EXCLUSIVE with Rhys Darby on Rwanda
tvnz.co.nz caught up with Intrepid traveller Rhys Darby and asked him about his journey around Rwanda.
Tell us how you came to end up going to
Rwanda?
Mel and Jane from Jam TV somehow found my number and cold called
me. I was stunned with the opportunity and immediately blocked the
time off. Then I spent a few weeks panicking with worry. I was
lucky to get Rwanda. I mean there's a lot of places on Earth one
can be taken to but Rwanda not only has the country and it's
scarred history, it comes with the life changing experience of
sharing time with mountain gorillas.
What was the most surprising part of this Intrepid Journey
for you?
That Rwanda is not the place you panic and think of after watching
news items for the last few years. It is peaceful, it is developing
(fast) and it is greener than New Zealand! The most surprising part
was really seeing it develop literally in front of your eyes. The
capital Kigali is filled with cell phone billboards and
construction plans for inner city apartments. At the same time
however most of the population still use walking as their only mode
of transport.
What did you learn most about yourself during this
experience?
That being a westerner we tend to live in little boxes. We become
so fixated on our individual lives that we forget about the society
we live in as a whole. I have concentrated so hard on my hopes and
dreams and what the world can give me that I haven't put enough
thought into having a community spirit.
How did you prepare for the trip?
I went for a run, did fifty sit-ups, read the Rwanda travel guide
and watched 'Gorillas in the Mist'.
What was the one moment during the trip which has become
burned into your mind?
Seeing that first mountain gorilla. We trekked through
the bush for about three hours hacking our way with machetes and
with every step the adrenaline and the excitement mounted. Finally
through a clearing I saw high up in a tree my first wild gorilla.
There he was sitting there staring at me. He was the 'lookout' for
the group and had known we were coming for about an hour. I just
froze and this overwhelming feeling of fear mixed with surprise
came over me. It was I imagine the same sort of feeling one would
get if they saw an alien.
Were there ever moments when you wished you could head off
a plane back to NZ?
Maybe that time when we got attacked by the 'devil bats from hell'
when we visited an island.
What was the one fact which surprised you most about your
trip?
That every Rwandan family are given one cow by the government. One
cow to start their family life in good prosperity.
How have you changed as a person after the trip
abroad?
I'm now the person who constantly talks about the time I went to
Rwanda and got to sit with a group of mountain gorillas. Would you
like to see my photos? Oh have I... Would you like to see them
again? What about this hour long doco that Jam TV made of my
adventures? Have you seen that? Would you like a copy of it?
