Upgrades

1 December, Wednesday; Kampala to Kigale, Uganda. Today is a long travel day so we wake up early and break down camp in the cold dampness. I’m all about helping out with the chores, but I have to say that taking down the tent when it’s wet outside is definitely my least favorite. Funny enough, our tour leader asks me why I’m so clean. The answer – I’ve only just put on my sandals (a dirt magnet) and I let Ben do the really gross stuff, if I can! Today is a slow day for us passengers. The highlight of our day occurs at lunch. We pulled off the road for lunch and were immediately surrounded by locals, including 4 young boys who stood behind trees about 15 feet from us and just watched us eat lunch. It was a bit strange, but I guess we’re doing the same and watching them from our bus going about their daily life. After a bumpy ride off the main drag and through the Kigale National Forest, we arrive at our camp for the next two nights. It feels luxurious with a large dining/relaxation area. The best part is that we get to eat at a table instead of sitting on camp chairs and eating off our laps. Many of the places offer upgrades, which often seem to be beds in simple dorm rooms, but this time they have some permanent tents and Ben and I decide to upgrade, for the right price. For $50 each night we have a bit more space and don’t have to pitch our tents. We don’t think we’ll do it much, but it’s nice to take a short break from the tents – it IS our honeymoon, after all!

Upgrades, however, don’t give you any more protection from critters. After dinner, we were chilling out and playing a card game when in a split second, I saw a blur emerge from under the wooden table and head straight for my left foot. I felt a tickle on my foot and immediately yelped. Luckily, it was enough for the rat to freak out and run back under the table for protection. Not the kind of animal I’d hoped to see today. On a pit stop in Kampala, we checked out the wine offerings, curious if there were any Californian wines. However, there were no American wines, let alone Californian. We decided to pass on the bottle of Veuve Cliquot for the low low price of 270,950 Ugandan Shillings.

With the current exchange rate of about 1 USD = 2300 USH, that makes a bottle of my fav about $117. We’ll pass and wait to imbibe when we’re at our posh all-inclusive resort on Pemba Island. Speaking of Pemba, there was 1 magazine sitting around in the lounge area. It was a Conde Naste Traveller (one of my fav mags) that had an article about Zanzibar and its two outlying islands, Mafia and Pemba. The article included a handful of photos and a write-up of our luxe resort. After nearly 3 weeks of camping, we are REALLY looking forward to our honeymoon stay on Pemba at Fundu Lagoon. Seeing the pics was a little pick-me-up to keep me going. Can’t wait to enjoy some gin and tonics from the jetty bar pictured in this photo.