July 15-17, 2025
In 2023 we took our oldest granddaughter Savannah on a trip to Colombia. She didn't get to choose the destination. We were already planning a trip there, and when we learned she was interested in the country, we invited her to join us. She was 16 years old and made a great travel companion, so we decided to take her younger sister Ella on a trip when she was 16. Because of the advanced planning, she got more say in her destination. In 2024, a year before we intended to travel, we asked her where she would go if she could go anywhere in the world. Without hesitation, she said "Africa!"
It didn't take Bob long to start exploring where we could go in Africa where he and I had not been before, and he decided on Uganda. Uganda?? Really??? Well . . . okay. Like Colombia, it straddles the equator, and we all survived that trip. How much different can it be?
A lot, as it turns out. Here are just a few significant differences:
- Colombia has a richer, more developed economy. ($7,914 GDP per capita vs. Uganda's $1,073 GDP per capita)
- Uganda has a much younger population, in fact, one of the world's youngest populations with 43.5% of people under age 15!
- Uganda is landlocked while Colombia has both Pacific and Caribbean coastlines.
Before our trip, I knew very little about Uganda, other than that it was ruled by the brutal dictator Idi Amin during my teen years. Of course, I also had known little about Colombia other than that it had been the home of the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar who was particularly active during the 1980s and 1990s.
Gee, those both sound like great countries to take your granddaughters to, right?
Also, the flight distance from Los Angeles to Cartagena, Colombia, is 3,155 miles. The flight distance from Los Angeles to Entebbe, Uganda, is 9,424 miles--almost three times as far.
Yup, we were in for an adventure, but Ella was up for it! When we asked her what she wanted to do while we were in Uganda, she said, "I want to do a service project!" That's the kind of young woman she is. 🩷
She flew into Ontario Airport on July 15. We had worked on figuring out a service project, and the best idea we had was to raise funds for school supplies that we could take and distribute. The guide we were working with said he would find a school that needed what we were bringing. Ella raised about $250, and we went shopping at Target after I picked her up, buying enough notebooks, pens, markers, etc. to more than fill an extra suitcase and roll-up duffel bag we planned on taking along.
The next morning we drove to LAX. We had a rough time checking in at the Qatar Airways desk. Inadvertantly, we ended up in the line with one desk open instead of the one with 4-5 desks open. After TWO HOURS it was finally our turn, but then we learned we had a weight limit for our carry-ons. We had to leave the line and go the to "repack" line, but that seemed okay because there was only one person in that line. However, we waited over 30 minutes there before we were finally helped and checked in, and we made it to our gate with very little time to spare. All in all, it took almost three hours to check in--the worst check-in experience we've ever had. Way to blow it, Qatar Airways, the #1 airline in the world right now. However, the nice agent who dealt with us after the repacking debacle upgraded us to Zone 1 boarding. That was a positive gesture.
Why Qatar Airlines for a trip to Uganda? Well, there are multiple ways to get to Entebbe, the only international airport in Uganda. The one with a layover in Doha, Qatar, had the best combination of cost and total time. It is the red line on top in the image below. The other two layovers were in the Netherlands and Turkey, and we had been to both of those places, but we had never been outside of the airport in Qatar. No matter which flight we chose, the layover was going to be long, so why not Qatar?
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| The image of our route from my video screen |
We settled in for our flight of about 15.5 hours. We were on Row 45 of 48 rows. The family behind us had a child who must have been on the spectrum or had some type of disability as she had frequent ear-piercing squeals, yells, and outbursts. Their other child, a six- or seven-year-old boy sitting behind me, constantly kicked my seat. It was annoying, but I felt for the poor mom who was doing her best to keep the two under control.
Otherwise, Qatar Airways turned out to be quite nice. They fed us three times and came around with drinks often. The video screens were large and high quality. There was what seemed like more than the usual leg room and the seats were relatively comfortable. It wasn't the NICEST airline we've been on, but it was above average, and I loved that they made the Qu'ran available on the video screen.
In Doha, the capital city of Qatar, we again stood for over an hour in a very long line that moved at a snail's pace through immigration. We also had to pay for a visa, even though our research ahead of time said there was no visa requirement. Really, it was just an extra charge to come into the country. They did not get any information from us other than what was already on our passports.
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| Visits to the restroom in foreign countries are often very entertaining. |
Our plan was to spend the first part of our 17-hour layover on a city tour, then crash for a few hours at a hotel before boarding the second leg of our journey to Entebbe.
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| Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar |
Let the adventure begin!
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