Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge Ruhengeri

... and headed back down into uganda,
topping along the way to ask the locals which was rwanda was!!!
so yes, wasnt having much faith in our tour at this moment!!



we did eventually get to rwanda at about 8pm, very relieved we didnt have to put up tents as we were all staying at a
catholic mission in a mixed dorm,
probably about the only time ive been excited at the prospect of a mixed dorm, but i had a mattress and a roof over my head,
Ruhengeri, Rwanda cookieluc

... away from us so he did not present the best opportunity for photos. We stood and watched him for a while but he was not at all concerned by us. We soon realised in the thick bushes next to him was another silver back and black back asleep.

Christopher went off to see what else he could find leaving us with the other guide to watch the silver back. Almost on cue as we were about to leave he rolled over on to his back and yawned giving us all a great view ...

... were few to be seen promenading along the middle of the road. There was, however, the usual bikes with milk or water in plastic canisters on the back or a massive pile of banana leaf.

As we drove I spotted what looked like my classroom in year 3 (circa 1990), except this time being the al fresco version. About 20 students in navy blue or khaki uniforms were sitting at those desks that are slanted and that you open up for your textbooks or the eraser with this week’ ...

... 8217;t know, and some other more standard but so yummy stuff, as well as the must-do scrambled eggs on Sunday (I skipped the sausages and bacon which Echalotte duly munched up). 6.45 and we’re in the truck having said a smiley good morning to Jimmy and off we headed to Big G trek HQ. We’re explained that trackers have headed up the hills at 5am to scout out the position of the gorillas. There are 14 Silverback Gorilla families trawling this territory and, not ...

... later and a change into jeans in their beautiful room (where the two bumps in the bed turn out not to be curled up cats, but rather hot water bottles!) Alizeti and Echalotte head for dinner (more food, more food!), order a big bottle of Primus (the local beer) and clink glasses to toast L’ARRIVEE! FINALEMENT! The colonial heritage clearly still remains when Alizeti’s mobile gets an sms saying “Bienvenue en Belgique!” (quoi???!) and that being chuckled at, we tuck ...

... where they have replanted some pockets of trees. After a few hours of driving into Rwanda, we entered the capital of Kibale. We were only there for a bit so I didn’t see too much of the city but it didn’t look that bad. We went into the capital to see the Genocide Museum and eat some lunch. Ironically enough, the meal was after the museum visit. We arrived and the group received a little intro talk about the place and what happened. We were ...

... off to us, mostly by the adolescents (typical!) Our guide always calmly reassured us that this was all in fun (!) even when one decided to 'tease' Ian by running at him and making a grab at someone's jumper on his way past!

The babies rolled around and attempted to swing in trees (gorillas aren't reknowned for this) or clung to their mother's backs for free rides, not to mention looked incredibly cute. 2 brothers had a bit of a fight while the ...

... laughing like it was funny. For them death is just a part of life. For Baracka he saw friends as also being your worst enemy because when times were difficult it was your best friends that would have to kill you or be killed themselves. Seems like such a strange and lonely way to live not being able to be close to anyone and living in fear. Took a shower from a bucket of water in a shed which was a challenge. They had put the generator on so I could have light but the ...

... of 24 all the way to Cape Town. That’s a full load! The group is pretty mixed, with 6 kiwis, a couple of Aussies, Dutch, Moldovian, Bulgarian, Canadian and the majority Brits. There’s only a couple of odd ones, but they’re leaving after 19 days – so no probs. In fact half our group changes when we get back to Nairobi.

Highs: Gorilla experience
Lows: Got a culturally insensitive **** in our group – but he’s easily ignored

... tiny cement building, with somewhere to sleep and sit only, I think they must cook outside. Her mother has polio as well as a disease which makes her faint often. Because she fainted while cooking she was burned badly. Her father is not in the picture. Despite her living conditions you can tell that she is much healthier than the other children where she lives. Most of the other children have protruding stomachs from malnutrition , are covered ...