Rwanda

Hey Guys!

After a really great time in Uganda, we had a short and sweet trip to Rwanda. We really enjoyed this country, as it is really different from the rest of East Africa. Other travelers joke that it is 'Africa-lite' because things are very orderly, clean and they run on time. We also didn't mind that the food was fantastic and we were spoiled for choice. After weeks of matooke (stewed green bananas) and boiled meat, we thought we had died and gone to heaven. 

Our first stop was to the capital, Kigali. As we walked along an actual sidewalk on our way to go for supper, I got the feeling we had definitely entered a different country. 

We went to a fantastic Ethiopian restaurant. The injera is the taupe coloured 'bread' in the middle. You rip off small pieces of this and scoop up all the assorted delicious things along the edge. Jared and I shared this massive plate between the two of us, and were absolutely stuffed. 

While in Kigali, we also went for sushi, Indian and Rwandan. It fed my soul. 

One morning we visited the genocide memorial. When most people think of Rwanda, the 1994 genocide probably comes to mind. We visited the memorial to pay our respects to the horrors that occurred in this country, and also to be able to better appreciate the progress they have made in less than 30 years since the '100 days of madness' where over 800,000 people were thought to have been killed. 

From Kigali we headed out to Ginsenyi, which is on the shore of Lake Kivu. It was a really relaxing place, and we didn't get up to much. We did eat some more great food, go for some jogs (gotta train for Kili!), and enjoyed the vibe. 

There was a big outdoor concert one day. Apparently they were 'superstars from Kigali.' Jared went and checked it out, I had to have a nap. 

Every night as the sun set, the air was filled with the sound of thousands of fruit bats going about their nightly business. They may be hard to see from the pictures, but the trees were absolutely FULL of them. 

One morning we felt really ambitious and decided to go for a stroll along the Congo Nile trail, which isn't actually in the Congo at all. (Relax, Mom). It is named after the watershed, and it is a popular multi-day cycling trail. Aunty Penny, if you are reading this, I think you would really love it. There are lots of nice views from the road, and I managed to spy a few birds. 

Sunbird

Traditional fishing boats

We stopped and had delicious tilapia caught right on the lake

Jared wanted to include this photo because he said I 'looked really creepy in it.' So there's that. 

As you can see, we really didn't get up to much in Gisenyi.

We headed back to Kigali, as we had a flight to Tanzania coming up the next day. We visited the Hotel de Mille Collines, which was the inspiration for the movie 'Hotel Rwanda.' We chilled by the pool and had some drinks. It is really hard to imagine that this place would have been anything other than peaceful, but it was here that Paul Rusesabagina (the employee left in charge of the hotel during the genocide) hid hundreds of Tutsis, saving their lives.  

The next morning we visited the Inema Arts Centre. Here I am enjoying some abstract act, Jared's favorite. 

We hadn't quite got our pool fix, so we decided to head to the Manor Hotel to relax by the pool. We are too cheap to actually stay in places like this, but if you pay 3-4 USD to get in, you can use the pool and pretend you are fancy. 

One of the last things we did in Kigali was to visit Caplaki, a collective of artisan's shops. There was all manner of bric a brac here, but I found the masks to be the most interesting. A lot of them had been brought from Congo, but there was a good selection of many local and more distant tribes. Trying to keep them all straight in my head is quite a challenge. In another life, I will come back and obtain a degree in African history. 

We really enjoyed our time in Kigali, it was a very different change from Uganda. However, I feel so lucky to have been to both and have each experience for comparison. Next up, we are headed to Tanzania for a safari!

Until Next Time!