This morning in Kigali, I went to Rwanda Eco-Tours to confirm and pay for my gorilla trek (for Thursday). Matt had already done the gorilla trek twice when he was in Uganda, and so we decided that it wasn't worth the cost ($500 US pp! and going up to $1000 later this year!) for him to go again.
Martha, the extremely friendly and helpful owner of Rwanda Eco-Tours, went out of her way to help us book camping accommodation for the night (which we unfortunately didn't end up going to due to time constraints) and to escort us to the bookstore several blocks away, where we stocked up on a lot of new magazines and books. Martha is an amazing hard-working woman and we were both so pleased to have met her, even briefly. Look her up if you're ever in Kigali! They also focus on community-geared tourism, where they take ex-poachers and have them skilled in something else so they don't need to go out and hunt, but instead do village tours for tourists or provide a night of entertainment and dinner for willing customers.
After changing our Tanzanian shillings to Rwandan francs at a local Forex bureau, we had a delicious buffet lunch at the Karibu Cafe, all for 2200 francs ($4US) including drinks!
We then headed towards Gisenyi, the border town north-west of Rwanda, where we intended to spend the night.
Poor Foxy got a much more intense workout than she had bargained for, even if it was a relatively short driving day. The mountainous road which we took from Kigali to Gisenyi winds its way up and around dozens of hills and mountains. We chugged and chugged along, usually letting other vehicles pass us by. We noticed an odd rubber-burning smell which was more acute when we were nearing the top of a hill. We added it to our ever-growing list of "Things To Do At Some Point."
The ride was fantastic; as soon as we got to the highest mountain pass, we were rewarded with clear views of the famous chain of the seven volcanoes, forming the natural border with the DRC and Uganda. It is in these mountains, the Parc National des Volcans where Dian Fossey spent years with the mountain gorillas and battled with poachers and government officials to preserve the creatures from extinction.
As we passed a multitude of fields, villages and shops on the hillside, all so obviously well cared-for, the scenery increased in beauty and the air, in pureness. Rwanda is blessed with a temperate climate and very fertile soil, and from what I could tell, not one square inch was wasted.
As we got closer to Gisenyi town, there were more people congregated on the road, and the houses and shops were built much closer to the road and to each other. There was, in general, a lot more activity. Still, the beautifully-manicured gardens were there, glorious flowers and healthy-looking vegetables.
It seems both men and women share in the workload, in the gardens and in the fields. At one point, we passed a huge road construction site where people were hauling buckets of water and stones up the hill, while others were busy hacking away at the (what will be a new) road. And it was the men AND women doing this, working together side by side. This really surprised me, as most jobs I've noticed so far in Africa have been quite gender related.
It is no wonder every Rwandan we've seen so far is fairly slim and healthy-looking; the daily dose of physical labour keeps them fit, as does going up and down all the steep hills - more often than not by foot.
Once we turned the last bend and Lake Kivu was in sight, deluxe luxury hotels and lodges could be seen everywhere. What a contrast; a few kilometres earlier we had passed a refugee camp with about a dozen white dome tents given by UNHCR. Apparently Gisenyi "is a ritzy resort town for rich Rwandans and resident foreigners." It seems rather odd that just surrounding this little holiday paradise are rebel groups still fighting across the border, forcing displaced persons into makeshift homes.
We arrived at Paradis Malahide, a beautiful little hideaway on the shores of Lake Kivu and we were happy to see that we could park Foxy behind their gates.
We were promptly welcomed by a happy fellow who eagerly showed us around. We decided to opt for a room (with a stunning view) tonight as we will be asking the Hotel if we can keep Foxy overnight tomorrow when we go across to the DRC.
We quickly got settled in and went for a dip in Lake Kivu, the world's 15th deepest lake at 480m, but not before asking about the gaseous eruptions which are reportedly still happening in certain parts of the lake.
Just as we finished our swim (well, it was more like a quick wade-in-wade-out), shower and yoga (me), the lightning started giving the most awesome light show, quickly followed by deafening thunder (which Matt remarked sounded like volcanoes erupting) and heavy rain.
We sat on the porch watching this amazing natural wonder, thankful we chose not to camp tonight, and then went to eat dinner at the Lodge's restaurant.
And what a meal it was! Along with some tasty appetizers that were on the house, we ate fresh tilapia, chips, rice and goat stew, all beautifully presented in a fish-shaped platters.
Sleep came fast and deep tonight, under our mosquito net, rain pounding on the roof outside.
Start: Vero and Gaby's home, Kigali, RW. 12:45
End: Paradis Malahide, Gisenyi, RW. 16:46
Distance Traveled: 170 km
Road Conditions: mostly tar but quite a lot of big potholes, and LOTS of curves and tight turns.
Temperature: cloudy cool day and an amazing, almost scary, thunderstorm at night.
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