Such an amazing day

The day started with more UN running around. We went to the airport for our helicopter ride and, for the third time, it didn't work out. Then we thought about driving into the jungle where we went with the UN convoy before but this time on our own. Our fixer assured us it would be fine. On the way we stopped at a market to pick up waters. In there there was a male Congolese customer and 4 Congolese women working the "store.". Somehow we got into a discussion about gender riles in the Congo vs US. (We tend to talk a lot). In Congo the women take care of the children, clean the " house," do the laundry, cook the food, work the fields, etc. And the men do nothing. Women are really second class citizens. We were telling them in the states that women are our equals and we do things that our wives ask us to and help out. The man was not buying a word of it but the women were entranced by the idea. On our way out of the store the man asked why were we saying this nonsence and where were we from. I said "we are from the future." Congo is definitely a country that would massively change for the better if it had a female president.

We drove through villages and savanna's  to get to the area where the Congolese army (FRDC) is stationed near the Rwandan border and in the mountains of the jungle.  It is in fact right in the national gorilla reserve. We had a 4x4 Land Cruiser that our driver tried to drive through ditches that were way too big, and over fallen trees that I would never try to drive over. We got stuck multiple times.  We got in situations where we had to uses the villagers machete to chop down some tree to try and fit up the mountain. It was ridiculous. We finally told our fixer that we would walk it was about an hour walk up the mountain he said. We got to the top where were met by various troops.  We were invited into their greeting hut to discuss why were there. After a while they agreed to let us meet the commander in charge. His name was Jacques, so we hit it off right away. He took us through the gorilla reserve (where we were not allowed to go) and up to his post where he and his troops live. It was less than living in a small tent. We were told not to film, but as you might imagine, how could we not?  When we got up top they showed is a pi tire on their cellphone of a large male gorrila that frequents their tents. After the troop took the picture the gorilla slapped his legs which apparently sent him flying quite high. It sounded frighteningly hilarious. After befriending the guys they let us do some filming with them. It was great. We really needed this kind of footage. From there we made it back for dinner and the were picked up by a UN patrol. We hopped in their armed patrol vehicles with them and got some amazing shots. I felt like a kid in a candy store. It seemed like we were playing call of duty. It was so much fun hanging of the sides of the vehicles holding the camera driving through the streets if Goma.

Time for bed and off to Rwanda tomorrow for a visit to the Genocide Memorial and out flight home

Another great adventure.