Number 111: Embarking on an unforgettable journey with our friends Micky & Gilad Stern to Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia, we landed in December 2010, adrenalin pumping, at Entebbe Airport, site of the remarkable 1976 Israeli strike against terrorism.

Within the lush Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, instructions were to hide our food from the Mountain Gorillas and to not look them in the eye. A young gorilla seemed to like Sheryl and brushed past her – touching her lightly, a nerve racking yet thrilling experience. Awe inspiring to spend a little time midst a troop of these huge, endangered animals.

In Uganda  –  a photo stop at the Equator, tree climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Park, night on an idyllic island away from manic cities where motorists, cyclists, pedestrians all frenetically compete for space on poor roads.

The beauty of Rwanda’s rolling green mountains and Capital Kigali, lie in stark contrast to the 1994 Genocide horrors, so powerfully commemorated at Kigali Genocide Memorial for Remembrance and Learning. One small room reflected, in pictures and stories, the horrific genocides perpetrated on earth’s every continent – a penetrating reminder that human beings everywhere have capacity for and continue to perpetrate unspeakable cruelty upon other human beings.

The long drive along exquisitely beautiful Lake Kivu was stopped at the Democratic Republic of Congo border. The Official explained: Visa is $50 but $200 extra for the “Manager”.  What if the price to get out of the DRC is multiples more than that? So we didn’t enter!

Obstetric fistula is a debilitating childbirth injury leaving young women whose bodies are not yet ready for giving birth: incontinent, often rejected and ostracised by their families and communities. Heart breaking – this problem’s scale, yet inspiring to visit Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and learn about Catherine and Reginald Hamlin’s extraordinary initiative to effectively give these women their life back! 

After observing the poverty all around from the heights of our comfortable hotel, we reflected at our New Year’s Eve dinner in Addis, on our privilege and the substantial contrasts, insights and inspirations experienced on this African journey.