Adventures in Kampala!

Yesterday I returned from my 48 hour adventure to Kampala, Uganda and everything went according to plan. 

I flew from Nairobi, Kenya into Entebbe, Uganda on January 30th.

I was picked up at the airport by a taxi driver named Lawrence.  Lawrence is friends with the staff at the AIM Guesthouse and he drove me to Matoke Inn.  What a place! 

Matoke Inn entrance gate

Matoke Inn

Matoke Inn dining room / lounge

My bedroom

I thought I had communicated to Lawrence that I wanted him to come take me to the MAF Office the next morning at 7:30am, but when he hadn't arrived at 7:45am I decided to walk to the main street myself and hop on the back of a "boda-boda".  I held on tight.  It was quite a rush driving into downtown Kampala on the back of a motorbike.  Then I arrived at the MAF Office.
 

MAF entrance gate

MAF office

I was greeted by their security guard and then I met Benard (one of the staff in the logistics department).  He helped me so much!  The day before he had completed the 15 forms needed for myself and my teammates (and he had already sent them to his friend who works in the South Sudanese embassy).  Having "a man on the inside" was amazing.  I'm certain that everything would not have gone smoothly if it were not for Benard and his contacts.  

I gave Benard the 15 passports with the $4395 cash I was carrying and then we drove to the South Sudanese embassy.  Benard asked me to stay in the waiting area while he went in to apply for the visas. 10 minutes later he came back and said that we can come back to pick them up at the end of the day.  So with that, I went back to Matoke Inn for the afternoon and he went back to his office.  At 5pm I called Benard and he told me the good news that all 15 applications for 6 month visas were complete! 

Benard and David with 15 passports with 6 month visas for South Sudan!