Ally, Meera, Henry, Katie and I skipped work for a few days, piled into the Isuzu and sang our way through the southeastern Rwanda to Nyungwe National Forest. Nothing like a road trip to take your mind of the high stress life we live out here.

Driving into the forest is a breathtaking experience. You start high up in the mountains and slowly wind your way into a valley. Jutting out of both sides of the road are sharp shards of rock dotted with all forms of plant life. Drive slowly enough and you can spot the many varieties of primates and birds the forest holds. The stark contrast between the blue mountains, the white lake and the green tea which grows just outside the forest burns the most astonishing image in your mind. We stayed in a little guest house and after being warmed by a few glasses of wine and a healthy fire, we feel asleep to the sounds of monkeys scampering on our roof.

The next morning, we drove back through the forest, stopping occasionally to take some photos. It was one of these photo stops when we ran into the heavily armed Rwandan army. Although most of them were friendly, but the commander did take the time out of his busy schedule to yell at us and threaten our arrest for taking pictures of mountains. Good times.

We spent the rest of the morning hiking through the forest for an exorbitant $50/person. Now I don’t mind paying extra to support African tourism, but the hike we took featured trees and a small waterfall — no monkeys, no birds. Also, our guide, who was gasping like a pack-a-day smoker was definitely making up facts about the plants we saw.

Guide: This one is good for stopping excessive bleeding or diarrhea.
Yaw: Looks a lot like the one we just saw for killing worms.
Guide: Yeah, it’s kind of similar.
Yaw: Right. Similar.

Anyway, check out the gallery for a few pictures of the forest and a stealth shot of the Rwandan army.