the scenic route

So, I’m heading back out to Uganda again.  Via Dallas, yes via Dallas.

Our Physio, my great friend Brooke, was getting engaged.  She didn’t know it, but there was zero chance of her saying ‘no’.  It had only been a matter of time for a while now.  When her ‘guy’, Christian, told me what he was up to, and the timing, I knew I had to be there.

I was planning on heading out to Uganda at the end of March anyway, and since I had an unused return portion of a ticket to Miami, it wasn’t really going to cost much more to fly out to Uganda from the USA.

His hometown is Dallas, and so there it had to be.  I headed out to Miami, caught a flight to Dallas and (literally) 24 hours after getting up to go to Heathrow I was finally going to bed.  24 hours seems a little excessive and in hindsight I should have changed my ticket from Miami to Dallas rather than buying a connection, but there you go 20-20 hindsight!

Three days in Dallas and I have to say I got a properly good look at Texas culture.  Of course it’s different around the ‘Lone Star’ state, but Dallas gave me a lot.  I saw for myself why the rest of America a little disparagingly say, “No-one loves Texas, quite like Texans”.  So many reasons, but essentially conceited, very conceited.  Though obviously not all of them.  Brooke’s ‘guy’ and actually ‘my guy’ too now since spending time with him in Haiti this year and last, is definitely not in that category. 

After the (private) proposal, there was a lot of partying.  Especially day 2, which was a 10 hour marathon bar crawl, in the very pleasant 80° spring sunshine.  The highlight was venue #2, the Truckyard.  A huge (obvs, it was Texas) beer garden, though not like you would know it.  A couple of wooden picnic benches but dozens of folding garden chairs that were first-come, first served, and in extremely high demand.  We arrived around 1330, so it was already pretty busy, but like a classic music festival technique an advance party grabbed a spot near a fire pit (gas powered – this is of course ‘Merica, where ‘labour saving’ is an art) and expanded out.  There was a tree-house over-looking the stage, where there was a C&W band (who were actually quite good).  The crowd were lively and pretty eclectic, to say the least.  The drinks of choice (served in cheap plastic glasses) seemed to be the frozen margarita (state drink), the Ranch Water (state drink too…?) or the ‘mule’ (it’s Texas after all, so they drop the ‘Moscow’ from the name).  A good time was had by all.

Anyway the weekend goes quickly, the newly engaged couple drop me off at the airport for the (epic) trip to Uganda, and not surprisingly I get some sleep on the flight.  Helped no doubt by limited sleep, and the general ‘topping up’ effect!