Paddington Bear

I'm going a little ape 🦍
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Deep inside Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, I had the extraordinary privilege of spending time with a large gorilla family, including three enormous silverbacks, four blackbacks and two babies. And yes, I got to meet one of the little ones. I’m not saying we became best friends, but I think there was definitely a moment
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Getting there was quite the adventure. It turned into a seven-hour trek through dense jungle, climbing up and down steep mountain gorges and scrambling through vegetation that certainly lived up to the name Impenetrable. Luckily, I have assistants for this sort of thing and was carried through some of the more strenuous sections. A bear must conserve his energy for the important business of gorilla watching
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Watching the family together made every muddy step worthwhile. The adults were remarkably relaxed about our presence, while the youngsters were much more interested in climbing, playing and generally causing trouble. Of which I greatly approved
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A special mention has to go to my porter, Kate, who was absolutely brilliant. She made sure my assistants got safely through the forest, helped them over the trickier sections and provided plenty of moral support when those hills seemed to go on forever.
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Hiring a local porter is something I can highly recommend. Not only is the extra pair of hands invaluable on a trek like this, it also provides employment and supports the communities around Bwindi. And, rather importantly, it means I don’t have to carry my own bag!
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Seven hours, countless hills and one very special gorilla family. I'm still waiting for my invitation to join the troop 🦍🌿
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#abearcalledpaddington #paddingtonbear #bwindi #mountaingorillas #uganda