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| We created quite a stir! Such wonderful smiles! |
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| Our group in front of the King's house. Notice Brett and I are dressed as King and Queen! |
Rwanda is a beautiful country! The volcanoes around Musanze are home to the famed mountain gorillas where Dian Fossey conducted her research in the 1970s and inspired the movie "Gorillas in the Mist." Because they are endangered, these gorillas may not be legally hunted. The gorillas can be found in Rwanda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Wisely, Rwanda has created ways to help the people who would be poaching the animals create a living. With the surge of ecotourism, people may now go gorilla trekking to see these magnificent creatures in the wild. Unfortunately with a cost of $500 US per person, we did not go gorilla trekking. However, we did support the conservation of these incredible creatures through a visit to the cultural village.
The visit was fantastic! We were greeting with dancers in their native dress singing and dancing a welcome to us. The village is designed to represent life in the 15th and 16th century. After the dancers were finished with their welcome, out terrific guide showed us the King's house (Brett was chosen as King), the medicine man, and how to shoot a bow and arrow. We finished with more dancing and we were asked to join in the fun. We were also able to purchase items from a gift area that were made by former poachers. We even were joined by a delightful couple who were spending the night at the village. They were from the Japanese tourism board and were learning all about ecotourism options. Unfortunately, it got dark and we had to head to our guest house. It was definitely a wonderful visit!
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| Our Welcome | | | |
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| Amazing view of the volcanoes |
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