The new photo is of one of our many bus rides down Western Tanzania. 10 hours on a dirt road will do that to you! I took the photo to see what I looked like because Dona kept laughing and saying she couldn't wait until I saw myself. I didn't get the camera turned around all the way to look at the screen before I screamed and broke into hysterical laughter. Everyone on the bus was looking and laughing as well. Someone even offered me a tissue. Think I needed more than that!
Thought you all would like a laugh too!
Tuesday 26 August 2008
Sunday 24 August 2008
Quick Update
Sorry for the absolute lack of communication. It's been an interesting few weeks and I haven't had much access to the internet. Let alone the time to do an extensive update. I don't have the time for one now either but I thought a quick message will do.
I'm in Mozambique! Pemba to be exact and it's paradise. I may never leave! Just kidding :) But with the white sand beaches, clear turquoise water, it will be difficult.
The people I was going to meet in Kigale, Rwanda, to discuss volunteering opportunities had to go out of town the entire week we had planned to get together. I took this and our inability to meet the previous time we were in Kigale as a sign that I shouldn't do it. So I decided to continue on traveling with Dona.
We wanted to go to Malawi which required 6 hard days travel through Western Tanzania. That was a trek that required mulitple daylong bus rides and staying in local villages. We finally reached Malawi and stayed in an animal reserve where herds of elephants ate right outside our hut in the evenings. We also had a few luxurious days on Lake Malawi - Nhataka Bay. I'd never seen a lake so clear. It really did look like the ocean. Went snorkelling and rock diving. Great fun until I found out the lake had Blizharia (schistosomiosus [sp?]) so we have medicine to take in three weeks time to kill the parasite and any eggs it laid in our organs. Nice!
We traveled south and decided to take the train across Monzambique so we headed in that direction. Made it to Cuamba and the town where the train took off in three days. Not bad we thought! The train was brilliant. Comfortable in our sleeping car. I slept for 3 of the 12 hour trip and read the rest of the way. Mozambique is beautiful. It has amazing mountains that made me think of Mark and Will and their climbing gear. (You guys would love those mountains!)
We ended up eventually at Ila de Mozambique, the capital back in the day when the Portugese colonized. That's right, they speak portugese here and pretty much no English. Ordering food at restaurants has been an adverture. Luckily we've had nothing horrid, yet! Ila was strange. Amazing old colonial buildings now suffering the effects of neglect and delapidation. It was pretty much desolate as well so we decided one day and one night was enough to experience the place. We did manage to see in our one night the traditional dance (Tofo I think). They paint their faces white. It was really cool. They had a dance that involved a jump rope and we decided to join them in this so got up and got in line. Turns out they don't want to make it easy for you and whippped the rope down and we couldn't escape without the rope slicing into our shoulders. After they finished we showed them how to do the limbo and after awhile everyone was chanting "how low can you go" bending under the rope. Memorable to say the least.
The next morning we headed to Pemba, our current location. We are hoping to arrange a scuba dive but I am getting over a cold so not sure if I'll be able to equalize. If not, just snorkelling for me. But with the clarity of the water that should be amazing anyway.
So on that quick note, I'll go. I've got some serious laying out to do. Wish you all could be here with me. Caio!
I'm in Mozambique! Pemba to be exact and it's paradise. I may never leave! Just kidding :) But with the white sand beaches, clear turquoise water, it will be difficult.
The people I was going to meet in Kigale, Rwanda, to discuss volunteering opportunities had to go out of town the entire week we had planned to get together. I took this and our inability to meet the previous time we were in Kigale as a sign that I shouldn't do it. So I decided to continue on traveling with Dona.
We wanted to go to Malawi which required 6 hard days travel through Western Tanzania. That was a trek that required mulitple daylong bus rides and staying in local villages. We finally reached Malawi and stayed in an animal reserve where herds of elephants ate right outside our hut in the evenings. We also had a few luxurious days on Lake Malawi - Nhataka Bay. I'd never seen a lake so clear. It really did look like the ocean. Went snorkelling and rock diving. Great fun until I found out the lake had Blizharia (schistosomiosus [sp?]) so we have medicine to take in three weeks time to kill the parasite and any eggs it laid in our organs. Nice!
We traveled south and decided to take the train across Monzambique so we headed in that direction. Made it to Cuamba and the town where the train took off in three days. Not bad we thought! The train was brilliant. Comfortable in our sleeping car. I slept for 3 of the 12 hour trip and read the rest of the way. Mozambique is beautiful. It has amazing mountains that made me think of Mark and Will and their climbing gear. (You guys would love those mountains!)
We ended up eventually at Ila de Mozambique, the capital back in the day when the Portugese colonized. That's right, they speak portugese here and pretty much no English. Ordering food at restaurants has been an adverture. Luckily we've had nothing horrid, yet! Ila was strange. Amazing old colonial buildings now suffering the effects of neglect and delapidation. It was pretty much desolate as well so we decided one day and one night was enough to experience the place. We did manage to see in our one night the traditional dance (Tofo I think). They paint their faces white. It was really cool. They had a dance that involved a jump rope and we decided to join them in this so got up and got in line. Turns out they don't want to make it easy for you and whippped the rope down and we couldn't escape without the rope slicing into our shoulders. After they finished we showed them how to do the limbo and after awhile everyone was chanting "how low can you go" bending under the rope. Memorable to say the least.
The next morning we headed to Pemba, our current location. We are hoping to arrange a scuba dive but I am getting over a cold so not sure if I'll be able to equalize. If not, just snorkelling for me. But with the clarity of the water that should be amazing anyway.
So on that quick note, I'll go. I've got some serious laying out to do. Wish you all could be here with me. Caio!
Saturday 2 August 2008
One more thing about the hike...
I was so tired last night when I was writing the blog, I forgot to tell you that on the way down from the volcanoes, we stopped where we had heard the gorrillas on the way up. They had crossed the trail and were eating on the other side now. We could see the stalks moving as they were being torn apart and eaten by the group. Then, suddenly th guide said "There!" We almost climbed oevr each other to see. But all I could see was a bit of black fur from the elbow. It was a silverback he said. This group had several. As we weren't on the gorrilla tour he said we had to keep going. Disappointed I walked on. Then, he spotted another silverback. I slid down the hill to see as best as best as possible. Again, I could only see the side of the gorrilla. Then he got up to move to a more heavily vegetated area right through a clearing. I saw his profile first and my mouth fell open. I had no idea they were as big as they were. This was another silverback and he was the most majestic beautiful thing I had ever seen. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw his infamously grey colored back and huge hind legs. It was the most amazing thing to see. To hear them growl and talk to each other was so powerful it made me realize how fragile I was and how easily he could kill me. This was a wild animal and we were in his territory. The guide made growling sounds that emulated what I was hearing from the gorrillas themselves. He said that it was sounds of friendship so they understood we were not harmful. We were there only a few minutes but the images in my mind will be with me forever. No wonder Dian Fossey fell in love with these animals and spent her life, literally, to protect them.
It was an amazing day.
I think I will write from my journal from now on as I keep leaving things out just writing off the cuff. I only have to catch you up on a few little things next time. Just know that we've survived our second day in the DRC. My family was able to successfully Western Union some money to me. Rwanda and the DRC do not accept foreign ATM cards, nor do they exchange travelers checks and it is hard to find somewhere that will exchange other African currencies. I have not had one penny in cash for the last 2 days and it's felt very strange. Excuse me if I repeat myself. Between my journal, personal e-mails and blogging I can't remember what I've written previously.
Will send a link to my photos when they are uploaded. Fingers crossed the hotel computers will be able to do it tonight.
Kwa heri!
It was an amazing day.
I think I will write from my journal from now on as I keep leaving things out just writing off the cuff. I only have to catch you up on a few little things next time. Just know that we've survived our second day in the DRC. My family was able to successfully Western Union some money to me. Rwanda and the DRC do not accept foreign ATM cards, nor do they exchange travelers checks and it is hard to find somewhere that will exchange other African currencies. I have not had one penny in cash for the last 2 days and it's felt very strange. Excuse me if I repeat myself. Between my journal, personal e-mails and blogging I can't remember what I've written previously.
Will send a link to my photos when they are uploaded. Fingers crossed the hotel computers will be able to do it tonight.
Kwa heri!
Friday 1 August 2008
Hello from the DRC!
That's right. We decided to "pop" over to the Democratic Republic of Congo! We were staying right by the border in Gisenyi, Rwanda, so decided to come over to Goma, DRC. There are so many UN workers here. I think I've seen every UN department logo on cars and trucks that have passed me. If I wanted to stay here, I could just walk door to door and odds would be that I would get a volunteer position by the day's end.
(Side note - you must forgive the poor spelling and all the errors in my posts. The keys stick and sometimes the keyboard is laid out completely differently than at home. Makes perfection difficult and we all know how I feel about that!)
We've, again, had a pretty amazing few days. I am meeting with the Kigali organization next week so Dona and I decided to head over to Eastern Rwanda to the Volcanoes National Park. We had hoped to get a permit to see the gorillas. When we got to Ruhengeryi we had still not secured a $500 permit. We were going to show up at the park office in the morning with the cash and hope they had cancellations. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get the money. Rwanda does not have many ATM machines and the ones they have don't accept international cards. Most banks don't exchange travelers checks, nor do they exchange certain African currencies. We gave up on the gorrilla trekking and decided to just do a hike.
Obviously, we didn't book anything in advance and just showed up in the morning. A huge crowd had gathered. Most going off to see the gorrillas, others to do nature tours or hikes. We went to the counter to see what our options were and discovered that we needed a car to drive us 30 minutes to the start of the hike. Perfect! As we were trying to plead with him and convince him to give us a ride for free an American woman had overheard and told us of a man and his son doing the hike who had his own car. We made a bee line for him and he immediately agreed. Another American girl had heard this too, Laura, and asked if he could take her and her friend, Kris. He said that one would have to get in the back but he didn't mind. So we were all set.
We set off from a parking lot in a small village with one guide and two armed soldiers - to fend off any elephants or buffalo we might meet. It was 8:30 a.m. We were climbing the Mt. Bitoke Volcano with a summit of 3,711 m. I believe from where we were we would be climbing 1,500-2,000 m. It started off as a nice easy hike through farms. Wepassed through fields of what looked like daisies. Turns out it was the flower used to create insect repellant. They crush the flowers in Rwanda then send it off to America where it is made into insect repellant. The problem is that Rwanda can't afford to buy back the final product. Funny how things work.
After about an hour or so we arrived at a brick wall that signified the edge of the national park. Climbing over the wall I realized the terraine changed drammatically. We literally walked from field to rain forest. It was cool and the path slightly muddy. It had also changed from being relatively flat to quite steep. After about another hour we made it to a sitting area where we took a break. This was near where Dian Fossey is buried and did her research on the gorillas.
We had a diverse group and I didn't know how far they would be able to go. From the looks of the volcano, it was going to be a killer hike. I had no idea at that time how difficult it would be.
From the rest stop, the steep part began. There were no switchbacks, only straight up. The path had now become really muddy and with my feet in my sandles with socks, it wasn't a clean experience. I also didn't have a walking stick. I had opted out at the beginning. I was beginning to reget that decision. Luckily, we are with people who know what they are doing and within 3 minutes, a porter had fashioned the perfect walking stick for me from the local brush. I would come to value that stick as much as my water and the food I would so desperatley need later.
During our hike, the guide stopped by some antelope tracks. You could clearly see the pool of blood in one of the imprints. Poachers. He called in the finding to his headquarters and we moved on. I was surprised that poachers would still be practicing with all the work going on in the area. Particularly doing it so close to the regularly used tourist trails.
Further up the volcano, the guide stopped again. Gorrillas! They were just off to the right of the trail and you could hear them. Unfortunately, given the thick bruch of the forest, we couldn't see them. We waited a few minutes but couldn't see them. We hoped maybe on the way down we would be luckier.
About 20 minutes after this, the group split. Some could go on no longer. They decided to go back with one of the soldiers. This was good and bad. Good because we could go faster, bad because we could go faster. I was really struggling with the altitude and given my eating habits, had obviously not had enough breakfast. We had also been told this was going to be an easy and quick hike. I had only brought a small bag of peanuts and a small packet of biscuits. I was going to need a lot more given that we had already hiked for 4 hours and we were not at the top.
It was really hard. Not to mention that stinging nettles were all over the place and I had already been stung on my arm. It hurt so much more than any vaccination shot I have received. And that was through a long sleeved shirt! So as we were slipping with almost every step, I was trying not to touch any of the vegetation on my sides. I could not focus on what was around me, I had to focus on where to place my foot to avoid slipping. It was really hard.
Finally, though we made it to the top. The last 50 ft were probably the most difficult. I was moving like a 100 year old woman. I sat on the bench and just felt sick. The girls that shared the car with us had so much food and handed me a cracker with avocado and tomato. I inhaled it and thought I was in heaven. Then they pulled out the peanut butter. I didn't talk, I just stuffed food in my face. Almost immediately I felt better. It was then I realized just how beautiful the surroundings were.
We had hiked to the top of the volcano that now had a crater lake at the top. We peered over the lake into the DRC. Who knew just a few days later, I would be in that country too?! We didn't stay up there long as it was getting late. Going down the mountain was much quicker than going up. It was also much more fun and muddy.
I cannot express how muddy, and slippery the path was. I was trying so hard not to slip and get dirty. I don't think it was more than 5 minutes on the decent before I found myself sitting in an inch of wet dirt. I fell so many more times I can't count. The only other time I remember falling was when my hand went right into a prickily plant that left stickers in my fingers. I was clinging to my stick so hard that now have huge blisters. I am a huge walking stick fan now.
The decent was quick compared to our ascent. We were literally jumping down the mountain and the mud actually helped cushion our knees. I almost lost my shoes on several occasions as they would get stuck in the mud as my body momentum kept going. It was so funny. All of us fell - except for the guide and soldier. We were a mess. I also kept standing in buffalo poop so everyone began calling them out for me.
Dona had only her sandles that have seen better days. She had had to glue the soles back to the shoe the day before the hike. They didn't make it. Half way down the mountain she had to take them off and go barefoot. It was a funny sight and I don't think I have seen dirtier feet on anyone at the end.
So, 7 hours after we set off, we got back to the car. 3:30 p.m. What a day. Iw as exhausted and couldn't wait to take a warm shower and have a beer. We were headed to Gisenyi though so it would have to wait a few hours. The Father/Son duo were going to this town so offered a free ride. We were dropped off in town and went to the hotel the Lonely Planet suggested. After a bit of a hassle, we got into our basic room to find a super cold shower. I almost cried. I managed to wash off a bit. I decided then that we were going to stay in a high end place the next night. Which we did. I blew a week's budget on a fabulous hotel.
Of course, even a day lying by the pool has adventure for us. But I will leave that for another post. It's late and I have to go to bed. I also think that super long posts are a bit much for the reader. Wish us well here in the DRC. I beginning to think we have angels walking with us keeping us safe. Let's hope it stays that way...
(Side note - you must forgive the poor spelling and all the errors in my posts. The keys stick and sometimes the keyboard is laid out completely differently than at home. Makes perfection difficult and we all know how I feel about that!)
We've, again, had a pretty amazing few days. I am meeting with the Kigali organization next week so Dona and I decided to head over to Eastern Rwanda to the Volcanoes National Park. We had hoped to get a permit to see the gorillas. When we got to Ruhengeryi we had still not secured a $500 permit. We were going to show up at the park office in the morning with the cash and hope they had cancellations. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get the money. Rwanda does not have many ATM machines and the ones they have don't accept international cards. Most banks don't exchange travelers checks, nor do they exchange certain African currencies. We gave up on the gorrilla trekking and decided to just do a hike.
Obviously, we didn't book anything in advance and just showed up in the morning. A huge crowd had gathered. Most going off to see the gorrillas, others to do nature tours or hikes. We went to the counter to see what our options were and discovered that we needed a car to drive us 30 minutes to the start of the hike. Perfect! As we were trying to plead with him and convince him to give us a ride for free an American woman had overheard and told us of a man and his son doing the hike who had his own car. We made a bee line for him and he immediately agreed. Another American girl had heard this too, Laura, and asked if he could take her and her friend, Kris. He said that one would have to get in the back but he didn't mind. So we were all set.
We set off from a parking lot in a small village with one guide and two armed soldiers - to fend off any elephants or buffalo we might meet. It was 8:30 a.m. We were climbing the Mt. Bitoke Volcano with a summit of 3,711 m. I believe from where we were we would be climbing 1,500-2,000 m. It started off as a nice easy hike through farms. Wepassed through fields of what looked like daisies. Turns out it was the flower used to create insect repellant. They crush the flowers in Rwanda then send it off to America where it is made into insect repellant. The problem is that Rwanda can't afford to buy back the final product. Funny how things work.
After about an hour or so we arrived at a brick wall that signified the edge of the national park. Climbing over the wall I realized the terraine changed drammatically. We literally walked from field to rain forest. It was cool and the path slightly muddy. It had also changed from being relatively flat to quite steep. After about another hour we made it to a sitting area where we took a break. This was near where Dian Fossey is buried and did her research on the gorillas.
We had a diverse group and I didn't know how far they would be able to go. From the looks of the volcano, it was going to be a killer hike. I had no idea at that time how difficult it would be.
From the rest stop, the steep part began. There were no switchbacks, only straight up. The path had now become really muddy and with my feet in my sandles with socks, it wasn't a clean experience. I also didn't have a walking stick. I had opted out at the beginning. I was beginning to reget that decision. Luckily, we are with people who know what they are doing and within 3 minutes, a porter had fashioned the perfect walking stick for me from the local brush. I would come to value that stick as much as my water and the food I would so desperatley need later.
During our hike, the guide stopped by some antelope tracks. You could clearly see the pool of blood in one of the imprints. Poachers. He called in the finding to his headquarters and we moved on. I was surprised that poachers would still be practicing with all the work going on in the area. Particularly doing it so close to the regularly used tourist trails.
Further up the volcano, the guide stopped again. Gorrillas! They were just off to the right of the trail and you could hear them. Unfortunately, given the thick bruch of the forest, we couldn't see them. We waited a few minutes but couldn't see them. We hoped maybe on the way down we would be luckier.
About 20 minutes after this, the group split. Some could go on no longer. They decided to go back with one of the soldiers. This was good and bad. Good because we could go faster, bad because we could go faster. I was really struggling with the altitude and given my eating habits, had obviously not had enough breakfast. We had also been told this was going to be an easy and quick hike. I had only brought a small bag of peanuts and a small packet of biscuits. I was going to need a lot more given that we had already hiked for 4 hours and we were not at the top.
It was really hard. Not to mention that stinging nettles were all over the place and I had already been stung on my arm. It hurt so much more than any vaccination shot I have received. And that was through a long sleeved shirt! So as we were slipping with almost every step, I was trying not to touch any of the vegetation on my sides. I could not focus on what was around me, I had to focus on where to place my foot to avoid slipping. It was really hard.
Finally, though we made it to the top. The last 50 ft were probably the most difficult. I was moving like a 100 year old woman. I sat on the bench and just felt sick. The girls that shared the car with us had so much food and handed me a cracker with avocado and tomato. I inhaled it and thought I was in heaven. Then they pulled out the peanut butter. I didn't talk, I just stuffed food in my face. Almost immediately I felt better. It was then I realized just how beautiful the surroundings were.
We had hiked to the top of the volcano that now had a crater lake at the top. We peered over the lake into the DRC. Who knew just a few days later, I would be in that country too?! We didn't stay up there long as it was getting late. Going down the mountain was much quicker than going up. It was also much more fun and muddy.
I cannot express how muddy, and slippery the path was. I was trying so hard not to slip and get dirty. I don't think it was more than 5 minutes on the decent before I found myself sitting in an inch of wet dirt. I fell so many more times I can't count. The only other time I remember falling was when my hand went right into a prickily plant that left stickers in my fingers. I was clinging to my stick so hard that now have huge blisters. I am a huge walking stick fan now.
The decent was quick compared to our ascent. We were literally jumping down the mountain and the mud actually helped cushion our knees. I almost lost my shoes on several occasions as they would get stuck in the mud as my body momentum kept going. It was so funny. All of us fell - except for the guide and soldier. We were a mess. I also kept standing in buffalo poop so everyone began calling them out for me.
Dona had only her sandles that have seen better days. She had had to glue the soles back to the shoe the day before the hike. They didn't make it. Half way down the mountain she had to take them off and go barefoot. It was a funny sight and I don't think I have seen dirtier feet on anyone at the end.
So, 7 hours after we set off, we got back to the car. 3:30 p.m. What a day. Iw as exhausted and couldn't wait to take a warm shower and have a beer. We were headed to Gisenyi though so it would have to wait a few hours. The Father/Son duo were going to this town so offered a free ride. We were dropped off in town and went to the hotel the Lonely Planet suggested. After a bit of a hassle, we got into our basic room to find a super cold shower. I almost cried. I managed to wash off a bit. I decided then that we were going to stay in a high end place the next night. Which we did. I blew a week's budget on a fabulous hotel.
Of course, even a day lying by the pool has adventure for us. But I will leave that for another post. It's late and I have to go to bed. I also think that super long posts are a bit much for the reader. Wish us well here in the DRC. I beginning to think we have angels walking with us keeping us safe. Let's hope it stays that way...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
