Pages

Thursday, September 16, 2010

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!

1 comment:

  1. Hey Sophie,
    It all sounds amazing. I can't believe you're such a rotten trouble maker - sneaking into VIP tents and such. But then again T.I.A.

    I cannot wait to see you in a few months time and you'll be able to regale me with all your tales. Also love that you keep noticing all the fashion stuff -- good to know it's not all play out there ;)
    Lots of love,
    Amy

    ReplyDelete