Hey, hey, hey and welcome back to Lake Bunyonyi where we are mere minutes away from the Gorillas. Are you excited? I know I am so let’s not waste another second with pleasantries.  As a delicate flower of the South, I don’t mean to be rude, but I know you are dying to see some gorilla action so let’s just jump right in.

Amazing, huh?! We only had to hike for about an hour before reaching the gorillas. They run an organized operation out of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, sending trackers ahead of the groups to try to pinpoint the location of the gorillas. They have a rough idea of where they will be from their sighting the previous day, but sometimes the gorillas are in the mood to move so they may cover a lot of ground between the time the trackers left them the night before and when they find them again the next morning. We had heard that the crew that visited our gorilla family the previous day had to hike 2.5 hours to get to them so, when after only an hour, we were given the reminder about do’s and don’t’s and told to leave our bags and walking sticks and grab our cameras we were pretty fired up! Bring on the gorillas, baby!

As we approached the gorillas we were instructed to make this low, groaning noise in our throats to identify ourselves as friends. Before the gorillas are actually even visible, we were surrounded by these guttural sounds. It’s pretty amazing, really, because you know they are nearby, but nothing prepares you for your first glimpse, which for us, began with crackling branches and leaves that finally revealed our distant cousin. My apologies in advance to the devout followers of divine intelligence, but the resemblance to humans is unmistakable.

Oh no I didn’t…

Yeah, I did. I’m sorry, but gorillas share 97% of their biological makeup with human beings.

Yes, I’m serious.  

Oh, come on, we’re not that bad. 

Really, you don’t have to leave…come back! 

Guys? 

OK, that’s better. 

So how about some gorilla trivia?

Don’t be nervous, you can do this!

First question - how much can a fully grown silver back weigh?

Yeah, he’s a big guy. So, what do you think?

300 pounds?

More…

Yeah, I’m serious. More…

400 pounds?

More…

Yes, way!

MORE!

Hey, where’s the love?

Now that’s just rude…

Hahaha! This gorilla isn’t actually flicking us off. He broke his finger and it healed like this.  Evidently this is a pretty common problem for gorillas.  Poor guy! 

OK, so a fully grown mountain gorilla can grow to be 440 pounds. The mountain gorilla is the largest of the 3 species. Wow!!! Someone likes his food. Me too.  Eat up, gorilla!

Sadly, there are only 710 mountain gorillas left in the wild and of those 700+, 340 are in Uganda. I know I’ve said this many times before throughout my travels, but I have to say it again, what a privilege to be here doing what I am doing! This is a dream come true!

There was a juvenile in our group that was thrilled to have the extra attention of some distant relatives. He would bust into these cute little dances and then turn around to make sure we were watching him.

Don’t worry, little dude, we’re definitely watching. Dance away, my friend. What a ham! I love it!!!

As you can see, the gorillas had moved into one of the nearby clearings so we had some pretty spectacular, unobstructed views for a good part of our visit. I actually needed to get my buns out of the way for this guy, strutting with purpose, to the next tree.

We had heard that one of the gorillas in the family we were visiting was a bit of a trouble maker and liked punching tourists as a little game.

Hey, that sounds like a super fun game, gorilla, except that it’s estimated that a punch from a gorilla is 8 times stronger than a punch from a heavyweight boxer, so maybe you could play that game with someone else?

Yeah, gorilla, I’m talking to you. Apparently some dude from yesterday’s group had the honor and privilege of being the recipient of a gorilla punch, and based on his description, I can say with 100% certainty that my life will be complete without this experience. Thankfully we all emerged from our trek unscathed. Phew…

I know this is going to sound silly, but it really was magical to be there sharing the forest with the gorillas for this brief moment in time.  What a special and unique experience!  I cannot gush enough over these gorgeous animals.

In an effort to not disturb the gorillas’ natural patterns and behaviors we are only allowed to be with them for an hour. That may have been the fastest hour of my life because before I knew it we were being instructed to take our final glimpses and prepare to say goodbye. Wow! This was definitely an experience of a lifetime!

We were all awestruck as we made our way back through the forest. On the way back we walked through dense forest, whacking away at the overgrowth with our walking sticks and adding to the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t the easiest terrain so I’d like to give props to my walking group that was the first ascend the final, killer hill in 20 minutes. Yay for us! We’re awesome!  I’d also like to give mad props to the 68 year old, Alvena from Canada, who rocked it out! That last hill was no joke, but you took it like a champ. Woo Hoo’s all around, friends. What a day!

Before saying goodbye to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest we had a little graduation ceremony with our trackers and guides. We were instructed to clap for each person to “make the celebration more colorful.”  It was pretty fun, actually, and a great way to end our morning with the gorillas.

After 3 days it was time to say goodbye to Lake Bunyonyi and head to our next destination, Lake Mburo. This campsite was awesome with warthogs wandering around outside out tents.

This is our 3rd and final truck…hands down the best one of the lot.  Hooray!!!

It’s so cute how they bend their front legs while eating to get the best possible bite. I’m with you, warthog. It’s all about the best bite.

This is definitely the closest I have ever been to a warthog. They were pretty tolerant of humans as well, going about their business and letting you know if/when you’ve gotten a little too close for comfort, like my friend, Ross.

OK, it wasn’t just Ross. The truth is that Ross and I were slowly making our way towards the warthog to see just how close we could get when suddenly we found ourselves on the receiving end of a mock charge. Yikes!!!

We’re not total idiots. We took our cue and got the heck out of there. Warthogs weren’t the only visitors to our campsite.

It turns out there were tons of hippos in the water as well.

We were told to be careful when walking around in the evening because many of the hippos took to land at night. Apparently, the tents were fine since hippos don’t really mess with human structures, but being startled by a human with a headlamp is bad news and generally results in the hippos charging. Um, I’d really like to avoid being charged by a hippo at 3 AM and since the bathroom at this camp was particularly disgusting…

I fully intended to do my business right outside the tent. Luck was on our side too because it was a full moon that night so we could easily see out of the tent to spy on any hippos that were wandering around. 

As an aside, I just have to say for the record that many of the toilets in Africa rival the toilets in Tibet, the current front runner for the most disgusting toilets during my travels.  One toilet to be particularly wary of is the toilet at the Kenya/Uganda border on the Uganda side.  I definitely recommend that you hold your breath for this one.  Even so, you may feel vomit rising up your throat while you are using this bathroom so do your business quickly and get outta there ASAP.   

Even though the toilets are revolting, the samosas are delicious, or at least I’m told they are by the peeps in my group who apparently didn’t use the aforementioned toilets and therefore still had an appetite. 

With a successful gorilla sighting in our pockets, Lotta and I decided to celebrate with a little vino.

Everyone was in a celebratory mood and wanting to spend as much time as possible together before we had to say goodbye so we spent many hours hanging around the campfire.

This is Alex, our guide, who made sure we were where we were supposed to be at the right time.  Thanks for watching our backs, Alex. 

The next morning we were up early to head to Jinja.

Yep, we passed the Equator again.  We actually stopped here for lunch and a little time to browse the nearby shops.  There are some really good shops here so if you’re visiting I recommend building a little time into your stop for these shops.  One side is better than the other…you’ll be able to tell pretty quickly. 

Do you know which river’s source is in Jinja? It’s a famous one so give it a try…

If you said the Nile, you are correct!!!

Sadly we aren’t allowed to take any pics of the source of the Nile. I’m not sure what the penalty is for this…maybe a fine, jail time, or possibly even death…who knows, but I definitely didn’t want to find myself in a Ugandan prison so no pics for you, but here are some pics of our campsite. It was a nice one with Internet and walking distance to a nice resort with a pool and massages.

Jinja is the adrenaline capital of Uganda, but since I had already been a major adrenaline junky in Namibia and Zambia I was content to lay low. Lotta and I got massages and then busted into town to do a little shopping and enjoy a yummy lunch at Gately on the Nile.   It was just what the doctor ordered. We had a great time hanging out at this camp…well, some of us did…um…Lotta?  

Here’s Ian rocking the Celine Dion fist pump that started as a double fist bump from the heart.  You know what move I’m talking ‘bout…

Those pics were courtesy of Ross.  Thanks, Ross! 

We powered on to Eldoret, which was a super sweet campsite with a pool, complete with a slide. The water was a strange green color and about 5 degrees so I abstained from swimming, but it was still fun to just lounge by the pool.

Of course with this being our last night together we had to celebrate! Let the games begin…the following pictures are from both my camera and Ross’ camera.  Enjoy! 

Meet our delicious chef, Nick, and our careful and cautious driver, Peterson!  Thanks, guys, for a great trip! 

Say hello to some fellow North Americans, Danielle and Robin!  They’re Canadian, but I won’t hold that against them.  Kidding!!!  I heart Canadians.  Really! 

　

Here are some of my Aussie mates, Erin and Ian.  Apparently Ian’s jam after a couple of cocktails is to lick people’s faces.  It looks like Mr. Licky Face might be out to play tonight.  Time will tell…

And now our crew is complete with our fearless leader, Alex.  Thanks, guys! 

Poor, Brita, has a black eye after being slammed in the face with her oar during her white water rafting excursion earlier in the day.  Yikes!!!  Notice the tongue in full effect in the background…

Uh oh…

Yay!!!  We love our crew!!!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!!!  3 cheers for my Aussie peeps.   

Holla!  Notice Lotta’s cute necklace…courtesy of our shopping day in Jinja. 

As you can see, there’s a lot of love here! 

One, two, three…crazy animal face!!!

How’s this for ambience?   

I spy with my little eye a tongue in the distance…also some very clean nostrils. 

And it’s on, friends.  The face licking has commenced.  Is Erin the only victim?  Time will tell…

I love the face licking aftermath…really, guys, what’s the problem? 

Obviously we have reached the point in the evening where we are all bananas…B-A-N-A-N-A-S.   

You know it’s a good night when peeps start to bust out the break dancing…

and splits.  Um…? 

Oh no, it appears Mr. Licky face has struck again!  I’d like to reiterate that these pics are a mix between mine and Ross’.  This is obviously from Ross’ camera.  Way to go, Ross! 

Of course no night is complete without a pyramid!!!  This is our best attempt at a late night pyramid. 

Even with all the night’s festivities we’re all about the hygiene. 

What can I say except what an amazing time!!!!  I absolutely adored my last crew in Africa and I’m sad to say goodbye, especially to my super sweet roomie, Lotta.  I have every confidence that our paths will cross again though so no worries there.  Honestly, our crew was so great and friendships were so genuine that I think I’ll be seeing many of these friends again.  How cool is that?  Super cool!!! 

Well, friends, it’s time for me to leave Africa.  It’s been an absolutely amazing 2+ months and I have adored my time here.  I must admit that I’m looking foward to a proper bed and shower and I’m really looking forward to the next week or so in Bangkok to live it up a bit in the lap of luxury.  I’ll be meeting up with my bro, Rob, in BKK within a few days of my arrival and I cannot wait.  Rob and Tiff unite…let the freakshow begin…

Asanti sana, Africa.  You have definitely captured my heart and I look forward to returning soon. 

I’ll see you soon in Thailand.  Big hugs and talk soon!