I wake up to sweat in my eyes and find myself lying in a pool of my own perspiration. Foggy eyes and blurred vision i glance down at my watch, wipe my eyes and read it twice. 10:21. I had been asleep for 3 minutes before i had been woken up by the intense heat surrounding me. Thoughts flood my mind as i figure out where i am.
The last things come first to my mind. Less than 36 hours before we had left Namuwongo, the outskirts of Kampala Uganda. Our mission was to set out on a journey, hitch hike our way up the center of Uganda and smuggle our way into Sudan. The motive seamed apparent - adventure, danger, thrill. But there was a scent of something more, something hidden in the back of my mind or Gods Will. Both were extremely cloudy at the moment. The last time i remember a good sleep i was taking a nap on the bed in the guest house of Betty and Moses the two Ugandans that were letting us stay with them along with Jonathan and Jeremiah, two other guys we had caught up with and were working with for the first few weeks. I had fallen asleep after church and lunch and was just letting myself enjoy a bit of sunday relaxation. When i woke up no one was around - not Ben or Jon or anyone. The house girl Lucy had no idea either. So i called Jon. He told me they were at the internet cafe and i should come down there. I put on some shoes and head on my way. Still half asleep i got there and began to dig through some emails. I turn around to the word Sudan mixed in with some talk of alternate plans. “Hey whats the plan,” i asked. “well considering the plans of our safari tomorrow got canceled we were thinking on going on a short trip ourselves”-Jon. I could smell an adventure stirring and i was all in. “Sure man fill me in.” I got the plan that they had cooked up. It was either head southwest to a lake to chill on the shore or sneak into Sudan by bush whacking through a national park known for its game parks. Obviously smuggling and animals over lakeside any day. The plan was coming together quickly and the decision to leave asap was made unanimously. So we head back to the place to pack. I send one last email to Alison telling our brief plan in case we don’t surface for more than a week or so and we're off.
The clock is ticking now. Im back. It 10:25 now. Not much for sleeping. i can feel the gritty tent below my feet and sunburned back. I breathe hard but the air is so thick with humidity i find myself uncomfortable rather than refreshed by the oxygen. I look down at my watch. It reads. Altitude 2756 feet, 95.1 degrees. It's all of a sudden apparent why sleep was coming so slowly and why i was basking in my own sweat. The thoughts blurr...
My bags are packed and so are Ben’s. We convene for one last plan making we were ganna split up to get more stuff done. Ben - Go Meet Jer at Garden City where he had already left to get a haircut. Jon was going to get a beard trim while i cleared the info off of my memory card of my camera. One last video. “John, tell us was is going on,” Me. “Hey guys, we're about to go off and hitch hike our way into Northern Uganda. We hope to see you guys in a few days if not so long.”-Jon. Not much of a goodbye but we're guys and thats usually how things roll. Hi, bye, see ya around. Too much adrenaline and masculinity to address our mothers or house pets. It was gametime. John was off getting a last beard trim, i was throwing the computer stuff together and getting ready to meet him. Our bags only had what we needed. The thin list before was now almost transparent - down to a simple sleeping bag, long sleeve, knife and camera. We put ben on a bota (african motorbike) and send him off to find Jer at Garden city(shopping center). Jon and i are off to Aweno to get some shoes for him. His were all stolen and he was down to a pair of bright colored flip flops. We're in rushing running through the crowd, going through piled of shoes bartering on the move. Locals bring us shoes from all sides, some as pointless as high heels in a soccer game, others - close, but too small. Finally we land a pair, find some soles, which who knew weren’t always included, bartered and took off. Back to the bota heading to meet the others at Garden City the time. 6:05 sun was just 1 hour and 25 minutes from setting. and i fade off to sleep again. --Andrew
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