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...