Oh to be a golden monkey!

We are ready for our last day of animal watching. After a great breakfast we were off to the gathering area to sign up for our morning walk with the golden monkeys.

Before I go further I need to report on last nights dinner. When it came to dessert, the ladies were full. I had my normal two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a pastry. Nate, because we are in the potato growing region of the country, ordered French fries. They were spectacular!

Ok after breakfast we drove to the gathering place where you meet your guide for your trek.

Here is the Princess taking notes from our guide.

Here is our guide Francis. He pointed out he is not related to Pope Francis.

Then we were ready. We took a crew shot. One thing I would tell you. If you ever go on a trek take a walking stick. They are necessary.

Right before we left, the junior black back gorilla in our group, Nate, suggested based on my trouble at altitudes there was another way for me to join them today. I declined.

Here is a shot of one of the four dormant volcanoes. As Sandy pointed out, dormant means nothing. They can blow at any time.

Here is a shot of the potato fields all around the area. Remember Nate’s French fry dessert.

Then we had our first sighting.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so allow me to share a few of the many pictures we took of the golden monkeys. Slide shows are available for your viewing pleasure if interested.

When we were moving to another spot, I captured my Princess moving forward on the trail.

So during the briefing, Francis, who again is not related to the Pope, told us we would have a leisurely walk and gentle climb. Francis and I have different meanings to the word gentle!

This is the view I had for most of the hike. Watching where I walked. I felt we were back at seal and ranger training school.

Porters are part of the team. They cost $10 to $15 dollars a day each. They can carry your pack, or even you if you need help. They are lifesavers.

Here is Lynn with her porter Valentine.

Now I have carefully crafted this tough guy image. That image is shattered by Nate and his camera. He heard “the silverbacks down” and snapped this picture as I was getting up. Yes, I held Gentles hand. His name was Gentle and without him, I would still be in the jungle.

When we finally made it down we had to take a picture of our crew. Great guys and very proud of their country.

When we got back to the camp I thought I would take a few pics of the “roughing it” we encountered.

Then it was on to our final lunch.

Nate continued to eat healthy as did the Princess and Sandy. I, being a representative of the picky eaters society of America, sampled all of the not so healthy foods. They were delicious.

Then we walked down for the last time those 186 steps to our waiting car. My trip would not be complete without a snap of our butler. His name was Felecian. He loved his tip, thanking us numerous times but loved his hat more. The Boulders hat will forever be worn in Kenya and now Rwanda.

Ok, when you talk to clicker 1 or clicker 2 or black back Nate, you will hear different versions of our trip to the airport. The reason we call Nate black back is young silverbacks are called that. I was the alpha silverback. The old guy. By the way rich white folk are called Mzungu. We did not see many of these except at the location to prepare for a hike. Here is the truth about our trip to the airport.

We left at 200 for a three hour car ride back to the airport. We did kill 90 minutes at the camp because our driver said no worries, three hours is enough. Once we hit the city, we encountered rush hour traffic. It looked like Times Square in New York on New Year’s Eve. After finally getting through that we hit a roadblock. We waited twenty minutes and turned around to take another route. He seemed lost and asked a taxi motorcycle rider for directions. Then we hit another traffic backup. Apparently the President and other dignitaries decided to have dinner and all roads were closed. There was a heightened level of anxiety in the car. We were traveling internationally and needed to go through passport control and security. Add to that the lack of bathroom facilities for some in the car. As we just sat we repacked our bags in case the luggage did not make it. We wanted to make sure we had our pills and toothbrushes. Finally the traffic opened up and we sped to the airport. Once at the airport all cars had to stop and be searched by dogs who could smell bombs or drugs. Humans needed to go through a scanner. Another delay. The airport was a three wood away. Upon arrival we were greeted by two local guides who whisked us through the line, got us seats and then somehow thru passport control and baggage search. Just as we thought we are home, the walking stick Princess bought for our son was declared by their TSA a weapon and could not go on the flight as hand luggage. For a while it looked like we would have to leave it. Our guides said no worries, we will check it for you. Problem solved. They took us to the VIP lounge where some local beers washed the bad taste out of Nate’s and my mouth. The ladies were fine with water. On the flight now and I sit here typing the truth. The entire trip went like a Rolex watch until the end. However we survived and made it.

No pictures. No time. So I will give you one more blog post with the highlights of the trip from each persons view. Then thank you for reading this.

Until we meet again tomorrow.