After a long hiatus, I’m back. Well, sorta. I’m still working on grad school applications, volunteering for Francis’ project, and trying to make this second Kapoeta Christmas nice (e.g. I’ve bought fabric to make a tablecloth for Christmas dinner). Needless to say, there might not be another post until January. But given the extraordinary nature of our recent adventures, I thought they warranted at least a pictorial posting.
Realizing that all work and no play makes for a dull life, we decided to take a bit of a holiday. Since visiting Rwanda in 2008, I’ve wanted to return. Though its notoriety is derived from the atrocities of the 1994 genocide, Rwanda is actually one of the most accessible, tourist-friendly spots in East Africa. It boasts comparatively excellent infrastructure, a hospitality industry geared towards English-speaking travelers, few (though I hesitate to say “no”) corrupt public servants, and laws that discourage begging/pan-handling. And, it is home to a good portion of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and verdant, dramatic landscapes.
Thus, we decided to go for a long weekend to trek said gorillas and soak up scenic vistas along pothole-free roads. Rwanda did not disappoint (see pictures below). We opted for 2 days of gorilla trekking, and I’ve very glad for it, as the experiences were completely different. There are 8 habituated gorilla groups in Rwanda that tourists visit on a daily basis—a group of 8 humans (plus a guide and 2 trackers) are limited to an hour visit with them. But because these gorilla groups are on the move, it’s never quite certain how long or strenuous your hike to them will be. On the first day, we were assigned to the Umubano group and literally hiked straight up a volcanic mountain. Imagine that for 90 minutes straight you climb up a slippery extension latter, taking the rungs two at a time. Now, imagine that it’s not a ladder but rather some loose toeholds that the guide has dug into soft red soil with nothing but stinging nettle and loose vines to grab should you lose your balance. That was pretty much our journey. I thankfully had the assistance of a nice Rwandan porter named Simon who, despite his diminutive size, managed to pull me up the mountain. At the top, however, we were treated to amazing views of the valley below and to a mobile gorilla group. For an hour, we followed as they literally rolled down the mountain—the jungle was so thick that often times we (and the gorillas) weren’t standing/sitting on soil but atop 3 feet of trampled bushes. While I usually dread descents, the soft soil and thick foliage made it relatively easy to “fall” down the mountain without fear of bashing your head open on a rock.
Baby reaching for bamboo
SilverbackNevertheless, after the tough climb, we requested an easier trek the next day, and boy did we get it! Assigned to the Kwitondo group, the most strenuous/technical component was breaching the 5 foot tall stone barrier separating the national park from farmland. Once inside the park, we spotted a silverback within 15 minutes. For the next hour, we moved through a maze of bamboo forest to catch the group as they snacked. Because it was feeding time, they tended to be spread out, but right before we left, the head silverback had assembled the group into what looked like a town meeting, providing an excellent glimpse of all of them at once (in panorama—I don’t think any camera could have gotten them all in since there were 20 of them and we were so close).
Oh, a note on proximity: the rules are that you are supposed to stay 7 meters away from the gorillas to minimize spreading disease to them and for safety. The reality is, though, that in the process of tracking, you often find yourself in the middle of the group and with such dense jungle, the guide can’t always predict when one of the gorillas will decide to come tumbling your way. On both treks, Francis and I came within a foot (which is sometimes scary, given that the silverbacks can weigh 400+ pounds).
Our favorite memory of the trip (though unfortunately there aren’t pictures to show) is only peripherally related to the gorillas. Apparently, if you are in elementary school, the thing to do to make money is to draw pictures of the gorillas to sell to tourists. I don’t know if it is illegal, but it is certainly discouraged, not only because Rwandans are uber-conscious of not wanting to hound tourists for money, but also because it encourages kids to draw pictures rather than do their homework (or worse, skip class and hang out by the trekking trails). Anyway, imagine our surprise when a 6 or 7 year old approached our car and flashed open one side of his jacket, not to display hot Rolex watches, but his gorilla art. Soon, there were three or four more “flashers”. It was the funniest thing ever that they felt the need to be so discrete.
