Through her two trips to Africa, Ann has visited many places most of us can only dream of seeing. One of the first visits she told me about was a village she visited on her second trip located in northern Rwanda. Iby’iwacu Village is similar to us here in America going to a pioneer days event. They learned how the villagers ground up grain, among other things, and they watched performances as well. The villagers spoke English, so there wasn’t a language barrier. On her second trip, Ann also was able to visit gorilla families in the mountains of Rwanda. They only allow roughly 80 people a day to visit these gorillas. 8 people are allowed one hour a day to go visit and it takes about 2 hours to hike up the mountain. The views were amazing and worth the trek, as were the gorillas. Gorillas in the Mist which is a movie about Dian Fossey and her work with gorillas, was filmed in this area. The gorillas were being poached, heavily, and at the time of the movie their numbers were about 300. Thanks to conservation and education, their numbers are now up to 900. In Kenya in the Samburu National Reserve they also visit the Samburu Tribe. Clad in brightly colored fabrics, the women of the Samburu tribe come out singing and dancing to greet them. “It’s a magical experience. Pictures are hard to relay what the colors are like correctly.” A few of the parks Ann has visited on her trips are the Samburu National Reserve, Buffalo Springs National Reserve, Shaba National Reserve, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Maasai Mara National Reserve, and the Ark in the Aberdare Forest. Each of these parks has their own experiences and adventures that Ann holds dear. The Ark in the Aberdare Forest is at the beginning of the trip and is located in Kenya. It’s a lodge that resembles Noah’s ark and is up on stilts. It is built around a salt lick where animals come at all hours of the day to the watering hole. The ark has many decks from which you can watch the animals but the best location is the lowest level vTRIP continued on page 21 Willcockson Eye Associates, P .C. Quality Eye Care, Close To Home • Best quality medical and surgical eyecare for you and your family • State of the art cataract surgery • Expert treatment of diseases such as glaucoma, eye complications from diabetes, and macular degeneration • Extensive selection of frames, styles and lens options at The Spectacle Shop, LLC. 415 W. 3rd, Yankton The Spectacle Shop, L.L.C. Call 605-665-9638 Karen E Dickes, D.O. Board Certified Ophthalmologist Medical and Surgical Eye Care Brady W. Betten, O.D. Optometrist Medical Eye Care Gregory A Kouri, O.D. Optometrist Medical Eye Care Gregory Osmundson, M.D. Ophthalmology Ltd. Medical & Surgical Eye Care HERVOICEvNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017v13