A Trek in Three Parts (Cont.)

Part II

(Origially written on 11/22)

Yesterday was our rest day in Nkuringo. It would have been a great day, perfect weather in a perfect setting, but I was suffering from a bit of dehydration. By the end of the day and after many cups of tea I was feeling much better, and I was able to enjoy sitting around the bonfire. One thing Courtney and I realized was how much we missed being with Westerners our own age, so it was refreshing to sit and talk with our fellow travelers. Also, I got to play a little guitar for the first time since our training in Burkley, CA back in August!

The majority of the hiking today was down hill and on dirt roads, but we traveled over 25 km by foot. The first part of the trek led us down from Nkuringo through mountain farmlands. The fact that people are able to cultivate the practically vertical mountain sides is beyond me, let alone the fact that their families live on the very same slopes. The different types of crops produce different shades of green making the mountains seem to be draped in patchwork quilts. Although this might sound to not be as nice to look at when compared to the rainforest from the day before, the fact is, it may have been even more stunning. Every corner we rounded, we came face to face with even more majestic mountain tops and valleys.

Eventually, the mountains gave way to a great view of Lake Mutanda, the next part of our day's journey. Once on the shore, we got into a dugout canoe and set off. Our trip across the lake was supposed to take three hours, but we were able to make it in two and a quarter (largely thanks to my help paddling, I might add... *Brushes knuckles on his shirt*). The lake was pristine and, for the most part, pretty calm, but every time Evarist and our canoe guy, Moses, switched sides or when Evarist stopped to ladle some water from the bottom of the canoe, Courtney and I both felt that we were going to tip over, but Evarist and Moses hardly seemed to notice.

Once on solid ground again, we made our way to Kisoro through small towns and banana plantations. Kisoro itself seemed like a pretty normal town by Ugandan standards and boasted a brand new tarmacked road that lead straight the to border of the DRC (Congo). One unmistakable quality of the town, however, were the three volcanoes that loomed overhead, much bigger now than they had seemed from Nkuringo. There they stood, undaunted, almost taunting us about the day that lay ahead...