***Warning – this posting contains a ridiculous amount of gorilla photos (click to enlarge) and videos (click the blue words).
We slept like babies after crawling into our toasty bed – water bottles snuck in by the staff while we ate dinner were a welcome treat.
Up at 5:30 am and breakfast by a warm fireplace. We’re ready!
I forgot to tell you that before we checked into the hotel we went to the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to learn about Dian and the gorillas.
Did you know that we share over 98% of our DNA with gorillas? Every evening the gorillas make a new a new nest – they never have to change the sheets! Pregnancy lasts for 8.5 months. They’re vegetarians and eat up to 55 pounds of food per day. They laugh when they play and boy oh boy do they play!
The first phase in seeing the gorillas was an orientation at the park headquarters. Trackers keep an eye on the gorilla’s location and report back to the rangers. They then form groups of eight depending on your age, health and physical fitness and assign you a group. The trek can last from two to seven hours depending on what group you’re placed in. There are three levels. We’re able to “request” one of the three. I will reword their levels. Level one – old and not in great shape. Two – great shape. Level three – crazy and uber fit animal!
Guess what group we hiked with?
Our group contained three Brits, two Canadians and an American. We headed out with our drivers to the next meeting point.
The morning was gorgeous however, we were told to not rely on that. We had our rain gear as well as gloves to keep the stinging nettles off our hands.
Our group met up at the Volcano’s National Park 20 minutes away. At this point you can hire a porter who will walk with you, carry your gear and assist you getting up and down the mountain. It is recommended that you hire one to help the local economy. Their pay $10.00 or whatever amount you want to pay above that.
And away we went….
Slow and steady went the old person’s group. Did I mention how beautiful Rwanda is? We walked through lush farmland and climbed the steep mountain about two hours before we met up with the Kwisanga family of gorillas.
Since our DNA is so close we had to put a facemask on before we got close to where they were. The rangers don’t want us making them sick.
I was a little nervous about the gorillas after seeing videos where they would run by a person and knock them over. Any fear that I harbored melted away immediately . Kinda like I don’t hear the Jaw’s theme music when I scuba dive even though I’m afraid of a shark attack.
The gorillas could have cared less that we were there. Some were lounging and others played like little kids. There was one silverback (male) and the rest were females. One mama held her one week old baby and the four month old gorilla played like a five year old rolling around with the teenagers. They really do smile and I would say laugh as well. It’s so endearing.
The hordes of flies circle them like rotting fruit abandoned in the sun. The flies left us alone. We were allowed one hour with the gorillas. At one point the silverback woke up from his nap and wondered off. We followed him for a bit and got to watch him sit and eat before we returned back to the family at large.
It was incredible!!!
The sky began to weep minutes before we had to leave. The timing was perfect. It made a tough, super slippery and thrilling decent back down the mountain. Our shoes were completely full of mud. The rain ended just before we finished.
We returned to Kigali for one more night before heading out again.
Did I mention how beautiful Rwanda is?
Had to show you Bill’s shoes made brand new by housekeeping at our hotel. 
Crazy how airport security differs. Upon arrival at the Kigali Airport – Bill and I had to vacate the car while it was completely searched and go into a building and be body scanned before entering the airport property.
In about 1948 the eldest brother Yue Ming (now 86) and following thereafter the youngest brother Yue Chuan (now 79) learned the ways of the Cormorant fisherman.
An ancient fishing technique where cormorant birds are trained to dive for fish and return their catch to their master’s raft. If not for the snare tied around the bird’s neck – the cormorant would swallow it’s catch whole.
The brothers lived on a houseboat until 1978 at which time the local government gave fishermen land. They built a home on this property and still live in it today. It is modest, reachable only by boat and meals are cooked over campfire.
Fishing was a way of life until the late 1990’s. Unfortunately, Cormorant fishing has become a lost source of income but the art form still remains. River pollution, motorized boats and electric rod fishing have made it hard for the birds to successfully fish.
The role of the water buffalo is rapidly changing with the onset of modern machinery and China approving the use of credit – payments over time. More and more the buffalo is becoming a household pet.
Bill, the travel agent, discovered that we can hop on a ferry in Helsinki, Finland and get a 72 hour visa St. Petersburg – the cultural capital of Russia. All we had to do is present a hotel confirmation from one of Russia’s approved hotels.
