Rwanda

7th September 2012, (we think) It's all a bit of a haze. An 8 hour flight to Addis Ababa followed by a 4 hour wait for a flight to Kigali which we discover is going via Entebbe, Uganda. At last we get to Kigali and only 31 hours after leaving Tullamarine. We find a lift to our "hotel", the Beausejour Guest House and notice through bleary eyes that there is no rubbish in the streets. Seems that plastic bags are a no no and paper bags are the go. Our room has a TV that works and a lamp that doesn't.
8th September 2012. After breakfast, which was surprisingly good, we join up with some other people on the Geckos tour, and catch taxis into Kigali proper. It's a contrast of new buildings with shopping malls and small market style stalls.The amazing thing about walking around here is that the locals don't harass. The first time I can remember being able to walk down the street in an african city, in peace. Lyns' Fanta fetish has started early with a lemon version. Back at the Guest House we meet the rest of the Geckos tourers, 24 in all and our leader, Malinga. He takes a long time to say anything and his patter reminds me of Yoda.
9th September 2012. Breakfast today is less than fabulous with service being next to non existent. Yesterday must have been a blimp on the radar. I might take up a collection and buy a toaster for the guest house. Seems they only have a 2 slice toaster for 24 people. We get in the big orange Geckos Truck, good old G28 about 8:30 am and drive out to the Genocide Memorial. Very moving. There's some 250,000 people buried in and around the memorial and there are lots of personal stories to read and photos and videos to view. After this we drive for several hours along well maintained roads, up and down steep hills to Ruengowi. We stay in dormitories tonight in a Catholic run complex. Guard duty is arranged for the night in case a priest is sighted.

10th September 2012. 6:30 am start and we drive to Volcanoes National Park. Lyn and I are selected to trek the Sousa Group of Mountain Gorillas. This is not good. Lonely Planet says that only the fittest need apply to find this family. After a 90 minute drive, the last half being over a track that goats would have second thoughts about, the 8 fittest white people in all of Rwanda begin the trek to find the Sousa Group. After a pleasant walk between fields of agriculture the hard slog begins up mountain through forests of bamboo and eucalypts and later stinging nettles. Three hours later and at an elevation of more than 3,000 metres above sea level we sight a family of Gorillas and all pain is forgotten. We are only metres away watching wild animals and they seem to be just as relaxed with us as we are with them.  There are two sets of twins with this group and we are told that there are only four surviving sets on the mountain range. After an hour of being mesmerised we head back down the mountain. It's been raining and is so slippery that everyone falls. Lyn hurts her knee and gets to hold hands with her new boyfriend Joseph all the way back to our van. I stick with the guide with the gun. He tells me his African name 3 times and I have no idea what he says. He shrugs his shoulders and tells me to call him Eric. The journey back to Ruengowi is just as long as what it took getting there. Surprising really.The rest of the Geckos group are waiting in the bus for us, having done their Gorilla thing, some shopping and getting showered and changed. Dirty tired and sore we head off in G28 for the Ugandan border. Being organised we bought our visas in Australia for $150.00 US per person. We discover you can buy a visa at the border for $50.00 US per person!!!!!! It's a very short drive to Kisolo and our camp site. We pay extra for an upgrade to an insect riddled room, just so we don't have to pitch a tent in the dark. The gecko we share with should be happy. Welcome to Uganda.