After our fantastic time in Uganda with the gorillas we were ready to turn around and head back to Rwanda. This would be Rebecca and my first time in the big yellow bus!
Let me tell you a bit about this bus situation. We were on a tour through Absolute Africa which does tons of tours where you can join and leave in all different areas. Rebecca and I really wanted to see the gorillas, and this was the most cost effective way for it to happen. We later learned that seeing the gorillas in Rwanda was twice as much! To get the best price you have to work for it. That means helping with the cooking, cleaning, loading/unloading and other tasks. Each person is on a team and needs to pitch in. When we joined the tour, nine people were already on the bus for the last two weeks. It was a bit hard to jump in since they already had the routines down and had built a rhythm and bonded. But we tried to help as much as possible and get to know them. They helped us learn the ins and outs of the colossal beast along the way.
Just the climb on the bus for us short people was fun. The group was great and let us sit up front to enjoy our first ride. Since there were only 14 of us we had space to spread out a bit. We listened to music and got to know more of the people on the tour. Sweet Rebecca sat knitting like an adorable grandma while carrying on great conversations, it was mesmerizing and now I may just have to learn.
Border patrol was super fun as we had to stand in multiple lines and then empty the truck and load it again. But then we were back in Rwanda!
Our first campsite was very cute and had a tiny restaurant and sitting area to hang out at. And it was called Red Rocks, so that’s cool! They offered optional activities to keep us entertained. The woman working there seemed to hate us instantly and rolled her eyes and said things like, “as I already told you…” Yet she offered no real answers to our questions. I will chalk it up to having to be like a teacher and constantly repeating yourself. That first day a group of us did bracelet making and ended up spending two hours concentrating on just two bracelets. We had dinner all together that was prepared by one of the teams, which included Rebecca so I knew it would be good!
At night we talked around the fire pit and heard stories from our group who are from all over. We had a fun mix of people from; New Zealand, Australia, United States, Mexico, Germany, Greece and Belgium.
Later, we had our first night in the tent. Luckily they were nice sturdy canvas tents and easy to put up. I slept fairly well on the tiny mat they provided and only really missed my pillow. Our morning came quickly as we had arranged a hike to Dian Fossey’s grave. More on that later.
The second day we packed up the truck and drove to Kigali. We began our day at the Genocide Memorial Museum and learned more about the history of the Hutus and the Tutsis. The memorial is a large campus where people can learn and come to pay their respects. Several groups were there that day laying flowers at the mass graves. The area was beautiful and provided a quiet space among the bustling city.
We then drove to our next site. This campsite was lacking in just about every way possible. It was a large field with plenty of dirt. There were no tables or anywhere that you could sit together, no fire pits and the bathrooms were in a strange building behind us. We walked in to find their “sauna,” which was a plastic lounge chair behind a curtain. All part of the experience right! But that night we did have an incredible meal in town which made up for it.
The next day our time with Absolute was over. Rebecca and I packed up and waved goodbye as the big yellow bus drove away. We spent our day back at our first hotel to enjoy their breakfast and got ready for our flight to Tanzania!
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