We have settled into a Guesthouse in Entebbe after a smooth trip from Kigali to Entebbe. We are now 8 hours ahead of Ontario.

We had expected to fly into Congo tomorrow, but the border will be closed for the day due to the Congo election. We expect to go in on Wednesday. Otherwise, we stay in Entebbe until we can fly in. We have confirmed the option of a flight from Bunia down to Beni, but we are not yet sure of how we will get back to Bunia for a scheduled flight back to Entebbe. It’s one of those things we will just have to figure out.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of election problems being reported, but to date no violence (that we have heard of) in the cities we expect to visit. By far the worst violence, as expected, has been in the Kinshassa (west) area. From what I am hearing, this election has it’s issues, but far less than their first one in 2006.

We’ll now lose any sympathy there might have been concerning having to spend an extra two days in Entebbe with this next part. We might as well make good use of our time here! Tomorrow we are signed up for a day trip to Chimpanzee Island which is a 50 minute fast boat ride into Lake Victoria. It is a special reserve for chimpanzees run by Jane Goodall. We expect to feed and hold chimps who have been brought there for some humanitarian reason. On Tuesday, there is a good quality 6,800 yard golf course nearby where I’ve been told I can get rentals, green fees and a caddy for $30. Sign me up.

Entebbe was built by the British 60 km south of Kampala on Lake Victoria because it is has a very defensible position on a penisula into Lake Victoria. There were a lot of legacy benefits of being a former British colony in Africa compared to any other imperial power. A Parliamentary rule of law, a moral and strong civil servant culture, a supportive transition to independence, and now I can add good golf courses.