Skywalkers

Friday 7 October

On the way back through the park next morning we visited the new Canopy Walk which has only been open since last October.

We didn't know what to expect - probably something like alighting from the car then stepping elegantly out onto a nice solid platform and strolling along a nice solid walkway through the treetops. After all, Josien had assured us we didn't have to climb up a ladder or anything to get to it - you just "step out onto it", he said.

What he didn't say was that we had to do a 45-minute hike down a steep slippery trail before we got to step out onto it. And that it is only about eight inches wide and the floor is made of flimsy-looking aluminium.

I'm assured it can carry up to 4 tonnes!

However it has a safety net up to chest height and quite strong cables at shoulder height that you hang on to. And Robert our guide - you can only do it with a guide - assured us that it is designed to hold four tonnes so we should be safe. It's 160m long and 60m high at its highest point. It's in three sections, the middle of which is the longest at 90m (and the highest). He assured us that he was well trained to handle people who panic (why did that not make me feel better?)

Anyway the first part looked easy so we headed off to the first platform where we got ourselves together for the middle part. It actually wasn't that hard to take the next step, and I only suffered a bit of vertigo for the first few steps. It was a bit unnerving when you were moving because it's impossible not to get some swaying from side to side going on. But when we stood still it felt pretty OK. And with the safety net up to chest height you would have to try fairly hard to fall out.

Does this look like a lady who's afraid of heights?

So there we were, standing on this flimsy-looking structure 60m above the forest floor looking out at the treetops. And neither of us regard ourselves as being good withheights. When I asked Robert how often he has to use his training in panic management, he said "Quite often!"

Looking 60m straight down

We didn't get back to Kigali until 6.30pm. Two stops on the way back - Josien wanted to buy fresh milk so he stopped at a little shop in a village which had even more than the usual number of cows around. He was pretty insistent that we buy some as well - even though it came in 5 litre olive oil containers. I bought some just for the experience and just to make him happy I guess. I was a bit surprised that the milk was hot, as it had been boiled - the only way fresh milk can be sold. Milk is such an important part of life here. When people receive visitors it is the custom to give them a gift of a container of milk, especially in country areas. In cities this custom is starting to disappear, or is being replaced by other things such as wine.

Josien also insisted we stop at a market and buy fruit, which was accompanied by a fair bit of yelling and hustling from the vendors, something I still find a bit overwhelming. However with Josien's help we limited ourselves to only four pineapples, two dozen bananas, two pawpaws and three dozen passionfruit and a carry bag - all for 3900 RWF (about $6.50). Just as well David is going to be here next week and he will eat passionfruit until it's coming out of his ears.

PS: Remember, click on the photos to see them full size