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silverback gorilla trekking in rwanda, east africa

rwanda

experience of a lifetime. i was so incredibly humbled and impressed by every individual i came in contact with during my stay in rawanda. this country is truly spectacular. the community has known extreme amounts of loss and grief throughout their history, however i was only met with hope, wisdom, love, forgiveness, and community in the truest sense. the pride they have in their country is evident throughout the jungle landscape; no trash could be seen throughout the entire drive across the mountain hills.

the silverback gorillas are a large attraction in rwanda, and even uganda. so, after flying in from the mara river in tanzania, i was stoked to start the next adventure in africa. one quick night stay at hôtel des mille collines and then my family and i were speeding up the road towards volcanoes national park. during the two hour drive to the virunga mountains our guide (basically a historian, this individual was a wealth of knowledge) spoke about the citizens and community of rwanda, including the genocide which only happened twenty-three years previously. he pressed upon us the education system, healthcare structure, environmental concerns, imports, exports, sustainable farming techniques, and even the impressive trash clean up day. every town designates one day a month to clean up all the surrounding trash. children cannot play until trash duty is over. this is probably why i couldn’t stop commenting on how clean the landscape was! clean, pristine, and green the whole drive up to the mountains. just the way it should be.

the night before gorilla trekking had its challenges for me…yes it involved a bathroom, very little sleep, and a constant rumble in my stomach. now stomach issues aren’t super uncommon for individuals visiting africa, but stomach issues the night before a bilbo-esque adventure is less than ideal. so, with zero nourishment in my body (yeah, breakfast was out of the question) i gambled away my dignity and hoped on the jeep ready to conquer the virunga mountains. maybe not conquer, but at least see some silverback gorillas. each group is assigned a family of mountain gorillas based on their (perceived) fitness level. our guide apparently took one look at my family and made the wild conclusion that we were extremely fit (mind you my father had just had a heart attack 4 months prior). so that left us and a dutch family of four ready to trek up in the jungle in search for mafunzo’s family of gorillas…situated the highest up the mountain. mafunzo likes rubus fruit and blackberries, which lucky for us are only found at high altitudes.

just as we entered the jungle, before we began the hike, the trackers met with us to detail what we could expect. a strenuous hike through a rainforest, gorillas with: babies, teenagers, females, and the one male silverback mafunzo, and the position/sounds you should continuously make while up there in order to discourage aggressive behavior. yep. we were instructed on how to speak gorilla…guttural sound, similar to clearing your throat. they also instructed us on how to crouch into the submissive position in case the male was exhibiting aggressive or agitated behavior. (mind you, this meeting was coupled with men with rifles and machetes surrounding you. what did i get myself into? quite the warm up). you may be wondering if we ever needed to use these submissive techniques? yes! now keep reading.

this hike was no joke. i thought my recently retired collegiate athlete training would have carried through to this trip… not even close. you immediately being to climb in altitude through the rainforest. no trails, just a couple of trackers with machetes hacking a path through the thick rainforest in pursuit of mafunzo’s family. there is another group of guides that essentially live with the each particular family of habituated gorillas, so a rough location is known. walkie-talkie communication told us that this family had no desire to stop for a snack quite yet, so up the mountain our group continued to trek… and trek fast (easy for the dutch family, who i’m sure frequent a jaunt across the alps).

*allyafoot protip: do this adventure before you safari throughout africa. that way you will still have your training base. and yes, you should train for this, preferably at altitude. we did it after being stationary in a safari car for 9 days…woof

we made it. and just like that i was surrounded by twenty or so mountain gorillas in rwanda. hushed exclamations of awe, cicadas singing, and the gentle munching sounds were all that followed in those first surreal moments. the trackers immediately began grunting welcome tunes and pushing us into the crouching submissive stance. there we nursing babies jumping on mom, toddlers swinging from trees overhead, annoyed teenagers lounging in the sun trying to get away from the younger siblings, and the dominate silverback mafunzo, proudly casting a watchful gaze at his entire family amid the occasional hit from a baby by his side.

now you’re only allowed to spend an hour with the family of gorillas once you get there, so don’t blink. once our hour was up it soon became apparent that the silverback gorilla family wanted to following us down the mountain! for us it was time for a much needed dinner and mafunzo’s family needed to find a place to settle for the night. enter a human/gorilla traffic jam (just a bit more intimidating than the 405). the cleared way down was being blocked by us voyeurs. submissive positions assumed, soothing noises started up all around us, and eyes cast down not daring to look up. a faint tickle across my cheek was all of wake up call i needed to remain perfectly still, while the impatient mafunzo charged his own path down the hillside. my sister, of course, was the main traffic cone causing the twenty gorilla pile up on the hillside of volcanoes national park.

so adrenaline all spent and family forgotten, i stumbled my way down the mountain in a haze as my vision started to tunnel. i had one apple that i braved to eat core to stem; somehow my stomach managed to take me to the journey’s end.

the stinging nettles in my backside was a little trophy i proud-fully wore as reminder of the most epic experience of my lifetime.

logistics:

-permits required. $1,500/pp. includes another hiking excursion with the golden monkeys the day after gorilla trekking.

-since my trip prices have increased, however i am told that if you travel up the uganda side they are more affordable.

-can only spend 1 hour with the silverback gorilla family once you stumble upon them.

-hiking distance varies on which family of silverback gorillas you are assigned to. you could be hiking 30minutes or four hours to catch your glimpse.

-bring garden gloves as there are stinging nettles all around you in the jungle. you can also rent gloves once you drive up the mountain from the locals

-2 hour drive from the city of rwanda

recommendations:

-five volcanoes hotel. $$. http://www.fivevolcanoesrwanda.com

-karisoke research center, 10min drive from five volcanoes hotel. donation optional entrance. interactive.

-hôtel des mille collines. $. https://millecollines.rw

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one day adventure in arles, france

arles, france

romping around the french riviera? looking for a day trip? welcome to arles!

I’m sure most of you have heard of a brilliant artist who happened to cut off his own ear…now let me tell you about the city where this is said to have taken place! Arles!

Arles, France is a small artistic city that is home to many artists, one of whom was Vincent Van Gogh. Arles is located about an hour outside of aix-en-provence (or Marseille, depending on where you are leaving from) and is a great stop if you, like me, are wandering around the French Riviera. (By wandering I mean traveling with five other girlfriends in one small car traversing the windy countryside…yes, both space and car sickness was an issue).

Arles is an imaginative town that invites you to explore its history, art, food, and discover your muse. You don’t have to be an artist to feel the creative energy in this city. It’s quite a juxtaposition; on one side of the city sits the old Roman arena and theatre ruins built in 90AD, coupled with the new Luma Foundation and Cultural Centre that encourages artist to experiment and innovate.

*Ally afoot advice: if you know you’re going to wander around a ruined city with multiple museums, research ticket “bundles” ahead of time. often times cities will package their most popular attractions tickets! save even more time and money by purchasing them ahead of time online (earlybird online discounts. count me in.)

a touristy, yet must see, experience is popping into the dramatic Amphitheater and theatre. the construction is breathtaking, the views magnificent, and the price reasonable.  the next stop was one we were all looking forward to… the Foundation Vincent Van Gogh. With impressive exhibits and an incredible rooftop, this modern museum in hidden among the crooked narrow streets and situated alongside the Rhône River. This museum is not included in the “Liberty Pass”, but I highly recommend spending the extra nine euros to visit the exhibit; even just to catch a glimpse from the rooftop of the Rhône River carving its way through the city.

Another favorite spot was Luma Park/Foundation. When I visited the Luma Tower was still under construction, but is set to open June 26, 2021! This tower is truly a masterpiece, designed by Frank Gehry (think Walt Disney Concert Hall in California or Dancing Houses in Prague), Luma park is a 17- acre revitalization project truly dedicated to innovation in arts and culture. You can wander through the many presentations, installations, exhibitions, and artists’ residences. 

Logistics:

-day trip. 1 night.

-Airbnb, in fontvieille: $99/night, including service fees, walking distance to grocery store, balcony, pool, security gate into property. Link:

-1 hour drive to marseille.

-1 hour drive to aix-en-Provence.

-train, aix-en-Provence to arles: 2.5 hours (stop in marseille), $49.

recommendations/reviews:

-bakery, in fontvieille: Joye henri;

Address: 74 cours hyacinthe bellon, 13990 fontvieille, france.

-liberty pass: 12euro, includes 4 monuments and 1 museum.

-amphitheater and theater: comBine tickets for 9euro.

-foundation Vincent Van Gogh: 9euro.

-cafe la nuit: used to be called café du forum, was the inspiration for Van Gogh’ s painting “café terrace at night” in 1888, a bit touristy.

-luma park/foundation: 17-acres, cultural center, frank gehry designed the main tower. 

open 10am-7:30pm  https://www.luma.org/en/arles.html 

-château des baux-de-Provence: 30minutes from arles, adorable town built into the hillside of the castle.

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bath time in budapest, hungary

Budapest, Hungary

Next up, Budapest!  Firstly, when traveling to Budapest (or buda-pesh-t, as the locals call it) be prepared to be blown away. This city was truly such a surprise for me. I hadn’t done my usual excessive planning and was astonished.

this gem of a city is rich with history, culture, cuisine , and staggering architecture.

I ended up taking the night train from krakow, Poland (considering this was a ten hour expedition, I would say the night train was a great decision) to The train station, which ended up being about a one mile walk to our hostel (wombat: Budapest). Now, I have rule when it comes to international travel… if you can’t schlep all of your luggage for at least one mile then you have packed too much! So on all of my international adventures I only end up taking a carry on suitcase (yes, I know this is very impressive. Ill take all the kudos you’ll give me).

the first thing we did was to check into our six bed mixed gender hostel, lock up our stuff, and start exploring our surroundings. This particular hostel was in such a prime location, right along the main artery of the city and fairly close to the Danube river. You first notice how huge the Danube is. And I mean huge. The széchenyi chain bridge across to the other side is a decent trek, so get those walking shoes on. We ended up starting with a perfect brunch along the river… I highly recommend a glass of champagne in hand while planning out your days adventure. “bubbles in buda!” And damn did we have a lot of bubbles…

*Ally afoot advice: utilize the resources the hostel provides. It’s a great starting off point for highlights of the city you’re touring. In addition, many hostels offer free walking tours (just make sure to tip your guide at the end!).

the first thing we did was cross the massive river and wander through the town on the other side. Take a minute to stop into a quaint cafe to slow down to enjoy an espresso and take in the locals leisurely pace and community. We happened to come across the most gorgeous church I’ve ever seen called, “matthiaskirche”. Literally just stumbled upon it, so don’t worry you’ll get there eventually. The city just happened to recently power wash the exterior of the church so the white tiles were pristine with even more multicolored vibrant tiles towards the top. unbeknownst to us, This is a huge attraction for crazy selfie addicts, photographers, and tourists, so expect some foot traffic. There are also cafes/restaurants next to the church; these are a bit touristy but the views are very impressive and overlook the parliament building across the river (the parliament building is another stunning piece of architecture). That night we opted for a dinner cruise on the river… yes these are quite abundant/very popular/touristy but I wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re a tourist trap. you do really have a spectacular view of the city lit up at night.

The next day we woke up bright and early to go on a free walking tour of the city (guided through our hostile); you truly get such an in-depth look into the history, culture, and community of the city you’re touring. In addition, most of the tour guides are students often specializing in history/art history in their studies. Some highlights of the tour included:

St. Stephen’s basilica, shoes on the Danube, széchenyi istván tér (park), klauzál tér (park), the grand synagogue, and endless amounts of paprika. Yes, paprika! it’s the national spice, you’ll see it at about every street corner, it’s used in almost every dish I came across, and Hungarian paprika is a bit sweeter than in the states.

At the end of the tour they also gave us some recommendations for the Budapest night scene…  Budapest has this very unique area named the Jewish quarter. “ruin bars”. These are essentially vacant pre-war buildings that been revitalized into different bohemian bars. Many of the ruin bars are rich in art and have permanent art installations on the walls. The most popular ruin bar in the Jewish quarter hands down is “szimpla”. When you first walk in it’s a bit overwhelming to say the least… old bicycles hanging from the ceiling, hookah rooms with the crazy cat from Alice and wonderland dangling over you, license plates coating the walls and bar, and treasures/relics from throughout the city filling every other gap position. In addition to the clutter, there is a huge open air courtyard carved into the revitalized building with gnarled plants and branches surrounding you. Drinks are fairly cheap, the music is always bumping, and each room has its own vibe. I recommend taking some time to actually explore the building! it’s quite the gem in of itself.

although, this area is known for its party scene try to check out The restaurant scene as well. The area has a hipster atmosphere with some amazing farm to table food in a variety of different Types of cuisines.


The next day was heavenly and one I was so looking forward to… exploring a thermal bath! Budapest is known for these thermal baths; locals frequent them like we would the gym, swearing by their healing properties, and medicinal qualities. From what I heard, Its a chance for locals to socialize and catch up on the latest neighborhood gossip. There are about a dozen baths in the city so do your research before you go to one. The bath we chose was the century-old “Gellért Thermal bath” because it has both indoor and outdoor dipping pools. Wow. architecturally stunning. Domes with colorful glass, countless sculptures, mosaics on both the bath floors and ceilings, and breathtaking city views outside. This bath was massive so make sure you give yourself a couple hours to thoroughly soak yourself in the local customs.

Please respect each other’s privacy, no photos.

After this experience we discovered a small trail right behind the thermal bath entrance and walked up the mountain to the citadella look-out spot. Such a lovely sunset to close out our budapest wanderings. The next day was back to the train station to continue our journey to austria, stay tuned for that adventure!

Logistics:

-four days/ three nights.

-hostel, wombat, Budapest: $25 a night, three nights, 6 bed mixed dorm room, clean, 1 mile walk from train station, located in the main artery of the city, spacious common area.

-night train from krakow, Poland: ~10 hours, $70 for sleeper car.

recommendations/reviews:

-gellért thermal bath: $25, indoor/outdoor.

-ruin bars: most popular is szimpla, but explore the Jewish quarter.

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five days trouncing through bergen, norway

Bergen, Norway

What are two groovy single Sisters to do over Valentine’s Day weekend? Jet off to norway!

Yes, I went to Bergen, norway in February. And yes, I loved every chilly moment of it!

This was a quick trip for us… (just 4 nights) and because it was the off season, round trip plane tickets were only $468 on Norwegian air.

Yep, $468.

how did we land on Bergen? Well we wanted a winter wonderland experience and to see the northern lights… kind of failed at the northern lights aspiration (didn’t travel far enough north).

If you aren’t familiar with Bergen here are some notable aspects: Small fishing town located right along the harbor of two main fjords, unbelievably fresh seafood, known as the “gateway” to the fjords of norway, has a UNESCO world heritage cultural site- Bryggen (The dock) that consists of precious multicolored commercial buildings lining the harbor, and there is a fløibanen (funicular) you can take to the top of the mountain to hike, check out the staggering city views, or cross country ski. We quite literally saw about 70% of the residents with skis slung over their shoulders walking through town to get to the lift.

Now, I love to extensively plan my vacations… because of this my sister and I basically had all of the logistics sorted before we even left for norway. This included two hostels booked, a fjord day cruise, flåmsbana railway tickets, a snowshoe excursion in the city of flåm, and return bus tickets to Bergen.

Like I said, major planner over here (Aka- Amateur travel agent and Itinerary master). some of you may be taken aback by all of this prep work ahead of time. Is there even enough time to have a spur of the moment adventure?

Of course! In fact I find it to be a bit liberating. by the time I reach my destination I don’t have to dick around with the tedious bits of travel (“no dickage” as my family likes to say! Yes, I am aware that this is probably a made up phrase, but my mom has a gift so just go with it).

The first half-day consisted of floundering around for a bit…we basically just checked into our first hostel (details below), roamed around the town, and closed out a long travel day at a cozy pub (Felix pub) where we met two super lovely and welcoming local girls (who we still try to keep in touch with- I mean perks of traveling am I right?!)

*ally afoot advice: I like to change up my living accommodations when I’m staying in one city for longer than 2 nights. I strongly recommend giving this idea a try! it’ll allow you to experience different sides of the city, discover new attractions/hostels, meet new people, etc. it’s such an easy way to add another layer of adventure to your trip.

Day 2- our first full day! That meant tons. Of. Walking. It really is the best way to see the city. torrey and I were so content to wander around the picturesque town of Bergen… we visited the fisketorget (fish market), toured the university, went to an ice bar- complete with the best of Van Gogh’s paintings carved into the ice, and had multiple chili martinis at a super trendy bar that is aptly called “no stress”. The day’s discoveries: the town of Bergen really loves all things chili. I’m talking chili infused cocktails, jams, And salted nuts to name a few. We never did find out the reason behind the chili craze… thoughts?

Day 3- the makes of a perfect morning: watching the sunrise over the fjords with coffee and a sommerbolle pastry in hand (I kid you not, I had about ten of these magical pastries over the course of the trip). After, we moved into our second hostel (details below)…and am I glad we did! We had an absolutely perfect window view of the lightly dusted snowy hillside village. The majority of the day felt like a scene out of frozen… time for the fjord cruise (the captain literally played a song from the frozen soundtrack). You truly will be in awe throughout the entire three hour trip; waterfalls, crushing through the ice packed fjord, water reminiscent of glass, majestic Mountainside Views, and an incredibly scenic coastline. We wrapped up the day with a spectacular seafood dinner in the fish market, where we learned how to properly de-shell a shrimp from the head fishmonger herself. 


Day 4- onto the next magical day. We took The famous flåmsbana railway to the city of flåm. The tracks run 20km and takes you right through the mountains. It is known as the steepest train ride, cuts along the fjords, has twenty tunnels, and it took twenty years to build. Another perk of traveling to norway during the winter: we had a whole cart to ourselves! This meant some epic photo ops and unobstructed views throughout the entire ride. Once we got to the city of flåm I was surprised how small it is. Just one cafe, one restaurant, and a museum make up the town situated alongside the aurlandfjord. Apparently a pod of orca swam through the fjord just the day before- couldn’t they wait for us?! This is also where we did our snowshoe excursion… growing up in Arizona definitely did not prepare me for this. It was a bit harder than expected, even though we only went about two miles, but the views were astonishing. Again with the views! Stunning. A bit of bar hoping, karaoke, and dancing lasted us until 4am on our last night of shenanigans (before we miraculously caught a 7am flight back to states…). 


bergen,  thank you for sharing your wonders with us. Until next time!


Logistics:

-five days/ four nights.

-First hostel- bergen ymca (*permanently closed*): $25 a night, two nights, 6 bed mixed dorm room, epic balcony, close to the harbor.

-Second hostel- marken gjestehus: $37 a night, two nights, 4 bed female dorm, amazing views from your rooms, great common area, felt super safe with locks and codes to get into everything.

-Fjord cruise Bergen- mostraumen: $61 per person.

-flåmsbana, myrdal- flåm: $40 one way.

-snowshoe hike in flåm: $90 per person

recommendations/reviews:

-Fisketorget: fish market with plenty of places to eat inside.

-julehuest: year round Christmas shop along the famous tyskebryggen.

-Fish Me: small indoor/outdoor bar and eatery. They had chili salted nuts and chili jam for sale.

-no stress: craft cocktails, extensive menu, underground artist vibe, must try the “chili cocktail”.

-godt brød: kind of the “panera” of bergen, but even better and a cafe atmosphere. This is where we would buy to-go sandwiches for our day long excursions and the famous “sommerbolle”.

-Scruffy Murphy’s: Irish pub with a live band.

-vinyl: hipster bar atmosphere, craft beer inside a recording studio, great music/acoustics.

-restaurant 1877: I didn’t go to but apparently they serve a great 5 course meal, book well in advance.

-Olivia zachariasbryggen: small restaurant on the scenic harbor, Very chic.

-magic ice bar: $22, comes with a cocktail in an ice chalice, it was just ok.

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how i started

How I Started 

I first gained a passion for exploration by reading tons of travel magazines (favorites: Condé Nast Traveler or Travel+ Leisure) and watching documentaries. Then I would make “mock” travel brochures with the hopes of eventually putting them to use. essentially I would research/plan full vacations… complete with public transit routes/prices, attraction prices/the best times to visit, accommodations, art/food festival schedules, and night life scenes. Needless to say I thought of myself as an amateur travel agent.

Finally, just reading about these regions, cultures, and adventures wasn’t enough. So I signed up for the United chase credit card and started saving my miles! Now, my friends know me as the one who can’t say no to a trip (big or small). Traveling has turned into my passion, continued education, and motivation to look outside my norm.

-All the while looking groovy (of course)-

this blog is an opportunity for me to write down a memoir of sorts (memory of dory the fish over here peeps), with the hopes that you Might gain some rad insights for your own adventuring along the way.

I know I’m no Tolkien, so please be kind.

Enjoy!