Up in Kilembe, Robert was beaming and the dogs leapt around, even the cat seemed vaguely warm in a feline sort of way. The word went out amongst the local families that Simon was back and the lads who use my living room as a place to hang out hurried to greet. Down at the Diocese it was smiles, handshakes and hugs all round and the usual exchange of greetings. It is good to travel but even better to arrive. Driving in Africa is not always a safe pursuit.
Road accidents are a common result of bad driving and poor roads.
I heard of two CMS mission partners who had been held up and relieved of everything they were carrying, and of a Ugandan doctor who was shot because he was reluctant to part with his money. The last stretch of my 250 mile journey has its own hazards because it crosses the QE National Park which is inhabited only by wild animals, wild rebels and wild bandits. For these reasons I felt a little apprehensive about travelling from Kampala to Kasese, in a elderly pick-up which I had never used before, stuffed with valuables like my computer and CDs, alone and in the knowledge that the key I had been given did not seem to fit the lock to the spare wheel. I said a brief prayer asking that what ever may happen I would be able to hold on to things loosely and set off. The seven hour journey including stops for provisions and to renew old friendships was remarkably uneventful and I muttered a word of thanks as I drove into my compound in the foothills of the mountains.