Bonjour! As they would say in Rwanda though currently I am in Jinja, Uganda!

Since Nairobi we passed into the beautiful borders of Rwanda. It is hands down my favourite scenic country with thousands of rolling hills, cultivated to the highest peaks with banana plantations and other farmland. It is extremely lush and as you navigate the windy (and treacherous - 2 overturned trucks and 2 near head on collisions within a hairs distance) roads it is breathtaking. Naz, Jen, Sohette and I sat on the beach (the open roof at the front of the truck) the whole time and we heard screams coming from all angles as kids yell from beside the road, high up on hills or sometimes even in trees. They run from wherever bellowing MUZUUUNNGUUUUUUUUU (white person) and wave with both hands until you see them and wave back. This happens everywhere in Africa but I have found Rwanda to be the most friendly, reaching all ages. The other amazing aspect of the country is that despite their recent turbulent history, 16 years later from complete chaos and economic shambles, they have rebuilt both their country and their people and you can see how far they have worked hard to reconcile and move forward. The farm lands are the most organized, well kept and prosperous as we've seen so far, they have some of the best smooth roads (despite the madmen that speed through, weaving between trucks on blind corners) with a lot of construction still going on to continue to improve, even the houses appear to be sturdier. We went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum, which was excellently laid out and very informative. It provides a respectable burial ground for the victims and is surrounded by beautiful gardens that represent different types of victims and events that happened. The actual exhibit would have made my professors at Ryerson proud but unfortunately no pictures inside. The large display boards were impactful and bold with hierarchy of information, large scale pictures faded as the backdrop with smaller clear images that shockingly depicted the image of that which you were reading, it was well balanced with quotes from various people involved and had testimonial video footage. You went around the building in a circular fashion and then entered the center which had 3 rooms of pictures of victims, then bone remains and finally clothing of the victims. One of the t-shirts in the clothing room said Ottawa - the heart of Canada, and had probably been worn by a 12 year old boy. The images and information was very graphic as they chronicled the factors leading up to the genocide from their German and Belgian colonisation to the events that took place in 1994 and to the post-genocide repercussions and reconciliation. They finished off the exhibit with a brief overview of many genocides that took place around the world since 1900s called 'Wasted Lives'. It was a very worthwhile experience.

On a lighter note, whilst in Rwanda I went GORILLA TREKKING!!! It was still up in the air until the day before I went because I was unable to get a permit before I left for the trip and was on a waiting list. Luckily they were able to squeeze me in and although I didn't get to go with my group I rate it as one of my top experiences here in Africa and most definitely the top animal sighting! It was well worth the US$530 and I would recommend it to all! It is one gorilla family per group of 8 people and the trek time depends on where the family is in the mountains. We only had to trek for half an hour before we found our family of 12 and from that point on it was an hour of my life I will never forget. We saw babies with its mothers, blackbacks, big male silverbacks (the head of the family) and all the ages in between. We followed them around the jungle climbing up the mountain as our guide and trackers hacked through the thick brush with machetes. They would pull you into the best viewspot and push you out of the way when the gorillas got too close. It is supposed to be a 7 feet distance between the gorillas and yourself but for the most part we were about 2-3 feet away and I was brushed by 4 gorillas as the tumbled, ran, walked and rolled by. I only had one scare when the big silverback was sitting under a tree and two younger gorillas were playing to our right. I guess the dad got angry because he got up with incredible speed and bolted at first toward us, then at the last second after we all piled into the stinging nettles, he grabbed a tree, roots out, swerved and plowed it into the younger gorillas face. It was awesome!

Before Rwanda we were at another spectacular place called Lake Bunyonyi for a few nights where we could swim and enjoy the breathtaking view. Sohette and I upgraded into a tent cabin with real beds and it was awesome. It is a must do when in Uganda!! Once we came back to Uganda after the most amazing Rwandan experience we stayed a few nights in Kampala again at Red Chilli Hideaway where Jen, Naz, Thorbjorn, Spike and Kirsti and I hit the town. We went to Bubbles O'Leary Irish pub, followed by a Latin dance club, Just Kickin' sports bar and Fat Boyz "Warm Beer, Lousy Food" Nightclub. The clubs were very similar to home and the Irish pub was like all Irish pubs scattered across the globe except when we danced we were laughed at instead of heckled! A great town for a fun night out topped with an adventure for street samosas at 3am! The next day we explored the city center, which I found very modern. We investigated the markets where I found the most amazing tailors. They are all clustered together and use traditional African print fabrics. You can choose your material then a style from a serious of pictures or choose from the designs they have made themselves. If you find one you like already made then they tailor it to fit you exactly and I was so very tempted to buy a few dresses but luckily I ran out of time and had to leave for bowling! With a few more days it could have been very dangerous for my wallet but I now have been inspired to make a dress from the fabric I have already bought when I get home. I need an excuse to refresh my sewing skills again!

From Kampala we left for Jinja where I went white water rafting on the Nile with Nile River Explorers! Grade 5 rapids!!!!! We flipped our raft 3 times and went over a waterfall. Much more intense than on the Zambezi with a lot more action on the rapids mixed with 30-45 minute stretches in between. We had a delicious pineapple lunch followed by a filling barbeque back at camp! When we got to camp we were reunited with all our former passengers and had a massive party to celebrate that we were all together.

Then yesterday went down as another top day in Africa as Naz, Jen, Nev, Thorbjorn and I all took a trip back to Kampala for the annual Ascot goat races! In the most unexpected fashion, against our initial thoughts of a big field with goats being pushed around in a pen as local spectators drank beer and waved their money in the air, the goat races were held in a fancy resort with fully constructed tents, stage and a track! Everyone was dressed to the nines, with gigantic hats as seen typically at horse races in movies (as if pulled right out of My Fair Lady), long ball gowns, heels and velvet suits for men! There was a fabulously dressed MC, VIP and owner tents and seating areas. Live performances, live music, it was as if you were at a fully fledged festival! In addition to the captivating atmosphere, the goat races themselves were the most hilarious spectacle I have ever witnessed. My goat unfortunately did not place but as they were pushed around by a giant median he put in a valiant effort! We then proceeded to sneak into as many VIP tents as possible because T.I.A. and freeload as much as possible with great success. The last tent we were in was like a middle eastern carnival with belly dances, full roasted pigs on rice scattered across the floor, shishas, shawarmas and tribal carpets. From the outside a simple white tent but just a complete chaotic surprise on the inside. We danced to the live DJ and soaked in the party vibes. The evening there ended with fireworks and when they started shutting down we moved on to the "Get Your Goat On Afterparty"! We snuck in once again under the fence and continued to dance to 'East Africa's hottest DJs', enjoyed the TWO bars and reveled in the multitude of surprises (all mentioned as incentives on the flyer)! We lost Nev by this point but luckily he resurfaced at the nick of time in the morning before we left on the 7:45am shuttle back to Jinja.

This leads us to today which has ended up being very relaxed (or lazy - take your pick). I enjoyed the gorgeous view that our campsite has to offer over the Nile and after the most frightening motorbike taxi ride into town (worse than all rafting, bungee and skydiving combined) am now checking out the town. I'm currently at the coffee shop, Flavours, which I recommend to you all if you're ever in town!

JAMBO!

I am in Nairobi, Kenya! Another border crossing and another fantastic place. We are at the halfway point on our trip so we say goodbye to 6 friends, Carli, Glynn, Courtney, Nick, Sean and Rachelle. We had our goodbye party last night and they leave tonight for their next volunteer adventures in Uganda. We will see them there for a few days as we visit the organization that they will be working with but still it is very sad. Included in those 6 is my tent buddy, Rachelle, and I can honestly say that it will be a hard couple of weeks adjusting without her. She is awesome and I can't believe the luck I scored for the firs 2 months. Having said that I will be bunking with Sohette next and we have already combined our assets and bought some home decos to spice up our tent so its going to be fantastic aswell.

Right now we are just preparing the truck for the next 2 months and re-organizing our bags. I have inherited many clothes along the way and now some from Rachelle which means my bags are busting from the seems. One of my best purchases are these Africa bags from a grocery store called Shoprite that are heavy-duty plastic zipper carry-all bags with African animals emblazoned on the front, and is now my honorary travel closet. My Old Navy flip flops have busted 6 times but nothing a heavy amount of duct tape and super glue hasn't fixed. Although my advice to all is to bring a few pairs of your favourite brand, either Old Navy in my case, or Havianas, because the flip flops here just don't compare in comfort or style. I got one pair with tire soles that are pretty cool but they still rub and broke in 3 days.

Since the last post we said goodbye to Tanzania but not without visiting Snake Park, Arusha, the Ngorongoro Crater, Manyara National Park and the Serengeti! No wonder they are African must-sees and highlights in guidebooks because neither failed to amaze. They have bumped off quite a few of my top 3 lists, mainly involving animals and meals. To summarize (difficultly) what we saw, Manyara N P offered up a herd of elephants, old and young, right beside the jeep, hippos galore in, out and around the water and hundreds of monkeys, baboons, blue-balled velvet monkeys and blue monkeys. The Crater, which I didn't expect much from and thus was sorely wrong, not only had herds of wildebeest and zebra but 14 lions stalking and surveying the land on top of breathtaking scenery of flat pastel plains with sun-lit patches contrasted against lush green oasis's surrounding lake Makat. Then to top off our gaming adventures the Serengeti not only provided excellent lion sightings but a LEOPARD lounging on an open fallen tree trunk, maybe 15-20 feet away and then 4 CHEETAHS lounging right beside the road only a mere 5-10 feet away! Both are rare to see on their own, let alone both within close enough range to not need binoculars or your camera lens! To top off those few days our tents were put up for us by the tour guides who took us round the Crater and the Serengeti and all our meals were provided for us in plentiful amounts! I ate pancakes for breakfast, roast potatoes for lunch, curry rice and bolognaise for dinner and banana fritters for desert!! I never thought I'd eat roast potatoes on this trip so its going to number 1 on my food list! It was a small reminder of home, and with a little imagination I could pretend to smell the roast chicken and gravy.

At Snake Park we went on a Maasai village walk. They have the best traditional clothing in Africa. It generally consists of 3 draped tartan/plaid fabrics in the red, purple and blue colour scheme and held in place by a leather belt and knife sheath. They are knotted in different ways around the waist and shoulder then topped off with elaborately beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelets of all colours. It is very bold and absolutely stunning. It rivals the Kangas in brightness but beside the mountains of jewelery it has a very distinct colour palette. I tried to take photos but they are very reluctant to have their photo taken without money so unfortunately I only have a few out of the many outfit combinations found. Nevertheless they are my favourite traditional dress so far in Africa. I have even bought some Maasai jewellery to bring home with me.

On the truck we have welcomed a new member to our crew aswell. She arrived yesterday, her name is Cat. It must be hard to come in half way but she wasn't shy and grabbed a beer with us all, despite being tired from all the travel, so I'm sure she'll fit right in.

I would like to come back to Tanzania and climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Rachelle and I have made plans for a trip back in the future! As for now we are off to Uganda in a few days, then Rwanda and will return to Kenya again after that. EXCITING!

A quarter of my adventure through and I just want to say to my family and friends that I miss you terribly and hope you are all doing well!