Hello Rwanda

One thing about flying around the African continent is that there are very few direct flights. To get from Maun (the city in Botswana closest to the Okavango Delta) to Kigali, you first have to fly to Johannesburg. Not in the right direction. You arrive in Jo’berg at about 6pm and your connecting flight leaves at 3am. I decided these lovely connection times were chosen to ensure full occupancy rates at the in-airport hotel. It all worked out and on the flight to Kigali I met a very interesting woman from Australia who now lives in Johannesburg. Turned out we were also staying at the same hotel.

Rwanda has worked very hard to change impressions from the past. The country is extremely clean. Plastic bags were outlawed in 2008 and there is no trash anywhere. One day a month, the whole country participates in a community work day (Umuganda day) when the citizens clean the streets and do other public works. The president of the country wants Rwanda to be the Singapore of Africa. While this may take a while, it it certainly the cleanest and best organized of the African countries I visited.

What most people travel to Rwanda to see is gorillas. Gorillas and the super cute golden monkeys.

The problem with photographing primates in the jungle is twofold. First of all, they like to hang out in the bush making it difficult to focus on them (vs a leaf or something else). Second, their cute little (or large for gorillas) faces are very dark and the camera can’t focus very well. Consequently, you end up with a LOT of blurry monkeys. The upside to this is how excited you get when one or two of the pictures actually turns out.

Getting to the monkeys and the gorillas involves a walk through a farming area and then trecking in the jungle until you find them. This is true jungle trecking, no paths, through bush and stinging nettles. The farming area was stunning as it led to the mountains.

Golden Monkeys are amazing with cute, and somehow elegant, faces.

It’s their backs and stomaches that have the golden color.

Rwanda now cherishes their gorillas. The permit price to go see them is very high but worth it if the money really does go toward conservation. Every year, in September, the locals celebrate the previous year’s gorilla births in a naming ceremony. The gorillas themselves don’t participate, but it is a lovely custom. This is where the naming ceremony takes place and this September they will be naming 28 (i think) baby gorillas!

As I said earlier, getting pictures of these wonderful animals was tough. I am happy that a few came out. Here’s a tip, if you ever decide to go gorilla trecking: keep your ISO set to auto and adjust your exposure comensation if you camera has that feature. I’ll be ready if I ever go back.

After the gorillas and golden monkeys, I think the thing that most impressed all of us was how insustrious and determined the Rwandan people are. Outside of the capital, roads are poor and transportation options limited. The people still manage to get their goods to market and farm the land.

While the stay in Rwanda was short, it was a wonderful experience. If you are thinking of visiting the gorillas and monkeys, you definitely should. You should also not wait too long. The treck is diffcult and I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it so much in another 10 or 15 years.

Next stop is Uganda…