Gorilla Trekking

  Virunga Rainforest, Congo - The Dem. Repub.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Stu and I have had a good week and half on the new truck. Don't worry mum, not scary at all just pretty non-stop! Also no Austalian lesbians just a slight confusion between Australians use of the term 'girlfriend' and how Stu and I both interpreted it. Anyway, no worries, all good put a few shrimps on the barbie. Back to the beginning.....
Tue, Wed, Thu last week were three long days on the Truck....aka the Big tin can. Still on terrible roads almost all of the time. Highlights included (scraping the barrel a bit here), crossing the equator, twice, crossing the border to Uganda and seeing the source of the Nile for the first time and driving through some stunning scenery. As we got down into deepest darkest Uganda we climbed a mountain, dirt track and cliff edges the whole way whilst we threw about 500pens out the window to local kids! We needed some fun after 30hours on the road. Uganda is stunning country, very green and tropical, called the pearl of Africa. Right across the country kids would run out of their houses waving and screaming they were so excited by us. We felt like celebrities on the big stupid truck! In East Africa the kids all scream Mzungu, literally 'White Person' at us. In Uganda and Congo the kids are even more excited because apparently everyone likes seeing white people because it is reassuring that their country is ok. If the tourists stop coming something must be wrong that they may not yet have been told about.
The lowlight of the 3 days driving...was driving past a crash between two minibus taxis. Horrfic and a stark reminder of how dangerous the roads can be and the lack of rapid assistance from the emergency services. Anyway we made it safely late on Thursday to have a 2hour briefing for the gorilla trekking from our worringly drunk gorilla tour organizer, Daniel. Hmmm...and the man can really chat so it took forever combined with my tummy not being happy made it not the greatest evening for me. We didn't get to bed until late (aka 12pm!) which turned into a terrible nights sleep-Uganda's hottest disco was in full swing right next door and was still going at the same volume over breakfast the next day.
Stu and I had somehow ended up in the Long and Fast gorilla trekking group. Not my plan...a month on the truck is not good training for a long and fast trek through a jungle, but anyway, day began with crossing border to DR. Congo! Slight itinerary change and we were over the border but actually everything was fine there, very beautiful, they have 1,000,000 shilling notes...worthless and speak French and Swahili so Kenyan boy Stu fitted right in...'You are a Congo Man!' Over the border a 3.5hour drive in old rickety 4x4 with no suspsension before we even began the trek. I was starting to question exactly how far i would travel for these gorillas!
Trek alone was awesome, 4hours out through the jungle with the odd running bit to avoid the giant bitting ants and just a 'small mountain.' When we, with the help of the 6guides (to our 8people) eventually found the gorillas it was spectacular! There are only 600 mountatin gorillas left in the wild and it was such a privilege to see a family of 11.
The Silverback-the big male was 250kg, and we ended up about1m away if not closer!


It was crazy. We also saw 2young babies and the mothers and a few other medium sized gorillas! Breathtaking being so close and just seeing them in the wild. Worth the 3.5 days of road and trekking to get there! Not surprisingly Stu and I were both exhausted when we got back to camp at 11pm that night, best day though!
Day after, 'short drive on truck' back down twisty mountain road to Lake Bunyonyi...well that was the plan. Unfortunately about 2hours and 200pens later there was a clunk...and when we stopped to look what I later learnt was a key spring had broken. So Stu and I spent then next 9hours with a very scenic view and lots of kids demanding pens by a very dusty roadside waiting for the truck to be fixed by our driver Stevie and cook Hazzie. They worked on their backs under the precaruiously jacked up truck all that day, nonstop. Eventually they weren't sure if it would ever be fixed so the remaining 10of us hitched lifts down to the town...from Local Government officials but still not that comfy! We found the other 20members of the truck who had headed to town earlier had, had a great day in the bar and were enjoying the local beers! We didn't make it to the lake that night but got a curry and when the truck limped in at 10pm we stayed at a nearby campsite...yucky but left early the next day to get to the Lake...only24hours later than planned and got a very long-overdue shower! The Lake was beautiful...Lonely Planet describes it as were the Hobbits live in Lord of the Rings. Stu and I decided to go on a boat trip to visit the Pygmy tribe, the boat trip was great but the stupid guide failed to mention the 5km walk at the other end, instead just 'round the next corner' for 90mins. Hot, dusty and sweaty we arrived right at the Rwandian border (but didn't cross) to find drunk and stoned Pygmies dancing crazily in our faces. We couldn't leave fast enough! The kids on the walk all would shout at us from all over the valley 'HOWAREYOUUUUU?' and 'Give me my pen/money/bottle' which we would always answer with no...say please....or else just 'give me MY money!' Amusing enough but after 4hours we were all glad to get back across the lake.
Monday was another day driving, back across Uganda to Jinga, the source of the Nile and a lovely campsite...flushing toilets and a toilet seat are a luxury.