My mission was to trek and track the endangered mountain gorilla, the intelligent chimpanzee, and the elusive golden monkeys of Uganda and Rwanda.
At the airport security checkpoint in Bombay, my right foot felt unusually heavy. As I removed my trekking shoes for screening, to my dismay, I discovered it was doomsday! My most reliable pair of shoes, which had carried me to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro few years ago, had finally given in; the sole of my right shoe was nearly falling off!
Late last month, I set out on an adventure to rediscover the ‘Pearl of Africa’ and the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills.’
My mission was to trek and track the endangered mountain gorilla, the intelligent chimpanzee, and the elusive golden monkeys of Uganda and Rwanda.
At the airport security checkpoint in Bombay, my right foot felt unusually heavy. As I removed my trekking shoes for screening, to my dismay, I discovered it was doomsday! My most reliable pair of shoes, which had carried me to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro few years ago, had finally given in; the sole of my right shoe was nearly falling off!
With the fallen sole of my shoe in one hand, my soul embarked on a quest for a sports shoe shop. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that there was none at the Bombay airport. Just then, I stumbled upon an outlet for Crocs, where I bought a newly launched stylish (not quite my style) pair of Crocs, allegedly meant for sports! At that point, I didn’t have more options!
As a light traveller, I had no spare shoes packed in my checked luggage. I chocked as I bid farewell to my faithful old pair of shoes and gingerly slipped into the stylish Crocs. They surprisingly felt comfortable and managed to restore a spring to my step and spirit!
Until I had found them, my imagination was running wild; I had pictured myself at a ski slope without skis and by the ocean diving without SCUBA gear. But one glance at my stylish Crocs banished those redundant thoughts, and I felt reassured to have them!
Not one to be fazed by such matters, I boarded my flight, holding on to the hope that my new stylish Crocs would rise to the challenge of trekking after all. Yet, having previously hiked in those regions, I couldn’t entirely shake my doubts.
But then, I was on my way to Africa, where the saying goes, “Hakuna Matata” – “No worries.” The caring people there, in any situation always say, “We shall make a plan!” & they always do
With that happy thought in my mind, I drifted off into a much-deserved sleep.
You may wonder why I didn’t simply buy a pair upon arrival. Well, this trip was for work, and we didn’t have the luxury of time for shopping in the city, moreover these items are not found in the rural areas where we were headed.
Later that evening, I landed in the refreshing city of Entebbe!
Arriving at the hotel at 18:55 (6:55 PM), my host informed me that I had five minutes to join a session with a highly knowledgeable primatologist. By 19:05 (7:05 PM) (I was granted an extra five minutes, yay!), I was captivated by the stories & footage of the fascinating world of the clever chimps!
The following morning, our flight to the next location was at 07:00 AM. By this time, my fellow industry mates from other nationalities were privy to my shoe woes and all had cast tentative glances at my stylish Crocs, now snug on my feet.
By 08:00 AM, we were already landing in Kasese. Upon meeting our driver-guide and showing him my stylish footwear, his candid expression made it evident that they were not suitable for the terrain! He was too polite to dampen my spirits right then, but I had read what his honest eyes hadn’t been able to conceal.
That afternoon, a walk in a swamp for birding went smoothly, thanks to the custom gumboots we all had to wear.
The next morning, we would set off to find the chimpanzees in the dense Kibale forest. That was when I experienced a touching act of kindness: magically, a pair of trekking shoes in my size had appeared! I wasn’t informed whose shoes they were; they obviously belonged to a staff member at the property where we were staying, but the mystery remained.
With the borrowed shoes, I comfortably tracked the chimpanzees while my stylish Crocs sulked indoors.
However, this was just the beginning, and I wondered what I might be walking in on the remaining days!
As we left Kibale and my borrowed shoes behind, I expressed gratitude profusely and showered everyone with good wishes, still oblivious to the identity of the actual giver.
The next day, we would track the chimps again, this time in the steep & deep Kyambura gorge.
That night after dinner, I experienced another act of kindness. Once again, a magical pair of shoes awaited me, this time loaned for the entire duration of my stay!
I was so grateful to the invisible benefactor, that I was left speechless!
Over the next few days, we tracked the mountain gorillas, the black & white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, the rare red tailed monkeys, baboons and the most elusive golden monkeys.
We traversed the length and breadth of the savannah grasslands and wandered through enchanting trails passing fields & terraced farms into the Batwa settlement, all in the glory of my borrowed shoes!
My heart was bursting with immense gratitude and in moments of solitude, I often pondered:
- Does it truly matter what we own and what we don’t? No, it doesn’t! Things are mere perishable commodities.
- Having always been at the giving end, does receiving make me any smaller? No, it doesn’t, it only makes me humble.
- How crucial it is to seize the day and exist in the present moment!
- How honourable it is to maintain anonymity in charity.
- It is pointless to be attached to material possessions.
This entire experience only reinforced my belief that what truly matters is staying connected with people, genuine people who demonstrate such incredible kindness. Everything else is ephemeral! Life is lived in these precious fleeting moments, albeit sometimes with complete strangers.
I may never know whose shoes I wore, but I will always remember that in deep verdant Uganda, unconditional generosity & kindness resides.
This thought warms my heart.
Once again, I fathom that travel serves as the greatest eye-opener and the most profound teacher of life lessons. It truly helps keep me grounded!
The act of kindness that I experienced will stay with me forever, as I eagerly await the day when it will be my turn to pay it forward!
With love from Uganda-Rwanda, April-May 2025
Renuka Natu
Founder Director, Africa with Renuka
