Gorillas

The embassy decided we needed some team-building. Somebody brought up the gorillas as a possibility, I didn't think it was likely to get approval, but it did. So Monday we went by four cars (three embassy cars and one private car) to the north. We left at 15.00 to arrive before dinner. We checked in at the gorillas nest, luckily not a real one, just the name of the hotel. The hotel consists of a main building and about ten small buildings of two rooms each. We shared rooms, so I shared a room with Jaco, (who is going to Bujumbura in July). We checked in and had a buffet dinner. After dinner we sat down for a small enjoyable drink.

We had to get up early, too early, breakfast started at 6.15. After our nice buffet breakfast we went to the ORTPN (tourist bureau) office nearby. There we had to sign a form including our next of kin (why?!?). We were divided in 3 groups, plus two who had to go with 'strangers'. Guess which group I was in? So me and Deo (my local colleague) went with the strangers. Even though I think some of my colleagues are strange, these were stranger; an american couple, who made more photos of each other than of the gorillas, preferably a photo with one of them with a gorilla, you need propf! An Israeli, at least he lives there and his guy New York friend and a South African who works here for a Dubai company which is going to build some hotels (too much money, risky investment). And weirdest of them all a Dutchman who lives in Kigali, o yeah that's me.

Deo and I got a lift with the South African in a hire pick up that didn't pass the MOT. The driver came from the area, so spent more time waving than driving. The road was rather bad, stony, so I don't know if you can call it driving, this is known as an 'african massage'. We walk past the last pyrethreum plant to get into the national park, marked by a two feet tall stone wall. Here we picked up two armed guards, because there are all sorts of animals in the park. We walk for about an hour, mainly uphill past prickly plants. Then we had to stop and leave our bags behind. Just behind the bush was our first glimpse of a gorilla.





The first one we saw was the alpha male, the silverback. He was just having a nap. Strangely enough he didn't mind being woken by tourists. He ambled away to a more quiet spot.

We saw number two, the blackback, the alpha female and a couple of young kids. One of the kids was play next to us, rolling around and trying to play with us, but we are not allowed to touch them, because of human germs etc. The other young one sat in the tree and played making a nest, he must have seen his mother do it.







After an hour it was time to go, we had a very good time. We walked back for an hour, much more enjoyable downhill.

The car refused to start, surprise, so a man had to push for quite a while before we returned over the 'road'. Arriving at gorillas nest we thanked the nice south-african man for the lift and refreshed and put our other clothes on again. We were quickly joint by the rest of my colleagues and had our lunch, they had a very good idea: A buffet!! The lunch buffet hardly differs from the dinner one, the breakfast is more different, specially because they had 'POLADGE' I had to check what it was before I understood it was porridge.

So with a car full of sleepy people (not the driver) we returned to Kigali. We arrived around half past four, so nice and early. Just enough time to have a cup of coffee with my sister and brother in law and drop them of at the airport.

As we say in Dutch: 'tired and satisfied'.