My visa has arrived!

I am very excited to announce that my visa arrived today! Woo hoo! :-) The last piece of the jigsaw has fallen into place which means I am definitely heading to the Congo in 10 days time! I was so shocked and excited when I realised what was in the package that I actually did a little dance which I'm pretty sure the postman enjoyed considering I was in the front garden in my PJs and slippers!

I am so relieved that it is finally here. I have barely slept for the last couple of nights just worrying about it. When I called the embassy yesterday to tell them that I had emailed them the booking confirmation for my flights they seemed confused and unimpressed and told me to call back on Friday and then less than 24 hours later my passport arrives with a beautiful visa for DRC inside!

I emailed all my new friends in DRC today to tell them that I was definitely coming and they were all very happy and excited to hear the news. So now we can begin to put the rest of the logistics in place. Top of the list at the moment is arranging how to get myself and 10 boxes of supplies from the airport to the hotel (I arrive in Uganada at 11pm at night so need a hotel for the night), then from the hotel to the DRC border the next day (8 hour drive) and finally from the border to Beni which is my first stop in DRC.

There have been some interesting and typically African discussions about this that involved, at one point, me taking the bus and trying to fit all 10 boxes of supplies in the boot or on the roof! As adventurous and keen as I am to experience the 'real' Africa, I have decided that this plan comes with a very real risk of the boxes going missing during our 8 hour drive to the border so am instead trying to arrange for someone with a pick up truck to be my driver. This does seem the safest way to ensure that all my supplies arrive safely, plus this way I get to stop for loo breaks which I am sure I'll need but am guessing are not included in an 8 hour journey through the heart of Africa by bus! :-)