So A few things new and some that I hadn't mentioned yet.
This morning I was woken by a helicopter taking off. I went out and
walked around and a bunch of soldiers wanted to take pictures with me.
They didn't speak very good English and I'm not sure who they thought
I was.
Learned some more about what's going on here. How the missions work.
Mostly rescue or aid missions, though unlike Rwanda in 1994, they have
a Chapter 7 Charter which means they can fire when necessary. In
Rwanda it was Chapter 6 which meant only if you were being shot at
could you shoot back.
Around noon the clouds were forming high over the volcano, promising
rain (that never came) and thunder was booming. I was then informed
that that wasn't thunder but ROCKET ATTACKS from about 10 miles away.
They pointed out the difference. Not quite as low and more continuous
sounding. Crazy.
I then talked with a guy who is from Kenya and as a test of manhood in
the Masai Tribe they actually go hunt Lions. And he told of how he
and others went after a lion and he was the second one to strike it
with his spear which meant that he was not the new ruler of the tribe.
You had to be first. This still happens once every few years.
And that brings up the car crash...
Car crash you say. Craig, were you in a car crash in Africa?
No, I was not, so don't fear.
However some of you reading this were.
After our fantastic Gorilla trek and the great time with the singing
children, we loaded up in the cars to go. 3 of our crew and the guide
in training got in a Toyota Rav 4 and headed off. I was in a land
cruiser a minute or so behind and when we came around the first corner
there was debris all over the ground. And a moment later saw the Rav
4 Upside down and sideways blocking the 1 lane dirt road. We jumped
out and ran to check on everyone. 3 people were sitting on the
roadside, and Nigel (another trekker) and I came around the car and
there was red liquid all over the ground. "oh shit". We looked
inside and the car was empty. It was some sort of car fluid (thank
god). There was momentary chaos as people were helped. Fortunately
the injuries seemed not to serious. Cut fingers. Bruises. Bumps.
Dizziness. A scraped cheek. Scary, but lucky. As it turns out the
brakes failed just as they started down the hill. The driver didn't
know what to do. They pulled the E-brake and then turned the car into
the cliff wall to stop it (smart, since the other side was a 300 foot
drop). The car caught and flipped, rolling over 3 1/2 times before
coming to a rest on its roof. The folks inside all thought "well,
this is it. I die now, here in Uganda". When the car stopped, it sank
down crushing in the hood. One of them yelled "get out now" and they
all were out in moments.
I have video of people pushing the car back on it's wheels. The thing
is totaled, but the people are okay, and that's what matters most.
Scary as hell.
Well, I think I’ve caught you all up on most everything. The
adventure continues tomorrow with a UN truck trip to Kigali, Rwanda
and a visit to the Genocide memorial. Then it's off to Kenya for some
wildlife and a very different part of Africa.
Thanks for reading
stay safe
and drive safe.
And watch out for lions.
Craigo
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