On Friday, we left work early and drove to Volcanoes National Park with Emmanuel our driver. The drive was incredible over beautiful mountains looking down to the valleys on either side. There was a major downpour on route so it was slow going but we were very happy to be with Emmy as he is the safest driver we have seen to date while in Rwanda.

We arrived at Hotel Ihema around 4pm and had an interesting supper. Anita and I ordered chicken which we decided was clearly Rwandan and not North American as there was no meat to be found.
Above: View of some of the nountains of Volcanoes National Park

After an early morning breakfast of bread and eggs, Emmy picked us up at 6 am and we were off to the park. Emmy worked his magic with the park rangers (told them we were VIPS from Canada) and we were assigned to the Suza group which is the largest group of gorillas that are available for viewing (also, the toughest hike). It then took about 1.5 hrs to drive to the trail head on some of the worst roads I have ever seen. Unbelievably, the local people don’t seem to even notice the bumps and inclines as they ride bikes and carry hefty loads of potatoes. Everywhere we go, we feel like royalty as the little kids run to wave at the car going by.

Above: Anita, Steve, and I before climbing to the gorillas

The hike up to the gorillas was through incredible farmland and then up through a treacherous bamboo forest. We were quite happy to hear that the gorillas had moved down the mountain so our hike was shorter than it is sometimes. We spent an hour watching the gorillas and were amazed by the likeness to human behaviour. Definitely an experience of a lifetime!

Above: Happy at the end of the hike


Above: exicted kids after we gave them a soccer ball

On the drive back from the gorilla trek we stopped for a snack and washroom break. As luck has it, there was a local wedding happening. We thought we could just peek our heads in to see what was happening but ended up being invited in. They treated us like VIP guests. They found chairs for us and someone was always translating for us. At one point the father of the groom was making a speech telling everyone why his family was so worthy of having this bride welcomed in the family. He said that even foreigners had come to see the event. They made us stand up and wave to the crowd. Apparently, they wanted to bring us to the front but Emmy explained we wouldn’t be staying long (whew! Especially given that we were still in our muddy smelly hiking clothes) When the drinks came out, we were the first served after the head table. It was all a little embarrassing but an awesome experience in Rwandan culture and hospitality!

We arrived home exhausted last night after 2 amazing days discovering the country. Today we are working on some teaching for Wednesday and will go to the Kigali Genocide Memorial in the afternoon.

That’s all for now. Hope you enjoy the pictures!
Janice and Anita