We are home!

After more than 35 hours of traveling we are home safe and sound.  A little delirious... not sure what timezone we are in or if we should be sleeping or awake!  

Our journey home included three flights:

• Rwanda to Nairobi (then a 7 hour layover in Nairobi)
• Nairobi to Dubai  (then a 4 hour layover in Dubai)
• Dubai to SFO (this was a very long flight)
• SFO to Walnut Creek (Bart train)

Flights were fairly uneventful... on our last flight we seemed to have all of the screaming children sitting by us... OMG the crying just wouldn't stop!  Once we landed at SFO, there were electrical issues and we had to wait before we could get off the plane... well this was some kind of torture... so close to being home!

Cheryl and I had a great surprise... Auntie Dawn brought Bella and Jack to the Bart station to pick us up!  Not sure who was happier to see who!!!!

It was a great trip with wonderful memories, but we are happy to be home!

Wednesday May 18th – Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum

6:00 wake-up call – we actually got to sleep in a bit today!  We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and I had my very favorite - passion fruit.  (One of the best treats when we visit Africa) this morning the fruit was peeled and the wonderful juice and meat was in a big bowl… oh boy was that good… someone else did all the hard work and I got to enjoy!  Happy birthday to me!!! :^)

Davis was picking us up at 8:00 to start our day.  First thing he did was give me a birthday card from himself, Far Horizons and Swain tours.  It was very sweet and made my eyes watery.  :^)

What a tragic event, that started in April 1994… 22 years ago.  It is amazing that Rwanda has rebuilt economically and they are trying to rebuild emotionally, but for the survivors it must be truly difficult.  Before the genocide in Rwanda there were three tribes: Tutsi, Hutu and Twa.  Through propaganda Hutu’s were led to believe the Tutsi’s were evil and should be killed.  The Hutu’s went on a mass killing spree.  It was incredibly brutal and nothing any person should go through.  What they did to the women and children is unspeakable.   

An extremely touching quote from the museum:

“If you knew me, and really knew yourself, you would not have killed me”

Davis brought us to the airport and we said good-bye to the best driver/guide ever!  Super great guy!  He took great care of us and made sure we had a memorable trip. 

Kigali International Airport is a small, fairly modern and secure international airport.  First check point was canine patrol… we were asked to put all of our bags on a mat… they called a big German Shepard dog over and gave him the command to search.  The dog meticulously sniffed all of our bags, picked up some things with his mouth so he could turn them to get a better sniff.   (or maybe he wanted to play with our stuff) Boy are we going to get in trouble when we get home… not only have we been gone for two weeks… now our bags smell like another dog!

Next check point – all bags through security scanners, shoes off, computers out and us through metal detectors.  We all set off the detectors and were each patted down and then cleared to continue.  Next stop check-in for our flight to Nairobi… all good.  Next stop passport control… all good. Now onto the 3^rd security check point… shoes off, computers out, carry-on bags through security scanners… us through metal detectors… this time we all made it through.  Cheryl’s camera bag was searched and everything came out one at a time. :^(  Now we wait for our flight!

Our 35 hour journey home has begun!

Now we are in Nairobi – flight one of three is complete… 7 hour layover then our flight to Dubai.   Was interesting getting off RwandAir flight and transferring to Emirates… had to go through passport control even though we are not staying in Kenya… get our bags and then go to another terminal… outside we go and attempt to maneuver the busy traffic circles surrounding the different terminals.  We made it!  Check-in and now we wait.

Now we are in Dubai… short layover then 16 hour flight to SFO!

Fun facts:

• Kigali (Capital of Rwanda) – 2.5 million people
• Kampala (Capital of Uganda) – 8 million people

Golden Monkeys to Kigali

This morning we were up early again… this time to trek Golden Monkeys.  Yesterday our gorilla guides said this will be a baby hike… we were looking forward to a nice easy hike.  Well it wasn’t as steep, but it was even more muddy… there were times that I was sure my foot was going to come straight out of my hiking boot!

We found the monkeys after about an hour… wow these guys are fast… and constantly busy.  They were in the trees when we found them, the babies and toddlers were playing in the trees, jumping from branch to branch.  They are absolutely adorable!  Getting pictures of them was no easy task… constantly on the move and when they did settle down a branch with leaves was often blocking our view of them… but not to worry, just be patient, they will eventually eat what was blocking the picture.  It is incredible how much these little guys eat… (ok, they are pretty picky eaters and only want the young leaves on the bamboo shoots.

 

 

 

 

After trekking Golden Monkeys, we went back to the house we have been staying, showered and had a very nice lunch before it was time for us to check out… (it was 2:00 before we left the property) It started raining while we were sitting on the porch having lunch.  Since the house overlooks a golf course …and Kim really wanted to play the course… she decided to hit golf balls off the back lawn in the pouring rain.  Thunder and lightning wasn’t going to stop her…

 

 

We had a 3-hour drive from Volcanoes National Park to Kigali… and it was an eventful ride.  The infrastructure in Rwanda is quite incredible, paved roads with solar street lights, concrete drainage ditches, people spraying crops for bugs.  So, half way through our ride, we heard a very strange noise coming from the engine of the vehicle… Davis pulled over immediately, opened to hood and came back to get a tool out of the car.  Went back to start fiddling with whatever was wrong…  We happened to be in a small village, now the locals are starting to move toward us walking very close to the vehicle.  Davis goes to one of the locals and asks for something… the guy comes back with a knife… Davis then tells us the problem is with the AC belt… he cuts the belt off and gets back in the car and we are off.  But wait a minute… the AC belt!!! You mean this vehicle has AC and we haven’t been using it!  Davis laughed and said he uses it in the dry season when the roads are dusty. 

Next we see someone being pulled over by the Rwanda police… they just step out onto the road and wave drivers over to the side of the road…  It was a spend trap just like we have in the US.  We drive into Kigali, wow it is a very big, busy city!  We get to our hotel, the Kigali Serena Hotel and approach the guard post.  Guards come out search the vehicle, lift hood, check under carriage with mirrors and then let us through.  Davis tells us to go into the lobby and our bags will be brought to us… Ok, off we go… through metal detectors and baggage scanners before were are allowed to enter hotel.  Last week Kigali hosted the World Economic Summit and the dignitaries stayed at our hotel… is this level of security left over from that meeting… No… it appears to be standard protocol.

Kigali... big capital city of Rwanda...

 

The Kigali Serena Hotel is a very nice hotel… so nice that we had to dig our Dubai dinner clothes out from the bottom of our bags for dinner at the hotel.

Fun facts:

• Volcanoes National Park is shared by three countries (Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo)

May 16th - Rwanda Gorilla Trekking

While all of our friends in the US slept, we trekked… and boy did we trek!  It is so very true that each experience is unique and cannot be predicted.  Today we trekked for 2 ½ hours before we found the gorillas.  We trekked between 8500 – 9000 feet… all of our training paid off.  We handled the trek with ease.  Our trek in Uganda was wonderful, but today was unforgettable!  A definite life changing experience.

We trekked through bamboo forest, thick stinging nettles and a lot of elephant poop!  We would have found the gorillas much sooner but elephants scared them away… so we kept hiking… and it was tough and muddy!  At one point Kim pulled a Fred Flintstone, her feet were moving but she wasn’t going anywhere!  Good thing we all had porters, they definitely helped us maneuver the steep slippery slopes.

 

Once we found the gorillas we could not believe what we were seeing, we were surrounded by the group, babies playing and pounding their chests like dad, they were eating leaves and staring back at us.  Wow when a gorilla stares back into your eyes it is the most incredible feeling (it cannot possibly be described!)  We sat and watched them, took photos and video …and we got some great shots today!

 

 

 

At one point the huge Silverback walked right past me… only inches away.  I was already on my knees taking video, the guides told me to stay where I was… I kept the video going… put my head down in a submissive position.  OMG, being that close to a Silverback was incredible… definitely got my heart rate up!

 

 

Total hike time today was 4 hours and 45 minutes (this included our incredible hour with the gorillas) 14, 124 steps and 5.89 miles!  What a fantastic day!

If you ever do this trip get a porter regardless if you need help.  We could have made it without the porters… hiring porters is supporting their economy and helping to prevent poaching.   The porters were great walking through the mud and making sure we stayed up on the drier banks.  Cheryl gave up her porter for the greater good--- literally using a machete cutting our way through the jungle.  Kim’s porter asked her if she had family in Uganda… :^)

 

 

Our muddy shoes...  (that are cleaned every day after our treks)

 

Let me tell you… it is really something staying at Jack Hanna’s private home… we can easily get used to having a private chef!  The food here has been outstanding!

The weather has been incredible, we have had some rain, but not as much as we expected coming to a rain forest in the rainy season.  It’s quite cool here in Rwanda, I am wearing a fleece and sitting by a fire writing this blog enjoying an adult beverage!

So far we have all managed to avoid the stinging nettles… and that was no easy task today!  We are two for two for gorilla trekking… we received certificates of completion in Uganda and Rwanda!

Kim and I have come to terms with the loss of our iPhones… In fact, it has been a nice change.  (ok not really we talk about the things every day).  You just really never know how dependent we are on our phones until you don’t have one… can’t easily work my GoPro… can’t update my fitbit… I’ve been on Dubai time through two different time zones (Uganda & Rwanda)
 

Forgot to mention yesterday… Crossing border into Rwanda… we switched to driving on US (and French) side of the road.  Rwanda is a former French colony and Uganda is a former British colony.

Off to Rwanda!!!!

Today we left Bwindi heading for Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.  Before leaving we had a wonderful breakfast at the lodge and said goodbye to the wonderful staff.  While the lodge has capacity for 8 cabins we were the only people staying at the lodge.  The staff did our laundry for us and they even cleaned our hiking boots after our gorilla trek… they look new again.

It’s about a 7-hour drive from Bwindi to Rwanda, but it was a beautiful ride.  Beautiful scenery and we passed through many villages.  While the beauty is plentiful there is also plenty of poverty.

Where the Bwindi forest ends and the farm lands begin... Incredible how the very lush forest just ends!

 

Uganda village:

 

View along our drive:

View while we had lunch...

 

 

 

Safety moment #3 – Davis putting our hiking boots on the roof of the vehicle so they will dry.

On our drive today, Davis told us about his family and his father.  Davis is 1 of twelve children, his family has two sets of triplets!  He is part of one of the sets of triplets.  All of his brothers and sisters have either gone through college or are currently going through college.  His father was an only child, of older parents who both passed away by the time he was 8 years old.  He was left land and cattle. Missionaries to care of him until he was twelve.  At the age of twelve he decided to move to the UK to be educated by the missionaries and he gave his cattle and land to the government.  He went back to Uganda at the age of 21 and took over management of the school and hospital that the government built on his land.  It was very interesting listen to Davis talk about his family!

Crossing the the border on foot in African countries is an experience and the Uganda/Rwanda border was no different.  Except we had Davis with us on both sides which made us feel a lot better!  First stop was leaving Uganda… Davis takes us into a small office where the guy looks at our passports and hands us a very small piece of paper.  Next Davis tells us to walk across the border first stopping at the police post, then go to immigration.  He will stay with our stuff in the car while it is searched and meet us on the other Rwanda side.  Yikes!  Here we go…  walk up to the police post hand him my passport he looks at it and tells us to go ahead… not even looking at the others.  Now we get in line at immigration… a guy hands us an immigration form and we get in line…  but we don’t get right behind the person at the counter… our mistake as two people decide to go in front of us… Ok now we get this… Kim steps up right behind the person and we wait our turn.  The guy in immigration seems to be amused by us… hmmm!  Ok we all make it through and no one even looked at our Yellow Fever certifications. :^(  Now we wait for Davis… Once he is past the border patrol we get in the car and wait for all the paperwork he needs to complete to move into Rwanda.  Now we need to exchange US $$ for Rwanda Francs… Davis knows a guy!  So we stand outside border control exchanging $$ on the street!  We actually got a pretty good exchange rate 730 Rwanda Francs to $1 US dollar.

Rwanda seems like a wealthier country than Uganda.  Paved roads, laws that seem to be enforced and we saw roads with sidewalks.  As soon as we crossed the border, Davis put on his seat belt and told Kim (who was sitting in the front) to do the same… apparently seat belt laws are enforced.  The motorcycle taxis have passenger limits, only two people can ride on a motorcycle (not 5 like Uganda) and they must both wear helmets.

 

 

We are staying at Jack Hanna’s private cottage at the Gorilla’s Nest, it is a two-bedroom home with a private staff and it is our home for the next two nights.  This place is incredible!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and now for the best news, there are NO mosquitoes or snakes here, the elevation is too high for them!

Fun facts:

• There are 800 gorillas in Uganda and 300 of them have been habituated
• A silverback weighs three times more than an average man
• Gorilla’s share 97% of their DNA with humans
• Gorilla’s spend their waking hours on the ground, but sleep in trees each building a temporary nest

Gorilla Trekking!!!!

6:00am wakeup call with coffee and tea brought to our room… we are so excited we can hardly stand it!  A little nervous not knowing how difficult the hike will be… Cheryl and I have been training for this trip and we are hoping we are ready for the big hike!

 

Briefing at the park headquarter before we head out – learning about the family we are going to be visiting.  We will be visiting the “R Group” 13 members of this group including 3 babies (5 day, 6 month and 3 year old) yippee!!! We get our porters and we are off the the starting point!  We are well prepared for the trek, long sleeve shirts, pants tucked in socks and knee high gaiters, lots of water and snacks, walking sticks and big smiles! 

The trek starts out slow, walking through the lower mountains which is a gentle climb through a very small village… not too long before we hit the steep mountain trails.  It is really hot and humid!  The trek takes you through narrow switch backs as you make your way up the steep slippery slopes!   Our guide would stop about every 10-15 minutes for a break so we could catch our breath and hydrate!  These breaks were very much appreciated!  Hiring porters was one of the smartest things we did!  They carried our packs and help us up the steep slopes, they knew exactly when to hold out a hand for us.  I had a female porter that was about half my size… she was great!

After 52 minutes of hiking we found the gorillas!  WOW!  We put our things down and left our porters and went off to start our 1 hour with the gorillas.  The guide did not have us put our gloves on… it didn’t take long for us to wish we had them on… as we started trekking through the thick bush and stinging nettles… whatever you do don’t fall down and don’t grab onto anything!  Nope gorillas are not here so we need to keep moving… I ask our guide if we can go back to our porters to get our gloves… Now we have our gloves on and we are happy and ready for anything!

 

We see the momma and the 6 month old OMG that little baby is cute.  He was pounding his chest like an adult would, it was so incredibly cute.  Next we see the momma and the 5 day old… OMG this baby is tiny, he was nursing and his momma was holding him tight!  As we stood there watching mamma and baby the silverback came over and sat down making sure that we didn’t get too close to the baby.  Next we see the black back male who is second in command.  He sits and watches looking for the silverback – he cannot move in front of the silverback; he must stay in the back to protect the group.

 

 

It was amazing how relaxed the gorillas were with our presence… Everything I read preparing for this trip said not to spend the entire hour taking pictures of them, instead take some pictures and then just observe them.  Boy was that great advice!  It was a once in a lifetime experience to spend time with these amazing gorillas.  (and we get to do it again in Rwanda!)  

 

The trek was difficult, but well worth the experience!

Drive from Queen Elizabeth Park to Bwindi

We got to sleep in today!!!!  Had a relaxing breakfast at the lodge before heading out on our morning game drive on our way to Bwindi!

Game drive in the morning

• Elephants
• Warthogs kept running away from us

Happy travelers!

 

We had a picnic lunch in the bush before our afternoon game drive… what an experience!

Magical drive from Queen Elizabeth Park to Bwindi – thousands and thousands of butterflies!  It is impossible to describe the beauty we are seeing – it is surreal!

The "highway"

 

 

Game drive in the afternoon

• We looked hard for Lions and Leopards all day, but never found any.  Davis tried really hard to find us a leopard 
• Kim and Sue helping look   
• Incredibly beautiful scenery as we were looking for animals

 

 

On our drive Davis asked us about the Gorilla groups and hiking we wanted to do.  There are three groups close to this lodge (easy - 30 minute to 1 hour, medium 2 to 3 hour, hardest 5 to 6 hours).  Apparently the guides meet the night before and negotiate who gets which group.  We told Davis to go for the medium trek.

As we were drove in Bwindi it started raining – it was incredible.  This is a view looking at a large banana plantation.   

 

The Bwindi Lodge is fantastic!  Internet access in the main lodge is great!  No charging devices in our room.  We are staying in Kutu and Kim and Gina are staying in Bob, both are named after local Gorilla’s.  We have the entire lodge to ourselves!  I just cannot describe how incredible this place is!

 

 

 

 

View from our cabin

 

I’m having a Jack Daniels while I write this blog.  They just brought a small fire pit into the main room at the lodge to warm us up and keep bugs away.  We can hear the local tribe doing the Gorilla dance and wishing trekkers well.

Tonight we had hot water bottles in our beds when we returned to our rooms!  How sweet is that!!! …and an armed guard outside our cabins all night!