Leaving On A Jetplane - one of these days

Morale: Much Improved
Beer Supply: Abundant and holding steady
Days Trapped in Uganda: 5 and counting

On Sunday, we managed to locate the one reasonably efficient KLM employee working out of Uganda - the only woman in the office, naturally, and a flight attendant to boot. She has tentatively re-scheduled us to fly on Friday, so if we don't get on a plane before then, at least we have a seat. There's an air of optimism today as Schipol has opened and planes are going in and out, and the UK is opening airspace, but there are, as ever, a number of complications. Unless we have a confirmed seat on a connecting flight, we cannot get on ANY plane to Amsterdam. It's still a question of wait-and-see.

In the interest of preserving what was left of our sanity after our adventure in the tent, we went to the zoo yesterday rather than stalking helplessly around the airport. It was amazing. It's technically a "wildlife education center", and many of the animals aren't even in cages. Those that are, like the lions, were never more than a few yards away. We were INCHES from an ostrich, which ambled over to check us out after RA1 called to it, and they are the most awesomely absurd creatures. We hung out with three camels that were tethered to the playground equipment and ran into hordes of monkeys that run around like they own the place - a few of them were carrying babies or teaching their offspring to jump from branch to branch on the trees. We also saw rhinos, crocodiles, otters, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, turtles, cool birds, very old trees, and the most awe-inspiringly huge snakes, which RA2 likes very much. One was a python which appeared to have eaten a cat.

Last night we were booked at a steep discount in what we are referring to as "The Palatial Sweet", which has a full-size bed for each of us, with a set of stairs rather than a ladder leading to the top bunk, our own bathroom and a little porch area. Seriously, the height of luxury. Many many many thanks to Dad and Mama Soli for ensuring we could remain there, as we have moved all 8 of our bags every morning for the last 5 days. Many thanks also toMama Stipps, for continued funding, and to Tami for amking a deposit from Boston in New York so we could get it Entebbe. It has made RA2 rethink her stance on globalization.

In other small adventures, we had both ordered the grilled fish without incident several times for dinner, and gotten nicely breaded fillets. Last night, RA2 ordered the grilled fish, and received a whole flayed creature, head still attached, little burned eyeballs staring blankly and accusingly up at her from the plate. RA1 showed her how to eat it and it was delicious. Our standards of civility may have changed somewhat.