Woke up fully refreshed, finally - Thanks in part to the 8hr YouTube nature soundtrack.
Today was another all day roadtrip from the South to the North of Rwanda. We departed at 9am and traversed the coast of Lake Kivu, again going up, down, and around all the hills. 143 miles later, we finally arrived at Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge at 3:30pm. That same distance is about a 2.5hr journey in California.
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| The entirety of Rwanda fits between our home and Lake Tahoe! |
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| Beautiful hilltop views along Lake Kivu |
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| Tea plantations exposing the contours |
This gave us plenty of time to simply stare out the window and watch Rwanda pass us by. Again, people, people everywhere, using the road as their main mode of manually moving commerce from the fields to the towns, turning the drive into a slalom course for Elvis. We were also dancing around throngs of children heading to and from school. So many children, all with huge smiles and aggressive waves as we drove by. They would yell… “Mazungu! Mazungu!” (an affectionate word for “white people”)
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| "Mazungu! Mazungu!" |
The roadway isn’t just for commerce, it also serves as a wedding processional. We passed a half dozen couples dressed to the nines leading their friends and family to the local church. In most cases, these are several mile long walks.
The drive felt like a passing through a real life African diorama procession: Cow Market, School processions, Carrot Trading, Fishing Village, Wedding Walks, Brick Factory, Tea Plantation, and so on.
Roadtrips with Elvis vacillate between periods of long silence, and bouts of listening to him wax philosophically about all manner of human beliefs and success factors. Being sequestered to learning about business and leadership through a steady stream of books seems to lead to strong opinions. His traditional family and religious values were really beginning to come through as well. It is becoming increasingly curious that he is not actually that curious about us.
This six hour journey through the Rwandan heartland really puts in perspective how fortunate we are to live in a western world.
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| Roadside carwash |
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| We happen to be in Rwanda during the annual remembrance of the Genocide. Many schools lined the roadways with banners. |
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| Brick factory. All by hand. |
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| Stopped for some chocolate at the gas station. |
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| Smile! You're on speed camera. These were about 1 mile apart along the entire journey. |
Day 5, May 30 (Gorilla Day1, Rushubi School)
Uggh… Back to zero sleep. No idea why. Never ideal to wake up completely exhausted, especially when you’re about to trek through the jungle to find gorillas.
We were on the road at dawn to rendezvous at the national park entry point. We passed by several schools on our way, which planted a seed in my head.
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| Gathering point |
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| Our mobile home for the week. |
I consider us to be past the prime of our fitness, but still ready for some serious trekking. So it was slightly disappointing to be matched with others that looked more at home on a cruise ship. One person actually just had a knee replacement!
After some brief orientation on our assigned gorilla family, Isimbi, all of the tourists and their respective drivers scattered to head to the actual starting point of the hike. Ours was an insanely bumpy “road”, if you could even call it that. One hour of core workout later and we arrived at the starting point and paired up with our porters. While not mandatory, hiring a porter is highly recommended, if nothing else than to support the local community.
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| Polay Polay |
Two miles into our walk through potato fields, we arrived at a rock wall, the official National Park boundary. This appears to be a futile effort to keep Elephants and Water Buffalo from fouling the crops. The final half mile was through a forest of bamboo that looked like the trees in Dr Seuss’s The Lorax. Apparently bamboo is a favored food for gorillas as it makes them a little loopy…
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| Typical earthen home along the walk |
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| Tending the fields. Waving to the cameras. |
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| My new friend, Danny |
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| Me keeping Danny engaged (or annoyed... who knows) |
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| Entry point |
Our trek guide, Edward, said, “we’re very close, can you smell them?” Nope. Got nothing. Many hours earlier, the tracker team was already hot on the Isimbi trail, and had radio’d our guide exactly where they were. That’s how it works, every gorilla family is followed throughout the day by trackers, then leaves them for the night. At dawn, the trackers go back to where they left them, which is not far as they sleep at night, just like us.
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| Elephant print |
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| Trackers on the left, our guide, Edward, the imposing soft spoken fella on the right. |
Isimbi has one Silverback, the dominant male, along with a dozen or more females, adolescents, and one exceedingly cute baby. So as not to over stimulate the family, close contact is limited to one hour. As if on queue, the Silverback strolled in the clearing right in front of the row of tourists and sprawled out. Soon thereafter the rest of the family took the stage, with the baby riding mommy like a camel. It seemed like a production, and the guides and gorillas had it choreographed to perfection. It actually felt kind of awkward, a row of eight goofy tourists with cameras blasting about five feet from a family just going about their day.
The stars of the show were definitely the adolescents and the baby. Just like our kids used to do, they would antagonize each other, annoy their mom’s, roll around in the dirt, and randomly get distracted and wander off. The moms would tolerate it until they didn’t.
And, just like the Chimps, very farty. I guess that’s what you get if you eat fiber all day every day. Unlike the Chimps, Gorillas hardly make any noise at all, just subtle grunts and throat clearing. Oh, and the sound of constant scratching. They are an itchy creature.
But the most amazing part is simply looking deep into their eyes and watching their facial expressions - so humanlike.
Prepare for a steady stream of pics below...
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| Entering stage left |
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| Striking a pose and making sure the guests knew who is boss. |
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| Cue baby on back of momma |
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| Scratching tools of the trade |
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| Always itching |
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| Baby and big bro wrestling |
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| So humanlike |
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| Couldn't tell if this one is pregnant, or just eats well. |
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| Nursing |
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| Lounging. They excel at lounging. |
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| Baby chaise lounge |
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| Baby hand, Momma Foot |
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| As we share 98% of our genetic code with gorillas, they require us to wear masks to avoid transmitting human diseases. If one gorilla gets sick, they ALL get sick. |
Given the gorilla trek wrapped up before lunch, Elvis wondered if we wanted to do an ad hoc afternoon adventure to the Fossy Museum, or the local Distillery, or some kind of bird sanctuary. I sheepishly asked, “Any chance we can visit a local primary school and join an English class?” His silent pause was deafening. “That is an unusual tourist request. Let me see what I can do.” To be clear, this was my request, not necessarily Nicole’s.
After freshening up and a light lunch, we were back on the road to a nearby Primary School (K-5th Grade), called Rushubi. As cars are rare, so too are parking lots. Elvis pulled into what appeared to be the entry to the school. In fact, we drove directly into the school playground in the middle of afternoon recess. The tidal wave of children surrounding the vehicle was a bit overwhelming, yet Elvis just kept driving up the slope to the nearest building. “Mazungu, Mazungu!”. “Whatsapp! Whatsapp!” (the older kids have smartphones and always looking to practice english online with a real person)
Standing cross-armed in a white lab coat at the entry of a classroom, a teacher stared us down. We got out and were instantly enveloped by a sea of children while Elvis pleaded our case to the teacher. His glower turned to curiosity and he agreed to walk us to the administration office. On the way, he said, “You should have gone to the office first.” Yeah, no kidding. That’s what we thought too.
He sat us down on two wooden chairs in a dark room lit by a single dangling bulb. It genuinely felt like we were in detention and about to be scolded. I turned to Nicole, and pleaded…”I’m so sorry, this is not how I had imagined this in my head.” Meanwhile, just outside, Elvis and the teacher, Claude, were really hamming it up. Probably making fun of these silly American tourists.
Ten minutes of solitary confinement, and the Headmaster, a woman that clearly wielded authority, entered and stood, arms crossed over us. We felt 2 inches tall at that moment. In her broken English, she told us that we should have seen her first. Yup, that we should. She then interrogated us on our intentions. I’ve never felt so awkward and embarrassed in my life.
Claude, with far superior English, rejoined the conversation to help interpret. Soon it became clear that our intentions were pure and we were genuinely interested in how children are educated in Rwanda. We learned that all subjects, including math, science, social studies, are taught in English. The only class not in English is Kinyarwanda, of course.
Claude took us back to the schoolyard where the students were all busily cleaning. It was Friday afternoon and we were interrupting the weekly cleaning routine. (Wouldn’t that be an interesting American tradition?). He took us in his classroom and the students serenaded us with their welcoming song. So heartwarming. We then did our best to make fools of ourselves by having them teach us Kinyarwanda numbers, and answering any questions they had about us and America.
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| That's Claude in the white lab coat. |
What a rollercoaster of emotions, from curious anticipation, to humiliation and utter terror, to joy and wonder. All in the span of three hours.
We are in awe of what the Rwandan teachers are doing given the utter lack of resources they have to do it with. Education truly is a privilege.
Day 6, May 31 (Day Two of Gorilla Trekking)
They say if you have the time and money for two days of trekking, do it. They weren’t kidding. Day two was even better than day one, and definitely more what we were expecting. After the usual morning routine of being sorted, we were assigned the Pablo family, descendants of the original family that Diane Fossey studied. Again, inhumane driving conditions ensued, and again, we were paired up with two porters. This time, they certainly came in handy.
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| As trips like this go on, being prim and proper become secondary |
The first several miles felt like hiking through Scotland or Ireland hills - Misty and chilly and traversing along stone terraced walls. And again, we eventually came upon a gap in the rock wall, our entry to the National Park. This was legit difficult as we stepped and crawled through thick vegetation, using our walking sticks and porters constantly. Just when it all felt a bit much, we had arrived.
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| Are we in Scotland? |
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| Beehives |
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| Never leave home without this little fella. Pleepleus, not the gorilla walking stick, that is. |
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| Entering the National Park |
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| Suddenly in a dense forrest |
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| Time to mask up |
Seemingly from out of nowhere we were surrounded on all sides. A gorilla emerged right next to me, nearly knocking me over. I had a sudden sense of being overwhelmed and nearly started crying. How lucky we were.
Followed by another...
Whereas yesterday felt like there was an invisible barrier between us and the Gorillas, today felt like we were engulfed in the family. And of course, the Silverback found his perch and sat peacefully gnawing on branches without a care in the world. There were a handful of blackbacks (males that were only a year or two away from challenging the alpha male) as well. They kept their distance. And of course, the babies were harassing the mothers, and the adolescents were goofing off.
More Gorilla images and videos... (If already bored of these kinds of shots, scroll faster...)
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| Followed by a quick sniff, and a booger snack... |
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| More Babies on Mommies |
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| Peak-a-boo |
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| It really is hard to ignore the babies. So cute. So curious. |
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| Perhaps five feet away from this Silverback |
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| Pinch me. So fortunate |
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| Occasionally he would grunt. I grunt back just to say that I'm not a threat. It's more of a throat clearing sound. |
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| To be clear, I would not want to engage in combat with this fella. |
As was expected, getting out was exceedingly easier than getting in.
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| Fern grove traverse |
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| Our porters on this trek. Worth every penny. |
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| Rwanda would be worth trekking even if there weren't Gorillas or Chimpanzees. Such beautiful landscape. |
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| Surprisingly chilly in the evenings. These charcoal table heaters were well received. |
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| View from the restaurant at the lodge. The Gorillas live over there... |
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| Wonderful lodge staff. Jean Claude (next to me) was a wonderful host. |
As a final, and modest gesture of gratitude, Nicole donated her new hiking shoes to one of the staff that helped us clean up after our treks. Goodness knows they needed them more than we.
Day 7, June 1 (Golden Monkeys and Departure, barely)
Our Rwanda adventure came to a close today.
Our final official experience was a Golden Monkey trek, done on the last day because it is significantly easier on all measures. After a short stroll through another potato field we entered a bamboo forest and were immediately enveloped in a large family of monkeys. These are smaller primates, about the size of a house cat. They gracefully leaped from stalk to stalk eating bamboo and little flowers.
Our flight wasn’t until 6pm, which gave us plenty of time to get back to Kigali and even do a little shopping before departure.
Well, at least that is what we thought. By this time, our drives were generally silent. We were tired, and Elvis seemingly ran out of opinions to share. About an hour or so from Kigali on a hilly ascent, I noticed we went from accelerating around large trucks, to large trucks accelerating around us. He pulled over, and said, “Car’s overheating.” He opened the hood, and stared at the engine for a while. Then a random passerby joined and pretended to help. Apparently the water bottles for the tourists are also coolant for the car. Thirty minutes of being stranded on a Rwandan hillside, and Nicole and I were beginning to panic. We were contemplating back up plans… Can we call an Uber (no, you can’t)? Can we call anyone (no, we had no service)?
There comes a time on these kinds of adventures where you just give in to the crazy, and let come what may. Panic only makes things worse.
With no particular indication, Elvis just kind of got in the car, and we were on our way. I guess the little engine that could… could. Fortunately the rest of the way was mostly downhill, so we more or less coasted back to Kigali.
After a quick stop for some final shopping harassment, we got to the airport with several hours to spare (see, no need to panic).
While waiting in the check in line, we started chatting with a young woman with a small mountain of luggage. She had just completed a one year residency at a rural community hospital. She looked utterly exhausted. The things she must have seen… She was headed back to Boston. I asked her what her first meal would be when she finally gets back home. “I just want a glass of tap water with ice.”
I remember that feeling too on our return to the States. It’s often the things we take for granted that we miss the most.
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Here are some final thoughts as we depart this landlocked island in the middle of Africa and head back to the 21st century. Rwanda is a land of hard working, industrious, and very friendly people. They value education and community. The land is fertile and the climate is incredibly comfortable. The landscape is gorgeous and there is plenty to see and do for tourists. I realize they are only 30 years beyond the atrocities of genocide, and they have come a long way, yet they have a long road ahead towards prosperity.
This is a society that is living in the 19th century with 21st century awareness of what could be. We were often struck by how often we would see a mother scrolling her iPhone standing in front of an earthen cottage home with dirt floors. Or a teenager pushing their makeshift bike up a hill while chatting on Whatsapp.
I am by no means an anthropologist, but I often like to speculate on what makes a country thrive and what holds them back. It seems to me that Rwandan’s have no leverage. Everything they do is one human power. They don’t even use Oxen and Plows. The most common artifact we saw was a hoe. Everyone (outside of the city) carries one to their small plot of land where they tend to their crop. Then they put their harvest in a canvas sack and walk it to the village on their heads. Some leverage is afforded by using a bicycle to haul excessive loads, but there are so many hills, the effort is enormous.
So now I wonder how this society can infuse enough capital to leverage cars, trucks, and rail. Given its location, Rwanda suffers from an inability to transport their goods to the world market. Kigali City could continue to thrive on air travel but that doesn’t scale.
The challenge now is how to harness the education they provide. We learned that young people are growing less enthusiastic about getting an education because there are too few opportunities to leverage it. A focus on English and supporting tourism will help, but only so much.
I wish Rwanda peace and prosperity.
Off to the 21st Century! Next stop, Madrid, Spain (then Portugal)
PS If you're planning a trip of your own:
Things to know:
- In May, the weather was so comfortable. It was never hot, nor humid
- No bugs or mosquitos! I think the altitude and coolish temps keep them at bay.
- The main roads are quite decent. Much better than Costa Rica.
- Good to have some Rwandan Francs on hand.
- Tipping in US Dollars is preferred.
- I wouldn’t self tour. Not necessarily because it’s dangerous, but it’s definitely nuanced.
How to pack (for a Gorilla Trek):
- Gators are a must. Lodges might have them.
- Waterproof shoes are a must. (Note, most lodges will wash them when you get back from a trek such that they are spotless for the following day)
- Light clothes with long sleeves (to push away the brush)
- No wide brim hats (regular hats would suffice)
- Thin Garden Gloves are a good idea (there is a lot of pushing wet branches away)
- Light Rain Jacket. (Mostly from cold and wet branches)
- Camera with zoom lens. (My 28mm to 200mm was perfect. The Gorillas were so close that using a phone camera was actually pretty useful. But the Chimps were fairly far in the trees)
- Small backpack (To carry extra layers and snacks. Note, the porters will carry it for you)
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