Marie worked on Monday, so she took me to the train that morning for a day of exploring mostly on my own.
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Sunday morning we started the day with church. On several past trips, I've attended services in other languages, so I was relatively well prepared for the experience. This time, though, the sermon held a surprise.
Read MoreMy third (!!) international trip of the year started on a Thursday, immediately after a week-long work trip to New Orleans. In fact, the two trips were so close that I pre-packed the Europe bag in case I needed help swapping luggage (I did, but my housemate's help actually made for a much more relaxed layover).
Read MoreMy last day in Rwanda turned out to be the day of President Paul Kagame's inauguration to another term (of seven years, I believe), so many businesses were closed for the holiday. Since the genocide memorial remained open, I took a car taxi there after lunch.
Read MoreDespite last-minute changes that almost prompted me to cancel my two-day Rwanda stop, I ended up spending my happiest day of 2017 in Kigali.
Read MoreMy first full day in Kampala started at a relaxed pace. After a decent first night's sleep, I made my way to the resort's complimentary breakfast. At some point during my visit, a security scanner appeared in the right half of the always-open double door into the building, but enforcement seemed pretty relaxed.
Read MoreI started my trip a week ago, with a stopover in London -- my first in summer. After half a dozen visits there bundled in wool or down jackets, I couldn't get over the shirt-sleeves weather. I'd hoped to have more time there, but after a delay out of San Francisco, and more than an hour in the immigration line, I didn't meet my friend at the Royal Academy until 5:15.
Read MoreMy final day in Beijing, Mom and Dad caught a train to Shanghai, so I wandered the city by myself. First off, I wanted to explore a nearby grocery store we'd passed but not shopped in. Compared to independent stores, I figured they'd have both good - and fixed - prices for things like tea, no bargaining required.
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Thursday, June 29, we rose around 5 a.m. to get ready for our 6:30 a.m. pick-up at a nearby hotel. By the time we headed out of the city, our party had grown to nine, plus the driver and our English-speaking guide, Emily. As Dad began befriending them all, we became a cheerful party.
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Wednesday morning we planned to go to the Great Wall because of rain forecast for Thursday. But after a leisurely start to our day, our homestay host counseled us to get a tour instead and go Thursday. After Dad successfully negotiated a pretty low price - about $30 per person for the whole day - we instead went to see an ancient temple.
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