31.5 Akagera National Park Adventure

Jan. 13 & 14, 2016

John swooped into the meeting Ruth Ann was in at the Rubilizi campus in Kigali -- with kids in the car -- to help us get-away to Akagera. We drove about 2 hours to the town of Kayonza where we had reservations at the eco-lodge at the Womens Opportunity Center. (Ruth had been there before, but not stayed there.) At this lodge they have the luxury safari tents for sleeping, with attached bathrooms. There is a covered sitting area where we enjoyed playing cards while the dinner meal was prepared. It was beautiful and fun!

In the morning we tried to get going early (around 6) to arrive by 7am at the Akagera visitor center. But we were a little slow. And only a few meters into the park we spotted an elephant! It appeared to be a teenager -- just crossing the road and nibbling on some branches. We got to the park center around 7:30am and met our guide and driver for the day. After a brief orientation, we hopped in their safari vehicle with the opening in the roof and we were off!

I think everyone enjoyed the half-day ride through the park. Our guide was excellent. We saw impala, waterbuck, zebra, birds, a hippo. We saw the cages that brought the lions to the park last year, but not the lions themselves. At the end of our park visit we were treated to the most amazing sight of all -- a full-grown adult elephant was feeding on the side of the road as we drove up. He (she?) looked at us and we stopped and gazed at him. Then he walked towards us! He walked right up on the road in front of our car! This is when John decided to start the car and back up a bit. This gave the elephant some pause. He decided he had learned enough about this strange carload of people and continued over the road and into the bush!

31. Volcanoes National Park visits

Naomi with Intore drum and dancers at Roz Carr's farm.

Jan. 5, 2016
Naomi interviewed Ruth Ann about the family experiences the first week of January 2016 when Noah was here. The following describes our visit to the northern city of Musanze, which is near Volcanoes National Park.

On January 5th we drove from Kigali to Musanze. We stayed at a hotel called Garden Place hotel. My room was very nice and clean; it was on the first floor. We had two rooms, a girl’s room and a boy’s room. Because we were on the first floor it was very easy for Naomi and Isaac to play Frisbee just outside the sliding door. 

Early the next day we were supposed to leave the hotel at 6:15am. And the hotel had Breakfast ready and waiting for us at 5:45am. However, kids were slow getting up. When they were finally at the breakfast buffet I reminded the kids that this day, January 6^th was Epiphany, a day that is about realizing things that are from God!  So it was 6:40am when we left for the hike that started at 7:00am. Fortunately, the hiking group did not leave without Isaac and Noah, but we had missed most of the Intore dancing. (we got there just as they were finishing up.)

Noah and Isaac got to drink tea with their guide and fellow hikers as well as talk to an interesting British teacher and fellow hiker. After brief introductions the group of ten to fifteen left for the trail head in their rented safari vehicles while we drove our Rav 4 on the nasty, rocky roads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vU8RdErfYQ)

The trail head was a tiny village, where Isaac and Noah got out, got their hiking sticks from the guide and headed off down the muddy road on what looked like could be a very wet day. I drove back to the hotel with Naomi, where we met Clemens, a German student volunteering at the Episcopal church next to the hotel.

We invited Clemens to join us on our quest to find Rozemond Carr’s farm. After about an hour we found, to our delight, The Farm!

At the farm we met the guide named Ulrich. He explained that he had another group there as well, which we would learn was the very nice couple, Mike and Caroline from the Netherlands. Ulrich gave us a tour of the grounds and then explained that he had to meet Mike and Caroline who had payed and reserved a lunch inside Rozemond’s house. During the tour Naomi exclaimed, " This is so fun! I can't believe I'm here and I'm seeing this!"

Mike and Caroline invited us to join them for lunch and we great fully accepted! The six of us enjoyed lunch served by Fanuelle, who had also cooked for Rozemond! After lunch we had a tour of Rozemond's house and after that we toured the classrooms and the museum. Finally, we were ushered to the garden that was specially designed by Rozemond for guests to watch traditional dance performances. For the finale Naomi and Mike got to join the drum line!

Muddy evidence of their successful climb on Mt. Bisoke!

Our group drove back to Musanze and got to the Hotel just before Isaac and Noah got back from their hike. When they got out of the car their boots were covered in mud. So we had to get them washed. That night we made a burrito dinner in the hotel bedroom. Delicious! Everyone slept soundly.

The next day it was Naomi and my turn to do a hike. Naomi also had trouble getting out of bed, so we didn’t leave on time. That meant that we missed the Intore dancing, but didn’t miss the hike. Our guides name was Beck and his assistant was Joyce. Beck told us many interesting facts about Golden Monkeys. For example:

• The Virunga Massive is a unique habitat of the Golden Monkeys.
• Two groups have been habituated. The group that we trekked was called Kabatwa. 
• Each group has over 100 Monkeys. This was their breeding season so there were many males in the groups. 
• They are total vegetarians. Bamboo is their main food. 
• They are active during the day and sleep at night. 
• Their long tail helps them jump. 
• 20-year life span. 5-month gestation for babies. 1.5 years between babies. 
• Eagles and wild dog are their natural enemies. 

We had a twenty-minute drive to the trail head and then our group of about 17 tourists started our hike. The first part was across farm fields and then we stopped outside the fence of the national park. We waited while Beck the guide, radioed with the trackers in the forest.  It took awhile, and during this time I noticed how much Joyce seemed enchanted with Naomi. Joyce wanted to braid Naomi's hair! Naomi let her and it looked quite nice.

Soon we were over the fence into the park proper and I was loving the trek through the dense bamboo forest, uphill on a muddy, windy path where we frequently had to push aside branches and vines.  Naomi, on the other hand, did not like it at all. After 10 - 15 minutes she was asking to go back. After another 5 minutes she was nearly crying and after another 5 mins, she was crying. Everyone tried to encourage her. The guides, the other tourists, and, of course, her mother. 

Turned out it wasn't just the dense forest. She was getting stung by nettles through her thin polyester sports pants and she was getting bites from red ants that had gotten under her pants and started going up her legs. So now I felt terrible for not having her dress in heartier hiking gear. Some of the other tourists had ankle coverings that strap onto the lower leg much like "snow guards" for skiiers. I had overheard at the trailhead that these were used especially to deter the red ants. 

Naomi needed help to finish the hike to the monkey's habitat. Due to red ants, she only wanted to be carried!

Joyce ended up being Naomi's savior. She helped her get all the red ants off, she gave Naomi her polyester jacket to wrap around her waist as extra protection from nettles, she recruited the guide with the machete to make sure Naomi's path was well-cleared. After all that, when Naomi still cried pitifully to be allowed to turn back, Joyce and Beck recruited one of the porters to carry Naomi piggy back style. Then, what really helped, was hearing that they had found the Golden Monkeys! "Just 5 minutes ahead!" The rest of the group was already seeing them.

Sure enough -- just a few yards further through the bamboo, we got to a clearing where the monkeys were leaping, scampering and climbing about. Naomi stayed on the porter's back and then switched to to Joyce's back! And then, after about 30 mins, switched to another assistant guide's back (also a woman). So for the entire 1 hour that we had for "viewing" the monkeys, Naomi stayed on the back of our guides. She loved it though. We were all loving it. We laughed at the monkey's funny antics and admired "how cute" and how well they jump. We "ooo-ed" and "aaah-ed" at each new movement or scene we saw as the dozens of monkeys moved around all about us. Big ones, small ones, all with bushy cheeks, big eyes and long tails.

When it was time to go back, Naomi stayed on Joyce's back. This was a huge effort for Joyce, and we really couldn't thank her enough. When we got outside the national park border, Joyce set Naomi down and collapsed on the ground! I was so worried we had ruined her back, and therefore her career as a park guide! But eventually she recovered. She sat up and walked out, over the farm fields, with the rest of us.

Moral -- when going on a national park hike, wear proper hiking gear!