Gorillas in the light of day

Today we personally met all the members of the Rushegura family. There are nineteen members in the family and each has a very distinct personality. We arrived at 8:00 am for a briefing before setting off on the trek. Our group of eight along with a guide and three rangers (with rifles!) only travelled for about twenty minutes through the very dense jungle before we met the gorillas. They were in the vegetation but about six were plainly visible. But we met the entire family out in the open as they walked along an aqueduct that provides water to the village. For one hour we watched them. At some points several passed by, one literally brushing my pants. They are without doubt a species that gets so close to us that I don't think it's possible to be with them without having the sense of connection. The hour passed so quickly and about two minutes before our time was up, one of the gorillas, called "the babysitter" simply turned his back to us. Our guide said that he was putting us on notice... our time had come to an end. We returned to the lodge and we were sitting on the veranda when the entire family came to see us again. They spent another half hour meandering, climbing and mostly eating. Then they left. As I sit here in the middle of the afternoon, they have returned. I can't see them but I hear them. I expect I might have the chance to see them once more. Tomorrow we return to Kampala and then Entebbe where we will spend the night and then fly home. So, to all of you who bothered to read this, thanks. I'm glad I did this because this was the experience of a lifetime and an immensely full three weeks. I know that most of the processing will happen later but the blog gave me the chance to simply record events and first impressions. It was good to know that there were folks who travelled with me...

June 2, Bwindi National Forest

It's been a long time since I wrote anything. I'd like to begin with our last night in Gulu. We went to Daisy and Santo's house for dinner and, as predicted, Santo was caught up in meetings and didn't make it for dinner. He was also taking the 9:00 pm bus to Kampala so we didn't expect to see him. Samuel was still at school so it was a dinner of females only and it was great. Little Daisy's mom, Daisy (Miriam), "big" Daisy, Janet and Eunice, and Lillian, the seamstress and her 1 1/2 year old daughter, Rema. Lillian made some beautiful things for us (and wouldn't let Annie pay for two of them :-). Lillian made the entire dinner and it was EVERYTHING! Posho, bol (greens) with odee (groundnut and simsim paste), yams, "irish" potatioes, Malakwon (greens) and egg. We had a wonderful time but then we had to go before dark to return to town on bodas. All the women walked down the road with us. Janet and Eunice started to cry and, of course, I started to but I made some jokes and there were no tears. I hopped on the boda and I was off, waving goodby to all these wonderful, generous, lovely women whom I came to love so much. At 6:15 am we hopped on two bodas with all our belongings and traveled in darkness to the Post Bus station only to find out it broke a tire rod the day before and wasn't running. So off we went to take one of the other buses leaving at 7:30 am but I was nervous. I had been told that these buses went crazy fast on the bad road to Kampala and that your stuff would be taken. Hold on for dear life! The bus person told us to take our things on the bus and not to put them in the boot which was a good thing I guess. However, the bus was full and about an hour into the ride a new bus conductor said we would have to pay for the seat which held our things. We did. It was a long, hot, bus ride to Kampala and we were dropped off at a bus park with no idea where we were. Annie found a taxi and we overpaid our way to the hotel. The hotel was luxurious! It was in the middle of the city on a golf course with a beautiful swimming pool and a very, very large room. Wow! A shower!!! We relaxed that day an a half except for my visit to the "Project Uplife" run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Brother Robert picked me up and took me to see this project, which is a free secondary school for males and females. The place is run on a shoestring and even that is an understatement. I don't know how he does it, but the school survives, although it is in great need of funds. Honestly, these kids were great and this school is a lifeboat for them. Some board and some walk for two hours to get to school. They live on posho and beans. I would really like to help them, maybe linking them with Rivier Campus Ministry as a way of fundraising and perhaps facebooking. We began our safari on May 31 at the crack of dawn. We drove all day to Queen Elizabeth National Park in the southwest of Uganda, bordering Congo. It is a magnificent place that stretches for miles and miles (about 2,000 kilometers) and on the way to the lodge we saw elephants, warthogs, and about twenty species of birds. Then we arrived at the Mweya Lodge which has to be the most beautiful spot on earth (ok, until I came to the Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge today :-) ). The Mweya is on a very high hill overlooking the Kazinga channel which connects Lake Edward and Lake George. The Rwenzori mountains surround the park so the view is breathtaking. Our room faced the channel and I looked out to see elephants at the water across the shore. This park is home for thousands of species and we saw many of them: uganda kob, water buffalo, crocodile, elephant, hippopotamus, and hundreds of birds. A boat cruise brought us up close and personal with hippos, water buffalo and elephants, all bathing in the water. The food was incredible and all the staff were very friendly and ready to help with anything. Annie got a massage and I had a eucalyptus steam bath. I could say so much more but I'm already embarrassed by the luxriousness of this place. Leaving was hard but we left early this morning for Bwindi National Park. The main roads were both out so the trip was interesting! Moses, our guide, is an expert. I really like him and it's a riot to be with him because he an Annie are so much alike. They don't talk unless they have to. I have lots of quiet time. But here I am in paradise #2. We arrived at this eco-friendly lodge and were greated with fresh pineapple juice and four guys to carry our bags down the steep steps to our lodge/cabin/tent. It's hard to describe but Annie and I are in this thatched roof cabin which is made with eucalyptus wood so it smells wonderful! The bathroom is made of from natural stone and the cabin is both rustic and elegant. They got it right. It is built into the mountain and we have been told that gorillas are likely to wander outside our cabin. We have already heard them as some of the villagers were chasing them away from their plantings. So they have retreated for now to the mountain in front of us. We took a beautiful walk to the river below which is this stream of clear, cold water running over rocks. You can even take a dip in it. I can't describe the beauty of this place. Just knowing that we are living where one of the gorilla families lives gives me chills. We take our gorilla trek tomorrow. In the meantime, we are the ONLY ones at this lodge! The season begins next week so there are about ten people waiting on us. I'm going for a massage tonight :0 So I feel as though I have seen so much of Uganda in these three short weeks. I love this country and I am so very grateful that I have had this experience. It is all too much. Next time, Neil comes along!