The real blogging always begins on post two (the second flight)

The Kenya airlines flight from Paris to Nairobi is not recommended in any tourist books which I perused. The flight, on an aging, yet capable Boeing 767, provided one of the most spectacular flights of scenery. Just after liftoff we passed the white chasm of the Swiss Alps, whose jagged peaks danced to the horizon. We continued on through the verdant green of the Nile delta, which seemed to absorb the light shed from above and the expansive tan of the wind swept Sahara dotted with white clouds which cast dark grey shadows below. We followed the Nile down as it shimmered through a dark greenish brown in expanse until we were enveloped by a white and eventually dark gray haze where the only thing that seemed to exist was our plane hurtling through space. I have taken many long flights, but none with the diversity of landscape this trip provided.

Sadly, though, I was tired to continue appreciating the unique beauty of the flight. And with the extra comfort that the exit row provides a 6’3” individual, I stretched out and found my eyes too difficult to keep open. So I asked the flight attendant for a chocolate chip cookie, well two actually. I was hungry and figured it would keep me awake. I noticed an hour later the trick didn’t work so well.

Air France, the first flight...

Flights to Africa are rarely direct. Sure, South African Airlines flies non-stop to Johannesburg, Egypt Air to Cairo, and even Delta straight to Accra, Ghana. But many require two stops. Most three. My itinerary takes me to Paris; Nairobi, Kenya; and into Entebbe, Uganda, the former capital. It lies on the shores of Lake Victoria, the second largest body of fresh water in the world and is a 45-minute ride to the current capital of Uganda, Kampala.

The first of two 7-hour plus flights My Air France goes smoothly except for the frozen cous cous dinner and allows me time to continue reading on the recent water situation in Uganda, from rural infrastructure development to corruption, an all to common theme that permeates the country, even in the aid sector. As I have 22 hours of flight time I have a lot of time to read and ponder. But I am now thinking about how can I beat the impending jet-lag.

When I fly to Europe from the US, I usually leave at night. I try to sleep en route; it rarely works. To “beat” the jet-lag, I don’t sleep from the morning I arrive at my destination until at least 9pm. My general strategy is to stay up. It based on a simple notion: it’s easier to force consciousness than sleep. Even this summer as I journeyed 30-plus hours to Kyrgyzstan (coincidentally taking the same Berlin-Istanbul-Bishkek route that Ben took a month earlier to Afghanistan) I overcame the jet-lag relatively quickly, mostly by staying active.

My current flight poses new challenges. I arrive at 11:30 at night. And I fear a difficult jet-lag. I have no game plan for when to stay up and when to sleep.