It must be some very strange, double-edged curse, but Rwanda is most definitely enchanted. The whole of the country is tiny, and full of bizarre and wonderful things…

- In the middle of the country, a bustling city in the chaoatic throes of development

- In the Southwest, a rainforest, which is home to classic charmers such as chimps and leopards, as well as to THE GIANT JUNGLE SQUIRREL (!)

- In the West, an exploding lake

- In the North, a volcano and bands of mountain gorillas, the most human of the non-humans; and

- In the East, savannah-like plains, where elephants and lions and giraffes roam about on permanent lunch break.

With a background in environmental science, I love what is wild about our little planet. So the experience of walking around Akagera national park in the East of Rwanda two weeks ago with mythic savannah mortals was a chilling, thrilling delight for me.

Giraffes are these graceful, unlikely creatures. It is entirely possible that grace only exists because they do.

And families of fancy zebras were just grazing right past us, ignoring us almost completely, as if we didn’t even exist on the same plane. (And maybe we don’t- they seem way too beautiful to share a world with foodcourts and tax lawyers and daytime television and all the rest of our species’ nonsense.)

We also saw many species of antelope and monkey, some rather bold babboons, and a family of hippos. And a green mamba snaked across the path right in front of us! Biodiversity is particularly charming in East Africa.

In any case, I am completely charmed.

Category: On location, Rwanda // 1 Comment »