Last excerpt from my 2011 NaNoWriMo  novel.  This was a fun chapter to write.

Getting from the Northwestern part of Uganda to Europe is tricky. This is especially true for a 32 year old American traveling alone. This is all the more difficult for an American whose appearance screams of military/CIA/Some-other-agency. And if such a person is only in possession of a valid US passport and some cash, in Euros, South African Rands and US dollars, then the task becomes even more difficult.

Mark headed into town. What he needed first was traveling cloths. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of hiking shorts. His footwear was ok. He had a decent pair of comfortable hiking boots on and socks designed by the military to support 250 pounds of men and backpack on day long march. He found a clothing shop and picked up a traditional mens body covering and a face scarf. These would go quite a long way to hiding his whiteness in this land of black people and brown people. He haggled over the price, and managed to over pay using some of his South African Rands. Mark thought going through Sudan was a pretty bad idea. Too dangerous. Kenya was safer. Kenya also had a US consulate if he needed one. He walked further into the small town. He was looking for what appeared to be a serviceable four wheel drive truck. The best he saw was what looked like a 10 or 12 year old Toyota 1/4 ton.

 

I am actually thinking there is enough good material here to make a novel.  Fingers crossed.