The workers at the Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge provided us with gaiters and put them on for us. Apparently since I was wearing brown pants they wanted me to match, and gave me the animal print. I did bring along the mosquito netting for my head but it was never necessary to wear. (I like to be prepared.)
The gaiters were quite tight and designed to keep the red ants from running up your pant legs and biting you (as happened to me and the Amazon jungle with the red bug bites).
These were our two guides for the gorilla trek and the area where we met before hopping in our 4x4s and driving to to a location where the trackers knew the gorillas would be.
This was a potato farm next to the National Park. Irish potatoes were their biggest farm crop. I never did figure out how Ireland potatoes ended up in Africa.
Part of the $1,500 fee to see the gorillas for 1 hour was used to pay the farmers 10% to put up with the trekking through their fields. Also if the farmers had enough money they would not need to poach the protected animals for food.
We started out at a brisk pace, following the guide through the potato fields toward the stone wall of the National Park. I was a little concerned with the fast pace and knowing I was going to have to trek through the jungle and up the mountain.
We all stopped and turned around and saw Sue hundreds of yards behind, realizing that she had not been keeping up. To be fair she made her porter stop and spray her with DEET bug spray, which added to the time lag..
But the guide was brilliant in that he stopped and made Sue the leader of the group. She could go at her own pace and decide when we would stop to rest. This made me so happy, because walking so slowly never tired me out or made me puff for breath.
And when she stopped to rest I was happy to do so also.
It was very challenging in that we were told we could pee anywhere we wanted; but if we needed to poop a hole had to be dug 30 cm (which is like at least two feet) and then you needed to poop in the hole, fill it with dirt and tamp it down. Otherwise, the gorillas would smell the poop, dig it up and God knows what they do with it.
Since we had no idea how many hours we would be in the jungle, we were all a little worried about having to poop.
Since we were told whatever goes into the jungle is taken out of the jungle, I did not want to carry around kleenex with pee on it, so I just drip drip dried before pulling up my pants. I do not suggest this technique since by the end of the trip I was experiencing a slight diaper rash problem. TMI!!
It took us an hour to get to the potato field and maybe a half an hour to Trek Through the Jungle. Our trackers and guides would machete all the vines and undergrowth so that we could continue through to an area where the gorillas were. It was hard enough trying to sludge through the jungle and we didn’t even realize that it would have been so much harder if we were going 45° up the mountain. We actually were in the jungle but we were never on the mountain incline.
We each had our own porter who carried our backpacks for us ,which was a godsend. I did not need any help from my porter with walking but Brian insisted I take three bottles of water and my backpack was heavy as hell. I never did drink any of the water! You can see my porter carrying my hand sewn cammo backpack with the bright orange lining.
This was Sue, our fearless leader, tramping over the underbrush and under the vines on a mission to find the mountain gorillas.
CLICK.
It was not easy getting to those gorillas.
CLICK.
AGAIN: It was not easy getting to those gorillas.
SO: The Trackers told us to step back and be quiet. Not sure if they said don’t take pictures or they said take pictures. Before I knew it was happening, a big silverback gorilla came from my left down the mountain and passed a little ways in front of me. What I didn’t know is another silverback was coming down on my right side through the jungle and he swiped my leg as he followed the other silver back downward.
I almost shouted ” I didn’t sign up for this!!” ” I thought they were supposed to stay 21 feet away from me.”
Duh! THEY can do anything they want; it is me who was supposed to say 21 ft from them!!
…… And the gorilla trek was ON!!!!
They were out for their morning breakfast since they have to eat hundreds of pounds of vegetation a day (they don’t eat meat.) and so we continued to follow them as they moved along.
CLICK.
I cannot even try to explain what we saw. So I took a lot of videos and the next couple shots just have to be seen to be believed.
Vocalization.
silverback just a-walkin’ by.
me and Mr. Silverback … alone together in the jungle.
At one point, one of the guides said follow that tracker. So he was hacking and macheting through the jungle as fast as he could and I realized if I would just take big lunging steps (like I do in the gym) I could keep up with the guy. So I followed him until he stopped and he said come here. Well there was a Silverback sitting there eating and it was just me and Mr. silverback. I took as many pictures as I wanted and then I got a video selfie of me and the gorilla. Oh cool!
so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Selfies of us and the gorillas. I think the Silverback behind Jane was fornicating with the female as I was taking her photo.
I am so grateful to Dian Fossey who studied these fabulous mountain gorillas and became friends with them. And I am grateful to The trackers who follow them on a daily basis so that all the gorilla families are comfortable with human beings hanging out and watching them.
It is mind-boggling that I was able to get close to these fantastic creatures.
It makes me almost tear up to realize that I was there taking these actual pictures of these fabulous animals.
And all of a sudden we broke out into just a grassy area with two babies playing like crazy and a female and a Silverback.
Little did I know that the female was not laying in the sun trying to get a suntan with her leg crossed over and her arms open, she was telling the silver back that she would like a little amorous action.
And it doesn’t seem like he was making much pelvic movement, but apparently this is where they were having sex. The babies were just cavorting and having a good time.
I think the silverback is contemplating having a cigarette, after fornicating..
The female seems to be relaxing and trying to concentrate on getting pregnant.
This was my porter who carried my bag with the three bottles of water.
The tips for these people certainly added up to crazy amounts. We paid each of the five trackers, we paid the two guides, the porter required 20 bucks and I was so happy to have lived through the whole thing I gave her another $50.
That was $160 and we had 6 more treks to go!!
I hit the ATM three times on this trip!
There were several elementary aged kids just hanging around and seeming to be happy just to get waved at. There were no parents in sight.
These huts were out in the potato fields so the farmers had some place to spend their days and nights patrolling their crops and shooing away any monkeys or gorillas or animals that tried to eat their cash crop.