Gorillas in the mist, truck life and lush bakery

Our first full day in Rwanda was taken up with a trek to see the only remaining mountain gorillas.  This is mainly what the first part of the trip is for and definitely one of my must do's along the way.  It is quite pricey at around $300/400 but what an experience!  

We were picked up around 8am and driven to the starting point where, to my surprise there were quite a few groups of people all waiting to start trekking.  I wasn't expecting so many people, however there are around 8 or 9 gorilla families and 8 people are allowed to view one family for exactly one hour per day.  A few families are out of bounds to tourists and are only approached for various study and conservation purposes.

Six of us were in a group with a couple from the states and a great guide called Augustin.  He briefly explained which family of gorillas we would be trekking to see, what to do and what not to do.  Basically, keep quiet, no sudden movements and no running away if a silverback looks like he's going to charge.  Easier said than done!

All eager to start we set off towards a part of the national park where the Umubano family of gorillas were last seen.  I decided to hire a porter to carry my bag which turned out to be $10 well spent.  As well as our guide Augustin, there were two porters and a guy with a rifle looking out for buffalo and poachers, who they'll shoot and ask questions later.  The porters used to be poachers but have changed their ways and now help unfit tourists like me. 

Some of the trek was difficult to say the least.  Muddy, slippery, steep slopes heading up further into the mountains and mist.  On top of that were the numerous thistle and stingy nettle plants to try and avoid that made many of us yell out with various expletives.  We did have regular breaks to catch our breath and at least due to the mist it was quite cool.

After what seemed to be a very long hour and a half we were asked to set down our bags and walking sticks as the gorillas were not far ahead.  Fantastic, not the hours and hours of trekking we heard some had gone through and excitement set in.

A short stumble through bamboo and undergrowth and there they were.  A massive silverback, 'Charles', and his family.  The hour we spent watching them was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  I took some photos then sat and just watched them and their behaviours.  At one point Charles was laying back, relaxing with his head resting on his left arm, eyes closed reminding me of my gramp after Sunday lunch sleeping in a chair or sofa.

The guide and trackers made grunting noises every now and then as a way of communicating with the gorillas, saying 'hello' and telling them we were friendly.  They didn't seem at all bothered about us being there and I was surprised at how close we were.  Only about 4 metres.  There were a couple of nervy moments though, especially when they weren't responding to the trackers' grunts, making loud noises with Charles looking like he was annoyed and going to rush straight toward us.  What were we told?...Stand your ground, crouch down, don't run....clean underwear anyone?

The babies and young gorillas were soo cute looking like black balls of fur.  One adolescent thought it was a good idea to roll 10 metres down the mountain and jump onto the back of one of the trackers.  Bit of a surprise and right next to Bec and me.  Another potential heart attack moment but thankfully not much harm done (the tracker did have a few scratches) and only a passing glance from Charles who was probably thinking, 'junior is up to his tricks again, scaring the nosey humans'.

The hour flew by and it was sad to leave the gorilla family, but necessary to make sure they don't get too used to humans being around.  Although they seem to be pretty used to us anyway.  A fantastic morning and probably the most exercise I've done in a year.  The rest of the day basically just involved a kip and a beer before heading out to the town for a bite to eat.  Not bad food at a local b&b but they tried to overcharge us.  Apparently they've tried to do this before on a previously trip.  They're not really helping themselves and only looking at the short term.  Now the Oasis trucks will never go back there and pass the word around other overland trucks.  The food was nice and if they hadn't tried to overcharge then they could have got a fair amount of visitors passing by from overland trips in the future.

The next day we headed back to Uganda and stayed in Kabale.  A small town with a fair few internet cafes, backpacker type accommodation and a fab bakery selling donuts, various pasties, samosas, pizza and many different types of cake.  Funnily enough the place was quite busy when we were staying there.

Life on the truck is varied to say the least.  On early drives most of us are asleep or trying to sleep through the very bumpy roads.  When we have a later start there's an amount of childish revelry going on consisting of 'piggy in the middle', trying to hop on one leg - which is quite difficult when the truck is constantly moving from left to right to avoid pot holes and bumps or having no choice but to go over them.  I have to say I've stayed out of these games, mainly because I can't be arsed and prefer reading or listening to my iPod.  I think the age difference is showing through.

Talking about iPods, the other day I was DJ Sam on a 7-8 hour drive.  I think I might go into retirement as I had no sleep or rest really and was shattered when we eventually reached camp.

Fellow passengers on the truck so far are:

Ellena, my tent buddy and youngest amongst the group at 21.  Becca, a lovely Aussie who likes a bit of a drink and gets very loud after a few of them.  Chris and Alex I've mentioned in a previous post, who were also on the Masai Mara trip.  Chris is a teacher and Alex is a biochemist.  Tom and Sarah, also previously mentioned are a couple from Kent.  Tom is an artist and does bathroom fitting to get cash and Sarah is a designer.  Harriet and Kate are two 23 year olds who graduated from Cambridge with law degrees and as far as I know aren't working yet.  Harriet very much likes attention. lol.  Steve, 33 is  another Aussie and works in Project Management as a contractor.  Phil, 27 is a Business Analyst from Manchester.  Sade, another Aussie also likes attention and I've no idea what she does for a living.

A good bunch. 

Bye for now

Sam xx