So, this afternoon I’ll get the train to London, before heading for Uganda with Tearfund tomorrow… Although I’ve travelled extensively, including to some pretty poor countries, I’ve not made it to Africa before (closest is Egypt) and most of my knowledge of Africa is from the odd film – mainly Africa United!
I’m notorious for not getting round to reading my travel guides until after I’ve been somewhere – preferring to rely upon suggestions from others (easy these days on social media)…
I think part of my reason is that I like to experience the culture ‘fresh’ – how do I experience it, rather than through a “critics” eyes, but on the other hand it’s good to be prepared – to know what to expect, and to build on the knowledge of others for recommendations as to good places to visit – and I can become a bit of a “tick box tourist” – take a photo and move on…
For this particular trip, we’ve had a cultural orientation day, and our time will be pretty much full .. but I have picked up a 2004 Bradt Travel Guide to 2004 and a long plane journey might give me an opportunity for a proper look… and I’ve had a bit of a look on Lonely Planet: Uganda… but this is really going to be my favourite kind of trip – being shown around by the people who live there, and are in the know… and in this case, are keen to share with us their journey!