Uganda doesn't want us to leave

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So our last day in Uganda dawned bright and sunny. Packed after breakfast and ready to go if a little sad but excited all the same thinking of what was to come in a new continent. Richard our lovely cab driver just happened to originate from Rukungiri so we had a chat about how he was going home for Christmas to see his family, had two small children and knew a lot of the places we had got to know so well.



Now Entebbe airport is NOT like Gatwick! Efficient! Not! First we put our neatly packed rucksacks through security only to both have them picked to be searched! So difficult to get it to all go back the same. Next was check in. First we had to go through one area where our tickets, passport and onward travel was scrutinised. It always happens when you have a one way ticket, which we did. Where are you staying? How long for? Why are you travelling there? Where is your return ticket? Eventually we got to the check in desk. We waited while the not very chatty assistant scrutinised and studied our documents. We asked "is there a problem". No reply. He called over two different people still with no communication to us. They chatted to each other and eventually a rather hostile supervisor said "you do not have a booking on this flight!" What! What do you mean we don't have a booking! "You cancelled it, you do not have a booking with Ethiopian Airways"he said. We were flabbergasted. We stood looking at each other not quite sure we had heard right. The supervisor then chose to be a little more helpful. He explained that even though the flight hadn't closed we couldn't buy a ticket from them, we had to go through the Kampala office which we couldn't that day as it was Sunday. He gave us the number to call the next day to get on the Monday flight. We didn't have any money as we had made sure we had used all of our Ugandan shillings. He called our cab Richard for us and we asked him to take us back to Banana Village which he did when we had waited for over an hour in the boiling sun in a car park still feeling dazed.



What we had decided was that we could use the wi fi at Banana Village to try to book a flight online that day and then return to the airport. Diane, the manager was very helpful. She allowed us the use of a room even if we weren't going to be staying over. She said that I must be tired, hot and stressed and I needed to lie down. She said if Steve had been alone she wouldn't care. Us ladies needed to be cared for she said!



We were still totally confused about our cancelled booking! So we searched and managed to book with Emirates for the next afternoon. We checked in, had dinner and went to bed. We had our lovely Richard collect us to take us back to the airport. Entebbe check in! What a nightmare. Even worse than the day before. Firstly the police were on the perimeter even before the airport. We had to get out and walk through a body scanner while they had a look in the taxi. Then when we got to terminal they were there again outside the building. We had to take the rucksacks off, put them and all other bags on the ground for sniffer dogs. We then went through security expecting our bags to be searched again. Not this time! It's a small one terminal with approx 15 check ins. Emirates had 3 plus one for first and upper class. We joined the quite lengthy queue with 2 1/2 hours until take off! We couldn't have envisaged the hell that 2 1/2 hours would be! It was painfully slow. Then the staff moved half those waiting into a second queue. Good we thought, they've opened more check ins to get things moving. Silly us. Further down the two queues became one again. So some of us who had been waiting the longest had new arrivals going down the outside and getting to check in before us.



This was spotted by a few people who weren't allowing the second queue to cut in. Fights broke out between some passengers both verbal and physical!! Tempers were getting frayed as passengers were watching the clock and seeing the time ticking past nearing take off with hundreds to check in. The staff were not helping in the least. The reason this was happening which they didn't bother explaining was that the computer system was down so they were checking in manually! It was obvious the flight was going to be late and we didn't have much chance of catching our connecting flight at Dubai! We arrived after 2 1/2 hours at a check in desk. Again the assistant was very slow and chatting to other staff without communicating with us. Eventually another member of staff asked us to step away from check in. She said "there seems to be a problem with your ticket. I will make a call. I'm sure we can sort this out". We couldn't believe it when she said "you do not appear to have a booking on this flight. It was cancelled or didn't complete the transaction". We had a printed email which told us we had paid and that all we needed to check in was our passport and the email. We couldn't believe what we were hearing. The same thing happening for a second time! We have travelled extensively, always book online and have never had a problem before. How could this happen twice. There had to be a common denominator. It was Agoda! We found out later that an email was sent after we had left for the airport saying at random they check transactions and needed to check information for security. As we didn't reply they cancelled the booking. This had happened with the first as well but we didn't know at the time and know of other people on this trip who have had the same problem with them. Won't be using them again!



So back to trying to leave Uganda! The Emirates staff said that upstairs we could go and try the different airlines desks to see what flights were available that day. There was a Quatar flight with seats available closing in an hour. Off we went. Back through security. More questions. Why are you going out, again!!! We were trying not to lose out temper with people! Upstairs in a lift too small for the trolley. I almost broke the lift trying to force it in. You are getting the picture that patience and tempers were getting a little frayed by this time! Very helpful Quatar staff! Yes there are seats we can reserve. Went to pay. £1500! Got card out. "We only take cash". What are you talking about, you only take cash! Attempted to call credit card company to make larger withdrawal. Eventually got through, press button 1, press f.....g button 3 etc. Eventually a person. B....y security questions none of us can ever remember as we don't call very often. ONLY WHEN WE MIGHT ACTUALLY NEED HELP!!!! Which we didn't frigging get. You can withdraw £400! No help at all. What to do next! It was at this point that Steve and I looked at each other and thought what are we going to do now? How are we going to get out of this country? We felt totally and utterly lost? We had no idea,where to turn to next! Stuck with no money to get somewhere to stay if we couldn't leave. We felt there was no one to help us! The Quatar staff were very helpful. Gave us cold water to drink and an air conditioned office to sit in and the use of their phone. They even looked after our luggage so we didn't have to carry it with us while we wandered round the terminal. I might mention that even through all of this except for one very small little snipe Steve and I hadn't got upset or lost our tempers with each other! This may seem utterly amazing to some but if it hadn't been for that I don't think we would have been able to keep our heads and get ourselves out of the situation that we were in.



Next plan was to try to get maximum we could from each of the four cards we had to see if it would be enough! On the way to the ATMs we passed Kenyan Airways. In the window. We accept credit and debit cards. Would they have a flight? If so would they have seats? She was serving a customer. Time was limited so we went back to Quatar who very kindly looked at Kenyans schedule and found that number one, yes they had a flight in a couple of hours and two, there were seats. If you are still with me, well done! Back we go to Kenyan office. Very nice young lady. Yes, two seats available! In to the machine went the card. And out of the machine was spat, didn't accept it! Second card went in. The young lady and her assistance said "let's all pray". Which we did. Hallelujah, after two days and three airlines it looked as if were leaving Uganda!



So, I think you know the next bit by now. Security, bags, lots of questions (one way ticket), check in. All successfully this time. So off we went via Nairobi stop over. Lucky that 9 hours flight from Nairobi to Bangkok not full so we were able to lay down and sleep most of the flight. We were very pleased to arrive at our very gorgeous hotel in Bangkok with its roof top swimming pool where as we had arrived a day late they had upgraded us to a superior room.



That bed and bath has never felt so good. It was a shame that our last hours in Uganda had been soured by such a nightmare but we will always have fond memories and now our Thai adventure could begin........

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