May 13, 2002
Mountain Gorillas
One of the most incredible highlights of my stay in Africa was visiting the mountain gorillas. Though I had looked forward to the experience, I had no idea how truly fascinating and enlightening it would be.
After a bit of hiking and hacking through the jungle, we caught our first glimpse of a young gorilla. From the first moment you lay eyes on these creatures, you are quite inexplicably mesmerized. In a very unconscious way, your voice and movements are hushed, a smile appears on your face, and you watch in wonder... a sort of awe-struck marvel. I can't explain it.
Many have said of Dian Fossey that she was a bit of an eccentric, a zealot. Perhaps she was. But every one of us who watched the gorillas came away understanding how someone could study them for hours, days, years at a time. We even understood the attachment, affection, and loyalty that she undoubtedly experienced, and which led her to some of the extreme measures she took to protect these animals. In other words, perhaps she wasn't such an eccentric after all.
As with other apes, I suppose it's their "humanity" that makes them so fascinating to watch. They're remarkably different from, say, chimpanzees... very laid-back and 'low-energy', but still interesting to observe. Watching the young ones roll on the ground or observing the facial expressions and body language of the adults is spellbinding. One unforgettable moment was watching two young gorillas play-fighting over a piece of fruit, then seeing the large silverback move over to them and calmy, gently stop them... then play with them a bit.
It's impossible to put into words, but there's something about them that is remarkably captivating. And there's so much we could learn about ourselves from these fascinating cousins of ours. Let's hope we do before they're gone forever.
13 May 12:00 | Link | Category: Travel
May 12, 2002
Etched in my mind
Sitting at the border station handing the bribe to the official, I wasn't prepared for what I would see on the other side. I had sensed it in Gisenyi, in the contrast between the beautiful lakefront villas and the hillside shanty-towns. Crossing the border into Goma, though, the scene was more extreme than I had expected... a city now largely covered by ash and volcanic rock. Black rock, grey dust, and desolation. Streams of people going somewhere despite having nowhere to go. Makeshift villages, endless fields of squalid huts bearing a grimy "UN." You could sense the hopelessness and despair - and most of all the stress - in the faces of nearly everyone.
One of the most unforgettable images - and I'll never forgive myself for not having the camera ready because it was like a work art symbolizing so much of this planet - was a boy, perhaps twelve or thirteen. He was standing barefoot in the street wearing a tattered American flag shirt, smoking a cigarette. I'll never forget the look in his eyes. I'm still not sure exactly how to describe the expression... it was one of being lost; an expression of despair, resolve, antagonism, hopelessness. This is the impression of Goma etched in my mind.
Returning from our visit, we enjoyed a tasty meal and lively conversation. I stayed awake for a long time that night, lying in bed full of confusion, conflict, and contradiction.
12 May 12:00 | Link | Category: Travel
May 10, 2002
A New Continent
It's a beautiful sight, seeing blue Mediterranean waters meet dust-colored land from 30,000 feet, followed by the endless expanse of the Sahara. Looking down at the vast, beautifully desolate desert from the airplane window... that's when it hit me. I was halfway across the planet from home. Europe just doesn't feel terribly far from home. It's foreign yet familiar. This... well, this was the Sahara I was looking at. So there I was on a nearly empty jetliner, heading into the middle of Africa. I can only say that the feeling was freedom. I only wish more people around the globe could experience the freedom and excitement of traveling to completely foreign lands.
The sky was dark by the time we reached Kigali (a fairly large city, though from an airplane at night there is a dearth of lighting by Western standards). From the moment my feet hit the tarmac, I was taking in the scene. The smell of the humid air, the cool temperature. The sounds of a foreign tongue, the interactions of the people. Driving through the crowded post-dusk streets, trying to orient myself in the dark. And the first meal, sitting on the open balcony with the breeze and the bugs. There I was, in a place -- on a continent -- wholly unfamiliar to me. I knew then that I was in for a fascinating experience.