After surviving the terrifying (at least for me) charge of the male mountain gorilla, we settled into a peaceful detante with them in a large clearing. Surrounded by dense jungle foliage, it was hard to see the gorillas in the shadows. I was uneasy being so exposed until I saw this mother and her baby about 10 feet away. The baby’s adorable little face captured my heart and I immediately relaxed.
Photo Tuesday: Whirling Dervishes
We were shown around Khartoum by a wonderful group of couchsurfers who showed us incredible hospitality and amazing friendship. On Friday evening we went to the Sufi Dance (whirling dervishes) in nearby Omdurman. It was an incredibly intense experience, not only for the believers themselves, but also for us from a cultural point of view.
As the chanting grew louder and louder believers began to move almost as though they were possessed. Completely withdrawn in deep meditation and prayer from the continuous chanting and drumming, a few took to spinning in circles while others began to repeat physical motions, like bobbing their head or throwing up their hands. The man in the picture whirled around the inner circle for several minutes before the prayers and chanting came to an end.
Photo Tuesday: Animals on the Bus
After spending a few nights out at the Colca Canyon near Arequipa, Peru we were headed back into town on our way to meet a friend in Cusco. Catching at 6am bus out of the village, we weren’t surprised when the bus stopped along the way to pick up other people, animals and their baggage. This little guy made it on the bus, but we saw a llama and a goat loaded into the baggage hold for a short ride up the hill.
Photo Tuesday: Cattle Trucks
There isn’t much of a road in northern Kenya. A badly potholed dirt track leads from Isiolo to the Ethiopian border, a journey of only about 100 miles that takes about two days. With few transportation options along this road, the local population travels in cattle trucks, which run through the night from the border to Isiolo where a proper bus ticket can be purchased. We were so thankful when we saw this cattle truck that we were in our friend’s car. Although you can pay more to sit in the cab, squished between ten of your closest friends, the experience can not be called pleasant. It’s amazing we didn’t see anyone jolted out of the back of the truck from a pot hole. If you’ve ever read Paul Theroux’s Dark Star Safari you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Photo Tuesday: Torres del freezing!
Hiking to the famous Torres del Paine was an uphill battle, literally. The last section of the hike was extremely steep and it felt like for every one step up we slid two back. Eventually we made it, and after only a few minutes the clouds parted and we had a magnificent view. Before heading back down we witnessed a mini-avalanche on an ajoining slope, which needless to say helped encourage us back to the refugio in no time!
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