Climbing Nyiragongo volcano wasn’t my first mountain climbing experience, but I had to confess — it’s not the physical part that worried me the most, but the moral — on high altitude and because of lack of oxygen, when it was difficult to walk and talk at the same time, all my thoughts were hiding somewhere, and minutes trying to find them and take them out, felt like eternity… I tried to remember and recite the poems we studied at school as kids, sing some pop songs and even think about the
We reached the first stop in less than an hour while chatting, cracking jokes and getting to know each other and were constantly praising the weather — we were walking in a single line on a narrow path between bushes that would have turned into more if it was raining. After agreeing not to waste time at first stop, we continued up and reached the second rest level without any difficulties. Having quickly snacked on bananas and biscuits, we were eager to continue!
-I cannot go any further, — a lad stoped under a tree on a crossroads. — You have to go that way, — he pointed vaguely somewhere, turn his horse and rode away, before I even had a chance to reconfirm… So I went… where he sent me to… a miniature grocery store, a barber shop, fruits and nuts street vendors along the road where staring at a mzungu with curiosity — am I going the right way?
After around 10 min of walking I finally saw a sign “Grand barrière”, and soon — the immigration
99, 191, 103 — there it was my dream, my treasure and my salvation — my room for the night! As soon as I opened the door, I threw my backpack on the only chair in the corner and, without undressing, I jumped under a blanket — who needs shower that time of the night?!
Finally in a horizontal position, tucked under warm blanket — if there was paradise, it was there in room #103! Ha! Keep dreaming! Even paradise has skeletons in a closet — looked like in a room above me Mr. Ronaldo himself was
Initially I was trying to follow the google map, hoping that my prince didn’t put me on a first available bus just to get rid of me, but soon enough as the adrenaline level was going down and the warm soft shoulder of an African queen lulled me to sleep and I lost battle with Morpheus.
-Mzumga, toilet, — mamma slightly elbowed me. — 5 minutes for a bathroom break.
23.45. How long to Gisenyi? I came out, rubbed my eyes and looked around — some kind of a forest and a tiny wooden box on the
I passed immigration surprisingly fast and soon found myself in the airport parking lot looking for Nkundiushuti — a driver I found on Facebook who would give me a ride me to Gisenyi- a border town close to Congo. After twenty minutes of waiting, I realized that I’ve been fooled (oh, what a pity, I thought I could trust a man who’s name literally meant “I love people”).
-10 bucks if you get me to the bus station in 20 minutes, — I stopped a guy on a motorbike.
“Ladies and gentleman, as we are starting our descent to Kigali international, please, return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts” — captain informed us over the loudspeaker.
-That’s it! I’m here! It’s real! What I’ve been thinking? That’s madness — I was petrified. -Pull yourself together, crybaby. — You promised yourself that this year you are going out of your comfort zone and accepting new challenges (except for intermittent fasting though!)- Somewhere deep inside me appeared brave
After an hour of finding enjoyment in Ahmed’s attempts in speaking English, I decided it was time to finally confess that I spoke a bit of French!
His happiness knew no bounds and soon I regretted confessing as Ahmed was tattling on Djibouti, it’s politics and local tribes while energetically overtaking a never ending flow of trucks of different colors, sizes and condition (Ahmed said that around 500 trucks arrive every day from Ethiopia and cross Djibouti on their way to the port of
I don’t even remember now how I came across a photo of lake Abbé, but I have done so much research about Djibouti, that could easy became its honored citizen!
For almost a year I was annoying my friends and colleagues asking if they wanted to come with me on my new adventure and stay overnight in a camp at lake Abbé — I was even in touch with a local guide and a driver — and all I needed was just a company to share it with me!
Autumn passed a baton on to winter, which was giving way to
-Pyramids? Is it Egypt? Or Mexico? Wait, but they do look a bit different? Where is it?- asked my flatmate when I was showing her the photos from my last weekend adventure.
-Yes, no and no — these are the pyramids of Meroë in Sudan.
-Sudan?!
Few people know about Sudan and around 200 pyramids that are there. Luckily last December when traveling in Saudi Arabia, I met Jenny and over the dinner, while listening to other tourists adventures, we decided we had to get to Sudan together. Decided,
