A Day in Amsterdam

Surprisingly, I've never visited Europe before. Of all my travels, I tend to head south of the Ecuador, or exotic destinations involving a wildlife or nature aspect.

So, after a 2 week whirlwind journey, I wanted to take the opportunity to break up the trip, spending a day checking out Amsterdam and resting before the trip home.

I chose to stay at the Hotel De L'Europe, a 5* property, and Virtuoso hotel and one of the Leading Hotels of the World. Upgraded to a Deluxe 1-Bedroom Suite with balcony overlooking the water, I was happy to be 'home' for a few days. The rooms are classical European in style, deep rich reds, dark wooden furniture and high ceilings, large marble bathroom with separate shower and big speaker tub. The lighting is a bit dim, I've noticed a thing for hotels with dim lighting lately, yes it's nice, but it can be super annoying when you're trying to get ready, arranging luggage.

The hotel is centrally located across from the Flower Market, great shopping, bars and restaurants, and a 10 minute stroll to Dam Square and the Royal Palace. I like to be close to the action, but being here over a weekend, the late night noise can spill into the rooms, a problem if you're a light sleeper. I however, slept like I was dead, the super comfy king bed with plush fittings was exactly what I was looking for.

Overall I had fantastic service at the De L'Europe, the front desk staff was always willing to go the extra mile. The food was great, fast service, and overall welcoming atmosphere.

What to do in Amsterdam with one day??? There is so much to see and do here, and quickly realized that it's a great place to get lost in, and will surely back.

A late start, I purchased a 24 hour tram pass for EUR7.5, city map in hand. Beginning at the flower market, meandering in and out of cool shops, I found some great finds for Christmas presents. The shopping here is wonderful! There is something for everyone and could easily spend a full day just shopping. Making my way up to Dam Square and the Royal Palace, plenty of action, people watching and eclectic vibe. Pumping music and a growing crowd next to the National Monument, I wandered over to check it out. Chatting with a couple gals from London, they said they heard on Twitter that Klohe Kardashian was on her way. As the crowd grew and time went on I thought to myself, "Do I really care to see one of the Kardashian's?"...not really but, why not. Finally a parade of tinted out black vans drove in, and the crowd went wild. So much for the security fence, the masses rushed screaming and going crazy with their phones in the air hoping for a snapshot of her. I didn't see her, and didn't try, but thought it was comical to watch.

Making my way to the tram stop walking through quieter side streets, I loved the peacefulness and old world charm. The slower pace to just grab a coffee, chill out on a bench and look around.

Hopping on the tram, I headed towards the Zoo...destination: Dutch Resistance Museum. I was a bit nervous getting on the tram not knowing if I was going to get completely lost, but the system is efficient and pretty easy.

The Dutch Resistance Museum was of interest to me as I was headed to Anne Frank's House following, and wanted a better understanding of the Holocaust and what took place here in the 1940's. Overall the museum was quite well done, however found it confusing to follow the flow as there are lots of side rooms to get a deeper perspective, and at times would jump ahead and then fall back between events. The museum does do a good job of explaining the resistance movement from 1940-1945, the propaganda that took place, difficulties and triumphs.

A quick beer and tapas and I was back on the tram heading over to Westermarket, for the Anne Frank House. I knew I should have bought my ticket online a few weeks earlier when I was planning my trip. I decided not to, as I wanted to have no commitments here - but say it’s a MUST for anyone visiting. I waited in line about 45 minutes, in November - not bad all considering, but for anyone trying to get in during high season, good luck!

The Anne Frank House was amazing! Anne's story is told so well as you make your way through the various quarters of the house, stories told along the way, quotes written along the walls, the blacked out windows make you realize what the family lived like during those times in hiding. As you make your way through Anne and Margo's room, you can see magazine clips and pictures that she pasted on the wall - climbing the steep stairs up to the kitchen and attic - the whole experience is thought provoking. One of the concluding parts to the museum is a video of Otto Frank, talking about Anne's diary - a striking quote that I will never forget: "And my conclusion is," he said, "since I had been in very good terms with Anne, that most parents don't know really their children.”

  

Overlanding Uganda to Rwanda

A trip to Uganda and Rwanda tends to involve ALOT of driving. The roads can be brutal in some areas, so travel time is slow. There are options for charter flights, just like any other place in Africa if you want to maximize your time in each location. I however, think the landscapes in both countries is so amazing, driving offers a deeper perspective into the land and the people. 

To get from Kyambura in Uganda to the next destination, Volcanoes Virunga Lodge in Rwanda, the fastest driving route would take about 6 hours, however we wanted the chance to see the tree climbing lions (endemic to the region), found in Ashasha, part of Queen Elizabeth Park - by doing this, adds another 4 hours to the drive. The route also takes you through Bwindi (another area for gorilla trekking), which offers majestic scenery. 

I'm glad we did this route - the only thing I would do differently is to break it up and spend a couple nights in Bwindi, then carry on. There's a few routes to combine the regions so it depends what you want. 

Departing early in the morning we passed elephants, waterbuck, baboons, various species of monkeys...until we came up to an overloaded semi, tipped over  - a few cars waiting on both sides (there isn't much traffic), and about 30 men watching, helping and chattering about how to fix it. We got up on the roof to watch and wait when a drunk Ugandan comes up stumbling around with a bunch of clothing up his shirt pretending he was pregnant, muttering gibberish and laughing up a storm...harmless amusement. The guys had chains and finally got the semi to all fours and we were on our way. 

Driving through the park looking out for lions in the trees, I was starting to get doubtful...and then there they were! Four lions up in the tree! They look a bit silly, but beautiful, straddling the tree branches. The lions here climb the trees in the heat of the day, something adapted over the years. 

The scenery starts to change from open plains to green, lush scenery. The region around Bwindi is truly amazing - rounding a corner we come across another wiped out semi, this time slid sideways off the road, blocking access both ways. All the men were pushing as the driver kept trying to get out, it took about 40 minutes of attempts before they listened to Sam who suggested sliding more off the road so we could get by, and pull them out. They were hesitant because they thought we'd just drive on through. But it worked and we saved the day again. 

The rest of the drive is where it gets a bit long after being on the road for about 8 hours already, but as we neared the border crossing into Rwanda, we passed a refugee camp, which at times has housed as many as 50,000 refugees from neighboring Congo. The kids, through the fence, were still smiling and waving as we passed. 

Reaching the border with Rwanda, volcanoes come into view. It was a bit of process crossing - in a strange way I enjoyed entering by land - on the Ugandan side there are two points you have to go through, one for the police, and the other, for your exit stamp. The same goes once you get to the other side, check in with police, then to the immigration building for entry. There's lots of people, and its getting dark. My American friends get a free visa on arrival, but Canadians have to apply online prior to coming. This was easy, you submit your passport and point of entry, a few days later you receive an email back with a PDF of your approval. I thought it was $60 USD, however he gave me $20 back, so have to check again and see what the difference was, or if its changed. Then I had to wait...it took about 30 minutes and finally had my visa and passport back. 

We reached the Virunga lodge after 10 hours on the road - although it was dark we could see the silhouette of the hills and volcanoes around us. Virunga Lodge sits atop a hill overlooking the lake and islands to one side, and volcanoes to the other - I can honestly say, among the BEST view I've seen, pictures doesn't do it justice. 

Kyambura Coffee Co-op and Village Visit

The Volcanoes Partnership Trust is a division of Volcanoes, projects that give back to the local communities. 

The community project at Kyambura works to empower women through coffee making, from picking the beans in the fields through extracting, roasting and the final product. This cooperative project supplies all the Volcanoes Lodges (and some others) coffee, as well as giving guests the chance to come and see the organization for themselves, and bring home some Ugandan coffee, roasted on demand when you order it. 

Our group wanted to get out and explore the local culture, walking through the hills along a dirt road to the coffee plantation, learning about the project, was inspiring. Nicole, who has been leading the coop has been here from the US for 7 years, originally came to study the chimps, but fell in love with the country and stayed. She has some wonderful visions about how to expand, creating more jobs for the local women, building a stronger revenue source for years to come. 

Following the coffee tour, our guides Sam, and Adrian took us into one of the nearby villages - a bumpy, muddy, dirt road, small shacks (stores), clay-brick houses - the children chasing the vehicle with their hands reached out to touch ours. As soon as we got out of the car we were surrounded, children running to us in every direction, smiling, grabbing our hands, some standing back with a shy hesitation. This was like nothing I've ever seen, in some places the children come and begging for money, items, something for you to give them. All we had were our cameras and the kids went crazy for us to take their pictures and show them. The mothers, warm and friendly, smiling watching us all interact. 

Entering into some shops, we tried some banana beer, and banana gin - the beer, was alright, other than the thick texture, it wasn't that bad. The gin...not so much, it was like moonshine on steroids.  Went into a little super market and bought some little packs of curry powders, and a banana leaf hat for $5 from an elder. 

It's frowned upon to give out money, or items to the children, unless you have something for everyone    - overtime it gives them the idea they can just ask for it, end up not going to school to beg from tourists, and for us, ruins the authenticity of just interacting with the locals. There is a good website if you do want to help the communities you're visiting - Pack with a Purpose - here, you'll find items in need specific to the regions, arranging for them to be given to the appropriate people to be dispersed. 

It brought tears to my eyes when we left here, such an intense feeling to see the joy on their faces, to think about the life they live everyday, and everything we have that we take for granted sometimes. 

Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

The day to see the gorillas is here! After s 5am wake up call we set out for a 45 minute drive to the park headquarters. On arrival, there's a bit of a waiting game while all the groups are assigned. 

There are 10 gorilla families that tourists can visit in Volcanoes National Park,  ranging in size from about 8 to 40 gorillas in each group. The largest family, Susa, is one of the more difficult treks as they tend to be further in the park. Travelers can request specific groups, although not guaranteed - also, for those not as fit or wanting an easier hike, will be considered as well when assigning the family. 

We told our guide, Sam, that we wanted lots of babies - to our luck we were given the second largest family, with loads of babies! The Agashya group, with 22 gorillas in the family - Agashya is the silverback and known as the playboy of all the groups, a bit of a stud, with attitude.

After orientation with the park rangers, you drive to the starting point based on which group you're hiking to. 

Our hike started out in farmland moving up the volcano - we spotted another group of gorillas in the distance, adding to the excitement...moving slowly up into the mist, it was like a scene out of movie, breathtaking (physically and emotionally), the hike was moderate, and challenging at times. It's encouraged to hire a porter to carry your day pack, for $20 it supports the local community, and they help you every step of the way. Literally holding your hand helping up steep muddy areas, always watching out for your safety and embarrassment of sliding down the mountain. 

After 2 hours of trekking we could hear the them! Within meters, we take only our cameras and leave the porters. All of sudden we can see the gorillas in the bush, everyone is so excited. Our 1 hour with them starts now.

As we walk through a clearing, there is Agashya, the massive silverback sitting on what could dub as a throne. Eating away at the bamboo he quickly gets up, pounding his chest and charges at my roomie, Marisa, giving her a punch in the shoulder as he runs by. She was of course a little freaked out, not hurt, with a story to share for a lifetime. 

During the briefing we are told by the guides that the gorillas will sometimes come up and slap or touch you on the way by, and the best thing to do (if you can't back off in time) is to stay still. The guides constantly make moves and watch our proximity, telling us where to go if they are coming too close. 

After Agashya's welcome more gorillas start coming out, swinging in the trees, and through another clearing there are about 4 more sitting around, eating bamboo. At this time of year the gorillas feed off the bamboo, getting 'drunk', so to speak. Some of them really were, 'loaded', bobbing their heads around acting strange, playing with eachother, hugging eachother, and fighting.

A few of the juveniles were eating up a storm, starting to hit and kick at eachother, Agashya had enough and came storming out of the bush to break up the fight. As we're standing there watching the branches above start moving, another gorilla coming down right at us! We quickly moved out of the way just in time for him to reach the ground. 

Next we come across a little one year old baby, playing with his older brother. This was a highlight watching the baby rock back and forth on all fours, so similar to a human, the brother was cuddling with the young one, poking and playing, and farting up a storm. Our hour was coming to a close, we soaked up the last few minutes and said goodbye - everyone was in awe, it felt so surreal. 

Meeting back with the porters we could hear all the gorillas starting to fight again, screaming and shrieking we sat and listened before making the trek back down. 

The gorillas were truly a lifetime experience, I cannot recommend it highly enough. After speaking with other travelers at the lodge, seeing the terrain and learning about the different parks you can visit to see the gorillas, just about anyone can do this. I'll be adding another write up on the logistics of gorilla trekking, from the permit process and difference between parks. Stay tuned..

Chimps and Kyambura Gorge

One of the draws to come to Kyambura Gorge is to see the chimps - there is a group of 20 in the area, disruption to the land has prevented them from moving around to other communities, and they have started to inbreed - there are talks of planting fig trees to create a channel that they can travel through. 

I had read a bit about the tracking in Kyambura prior to coming, the chances are 50/50 that you'll see them, so I came with no expectations. A day earlier we met with a team from Departures magazine who raved about the experience with the chimps, that they saw them from the road and didn't even have to trek into the gorge to look for them. This got my hopes up, but should have known if they saw them the day before, what we could expect. 

An early morning start we drove to the starting point, registered and sorted the permits - must plan in advance as they can be hard to obtain on arrival.

Getting out the car at the side of the gorge, we start our decent, about 70 meters, STEEP steps...pretty crazy, I think I hugged the ground crawling on all fours getting down. 

Once you're at the bottom its like a scene out of fern gulley - absolutely magical, the trekking fairly flat and follows the channel, monkeys swinging from the canopy above...beautiful. We walked for about 2 hours in search of the chimps, our guide calling back to reception where they'e been hearing their calls, they are on the cliff near the highest point of the gorge, about 100 meters. Too hard to reach, it would be impossible, and dangerous to keep going. We're all super bummed, somber and pouting. 

This fueled another reason to return. I have to see them now. 

Tip - if you have a couple days planned here, book the permits for both days (only $50 each), that way if you don't see them the first day, you have another chance. 

For anyone wanting to experience the chimps, there is a rescue center in Kampala where you can have a hands on experience, Brian, in our group did this on arrival and said it was amazing. You can also go to Kibale (Uganda), and also into southern Rwanda...both areas well known for chimps. 

Aside from not seeing them, the hike was awesome, and the afternoon would soon make up for it. 

Game Drives and Cruising on the Kazinga Channel

People don't come to Uganda for a classic safari experience, however one of the activities here around Kyambura is checking out the game in Queen Elizabeth National Park..

We ventured out early into the park, driving through the wide open plains of the Rift Valley - the setting is gorgeous. Hundreds, and hundreds of Ugandan Cobs, a few elephant, waterbuck, lion in the distance, tonnes of buffalo and incredible birdlife (650 species in the park), and warthog...love the warthogs, they're my favorite. Something about their asses, reminds me of a donkey, they're funny little things. The highlight was finding stranded german tourists, 3 vehicles stuck in the mud. Our guide, and awesome Land Rover came to save the day! I would have happily got out to push, but it didn't get to that point. Oh well, save the mud for later. 

Later in the afternoon we set out to the Kazinga Channel, about 1.5 hours drive from the lodge. We checked out Mweya Lodge, awesome views overlooking Lake Edwards and the mountains. Mweya is much different than Volcanoes Kyambura Gorge Lodge, bigger, more hotel like, but nice, good for those wanting that specific location. I much prefer where we are staying, intimate, close to the gorge, and town of Kyambura. 

Boarding the small boat we sailed off for a 2 hour cruise along the channel. Lots and lots of prettty birds - I'm not a birder and the names never stick, but always appreciate the guide rambling off names of what sounds like a foreign language! 

Loads of hippos, with babies at their sides, buffalo along the shores, and some big crocodiles! Ending the cruise at the mouth of the channel with views of the local fishing village, flocks of pelicans, and the sun hitting the Mountains in the Moon to the west.  

First Impressions in Uganda

I can't recall what it was that inspired my interest to visit Uganda and Rwanda - but have had a facination to come here for as long as I can remember. I've had a strange curisosity to learn more about the people, the corupption that has taken place with the genocide, the gorillas and the chimps, the lush landcapes and natural beauty.

The arrival process in Entebbe was a breeze, paid my $50 visa fee at immigration, and a few minutes later was with my driver racing through the city to the small airstrip.

Driving through town was an adventure, cars coming head on passing eachother, people crammed on pedal bikes and motorbikes, goats roaming around and children smiling and waving. This is Africa , I love it! 

It was great to finally meet the others in the group, my roomie, Marissa - a travel advisor from New York, along with Will and Andrew, also travel advisors in New York and Texas. 

Boarding our Cesna 208 we were quickly up at 9,000 ft for a 1 hour flight to Kasese - the landscape changing from farmland to green mounainous terrain...we hit a storm on landing, a bit nerve wrecking but kind of fun to be pushing through the dark clouds being pelted with rain. 

Kyambura Gorge Lodge is about an hour from Kasese, driving through the Rwenzori Mountains and down into Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Rift Valley. I love passing through the villages, the children melt my heart, and the goats....love the little goats! Haha. 

For anyone who's watched the travel show, Departures, you may recall the episode where Scott and Justin visit Uganda - well, now I 'get it'...passing people on bikes carrying loads of bananas, up and down the hills and swerving every which way on the roads to avoid the potholes. Chaotic, but peaceful.  

Our lodge sits just outside the village of Shambura, we've seen very few tourists here, in fact, we're the only guests at our lodge. There are only 8 bandas at Kyambura Gorge Lodge, however only 3 open right now as 5 are being redone. 

It's so quiet, birds, birds, and more birds.

The food has been great so far, curries, fresh coffee, juices and fruits. The bananas are AMAZING. 

Despite advisories of being an unsafe and dangerous country, I've felt more than comfortable and welcomed by everyone in Uganda so far. 

9 Hours at AMS Schiphol Airport

With the amount of time I had in Amsterdam to connect to my new flights, I could have ventured into the city, but with the lack of sleep, and not in a "touring" kinda mood, I stuck around the aiport. 

Schiphol is a great (aside from a few operational setbacks), bars, lounges, restaurants, lots of shopping...and there's even a casino! 

There was a point where I thought I was literally going to fall asleep, and with fear missing my flight, I ventured to the Yotel (small cubicle style rooms for rent by the hour, great for longer connections, or just to escape the airport scene), offering showers for 15EUR - this was priceless for me - I dont't remember the last time feeling so instantly refreshed - I shoulda went strait here and chilled out for the day! 

Feeling like a new person, Volcanoes London office called me back to advise she had been in touch with the local team in Uganda, who has arranged to delay our charter flight in the morning until my arrival - what a relief!!! Sorry to the rest of my group in advance! 

So, after missing my original flight, spirits are high again, plans are back in place. The only part really lost in all this is my overnight at the Serena Lake Victoria Hotel just outside Entebbe. 

Must admit, kind of looking forward to flying into Dubai, and experiencing Emirates Airlines.

 

Connections and Delays!

OK - this trip is off to a bit of a rough start!

I had a feeling some glitches were in store when I checked my flights a week ago, only to find out my departure was booked for Oct. 3, NOT Nov. 3! You can imagine the horror to my eyes when I figured out what happened, as it throws the entire reservation out of whack. You're probably wondering how I mucked up my own flights, being a travel agent and all...well, I didn't book them so I can proudly say it wasn't my fault! I should have, however, checked the itinerary for accuracy as soon as I received the tickets, rather than just file them in a folder. Thankfully our great team at Vision made some phone calls, asked for some favors, and had it fixed.

And of course I leave absolutely everything to the last minute, packing, running around buying more camera and trekking gear, you know, everything that most people start preparing for at least a few days before heading across the world.

Last year, when we traveled to southern Africa, our luggage never arrived Johannesburg and made it 6 days on safari with our carry on. It wasn't the end of the world, I had all my camera gear and everything that was important - but I'm petrified of that happening again, and insisted that I travel only carry on this time. After-all, I need safari and trekking gear, clothes for business meetings and dresses for parties. After much stress, weighing and measuring, I did it! Bag is a little large but I squeezed it in the overhead with a sigh of relief the airline didn't take a second look at it. 

After an uneventful flight over the pond we start our decent into Amsterdam, cabin crew is preparing for arrival, I'm thinking to myself, "yeah, this is great, on-time arrival, got all my bags, it'll be a breeze connecting to my 1005am departure for Entebbe". With 15 minutes to landing, the captain comes on and advises that due to weather we have to land in Rotterdam to wait it out and fuel up. AWESOME. A number of flights were diverted here and after sitting on the tarmac for an hour, we're  up in the air for a 10 minute hop into Schipol Airport! Missed my connection, along with 100's of others. What a gong show. The line must be 2km long for rebooking. There's no way I'm getting out today, or likely tomorrow. 

Frantically trying to get through to someone (its 2am in Calgary), sending emails, trying to phone KLM, I emailed a friend in Switzerland to see if he could help. MIRACLE! I stood in the line for almost 2 hours, sure that anything that was available would be gone by the time I made it to the front - he emails me back, flight re-booked departing Amsterdam tonight via Dubai, landing at Entebbe at 1240pm. Happily headed up to bar for a beer, everyone in line gawking how I got my flight fixed while they had to wait another 2 hours in line to talk to someone. I can't express how thankful I am for the help. 

Our group departs tomorrow, Entebbe-Kasese on the last flight of the day at 1230pm, so now I have to figure out how I'll meet up with them at Kyambura Lodge, but am just thankful I'll be in Uganda! (knock on wood)

Next, a phone call to insurance to start a claim for expenses and missed portions of the trip. 

Headed to Uganda, Rwanda & Morocco!

I’m headed to Entebbe where I’m joining a small group with Volcanoes Safaris – spending a few days at Kyambura Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park for game drives, boat trips on the Kazinga Channel, and chimp tracking in the Kyambura Gorge. From here, we’ll cross the border into Rwanda by land, spending a few nights at Virunga Lodge, in Park National Des Volcans, with a full day dedicated for gorilla tracking!! I’m hoping we’ll have some time to visit Diane Fossey’s Grave and opportunities to visit the local villages. Driving into Kigali, the trip ends with an emotional visit to the Genocide Memorial, something I am sure will be disturbing, and thought provoking.

I am beaming with excitement, Uganda and Rwanda have long been on my list of places to go.

Leaving Kigali, I’m flying to Marrakech via some tight connections through Europe (fingers crossed the airline Gods are on my side!) for the PURE Life Experiences conference. I am thrilled to be attending this “invite only” event, meeting travel providers from around the world who offer truly authentic, life changing travel experiences.