Oh dear. The Kampala Coaches bus that should be taking Christi and I from Nairobi, capital of Kenya to Kampala, capital of neighboring Uganda (a 12-hour journey) isn’t running today. Of course we only find this out when we get to the bus station at 6 am, our heavy packs slung achingly across our shoulders. Confirm with a shifty looking manager that there is zero chance of leaving Nairobi today. ‘Is it just running late?” I inquire. The manager shakes his head, but seems unwilling to offer further details. “Well, will our tickets still be good for tomorrow?” I ask. This time the manager’s eyebrows shoot up in alarmed fashion, but he grudgingly acknowledges that yes we can travel tomorrow. We return to the Embassy hotel, which is just about as good a place in which to be marooned as any in Nairobi. Christi happens to pick up a copy of the Kenyan Daily Post newspaper whose headline describes several suicide bombs exploding in Kampala, killing 74 people. The people were killed as they watched the world cup final.The terrorist attack was perpetrated by a Somali group called al-Shabaab. So now Christi and I have a decision to make. If the bus does indeed run tomorrow do we want to be on it? Is Kampala safe? While we noodle on this knotty problem, here are a few more photos from our adventures in Kenya to take your minds off the evil that men do.

We retreat to the Nairobi Java House for a quite delightful full English breakfast. If you have been on the road for a while and you want a little slice of Western culture, there is no better place than the Java House. Christi and I love it and it is only a couple of blocks from the Embassy hotel as is the jewelry shop where I purchase Christi’s engagement ring. After stuffing ourselves stupid, we waddle over to Tiara Jewels in the Nakumatt Lifestyle shopping mall because Christi says the ring pinches a little. The owners, a very pleasant Indian family, remember me and agree to resize the ring for free. It will take a few hours so we retreat to a nearby internet cafe and read up on the catastrophe in Kampala.

By the time we recover the ring, we’ve made our decision. Tune in tomorrow to find out what we’ve decided to do.

Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching tale of love and test tubes. 

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