As we left Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, we were again ushered out by some black and white colubus monkeys! I'm beginning to think they just want to make sure we leave! I might get a complex soon!
We also passed by a kid with a three-horned chameleon sitting on a stick. The hope is that he will put the chameleon back after making a few bucks showing it to tourists driving through.
We stopped for a picnic lunch by Lake Buyonyi, (lake of many birds). Kalema told us the history of the lake, which includes Punishment Island. In olden times, if a woman got pregnant out of wedlock, they would take her to Punishment Island and tie her to a tree until she died. Seems a bit harsh to me, but I guess stoning her to death is really no different. Both would be painful ways to die, and neither were acceptable. As always, there was no consequence for the guy. The lake was beautiful, though.
By mid afternoon, we made it close to the tri-country borders, at one point being 6 km from the border of Rwanda. This park is part of the Varuga Mountain range, which spans Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. Our lodge is by a river, so I spent the afternoon watching birds and catching up on journaling.
Yellow-billed stork
Hamerkop (This bird builds a huge nest with multiple rooms!)
Sacred ibis
Mgahinga National Park is known as "where gold meets silver" because there are silverback gorillas (remember the Varunga Mountain range is one of the places with gorillas that you can trek from any of the three countries) and golden monkeys. When we got there, we watched some local dancers and got our briefing, in which we were told these monkeys are unable to live anywhere else other than Mount Gahinga, so you can only see them on this mountain. Every time someone tried to capture them to put them in zoos or other places to be seen, the monkeys did not survive. This mountain is the only place in the world they have ever survived. They are still protected by armed guards, though. Poachers aren't usually disuaded just by the survival rate of the animal they're poaching!
The golden monkeys were awesome! They were cuteness overload! They were sooo worth waking up before dawn and driving an hour or so to get to the meeting point. Apparently, not many people see the golden monkeys. They say, “They're just monkeys,” or “it's too far off the normal circuit.” Those people are sooo wrong!! Hate to tell ya', but it's the truth! The climb to get to them was harder than either our chimp or gorilla treks. I finished the second steep incline, and my heart rate was already climbing higher than it should and I had significant difficulty getting my breath back, so I asked our guide to call for the sedan chair that Kalema had standing by. The sedan chair was just a stretcher carried by a group of men, who would trade out. I had to lie flat in it while they carried me up the mountain. In some places, it was so steep, I slid down the stretcher, and they had to stop and reposition me. I tried my best to stay out of their way. Not a comfortable ride at all, but more comfortable than not being able to breathe. We had already had to make two long stops for me to be able to catch my breath. We would never reach the monkeys at the pace we were going with me walking! These guys were quick, too. When the guide called for the sedan chair (also called the African helicopter), the rest of the group moved on with the guard, while, me, my porter, and the guide walked at my pace. The guys with the sedan chair caught up to us and loaded me up, and off we went. These guys not only caught up with the rest of the group, they passed them!
We got to the monkeys, and two of them stayed with me to make sure I could move safely around the area where the monkeys were. The monkeys were adorable. Constantly on the move, so lots of blurry pictures. I swear one of them had a swing set up! He would swing on a vine for a few times, then launch himself to a nearby tree. Then, he'd go back to the vine and do it again! I never could capture this one, though! As the monkeys moved, so did we, though, and I got some pretty good shots and some good video clips! Enjoy these! They are called golden monkeys because of the golden fur on their backs, but I really love their red eyes!
Coming back, my litter bearers started carrying me, but it seemed to be mostly downhill. So, when they took a break, I said I would like to walk, and they agreed. As we continued going, we came across a chameleon. One of them plucked the branch it was on, and we gently played with it, letting it run over our hands and climb up us. We also took some group pix, which I have to remember to email to them! We did release the chameleon back where we found him.
Back at the park entrance, we got in the car for a long drive to our next adventure. I looked at my phone and noted that I had pinged a tower in Congo at some point while trekking! I got the T-Mobile “Welcome to Congo” message on my phone! Keep in mind that doesn't mean we were actually in Congo. I ping on a Canadian tower whenever I go to Tongue Point in Washington, on the US side of the Straight of Juan de Fuca. It just means the Congo tower was the closest cell tower to me. I wish I had thought to pin our location when we found the monkeys, but I was just too excited by the monkeys!
We were doubling back toward Bwindi (and beyond), so after eating part of my lunch packed by the previous lodge, I took a couple of car naps. We stopped along the way so Susan and I could get some more cash, and we talked about street food and other things. At one point, Gody stopped and got me a goat meat on a stick. It was sooo tasty!! I wish I knew what spices it was cooked in because I would like to replicate that taste!
We got to our lodge for the night, and it's a glamping place. It's pretty nice, but the zippers on the tents are very stiff. When I tried to plug in my CPAP, neither it nor the electricity converter would turn on. Susan's phone charger worked, though. When I went to the reception area to see what could be done, they said one side of the property was on a single cycle and the other side was on three cycles. I'm not sure what that meant, but my converter worked on the other side with three cycles. I'm happy to learn from anybody who does understand it. So, they moved me to the other side. After a good shower, I slept like a rock until just a little before my alarm went off.
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