A Walk on the 'Wild' Side?

It is hard to believe I have been in Rwanda now for over six months! Time has definitely flown by, and I am amazed at how routine everything now seems. Don't get me wrong, it's still very interesting, and I am constantly learning, however it is a far cry from when I first arrived. Yes, little annoyances still get to me sometimes, but my life here has become quite normalised and I am learning to appreciate all the great things about living here.

In September I was able to show this off to my Dad and Veronica when the came for a visit! It really was a fantastic trip, and we fit a lot in over 10 days! The first couple days were spent in Kigali, hosting them at my apartment and showing them around town. It felt quite different playing host to my family; driving them around, grocery shopping, cooking, etc., it was quite the role reversal. They were quite out of their element at first (my dad even wanted to wear his safari outfit around Kigali), but they quickly learned to embrace it, and very much enjoyed soaking in the different sights and culture. Going to the market to have a kitenge tablecloth made, bartering with the fruit ladies, going to 'hole in the walls' around town to pick up stuff for the house...seemingly mundane things were such a new experience for them, and it was great being able to show them a sample of my life out here. They were also able to see the 'other' side of Kigali through quiz night, nice meals out, and drinks at the swanky Mille Collines.

After spending some time in Kigali we drove out to Volcanoes Park in the Northwest of the country. It is a beautifully lush area with small villages, terraced farmland and of course some massive volcanoes! After a 3 hour drive to the park, there was another 15 minute drive along a super rough dirt road to a quite rustic lodge we stayed at for the night. While I have driven through these rural areas several times now, it's still a beautifully fascinating environment, and it was awesome sharing that experience with my family. The next day we embarked on a 5 hour hike to Diane Fossey's grave, the gorilla conservationist made famous through 'Gorillas in the Mist'. While it was a tough, muddy hike with no gorillas to be seen, it was still beautiful, and a cool experience for all three of us. Taking a break from the mud, and rough roads, we spent the next night at the beautiful Serena Resort along Lake Kivu. Meals overlooking the beach with a room by the pool, it was very much a first class experience, only a mile from the Congo!

The highlight of this trip, however, was a 4 day safari circuit in Tanzania! After flying into Arusha, and spending one night at a boutique hotel -a calm in the chaos of the city- we boarded our decked out safari vehicle and headed off to Ngorongoro Crater. An extinct volcano crater is now full of life featuring nearly every native animal under the sun. Lions, leopards, elephant, giraffe, hippo, and so many more live amongst each other in a 3,200 sq mile crater. Having a nice hot picnic lunch with a glass of wine overlooking a pool of hippos, was pretty spectacular! To top it off, we stayed at a very rustic but still luxurious tented lodge, where we were escorted to our tents by Massai warriors! The next morning was off to a less than glamorous start, as we drove through a massive dust storm to enter Serengeti Park. We were a bit nervous at first, but our guide assured us the wind would calm and it would be a nice day, and he was right! About an hour after entering the giant savannah, we came across a big male lion - it even roared at us. However, the real magic occurred later that evening, when a group of about 10 elephants came across our path on the way to our accommodation for the evening. While I have seen elephants before, these were huge, and right in front of us. Bathing in nearby water, eating branches right off the road - and unbeknownst to them - putting on a great show! We stayed at another upscale tented lodge that evening, which offered a stunning view of the Serengeti. Drinking gin and tonics on our patio overlooking giraffe and elephants, was perhaps one of the biggest 'pinch myself' moments I've ever experienced. Oh, and did I mention there was a hyena outside our room that night? We finished off our safari at Lake Maynara (a much smaller park outside Ngorongoro), and a night a a beautiful lodge called 'The Retreat', featuring a house for a room! It was a nice way to cap off an all around great trip.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and while my family flew off to Zanzibar, it was back to work for me. My current projects have kept me very busy this past month, and included a week long, hectic trip to Kampala for some market research, at the beginning of October. Needless to say the next few weekends were spent sitting immobile on my front patio! All in all, my time out here never ceases to amaze me, and I need to continue to embrace every wild adventure it throws my way...