Gorilla's in the Mist and Sun

What a fantastic day with the gorilla's! Have a look.

There has been a lot of rain here recently - it is the start of the rainy season. But we had a view of this East African Rift volcanoes.

Our lodge has a listing of the volcano's above the gorilla's heads. I would walk to the Gahinga volcano to see the Kwitonda group.

The entrance to the national park. The current entrance fee to ee the gorilla's is $500. June 1 it goes to $750.

We met Oliver our guide, (holding the clip board)

A view of the Gahinga volcano

Beginning the trek up to the park boundary

A few people opted to be carried up to the gorilla's for an extra $200 fee each

They said that the ride was quite comfortable and they were definitely faster than the walkers

Sabyinyo volcano, likely hasn't erupted recently as much erosion is shown to be affecting its crest

My first photo of a gorilla as we approached the group

Of course we got much closer

This is silverback number 2. Silverbacks are males older than 12 years who have dominance over the group. Only number 1 gets to mate with the females and he will attack other males who try.

I used a long lens on many shots but it wasn't necessary all the time

When we first arrived the group was feeding after 13 hours in the nest asleep

They fed for about 30 minutes while we were there. Trackers stay with each group 24 hours to prevent poaching and to tell the guides where to bring visitors.

It was awesome to say the least

Self portrait with a gorilla. A lot of wildlife will flee human apraoch but these groups are habituated to humans and mingle with them freely. We are supposed to stay 7 meters away but they have no rules and often walk right up to us.

The Kwitonda group has 24 individuals and will likely splinter into another group soon as there are 4 silverbacks within it

There are many babies in this group and one was only 3 days old

A big silverback

One of guests photographing the scene

He finally had enough to eat and was ready to play

So he rolled over, closed his eyes and scratched his face

Then he seemed to play hide and seek behind this bush

The little ones were very playful

Very human in some respects

Emily and Gerald photographing a gorilla

They pulled down huge branches while feeding - leave no trace they are not!

A pensive moment contemplating the visitors

Babies!

Playing!

Chewing

The group resting after a meal

Looks fierce but this juvenile was just playing with another

A fantastic day!

Kigali, Rwanda

What a surprise Rwanda is! Many countries in Africa easily express a sort of visual chaos but Rwanda is clean, organized, friendly, and quite hilly. The capital, Kigala, is located at 5,500 feet in elevation. Here are a few pictures.

View of Kigali city center

This is the real Hotel Rwanda called the Hotel des Mille Collines

Inside the lobby - the film was made at a hotel in South Africa

The last Saturday of each month is called Umaganda - a national day cleaning the country. It is a patriotic service where all citizens, young and old, stop whatever they are doing and clean up wherever they are at. All business in the country comes to a halt. It lasts from 7 Am to noon. We were here to watch this incredible service to their country.

On a darker note, we visited the Genocide Memorial

It was built here because of the many mass graves that were located here. Here is an open grave outsie the memorial.

It is a new building, very modern. Each visitor gets a handset that has programed narration at each of the stops. Languages are Rwandan, English, French, Spanish and others.

Some of the displays are haunting. The memorial is meant to provide future generations with a remembrance of what happened. Exhibits also are on display about genocide elsewhere - Jewish (1940's), Armenian (1910's), Bosnian (1990's), and Cambodian (1970's).

A large room holds thousands of home photo's of the victims

One million Rwandans were killed in the genocide. But the irony of it all is that today this country is peaceful, clean and vibrant.

This is one example - we were taken to a basket weaving co-op where women who were brutalized in the genocide are now making colorful baskets that are being exported worldwide.

A creative endeavor

Where smiles are everywhere

And beautiful baskets too

Final Thought's on Egypt and Flying To Rwanda

We were only in Egypt two days and this is nowhere near enough time to truly feel the pulse of a place. We would have to spend weeks here and talk to hundreds of people to get a true sense of what Egypt might become. But TCS and Starquest Expeditions hire very knowledgeable and well educated local guides who have the pulse of a country in mind when they show us around. Although these trips are fast paced, the amount of material imparted to us is phenomenal. The secret is to not become too "full" too fast, and to pay attention, even if the wake up calls come early and the nightly entertainment ends late.

Manal Khalil speaking to our group in the Mohammed Ali Mosque in Cairo. Note how empty the mosque is - on other trips here I have seen this place filled with people wall to wall 

While in Egypt, I toured with local guide and Egyptologist Manal Khalil. She was excellent in all respects and has guided tours for Smithsonian Journey's throughout the Middle East and North Africa. I asked her some detailed questions about what Egypt might look like in the future. She of course did not know but what struck her was quickly the country returned to "normal" within a month after Mubarak's removal. There were no radical claims on the presidency by any group and the people (all 85 million of them - an Egyptian is born every 23 seconds) went back to their normal routine very soon after the president's removal. It seems that Mubarak's only crime was one of stupidity (or greed) in that he could not see that 31 years of self rule was enough. The Egyptian people simply wanted his corruption gone - and he was unable to see that his people were tired of it. (Take note President Bashar al-Assad in Syria).

The ones really hurt in all of this change are those who work in the tourism industry, a 13 billion dollar annual enterprise and just as important to the economy here as the receipts on Suez Canal passages. After the overthrow, unemployment in Egypt went from 7% to 12%, and most of the job loss was from the tourism sector. And yet from what I saw, Egypt is as safe and unchanged today as it was 3 or 5 or 10 years ago. The removal of Mubarak did see some violence but it is amazing how quickly everything has seemed to return to normal.

When viewing Egypt today through the lens of its ancient past, it appears that Mubarak had a Pharaohic complex. He tried to make himself 'King of Egypt' but the people said no. If you've ever wanted to see this country and its antiquities, there may be no better time than right now. Travelers will come back here as reports such as this filter back.

We took off from Cairo International Airport about 9 AM and flew due south towards Rwanda. Here are few pictures of our day.

Our 757 prepares for take-off from Cairo. We have 16 crew members, including 3 pilots, two engineers, 8 stewards, and two chefs! I am sitting in Row 1, Seat A, with a great view to the east today.

It was extremely hazy across the eastern Sahara today and I had to "clean up" the pictures quite a bit. Here is the upper end of the Nasser Reservoir behind Aswan Dam. Just across the water from here is famous Abu Simbal (I was on this side of the jet). It looks a lot like Lake Powell country near Page, AZ

Northern Sudan and the desert

The Nile River in Sudan, downstream from Khartoum. Note the settlement pattern in Sudan, with agricultural fields trending perpendicular away from the river bank.

Linear dune field the Nile in the upper part of the photo
d with

Note the settlement pattern here in northern Rwanda. The houses are all on the road frontage with the growing fields behind them on the hills. I love watching the various ways people settle the landscape - it's so different everywhere.

The Muhazi Reservoir east of Kigali, Rwanda

We haven't seen much of Rwanda yet but it is very clean and friendly so far