked in and through to the departure lounge.
As we were leaving the airport, even tho it was sad to see our visitors go, I said to Deane Nah I’m not ready to go home yet, we haven’t done what we came to do!!!Anyway we had an AWESOME time with James, Bea and Laura – it was a HUGE blessing and encouragement to us as a family and we are so grateful that they just called in on their way to the wedding in Perth!!!!!!
We have some great memories and will always look back remembering lots of good times and laughs and as we go to Kubamitwe - I will always remember the shocked look on James’ face at the longdrop!!!!