Uganda

It was a steep walk down, and it took an hour and a half or so. Once we were down in the jungle, the machetes came out and the chopping began. The bush was thick - thicker than any jungle I have ever been in. But then we saw him.

At first he looked like a bear, but when he ripped a branch of the tree you saw his massive hands, his nimble arms, and when he looked at you - his piercing eyes. He was a mountain Gorilla; so massive, so beautiful and so human-like. Amazing.

Such gentle giants, yet there are only 700 or so left in the wild, with Uganda having 300 or so left in the thick mountain jungle that they call home. They have been hunted and poached near extinction through the past 100 years, but their numbers are slowly increasing again through various programs and initiatives.

We spent an hour with the SilverBack and his family of 8 other Gorillas. They'd grunt at us, and we'd grunt back - this was their call to say hello, we are friendly. They would come close, look at us, then continue on to wherever they wanted to go. One time we were surrounded by them - wherever you looked, a gorilla was eating, another one was walking, and another one just looking at us, arms crossed almost wondering who we were and where we came from. It was pretty sweet. We got pics - Just no comps are sophisticated enough to upload them. Soon though.

In another adventure, rafting down the Nile was amazing. One of the coolest experiences yet!

I'm back to India, but first Dubai, UAE

Keep movin'

Switzzzzzzzzz

Africa

The time was between 2 - 5 am, and I was somewhere on Kenya's western Savannah, on the worst public bus ride in my life. The seat was broken, my legs cramped and squished, and the road, my God the road. Even for Africa, this road was hell. The bus driver who loved yelling random words in Swahili performed miracles, taking the bus off-road at crucial times, but still going over our fair share of the pot-holed, beat up and broken down sorry excuse for what they considered a road. I was on this bus through the night for 16 hours.

Meanwhile, my younger sister Lindsay some 4000 km away and closing, was lounging on her first class seat she somehow swinged for her 8 hour Air Ethiopian flight from Bangkok to Addis Abbas. At the same time still, my Mother and youngest sister Taylor were perusing around the Amsterdam Airport waiting to leave for Entebbe, going through duty free shops spraying perfumes and reading their Cosmo and Teen People magazines. Damn them. (I still have to get back to Nairobi the same way in a few days) And so these were all our attempts to meet up for the first time in 18 months, in Entebbe, just outside of Kampala the capital of Uganda.

We all made it, and that's just the beginning. We came to see the country, the people, and the wildlife. All are unbelievable.

My story in Africa, however starts in Nairobi, 3 days earlier. Upon arriving, I do what I usually do once I am in a new, foreign big city: I get drunk. I don't know if it was the beer or the shaking booty's of these dancing African queens, but I was feeling good. MY GOD are the woman beautiful here. And their asses, you've think you've seen it in Canada - HELL NO. Wait till you get this 24 year old dance artist shake herself silly to the beats of the Congo drum music re-mixed to some classic Dutti Rock by Sean Paul. Multiply that by 10. I was blown away. Was it sexual? Hell yes. The clubs in Toronto have no clue what goes on here! (Footnote - Daniel Ferron - this place is for you)

Anyways enough on the beautiful woman and their beautiful bums, dark skin, and perfect white smiles; I'm in Africa, and there is plenty more to see. So the next morning I went on a day Safari through Nairobi National Park. This park is something of an anomaly, being so close to the city. The skyscrapers of downtown are the backdrop to the giraffes, elephants, baboons, antelope and rhinoceroses that roam and run around freely in this 750 km2 park. Yeah, I saw all of em, and it was ridiculously cool. Pics are on the way.

The next day was spent online applying for International Internships relating to HIV awareness/and Micro Financing ideas across the globe. I can't stay in Brampton for too long once I'm back, so I'm trying to set something up for the Fall.

The day after was spent roaming the city eating fried chicken (every restaurant is a fried chicken joint) and talking to a Somalian refugee who talked of the two bombs that the USA just dropped last month on a little village near his home. I wouldn't be surprised if you've never heard of this either. But that is what makes traveling the world so interesting - you hear these stories from the people. Not form the TV, not from the radio; from the people. They look into your eyes and tell you these things. CNN can't show that coverage, and newspapers can't write those words; you can only experience them through the people, and I am lucky to be experiencing this.

3 hours later I found myself on that dreadful bus ride, from which this story began.

And it has only started.

I'll only say that it has been a week since then, and we have been all over this lush East African country. Tomorrow we finally get to trek through and up into the mountains, in search of the great Mountain Gorillas. It is only in this small corner of the world, some 150km2 where the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda meet, that these giant primates can be found and watched at play.

Till then, Hippos and the wild playful chimps are my favorite.

TIA

Varanasi

After seeing the world for over 18 months now, nothing really excites me or awes me as much as they once did. A temple here, a waterfall there - only so much of this can excite you.

But then I arrived in the ancient Holy Hindu city of Varanasi. Wow. This place has to be one of the most fantastic sights in the world. Situated on the banks of the Ganges river, you really see another world before you.

I don't know where to start. Along the Ganges life spiritually and literally begins and ends with the Hindus. Open air cremations happen daily, and take as long as 5 hours until the ashes are thrown into the river. Watching this is something else. 10 meters down river the city people are bathing. 15 meters further there's people squatting using the river as there toilet. 20 more meters there's boat man, gamblers, snake charmers, and dhobi's - a place where the laundry gets done (yes, even my clothes got washed in the river) 25 more metes this whole process starts again. Absolutely unreal.

And then you have the Babas. They have renounced all material possessions, and live in make shift tents along the ghats. Some choose to wear bright orange, yellow clothing, others wear only their dreadlocks they've had growing for over 50 years. Think of a Rasta Man meeting Krusty the Clown meeting Cheech and Chong. As these Babas do all day is smoke their chillum - a hashish pipe of sorts, and get high. Sometimes the ambitious ones feel the need to rub themselves in ash and walk around naked down by the river. Smoking hash has never made me feel like this, but maybe it's that Ganges water they bathe in.

On top of that add a fire festival (bonfires in the middle of the street/alleyways/everywhere), a paint festival (Mardi Gras with paint), my 25th Birthday, nightly Ganges river ceremonies, Nepalese and Himalayan hashish, monkeys. goats and water buffalo a plenty, good people and cool music - and you have a week spent in one of the most amazing places I have ever witnessed.

Great Time Dad

Monkey Man, Cobra Man, Python Man

Hey Dad, it was great catching up with you over here in India. The Goan beaches were pretty cool, and same with the Taj. I'll get the pics up as soon as I can find a comp that can handle uploading pics. Hows your head? It took quite a beating from the low ceilings didn't it.

I didn't enjoy Blink as much as I thought I would, but Into Thin Air is turning out to be a great read. It turns out that as of right now I am closer to Mt. Everest than I am to Delhi!

This holi Hindu city of Varanasi, where I am now is unreal. It's a shame you had to leave when you did. This place is situated on the banks of the Ganges, and I swear it's one of the best places I have been too since I've left home. I'll tell you more about it soon.

Love Ya

Matt