Mountain gorillas are one of those rare animals that can be seen hard at life. Rwanda, The Congo and Uganda are the only countries in the world where the huge free-living primates. But, that morning, well above the gorillas was Mark, the South African clumsy, who managed to overshadow her voice, his jokes at the wrong time and perseverance to destroy any magical location to the great apes and even unicorns if we had come to see. A crack, a kind of galactic stupidity.
At six o'clock Richi and I began the journey that would take us to the area of Bwindi. An hour and a half of hell mountain road that left us in the Rangers camp. There we met a Swede and a South African who were going to visit us. Swedish, a boy 25 years, the first thing he says when he learns that we are in Madrid: "Will you be fucking with that in Catalonia have banned bullfighting?”. “Realmente, I give a damn ", the context. Mark, meanwhile, nibbles while waiting behind a toothpick. Their sneakers fluorescent colors are a good indication of what to expect. A minute later we made a flurry of questions, repeats increased tenfold when the ranger gives us a briefing on the visit. A ten-minute talk ended up being the 45 with questions such as "gorillas to climb the trees? or is there a forest around?… Every two guide words, it was a meaningless question that always ended with a nod to the head of "already knew". Richi and I exchanged looks of "a crack".
Mark, the South African clumsy, who managed to overshadow her voice, his jokes at the wrong time and perseverance to destroy any magical location to the great apes and even unicorns if we had come to see. A crack, a kind of galactic stupidity
After the briefing from the ranger Mark did not look anything- got into the car and went to the mountain gorillas. On the way we passed a military truck stuck in mud. There were dozens of guys pushing the car and clear, our ducks, his moment of glory was sticking his head out the window and shouting loudly to her happy face "!good job!”. I was beginning to die of laughter.
We stopped in the mountain ridges wool, ranger group showed us the slope, I was a wall, he had to go down without appearing that he had so. We crossed a village, full of banana plantations, and after passing a small stream and climb a small hill we found the gorillas. We were lucky, monkeys come across in an hour. There were, silent, uploaded to a tree where the leaves dismembered. The feeling is unique, hear the silence. They give you back, with disdain, as if the world outside of their branches did not have space. The magic of the moment Mark was sweating until our question to the Rangers: "How do you say fart in Uganda?”. The Rangers answered and he begins to imitate the farts that were thrown primates and hilarious. All the magic evaporated after his guttural sounds and words, high, untimely. For a moment, gave the impression that no one better than he could be hanging in the trees.
Then, After nearly an hour against the silverbacks, went down to the path of the river where the guides believed he was the rest of the group (is a family group 19 Member). We walked through the vegetation on a hillside sloping without knowing whether under our feet had only branches without soil. We saw a mother and her calf. "It is dangerous to be here, we are half way between the two groups ", I said a ranger. Immediately we noticed that the leaves move and less than five meters down "Safari", the huge pack leader that sits between a green tangle without paying attention. After a few exciting minutes we started back.
"Now if we seem a mzungu and Bantu. I'll throw your food and pick it up "
But our crack was reserved for his final moment of glory. Norbert offers, our driver, with whom he had had some friction, a banana. He throws and falls away. "Now if we seem a mzungu and Bantu. I'll throw your food and pick it up ", he cries out loud. I froze and then died laughing. I did not intend to offend, but everything he said offended. In South Africa, that phrase had cost him a slap (I'm fine). No one stand and the South African laborer, except his fellow Swede with whom he spoke at the elbows.
The rise, hard, Richi and I saved because I was steady and slow, unbearable heat began and ended with a downpour near the top. Behind the Rangers were offering the rise in bed for visitors to the legs and lungs will fail. Is demanding, need to be in good shape if you want to pay between 300 and 400 dollars it costs to carry one stretcher (the cost varies by person's weight and distance). Sometimes the gorillas are found after five hours of walking round and round five. It's hard, but the payoff is unique.
We arrived at the truck drafts, soaked in sweat and rain, out of steam. Ten minutes later came the clumsy like a soup shouting "mzungus". Genio. Our tight Norbert, after, well defined by: “Hablaba mucho”.
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