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November 22
Although I did not sleep all that well, the Lord blessed me with an incredible safe haven for the night. The Transit Lounge at the Addis Ababa airport was more like a hostel for business folk staying from a few hours to a full night. There are 7 full couches with blankets and side tables and once I paid my US 15 dollars I was able to drink all the bottled water that I wanted, leave my luggage and go around to the Internet Café without being concerned about lugging everything around with me, and they have private bathrooms with washcloths, soap, and everything you need to freshen up. It is now about 6:15 in the morning and I’m ready to get out of here in the next few hours and head on down to Entebbe to meet Bob. I can’t say how grateful I am to have had this respite though. I imagined sleeping in a lobby with soldiers walking around and me worried about my bags all night. This is just such a different experience.
The trip from Addis Ababa to Entebbe was neither as swift nor as comfortable as I had hoped. Ethiopian airlines found a way to pack more people into an airplane than I ever would have thought possible. There were no other white faces – only a couple of Asian travelers – and I was somewhat of an interest to everyone because I was carrying a guitar. I could see some small clusters of people looking at me and the case and talking to one another. They either really didn’t know what was in the case OR they were thinking I must be an America rock star??? We made the stop in Nairobi that I thought I was avoiding – this was unscheduled according to my ticket agent but necessary. As a result I had a chance to see Kenya from the air and experience the airport in yet another African country. My heart was really pumping as we flew into Entebbe since I was more than 3 hours later than expected. I prayed all sorts of prayers and the Lord answered every one of them. Bob was standing there when I came out of the Customs area and all of luggage came through with nothing stolen and nothing damaged… this is very unusual and wonderful and a clear answer to prayer.
Bob and I were able to get to know one another rather quickly. We headed back to the hotel which I was thinking would be a very modest place. As it turned out we were staying at the Imperial Botanical Gardens Hotel where both Clinton and Bush have stayed in the past. It is the oldest beach resort in Entebbe. The views out on to Lake Victoria were fantastic. I was able to sit by the pool and and talk with Bob, Carolyn, and their friend from Greensboro, Lou Anne. In my first few hours I saw an Eagle, about 40 monkeys (yes, in town just walking around and playing in the parks), and a wild billed bird that I can’t recall the proper name of. We all had dinner together at the hotel and had a chance to tell one another our incredible stories of God’s mercies and grace in our lives. I had a hot shower and slept in an air conditioned bed the first night.
Blessings to you ~ Steadman
Steadman Harrison
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