Its a breakaway, one on one with the goalie...

Took a taxi into the big city of Kampala where it all goes down. Mmm, the sweet sweet smells of poorly tuned two stroke and diesel exhaust swirling about in my nostrils like a fine young California Zin. If you want to buy a cell phone come to Uganda to shop. Every other shop is a licensed dealer, brightly painted either yellow or purple for MTN or Zain. Even shops that arent selling phones and minutes have the absolutely fabulous and fresh paint. My guess is cell adds turn over every few weeks here and the major streets get a new face in turn.

Major development, I successfully tested edible street food. Five hours later and my stomach feels completely normal. Followed fast food signage to the end of an alley inhabited by reputable people wearing clean slacks and button ups, sometimes ties. This look is the norm on the street. Some of the hipper kids wear designer jeans. Anyway, the food; three kinds of potatoie things, one purple, one sweet, and one corny and all of them better than a russet, and the infamous Ugandan banana mush stuff that tastes eerily unlike the bananas I know. I forget what its called but I will relearn soon enough I am sure. I avoided the brothie meat bowl that accompanies these fine starches but was very tempted as three pounds of starch can be tough to palate all by itself but I wanted to keep the variables to a minimum, if I got sick after eating five different things I wouldn't know who the culprate was. I managed to finish it all, to my surprise, with the much needed help of a soda to keep my saliva aliva.

In my first post I suggested a few themes I might follow. Lo and behold a beautiful football pitch cluttered with talented youth emerged between the airport and Kampala and my cabie was more than happy to hang out and watch the mayhem. There were two solid goals at each end, a regulation size field for sure but the pitch varied between ten inch grass, a worn ant hill hard dirt and loose sand, all enjoyable variables. My agent, the cabie, negotiated me a spot on the roster for the second half of a decently organized game with one team wearing jerseys and a whistled referee. Much to my satisfaction the level of play was very skilled. I came out hard armed with at least equal experience to any one else and by far the nicest shoes (I bought some all purpose soccer/street shoes). I almost scored a goal! Not really, it was a long shot but I struck the ball well off a volley with my head down and it screw balled nicely at the goal. The audience congratulated me. I was then recruited for the next game and even got to wear a matching Real Madrid jersey for the next game. Asked to play striker, I wanted defense so I could relax and catch my breath, I felt the pressure of expectation. Our opponents were skilled, more so than the last game, and my team was really small, although skilled ourselves. No one seemed to be intimidated or ranked as I often experienced playing in the US. Scronie kids and part cripples went head to with the big skilled players and did a brilliant job. The play was fierce and even. My team mates kept looking for me but I was pooped and efd up an easy breakaway and a couple other good opportunities. The crowd began to heckle me. I was shamed and determined to win back some honor for my team, but also exhausted from not being in shape. We were down one to zero at the half and I wasnt jovial as we switched sides. My team could have cared less and we came back, scoring two goals, both assisted by yours truly and won the day.

Anywho, I am stoked. That was football experience I hope to match and having grabbed it on my first day in Uganda Im feeling good about my chances.