From the beginning, things were going wrong. We were supposed to meet the other hashers who needed a lift out to Cyangugu (where the has was taking place - Southwestern part of Rwanda) at 12:30 on Friday afternoon. When we showed up, no one was there. Eventually, an hour later, some people began arriving but we quickly realized (Norah and I) that we were leftovers - we had no rides. But luckily, a bus of Ugandans and Kenyans joining us for the East African Interhash were still in Kigali and made room for 2. So Norah and I hopped on and at first it was fun. Singing and lots of energy. But then my stomach decided 1) it was sick of the food I was giving it; 2) it was sick of the winding road; 3) it was sick of the heat. And you can guess the result - thank god I was sitting by the window. But it was a 7 hour trip so although I got sick 3 hours in, I still had 4 more hours to endure. Thank god I carry Gravol everywhere I go. So I took 3 and hoped for the best. Ugandans love to chat but I was in no mood so by the end of the 7 hour trip, I definitely was not the favourite Muzungo....
So we get to the hotel. Little tiny smelly room. But my standards have dramatically decreased since I embarked on this trip. Basically, as long as I don't see cockroaches in the bed or fecal matter on the floor, I'll sleep in a room. I managed to eat some rice and then I passed out (I took too many Gravols haha...)
The next morning, I was SO excited. I mean, who gets to run in the jungle?! And breakfast was delicious - lots of fruit and bread. The two things I've decided I'm going to live off for the next 3 months after Friday's vomiting extravaganza. We were set to hit the road by 10:30AM. But of course, everything here is delayed - African Time they call it. Turns out there weren't enough vehicles, so we had to hire 2 additional trucks for our crowd of 50 Muzungos and East Africans. As we were waiting outside our hotel for the trucks to arrive, a crowd of 50+ villagers surrounds us and stares. It's literally like being a celebrity without all the perks! It was so uncomfortable...
Finally the trucks arrive. We depart 2 hours later than anticipated. But it's okay, I'm still trying to be positive. Until we reach the jungle...
The drive to the hash (running trail) was supposed to be 2 hours. But it quickly turned into 5. We started with 7 cars and arrived with 4. The road through the rainforest was mud, hills, curves, and cliffs. Cars got stuck about 3 times and at one point, a beast of a construction vehicle was stuck blocking the road. 2 cars turned back and eventually one car broke down 3/4 of the way in and had to get towed the rest of the way. As cars were dropping like flies, so were available spaces in cars. So half of us ended up just piling into the back of the pickup trucks. Let me tell you, I was ready to jump off the pickup a few times as I was fairly sure it was going to fall off the cliff.
But Nyungwe jungle is BEAUTIFUL. And all that was worth it.
About 8km from the Burundian border, I got fed up with the whole situation and jumped out of the truck. I decided to run the rest of the way. And run I did. Fighting my still very unhappy stomach and mild altitude sickness (2000m above sea level). Legs felt like concrete but I did it. And so did Norah. And as she puts it, it all felt like an enchanted dream.
Vegetation began to change as we got closer to Burundi
We ran into the village around 4:45pm (nearly 2 hours late). Many of the villagers had never seen white people. So it was something out of a movie. A crowd of white people in trucks and on feet enter this tiny village. People were mesmerized. We were supposed to reach the border at 3pm. But by the time we ACTUALLY made it, it was nearly 5pm and the border closes at 6pm. We tried desperately to negotiate crossing the border into Burundi. From Burundi, we could drive back and avoid the jungle and be back in Cyangugu within 2 hours. We could also get food across the border as there were restaurants in the Burundian border town. Our hash leader had prearranged for us to cross the border but on this day, when we REALLY needed to get to our neighbouring country, we couldn't. Border officers refused. We tried money, vodka, calling the Burundian military, Burundian Police, Rwandan Immigration - NOTHING worked. As we waited, a small group of us turned on some Phoenix on my iPhone and danced in the dark. We looked nuts but it served to warm us up and lift our spirits.
So here we were, this group of East Africans and Muzungos in this tiny village on the border of Burundi. No electricity, no food, no where to sleep. It was freezing - like actually probably no warmer than 8 degrees. The africans found this room that was selling used clothing and they bought jackets and pants. People stayed in a tiny bar, someone's family home with a single bed, their cars, in the clothes of the 'clothing store', and at the municipal office. I was huddled on a bench in a room at the office with Norah and my new American friend Mike. We were still in a our sweaty running gear, and we shivered our way through the very very long night. The guards took down the curtains in the room and we used them as blankets. The mosquitoes ate me alive. It was definitely not one of my greatest moments.
We didn't really sleep but we made it through the night. And the sunrise was gorgeous.
The border opens at 6am so we quickly began working on the authorities to try to negotiate our way into Burundi. We found some tea (which is actually just sugar water - it tasted like watered down table syrup) and managed to warm up a bit. We weren't even hungry at this point. Just wanted to get back. We tried for 3 hours. Negotiated, bargained, and in the end begged. But for no reason, Burundi said no. It seemed they were intimidated by the number of Muzungos trying to get across.
Burundi, LET ME IN!!
By 9am the Kenyans lost their cool. They had traveled 36 hours for this hash and were beyond fed up. So they decided to risk it and face the jungle and head back on the 4 hour drive to the hotel. Everyone agreed. But we were short vehicles and so we all had to pile in the back of 3 pick up trucks. We were lucky in that we made it out of the jungle fast and alive. Bruised due to the bumps and the fact that I was in a back of a pickup for hours. But alive. And the view was amazing on the way back. Tea plantations everywhere!! I even saw some quicksand. Wild.
I was COVERED in dust at this point but we had fun!
When we got back to Cyangugu (4 hours later), all we could do is pack our bags and hit the road back to Kigali (another 6.5 hour drive home). We got home at 8:30, without a meal for 36 hours and simply proceeded to shower and crash...
So it was epic. Adventurous. Absurd. And in a strange way, Awesome. There were points we weren't sure we'd ever get back to Kigali and moments were it was all to surreal to be happening. But we managed to spend the night in a real African rural village and ride in the back of pickup trucks. We made new friends and had good laughs. I guess to REALLY experience Africa, you've got to take the good with the bad. Have the full experience. And that we did...
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