Rwanda...It touched my soul

(3 Reviews)

Mary McWilliams

Brighton, CO

Africa and Ireland Travel Specialist

In 1994, while studying law in Europe, I took my first major trip abroad with a backpack on my back. Before my classes started in Ireland, I traveled to London, Greece, Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Ireland, and the Czec...

In 1994, while studying law in Europe, I took my first major trip abroad with a backpack on my back. Before my classes started in Ireland, I traveled to London, Greece, Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. After twenty years, I was able to go back to Europe, and my passion for travel was reignited when I went to Italy in 2014. Since then, I have loved planning and researching vacations and the travel bug hit me hard. I started doing all my own research and decided to become a travel agent while planning my daughter's senior trip to Greece in the spring. I crystallized the idea while spending time in Mexico with my family in June. That's when On a Whim Travel, LLC became a reality. I am now an independent contractor with RSVP Events & Travel (https://rsvpeventsonline.com and http://stlouismo.vacation.travelleaders.com) and have been certified as a South African, Ireland, and Mexico travel agent. I am always learning and expanding my knowledge base. Helping people plan their adventures sounds incredible to me and is a passion!!  

www.onawhimtravel.com

 

 

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore ~ Andre Gide

 

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Rwanda....It touched my Soul

We were greeted after almost 24 hours of traveling by Aimable who met us at the gate and was so gracious and escorted us through immigration. He delivered us to the capable hands of Herbert who has been wonderful.  I learned about Herbert and his history. He was 13 in 1994. His father fled because he was a Hutu and he did not want to be forced to kill his Tutsi wife and children. Then when they thought women and children were safe their family friends killed his mother who was pregnant and his sister. Herbert fled with his brother to the Congo. They found their father again in 2001. It has been hard listening to his story of the genocide but amazing to hear the stories of healing and forgiveness. In 2002 he heard the testimony of who participated in the killing of his mom and learned it was his best friend's dad and then learned where the bodies were buried. He has told us the forgiveness the country is trying to achieve.  We stayed two nights at the Nyungwe National Park to do a Chimpanzee Trek and we also did a Canopy Hike.  There is just so much to say I could go on for pages about Rwanda. It has touched my heart. Hearing Herbert's story. Hearing the story of how this country has overcome such hate and found a place of forgiveness is overwhelming. We drive down the road and the children see a car and stop and they wave and they yell Muzungu. They smile. They run to our car wanting to speak English to us. They are kind with their bright smiles.

The Gorilla Treks.   I am not sure words do it justice. No one could have prepared me for the hike to find them. And then no one can prepare you for the hour you get to spend with them. I had devoured every article I could find trying to prepare my packing list but it still didn't quite prepare me for what I would face. We spent the money to pull the permit for Rwanda. Rwanda is more expensive. The money is given back to the gorillas in many ways and I am sure I will miss some. Rwanda pays the trackers to be trackers rather than poachers so that they are able to expand the population of the mountain gorillas and continue Diane Fossey's work. Rwanda limits the permits and the number of tourists the gorillas are exposed to on a daily basis so that the gorillas have a break and do not have visits each day. They want to make sure the gorillas have times where they do not have visits. Rwanda rotates their guides and they have a team that contributes to the conservation effort. So it was a conscious decision on the part of the Rwandan government to raise the permit price to aid in the conservation effort of the Mountain Gorilla. It was amazing how many tourists stayed in Rwanda and then drove to Uganda to save money to trek or how many tour companies expected an extra kick back for "saving" them money by buying the permits in Uganda. I am learning so much as a travel agent on the ground in Rwanda right now. One of the most important things I am learning is how important it is to have a travel agent with true local contacts in Africa when planning your trip here. Budget is not always best when it comes to an African Adventure because you will get what you pay for and not the vacation you had imagined. You show up with your 80 or so other eager trekkers waiting on word of where the gorillas are that day. Trackers have been on the mountain since early in the morning looking for your gorilla family, Your driver or whomever arranged your trek will go inside and wait to be handed out your gorilla family and then you are on your way. You will head to your trailhead. But before you go you need to use the water closet/bathroom because the next place you can use is the bush. So begins your hike until you find your family. It is grueling. Some hikes are easier than others. We opted for a "medium" hike to find a family with a lone silverback. They moved right as we found them. Once we found them..... WOW. We got to spend an hour. 

I am not sure I can put into words the impact that Rwanda had on me.ead around that kind of hate.  Despite the hate the people were smiling and full