8.7.07

Rwanda, Rwanda!!!


One of the really busy streets - that is completely deserted for Umuganda (monthly event where everything closes for cleaning and community service).



Please excuse all the spelling mistakes that may be in this – as I’m using a keyboard that’s in French so everything is moved around - so i've swithced it to english but now i have ot type by memory which i'm not very good at! Bah…

So it was a long time coming (ten hours in a overpacked bus from Kampala to Kigali to be exact). Bus ride involved being super squished with bags cramped everywhere, peeing in the bush, eating pretty much nothing except a package of biscuits, chaos at the border crossing, and an array of lovely smells, featuring strong Ugandan BO among other “special” smells. Also my backpack got covered in a wonderful mysterious liquid that smells horrid – lovely. Hahah anyways we made it alive.

The hotel which we thought we had booked – turned out not to be. We were brought across the street to a hotel which is awesome but a little more expensive then we wanted to pay (about 20 US for a room – per person). Really nice hotel though, would probably pay 100 Cdn at home, so was a nice treat to have a nice shower, TV, and a little balcony.

On the bus over we met a group of 4 guys, 2 Americans and 2 Brits, who also were in a similar jam (having thought they were booked in at the same hotel to find that they also were not). So we spent most of the night hanging out with them – awesome time, and neat to hear their travel stories from all over. I’ve also been using my French here – which is awesome as I haven’t spoken much for the last 4 or 5 years (since the end of high school really). So I have been in charge of ordering everyone dinner, booking rooms, asking for directions, etc. – anyways lots of fun and haven’t had too much difficulty so far.

Next day Vicki and I took a bus to from Kigali to Ruhengeri (close to the Ugandan and Congolese border) where we were staying the night before mountain gorilla trekking. Mtatu ride up was equally as squished as our bus ride to Kigali and the man beside me was super sweaty and I had old man BO all over my arm for the whole ride up – I smelt super good after! Anyways all write more about the gorilla trip in my other post.

Came back to Kigali yesterday to find that once again the hotel we had been booked at was overbooked and we had no room. Lukily, the man who runs the hotel is in love with me – and has told me, Vicki and lots of other people – that we are getting married – so he walked Vicki and I hand in hand across the street back to the expensive hotel and got us a really good discount on our room. Thank god for the Canadian French accent! He’s also giving us a good deal on our rooms for the rest of our stay here (paying 6,000 fr a piece per night instead of the usual 9,000fr).

First impressions of Rwanda: I was surprised at how different it is from Rwanda. It seems a lot more wealthy – as I’ve been told that following the genocide a lot of international donor flooded the country with cash. Boy it really makes a difference. It seems much more developed that Uganda. The roads are paved with little to no potholes – I would say better than a lot of the roads in Canada. Also the landscape is really different than Uganda – rolling hills everywhere. The ride down was stunning as the roads wind down through the hills – absolteuly breathtaking views. I have lots of pictures but none of the computers at this internet cafĂ© take USB cords so I will update when I can. It’s absolutely beautiful though! Also Rwandans make incredible use of the land available – almost every inch of soils seems to be being cultivated. Even in hills where there are near vertical drops there are crops.

Also – I was shocked at how clean everything is here. It’s been such a shock compared to Uganda – where garbage is thrown everywhere, animals and their feces little the streets – grown used to it, and I think it adds to Uganda’s charm in a way – but entirely different from Rwanda. At the border crossing we had to remove all of our plastic bags as they aren’t allowed in the country (you could buy paper bags for 100 fr – about 20 cents American each). Also on Saturday – we were here for this monthly event - Umuganda, (I think the first Saturday of every month) where the whole country stops until mid-day to clean. It was so bizarre – no one can drive and virtually everything is shut down as everyone is supposed to go out and clean the street. Even this morning I woke up at 6 (because Vicki and I went to bed at about 7:45 last night) and was reading on the balcony and there were people cleaning the streets. Even the poorest of the poor seem to ensure that their yards are well kept and tidy. It’s beautiful – and really makes a difference. Phenomenal country to visit – more expensive than Uganda though.

Today Vicki and I are walking around Kigali and exploring for most of the day. We are planning on buying some food and maybe some toys and clothes for Pilagie, Vicki’s sponsor child who we will be visiting on Wednesday. So excited! Tomorrow we are planning to visit the genocide memorials (as well as two church memorials where there were large massacres – if we have time) and then hoping to head to Hotel Milles Collines (Hotel Rwanda) in the afternoon or evening.

Thursday were taking the treacherous bus ride back to Kampala. And Friday we are going to a dinner at the Canadian Consulate (READ: free dinner at a nice hotel). That’s it for now! Wow, this is the longest post of life. Cheers!

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