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On The Dark Side Of Life

By on 12. August 2011 in Uganda
Lake Bunyonyi - More than 20 islands dot this supposedly 2.000 meter deep lake

Lake Bunyonyi – More than 20 islands dot this supposedly 2.000 meter deep lake

Hell broke loose around evening on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi: thunder, lightening and torrential rain. Minutes later the electricity went down. The generator only served the restaurant. The rooms were pitch-dark. It got so cold you could see your own breath. So we crawled into bed with our headlamps only to discover a leak in the roof of our room. Feeling sorry for ourselves, we soon remembered the villagers in their canoes returning home from the local market. They were paddling across the lake exposed to this horrible weather. Continue Reading →

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Batwa Pygmies at Lake Bunyonyi

By on 12. August 2011 in Uganda
Traditionnal songs & dances, Batwa People, Lake Bunyonyi, West Uganda, Africa

Traditionnal songs & dances, Batwa People, Lake Bunyonyi, West Uganda, Africa

Our boat gracefully plowed the dark waters of Lake Bunyonyi. Not a ripple disfigured the smooth surface, allowing the carefully terraced green hills to be mirrored in the deep lake. Banana groves and tall eucalyptus trees dot the steep shores and most of the 29 islands. Each has its own legend, like Punishment Island where unmarried pregnant girls were left to starve as recently as 90 years ago. Continue Reading →

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Shakira Coming To Heidi’s Rescue

By on 11. August 2011 in Uganda

GrandEscapades-Uganda-104My safari from Rwanda to Uganda started promising. Leaving Ruhengeri / Rwanda like a Swiss clock, the “Matatu” whizzed me the 25 kilometers to the Ugandan border. A German biker traded his Ugandan shillings for my Euros. I crossed into Uganda on foot and hopped on a “Boda Boda” (motorbike taxi) to Kisaro. Easy enough! Continue Reading →

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Gilles – A Long Way To Cross The Equator

By on 10. August 2011 in Uganda
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Gilles – Crossing the Equator on the way from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, Africa

After a straightforward flight Vienna – Istanbul – Entebbe, it was another eight hour drive from Kampala to Lake Bunyonyi where I was to meet up with Heidi. The only pseudo highlight during this long haul is crossing the Equator, where all good tourists have their photo taken at the very landmark. Not to be missed is the demonstration of how water whirls clockwise or anti-clockwise when rushing through an outlet, depending on which side the Equator you stand. What a difference a few meters can make to physics! And yes, for the weight conscious, supposedly you are 3% lighter when standing on the Equator… Continue Reading →

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Gorillas in the misty Virunga Mountains

By on 10. August 2011 in Rwanda
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mountain gorilla at Parc National des Volcans

The silverback we saw first! He sat there big and mighty, leaning against a tree. He had turned his head to get a good look at us. Bored best described the very look. His young son had his attention - playfully he whacked the kid with his paw, which sent the youngster rolling over the forest floor. What seemed rather violent to us was mere fatherly tenderness…

Lots of others, large and small, young and old were climbing, wandering around, but darn, it was too dark to take photos in the bamboo forest. Only filming produced some kind of image. Edward showed mercy and suggested to follow the group to a clearing and start the countdown then. Time never is more precious, only one hour can be spent with a group. Well, the gorillas chose the bottom of a crater and by the time we caught up with them we had an injured lady. She slipped on the moist vines and ended up with a big cut on her temple.

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Trekking the Hiwaye Family

By on 10. August 2011 in Rwanda

“It will be an easy trek”, Edward, our guide, chirped… Words our group of eight took in like honey.

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meeting a member of the Hirwa Family

Which trek, which group will I be assigned to? This is the big question we all pondered, even months before the trek. Will I be assigned the notorious Susa Group, high up on the slopes of a volcano? Once Edward showed us a photo of the Hirwa Family that we were going to see, all tension was gone. In chorus we sighed and cooed looking at these cuddly images.

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Parc National des Volcans

By on 10. August 2011 in Rwanda
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Hotel Muhabura, Ruhengeri

When Dian Fossey came down from the mountains, she always stayed in the Muhabura Hotel in Ruhengeri, always in the same room. Could I get any closer to this brave woman? Who killed this famous researcher has not been found out, but the motive certainly rested in her undeterred devotion in protecting her beloved gorillas.

The Muhabura was the very first hotel in town and is still an all time favorite. It has true character, a devoted staff, and an excellent view of the volcano of the same name.

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Riding a moto into the dark nowhere with a bowl of spaghetti

By on 9. August 2011 in Rwanda

This is the most unusual story about my first night in Kinigi, when I travelled endlessly on the back of a Moto through a pitch-dark forest, balancing a dish of spaghetti...

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after a trip into nowhere on a moto, Heidi holds on the a bowl of spaghetti till the end

Why? Read on! It was already dark when I arrived in Kinigi village, down from Ruhengeri. Chilly it was high up there, but I was euphoric. I had found a guy who took me up the mountain on his Moto for 2 USD, whereas most tourists end up paying 20 USD for a taxi, once public transports stop running. I even remained calm when the La Paillotte Guesthouse in Kinigi was full, despite the reservation I had (it was the only one I ever made in Rwanda).

“No worry”, the young lady at guesthouse said, “We have another, much better guesthouse just up the road”. Food? Plenty there! I jumped on another Moto to fetch my permit from the Kinigi Guesthouse and zipped back to La Pailotte. Now the story had changed… “No more food at the new house, but why don’t you take a large bowl of spaghetti and bread along?” Yes, why not?

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Wanna-be resort town Gisenye

By on 9. August 2011 in Rwanda
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Staff at Malahide Paradis, Gesinye, Lake Kivu

If it were not for the lake, Gisenye would be another non-descript African town with dusty streets and battered buildings. At least the very center looks exactly like that. But this ugly duck became incredibly beautiful through the friendliness and helpfulness I experienced.

In order to go online with my laptop in the packed Internet café, I would have had to set up an account with a Rwandan mobile company. Confused and frustrated, I was about to pack up, when a young guy set up an account on his own mobile phone. I was so touched - and he so proud that he could help! I had to push my money onto him, 50 cents for the hour I spent online…

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Stories of survivors

By on 9. August 2011 in Rwanda

 

Here in Gisenye I met two impressive survivors of the genocide, Odette and her sister Evangeline.

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Odette, Evangeline, Pierre telling the story of how they survived the genocide

Odette managed to flee to Burundi when the killing started. Her home was burned to the ground. She returned two days after the Hutu militia was driven out in July 1994, starting a restaurant from the ashes of her former home. Business was good, so she added a bungalow. Over the years more followed and her place became what is now known as the Malahide Paradis, a divine hotel, which is raved about in all guidebooks.

How do I know all this? One evening, Odette’s sister Evangeline was visiting from Kigali, together with her French husband Pierre, who spoke excellent English and loved to talk. Born in Cartagena in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he fought with an all black militia in some of the many civil wars in this country. His grandfather had arrived with the army of King Leopold, who turned the Congo into his private colony and ruled the country with an unparalleled brutality.

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