- Sent from Africa using my iPad
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”
Thursday, July 26, 2012
My 4th of July
Every year I can remember, I've done the traditional 4th of July celebration with fireworks, parades, and hotdogs or hamburgers.
This year I trekked Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda.
I went up Sabyinyo Mountain and trekked Mountain Gorillas. We left at 6:15 in the morning. We tracked the Hirwa group. Hiking up the mountain was tough at times- we had to go a little more than half way up before we found them- and it was sometimes slippery, muddy, and steep. At one point I was edging my way along the foliage on the cliff face and if I had took one step forward, I would have fallen straight down, it was that steep! (Sabyinyo is 3634 meters tall).
We started by walking through some local people's farm paths because our car broke down because of the bad state of the roads. The women and children greeted us from their fields and doorsteps and the men herding the goats and cows waved from a distance. The official language is French here but since not everyone goes to school and learns French, when locals speak their language, the only word (besides hello and thank you) I can pick out is Mzungu, which means white person/traveler/foreigner.
The farming fields ended with a stone fence, the border to the national park the mountains are in. We climbed over that and started up hill. We went through bamboo forests and our guide hacked his way through the vegetation with his machete. There were prickly bits and stinging nettles but nothing got me too much.
When we got close tot the gorillas, we had to leave our hiking sticks and bags behind and only take our cameras. We had one hour and first we watched a mom and an 4 month old baby. Then we saw the rest of the group (18 of them in all) and they were breath taking. There were one set of baby twins, boys, who were cheeky and rambunctious. One of them stood up and did the cutesy little chest pound- and then promptly fell backwards into mum. This one time, Beth and I were standing off to the side with the gorillas in front and then from behind one comes bounding down the slope straight towards us. He wasn't coming to attack us or anything, just running down the hill, but man was I scared! We watched them interact, eat bamboo and bananas, play, grunt, climb...
All done. The mountain behind me.
What I climbed.
Group photo!
Oh yeah, I still had some patriotic spirit:
Hehehe...
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
This year I trekked Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda.
I went up Sabyinyo Mountain and trekked Mountain Gorillas. We left at 6:15 in the morning. We tracked the Hirwa group. Hiking up the mountain was tough at times- we had to go a little more than half way up before we found them- and it was sometimes slippery, muddy, and steep. At one point I was edging my way along the foliage on the cliff face and if I had took one step forward, I would have fallen straight down, it was that steep! (Sabyinyo is 3634 meters tall).
We started by walking through some local people's farm paths because our car broke down because of the bad state of the roads. The women and children greeted us from their fields and doorsteps and the men herding the goats and cows waved from a distance. The official language is French here but since not everyone goes to school and learns French, when locals speak their language, the only word (besides hello and thank you) I can pick out is Mzungu, which means white person/traveler/foreigner.
The farming fields ended with a stone fence, the border to the national park the mountains are in. We climbed over that and started up hill. We went through bamboo forests and our guide hacked his way through the vegetation with his machete. There were prickly bits and stinging nettles but nothing got me too much.
When we got close tot the gorillas, we had to leave our hiking sticks and bags behind and only take our cameras. We had one hour and first we watched a mom and an 4 month old baby. Then we saw the rest of the group (18 of them in all) and they were breath taking. There were one set of baby twins, boys, who were cheeky and rambunctious. One of them stood up and did the cutesy little chest pound- and then promptly fell backwards into mum. This one time, Beth and I were standing off to the side with the gorillas in front and then from behind one comes bounding down the slope straight towards us. He wasn't coming to attack us or anything, just running down the hill, but man was I scared! We watched them interact, eat bamboo and bananas, play, grunt, climb...
All done. The mountain behind me.
What I climbed.
Group photo!
Oh yeah, I still had some patriotic spirit:
Hehehe...
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Pygmy Island
In Uganda, there is a lake called Lake Bunyoni. It is almost 1 kilometer deep. In this lake are islands and one is inhabited by the native pygmies who have been forced out of the forest by the government.
We took a boat to a steep mountain of an island, passing other islands as we went.
This is punishment island, where girls who got pregnant before marriage were left to die. But sometimes, since men have many wives, a guy would come along, think "hey! Free wive!" if he liked her and rescue her and take her to another village. To the right is an island where lepers lived, the last one dieing in 2002.
We climbed and climbed and climbed some more until we reached the primary school the community set up. It had four class rooms and children under 10.
The school
When we arrived, the kids were being led by their teacher in a lesson that incorporated singing and dancing. One of the adults was beating the drum.
They showed us some of the songs and dances they knew ranging to a song in a language I didn't understand to a song, in English, about education. When the teacher wanted to get attention, she would say "Hello children!" and the kids would shout back in unison "HELLO TEACHER!" and then be quiet.
The kids were let out at mid day to go home. I had a quick look at the inside of the school:
Ball, cup, box, pen...
One little guy was watching me
The view from the school yard
Just next door are where the displaced pygmies lived.
I thought the pygmies had lived here for a long time but they had actually been recently kicked out of the forest (to conserve game for tourists) so it was more like a refugee camp than anything. Either way, they welcomed us with dancing and got me to join.
The little boy in red had such a good sense of rhythm. He can't be more than 2 years old but he was stomping his feet to the beat just as good as the adults. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to dance with him, the cutie.
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
We took a boat to a steep mountain of an island, passing other islands as we went.
This is punishment island, where girls who got pregnant before marriage were left to die. But sometimes, since men have many wives, a guy would come along, think "hey! Free wive!" if he liked her and rescue her and take her to another village. To the right is an island where lepers lived, the last one dieing in 2002.
We climbed and climbed and climbed some more until we reached the primary school the community set up. It had four class rooms and children under 10.
The school
When we arrived, the kids were being led by their teacher in a lesson that incorporated singing and dancing. One of the adults was beating the drum.
They showed us some of the songs and dances they knew ranging to a song in a language I didn't understand to a song, in English, about education. When the teacher wanted to get attention, she would say "Hello children!" and the kids would shout back in unison "HELLO TEACHER!" and then be quiet.
The kids were let out at mid day to go home. I had a quick look at the inside of the school:
Ball, cup, box, pen...
One little guy was watching me
The view from the school yard
Just next door are where the displaced pygmies lived.
I thought the pygmies had lived here for a long time but they had actually been recently kicked out of the forest (to conserve game for tourists) so it was more like a refugee camp than anything. Either way, they welcomed us with dancing and got me to join.
The little boy in red had such a good sense of rhythm. He can't be more than 2 years old but he was stomping his feet to the beat just as good as the adults. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to dance with him, the cutie.
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
Ugangan Equator
We haven't crossed the equator since our dirt road in Gabon. But here in Uganda, they actually had a fancy-shmancy sign!
One foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern...
Last time we crossed the equator we were going south and it was hot and humid. This time we are heading north and it is cold and dry. What happened?!
It being home, I personally am a fan our northern hemisphere. But Sharlene is from Australia and is fond of the south. Here she's trying to drag me across:
Aaaaaah!
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
One foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern...
Last time we crossed the equator we were going south and it was hot and humid. This time we are heading north and it is cold and dry. What happened?!
It being home, I personally am a fan our northern hemisphere. But Sharlene is from Australia and is fond of the south. Here she's trying to drag me across:
Aaaaaah!
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
Slow Down, Giraffe Crossing
In Kenya, we went to a center for a certain species for endangered giraffes. They really are majestic creatures and it's not till I was up and close with them that I realized how COOL they are!
Safety first
:P
A giraffe kiss
When I fed them their food, they would stick out their tongues and wrap it around and they pull it back in, somewhat like a chameleon.
Did you know giraffes have tongues about a foot and a half long? And their saliva is antiseptic. This is because they eat the leaves off acacia thorn bushes and trees. Most of the time, their tongues are perfectly nimble but just in case they prick themselves, it's okay.
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
Safety first
:P
A giraffe kiss
When I fed them their food, they would stick out their tongues and wrap it around and they pull it back in, somewhat like a chameleon.
Did you know giraffes have tongues about a foot and a half long? And their saliva is antiseptic. This is because they eat the leaves off acacia thorn bushes and trees. Most of the time, their tongues are perfectly nimble but just in case they prick themselves, it's okay.
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
Senegeti Safari
While in Tanzania, I went on a three day safari through Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorogoro Crater and the Serengeti.
It was spectacular! First we went to Lake Manyara National Park and saw lots of animals like hippos and monkeys and flamingos.
Hello hippo
Then we went to camp and really early the next morning, drove to the Ngorogoro crater. We saw lionesses sunbathing on the grass and a male lion sitting with his mane blowing in the wind (our first wild male lion).Among lions and elephants and giraffes, just the crater itself was cool. It was like being where an astroid hit. Then we had lunch on the crater rim.
They're supposed to be dangerous but I think they look like they have pig tails as an updo.
We made our way the the Serengeti, the most famous place for spotting game in the world. And it was worth it. We saw not just a leopard but a leopard eating it's kill up in a tree. Elephants, wildebeest, impala, giraffes, cuddling zebra, and lots lots more. We went to a new camp after that and the next morning did an early morning game drive before heading back tot the truck in Atosha (we hopped off the truck and went with a safari company to do this).
See the leopard?
Yummers
We got even closer to lions than this!
Zebra crossing!
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
It was spectacular! First we went to Lake Manyara National Park and saw lots of animals like hippos and monkeys and flamingos.
Hello hippo
Then we went to camp and really early the next morning, drove to the Ngorogoro crater. We saw lionesses sunbathing on the grass and a male lion sitting with his mane blowing in the wind (our first wild male lion).Among lions and elephants and giraffes, just the crater itself was cool. It was like being where an astroid hit. Then we had lunch on the crater rim.
They're supposed to be dangerous but I think they look like they have pig tails as an updo.
We made our way the the Serengeti, the most famous place for spotting game in the world. And it was worth it. We saw not just a leopard but a leopard eating it's kill up in a tree. Elephants, wildebeest, impala, giraffes, cuddling zebra, and lots lots more. We went to a new camp after that and the next morning did an early morning game drive before heading back tot the truck in Atosha (we hopped off the truck and went with a safari company to do this).
See the leopard?
Yummers
We got even closer to lions than this!
Zebra crossing!
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
Visitors
While bush camping in Tanzania, we had some visitors (or rather the people who probably use the land everyday found some random travelers in the bush). This is happens a lot but this instance was funny.
You can tell by their robes that these two men are from the Maasi tribe. They were just traveling through as we sat around the fire having our breakfast.
They were curious and watched us. With the cattle mooing, the morning birds chirping and the two herders speaking a language I couldn't understand, it all felt very traditional and back-in-the -day.... Until the guy on the right pulled a ringing mobile phone out of one of the folds in his garments. Hehe, globalization is working it's magic!
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
You can tell by their robes that these two men are from the Maasi tribe. They were just traveling through as we sat around the fire having our breakfast.
They were curious and watched us. With the cattle mooing, the morning birds chirping and the two herders speaking a language I couldn't understand, it all felt very traditional and back-in-the -day.... Until the guy on the right pulled a ringing mobile phone out of one of the folds in his garments. Hehe, globalization is working it's magic!
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
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