Uganda Trip: On the Ground

We had made arrangements for private transportation throughout the 12 days of our trip. In Uganda, it is best to hire a driver with the vehicle, and provide the gasoline, which might cost about UGX 250k/day (or $70/day inclusive). This enabled us to maintain our itinerary and travel more freely, avoiding crazy public transportation (taxis and buses).

Although we had brought an infant car seat for Moses (free checked luggage on KLM flights), we used it only in the beginning. It is not the rule there for infants to travel in car seats. We also traveled with a carry-on stroller that we did not find much use for. Moses liked being held during our airport layovers. So we'll likely skip these accessories on our next trip.

For accommodation, we used a hotel in Kasese (Virina Gardens Hotel) because my house itself was not move-in ready for us. In Kampala, my sister vacated her master bedroom for our use, and in Kabale, my aunt boarded us in her rent-ready furnished home. We are grateful for this generosity because it saved us the expense of hotels, which are comparatively more expensive (for foreigners and tourists) than here in the US. A good hotel might cost about $60/night although you can always find cheaper alternatives if you know the right people. Make sure your room has air conditioning and mosquito nets over the beds. That fee also includes room-delivered breakfast.

Speaking of mosquito nets, we had brought some for our bed and Moses' crib. Late August is the end of the dry season and rains where expected when we were there. But there were no mosquitos, so we didn't really use the nets the last half of our trip. Even though, we were religious about taking our Malaria pills each day. The only other travel requirement for Uganda is a yellow fever shot.

Pretty early in the trip, we realized we needed to still maintain Moses' sleep schedule, so whatever we did happened after his naps. Thankfully, he did well with one nap most days and didn't experience jet-lag while we were there. We brought his pack-n-play so we can set up for him to sleep wherever we go as needed.

As soon as we arrived, my sister gave us a SIM card for phone service through MTN Uganda. Although Verizon claims I could have used my Galaxy Note 3 phone with it, it did not work. Luckily, I had borrowed an iPhone 4 from a friend back in CO and it worked perfectly there. I take note here that MTN is not the only network in the country; there are 3 more and they are incompatible. This means people carry around 2 or more phones for each network they are subscribed to, usually the ones where most of their friends and family are, because it is more expensive to call people out-of-network. Also, everything is pretty much prepay. Voicemail is not part of most service offers; you just keep trying all the person's numbers until you get a hold of them. Whatsapp is prevalent for those with smartphones.

In order to charge our American devices (phones, cameras, and for my blender), we bought a power converter to step down their 220/240V to 110/120V. But even with this, I managed to go through 3 batteries on the camera, with no further way to recharge them because I forgot to bring their charger. Regrets.

On our second day in-country, we needed to exchange dollars for Ugandan shillings. The exchange rate was UGX 3,500, but we found out this only applies to large denomination bills. Your $20, $10, $5 and $1 bills will be exchanged at a much lower rate. Outside of Kampala, the condition of the bill matters too: inked, old, or torn bills might not be accepted. With small bills, you can bargain for a better rate if you have a lot of them to exchange.

Speaking of bargaining, this is the way to shop in Ugandan markets. You can bargain on anything except in supermarkets or other formal venues. The prices are obviously hiked for foreigners (especially when they see a white person), so my strategy was to start my offer at half the price. A few times I consulted with any local I was traveling with whether the stated price was fair.

The markets didn't have as many fruits as I had hoped. I had planned to blend fruit shakes daily, so I brought my Bullet on the trip. Didn't use it even once, small disappointment. The food was otherwise excellent, food I had missed all these years living in the US. The only warning is that it is usually fried and heavy on the carbs. We didn't eat out much; my family and relatives provided most of the food we ate. Sometimes we ventured out for road snacks (gonja, bananas, and muchomo mostly). To avoid drinking tap water, sodas were the thirst-quenchers. One weird practice: if you want to take a (glass) bottled drink with you, you must bring an empty. Otherwise, you must drink it wherever you bought it and leave the bottle behind.

Things are cheaper in Kampala than they are upcountry, so if you want to do tourist-type shopping, Kampala is your best best for variety and price. Even exchange rates for the dollar are better there. Caution though that places such as the African Village (where they sell traditional art and other trinkets) are not cheap, because their target shopper is the tourist. I saw a good piece of art on canvas there priced at the equivalent of $100 and thought it wasn't for the average Ugandan. I've seen the same piece of African art for half that price in Denver.

The weather was fair the whole time we were there. I think it rained once or twice only. There is a day we got out to explore Kasese markets, and were drenched in sweat only a few hours into the expedition. The sun wasn't even shining per se (some cloud cover), but it was quite hot. Kabale had the best weather, save for the dusty atmosphere due to road construction in the town. Luckily, our transport also had air conditioning, although we didn't find out about it until 4 days into the trip.
To stay hydrated, we bought a cooler and filled it with frozen bottles of water (or added ice whenever we could). The cooler mostly stayed in the vehicle, as that's where we used it most. Eventually sodas and Moses' food ended up in it.

We spent a lot of time in the vehicle (on the road). Kampala to Kasese is 6 hours, and Kasese to Kabale about 5 hours (although we took a remote detour to drop off my sister at the hospital where she works/teaches). Kabale to Kampala took us 7 hours. Traffic in the towns and city is mayhem; no traffic control signals and lots of road construction. On one occassion, we hit traffic building up because the president was passing through. We passed a couple of bad accidents on the roads. The main roads are generally in good condition, and we had a good driver.

The driver, it turns out, is a distant relative of mine. At some point during the trip, he referred to an aunt of mine as his aunt. He spoke my mother tongue (Lukonjo). The language didn't come back to me as quickly as I thought it would, so we used English all through the trip. I understood when people spoke it, but I couldn't muster complete sentences beyond simple greetings. That's what 20 years of zero practice does to you. The driver found all this hilarious, my trying to speak the language.

This means that introductions to my various relatives also had to be in English. There also had to be a translator close by, in case those relatives didn't know English. We got introduced to so many relatives, most of whom I really did not know before, or whom I could not remember. It was sad somewhat to not remember someone that knows you well.

Uganda Trip: Travel To

Travel to Uganda from the US is a long affair, about 20-30 hours en route depending on what airline you choose. We opted for KLM mostly because of their service and total travel hours (25 hours from departure at COS to arrival at EBB). The first lesson from the get-go: all our US-connected flights were actually operated by Delta Airlines, which we didn't like. Next time we'll pay attention to this detail.

We started packing about 4 days before our departure. We were allowed 2 checked bags each (4 total, up to 50lbs each), plus 1 carry-on each (or 3 with baby artifacts). We couldn't check in online because of international travel with an infant, so we got to COS around 4:30am the Sunday we departed. There was a problem printing our boarding passes, holding us up for 45 minutes at check-in. Eventually we were on our way though, with stops in ATL and AMS.

When you travel with an infant, you must be creative on how you keep him entertained. We decided we'd maintain his feeding and sleep schedule as they were back home, using one of our phones in airplane mode to set timers and keep US time. What also worked was finding things he could spend hours distracted by: headphone jack in/out of receptacle, opening/shutting window shade, opening/closing containers and putting/removing stuff from said containers, etc. He was super friendly to people that showed interest in him, playing peek-a-boo with them for long chunks of time. It also helped to let him crawl in the airplane aisles (and wipe his hands with disinfectant as soon as he was done). He's not old enough for the kid entertainment on the flights, but he did really well we were so proud. On all our flights, people commended him on how good he did; we literally had no problems with him.

Amsterdam has "baby care lounges" in the lower floors of their terminals. These were a godsend in managing Moses' sleep. They are generally quiet (except for other babies' noises) and dark silos with a crib anyone can use. It was a good alternative from sleeping on our chests during flight, putting in 2.5 hours of a nap. We also tried to have naps there, but the available space outside the crib is frustratingly limited to allow laying down.

We arrived in Entebbe (EBB) around 11:45pm but didn't clear Ugandan immigration/customs and get our luggage until around 1am (Monday morning local time). But my sister and brother, along with some cousins were waiting for us outside, with our driver and ride. The trip from Entebbe to Kampala where we would spend the night took another hour due traffic and poor road conditions. This first van ride was a little bit rough on Angelene, throwing up and all. Blame the pregnancy hormones or air or something, but we are fortunate it wasn't anything lasting. We had dinner around 2am and turned in for the night, completing the first phase of this trip.

Uganda Trip Itinerary

One of our family goals this year is to travel to Uganda, during which trip Angelene and Moses will be formally introduced to my family there. I have not been to the country since 1996 (almost two decades), so this trip will be as much a homecoming for me as it will be a reintroduction to my relatives there.

We've thought about making this trip since before we were married, but it went into high gear after Moses was born. Really, the longer we waited, the more expensive it would be to make such a trip. So we committed to August (when he is a year old and fully immunized, but can still travel free of charge), and started saving for the trip. We found the best airline tickets through KLM. For a while though, we had been considering Emirates Air, through which we would have used a day-long layover in the UAE to visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi. That trip would however have been a total 35 hours, which I didn't think would be a good idea with a toddler in tow.

The most important part of this trip is on Sunday, August 23, when a reception luncheon will be hosted in honor of Angelene and Moses. This is when we expect to meet the majority of relatives. It will be preceded by a church ceremony of Thanksgiving in the morning, officiated by one of my grandparents (who is a bishop in the Protestant/Anglican denomination). We plan to be tourists for a day on a safari in the nearby Queen Elizabeth National Park the day before, and visit my land (as in, property I own) and house (which I've been slowly building for almost 10 years), among other things. It will be busy. This is why I have instituted some days of rest in the trip, so that we can all catch our breath and enjoy vacation. It looks like we'll be visiting with various relatives every other day we are not actively resting. I hope it won't be overwhelming.

Family Agile Board In Practice

We've been practicing family agility in our home for a few weeks now, and have forged our own flavor of the practice, starting with the use of an agile board. The board is simply a means to visualize our week and the activities thereof. Below are some observations that have been helpful to us:

(1) The board has only 4 sections: "To Do" (for everything that needs to be done this week), "Today" (for what will be tackled today), "Blocked" (for what was started but for whatever reason cannot be completed yet, such as when we are waiting for a response from somebody), and "Done" (for what is complete).

(2) We do a "daily standup" in the evenings Monday through Saturday. During the standup, we briefly talk about tasks in "Today" and move what is complete to "Done" or stuck items to "Blocked". This lasts less than 10 minutes, but it also gives us a chance to catch up on each other's day.

(3) On Sunday nights, we do a "retrospective" in which we recap the week: we go through the "Done" items and high-five each other for the accomplishments, gather lessons learned, and move weekly repeat tasks back to "To Do". We also look at the week ahead and back-fill "To Do" with new tasks. Then we do a quick standup for Monday. Having a view of the week at all times helps us coordinate our activities better.

(4) We feel that practicing agility this way has also been a benefit to our marriage. It has helped us be on the same page more often than not, and because we must plan each day together, we also know how to pray for each other throughout the day. The general awareness of what we are faced with also provides better opportunities to serve each other and work well together as a team. It also provides opportunity to hold each other accountable, encouraging us to do what we said we would.

(5) When a non-repeating task stays in "Today" for more than a day, I mark a strike on it. Tasks with too many strikes indicate poor planning, or taking on too much for the day, or thinking something is ready for action when it really wasn't, or not understanding the scope of the task comprehensively. Sounds all technical, but this method has helped us pace ourselves.

(6) When we do a retrospective, we are always surprised at how much we got done that week. Lots of things would have gone unnoticed that deserve a pat on the back. As a matter of fact, we are getting a lot more done these days, without feeling overwhelmed.

(7) There was some concern about what exactly should be on the board. In the end, we decided that if it something we want recognized, or that will take an hour or more of effort, or that we want to reflect on at the retrospective, is not super private, and is not a mundane daily activity (like brushing your teeth or breathing), then it can be on the board. Though, if brushing your teeth or breathing are "things you are working on", a reminder on the board can help.

(8) We considered using an online Kanban board, but we liked the visual aesthetic the physical agile board provides. We can actually stand up next to the board, and moving items among the section provides a "we did it" high. Also, the size of the board limits how much we sign up for each week. When we have tasks overflowing on the wall, we pause and ask ourselves whether we've taken on too much. Obviously the board will need to expand when Moses starts using it with us.

(9) We no longer have priorities attached to things, which in a way removes pressure to get things done. If something must be done quickly, then it is assigned to someone "Today". More urgency that that, activities will not be on the board. The practice is to just do it when it cannot wait or does not need consensus.

So as far as "things families do" go, we are keeping this practice. Our ultimate repositories of tasks and activities is Google Calendar, but abstracting out the week this way has been a boon to our livelihood.

That Brand New Ride

We are proud new owners of brand new 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited, acquired with only 32 miles on the odometer.

We had plans to replace our 2001 Nissan Maxima later this year, but it turned out we needed to replace the 2005 Subaru Outback L.L.Bean sooner because its frequency of mechanical problems was showing it to be the more unreliable transport. Our latest hint of a looming big repair had been a loudly ticking timing chain, which at 185k miles, meant an engine job that would have cost in the thousands of dollars. Still with original parts, many other small repairs would have been needed as well.

So earlier in the year, we started considering options. Our bottomline was that whatever vehicle we obtained, it'd need to be better than the Subaru we owned -- a bonified "upgrade". We considered the Honda Pilot, Toyota Versa, Audi Q5 kind, and Volvo XC90 kind, among others, and clearly avoided minivans. We wanted a newer model (2009 or later), something we could use over the next 15 years and give to Moses in his high school years. But as we looked at prices, they seemed to stick closer to new vehicle prices until after the vehicle is 6 years or older, when they start tapering down. So for the features we wanted, prices were close to $20k that eventually, we decided a new vehicle in that price range would make sense. The decision for the Subaru was augmented by its gasoline efficiency: 26mpg city/33mpg highway (28mpg effective). SUVs of this class are terrible at gasoline usage, yet another reason our old Subaru needed to go (it averaged 17mpg). I now drive 70 miles round-trip each day for work, so mileage was a high priority.

We started saving for a vehicle replacement sometime in 2013. As such, we were able to pay cash for this new Subaru. But even without need for financing, the purchase process was not straightforward: Heuberger (dealership) still presented me with paperwork for financing the vehicle (which I rejected), they still wanted to run my credit (which I originally refused but they made a condition for the trade-in), and they had me sitting around for 4 hours even when the vehicle was physically on the lot. As usual, they tried to sell me $1000-warranties that I had to decide on right there. Without the opportunity to think through them overnight, I ended up not getting any of the additional warranties. We spent an hour haggling over the value of my trade-in, which they unashamedly had estimated at half the blue-book value. Because of this, I had decided I wasn't going to purchase the car that day, until perhaps after I sell our old Subaru for a more reasonable price. But as I walked out, they called me back in and made a better offer for the trade-in. After "internet savings" (since I originally ordered the vehicle online), fees and taxes, we got the new car for about $26k (MSRP $32k).

So far, we are missing the V6 power our old Subaru had (the new one is an anemic 180hp 4-cyclinder), its small-car feel, and its smoother ride. This new Subaru feels very much like an SUV, humongous and tall. Without additional options (remote start, EyeSight and navigation), it has an not-so-modern technology package, the highlight of which is Bluetooth integration. Maybe down the road we will upgrade to these options. But by most accounts, it's a great replacement for our old Subaru. We are a Subaru family after all (a Colorado thing, I suppose).