VIDEO - Akagera National Park

I'd promised you all video and I'm here to keep that promise.  First, keep in mind that I was just learning how to use this camera, so don't expect much expertise!  Now here is Akagera National Park including giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and buffalo.  We were dang close to those buffalo, I tell you what.

Next up: Video of the National Forest and the canopy walk.

Top Ten...

Things We Will Miss Back in Philly

A clean city.  Sigh, Filthydelphia here we come.  No ladies in blue smocks will be cleaning up our sidewalk and front stoop.

Having someone do our laundry!  Need I say more?

A pool next door.  That’s been a wonderful perk.  ‘Course along with the tan, my freckles all came back so it’s a mixed bag.

The easy availability to purchase beer as shown here in the “African WalMart.”

The mountains.  Ok, Philadelphia has a wonderful skyline, but it will never compete with the views around here.

Pineapples.  Sure you can pick these up at Whole Foods, but not this fresh and this good.

Rwandan coffee.   I’ve heard reports that Starbucks sells Rwandan coffee in the U.S.  But no Starbucks anywhere serves coffee with a pot of steamed milk on the side as is done here.

Our furry buddy: ZouZou.  I called him Turvey, but this little guy was adopted by the staff and they called him ZouZou.  Yes, I do so want a cat back home!!

Interesting names.  We’ve met people here named “Jolly” (a woman),” Innocent” (a man),” Zephyr” (a man), and “Sunday” (a man).

All the fantastic people we’ve met during our stay.  I don’t know if I’ll remember everyone, but here goes: Alex, Annie, Beryl, Bryan, Celestine, Dennis, Duncan, Emma, Evoud, Gerald, Gwenn, Jeff, Jenn, Jolly, Jonas, Laura, Maital, Mousa, Nils, Reid, Paul, Priya, Rita, Sam, Stu, Susan, and Viresh. 

To me, the best part of traveling is meeting people.  Yes, I love seeing beautiful landscapes; visiting museums, beaches, mountains; eating new and unusual foods; hearing different languages; and learning about diverse cultures.  But the people -- that is what makes travel worthwhile to me.  People who open their homes, share their food, and let you into their life.  We’re all of course individuals encompassing an assortment of languages, experiences, and backgrounds, but our expectations are the same: we want a safe and happy community of family and friends. 

So as we say goodbye to Africa I wish you all a safe and happy life filled with friendship wherever you may find it.

New Friends

One of the best parts about our time in Rwanda is all the people we’ve met, spent time with, and so been able to know.  The lists includes ExPats from various embassies, people involved with NGOs(Non-government organizations), a variety of young interns, Rotarians (a new ball of wax for me, my Dad is a member of Kiwanis), folks from Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, and of course Rwandans. 

Some we’ve spent more time with than others, but there were a few folks who went out of their way to welcome us and make us feel at home.  First are Jenn and Alex.  Jenn, a Rotarian, is the Rotary Club liaison to the US Embassy which was responsible for the Fulbright which got us here; she and Alex met us at the airport, took us to the grocery for the first time (where I learned about Rwandan francs fast by buying that $12 box of cereal!), introduced us to the Rotary club, and made our transition so easy. 

We also became fast friends with Gwenn, Reid, and their children.  Gwenn provided us rides so many times, had us over for dinner (Reid makes a mean beef stew), included me in the fabulous shopping trip (for which Marty *thanks* you ;>), and we worked together on the library’s records – she is an archivist at heart, which is high praise in my book.

But we didn’t want to only meet and mingle with other ExPats and in this we were lucky to meet Evoud.  You may remember that he drove us to Akagera and Nyungwe.  On the return from Nyungwe, he invited his to his home for lunch where we met his wife and two children.  What a blast.  His toddler son was a ball of energy and kept us all hopping.  His daughter (age 7) is learning English in school and showed off her reading skills.  When I brought out my iphone to show pictures she took to that like a duck to water.  I felt bad having to pry it out of her hands when we left.  We had a wonderful lunch and had a lovely time.  You could not find a more attentive host than Evoud.  I was drinking beer – Primus – and whenever the level of my glass dropped, he filled it up.  I think I had two of the liter sized bottles!  What an experience.  Below are a few pictures.

At Park View Courts we met Beryl, currently working as one of the receptionists.  Beryl and her family are from Kenya, and moved to Kigali about a year ago.  We talked to her many times as we were coming in and out and she invited us to meet her family over dinner: mother Rachael, and brothers Bryan and Qollins.  We had a marvelous time – we talked about Africa, Rwanda versus Kenya, education, books, food, the economy, the genocide, I don’t remember it all.  But we laughed a lot.  And what a dinner, Beryl and her mother kept bringing out dishes until the table was covered.  And while African food, it was a bit different than what we’d had before – more spicy for one.  We took pictures (see below) and now we are connected on facebook so we can keep in touch.

At The Market

Kigali contains three open-air markets: Central Market, Kimisagara Market, and Kimironko Market.  With Gwen and her housekeeper, we visited Kimironko which is the largest and most organized of the three.  The market has just about everything: meats, vegetables, fruits, flours, beans, flowers, clothing, fabrics, construction materials, the list is endless.  Supposedly the market included live chickens, turkeys, and rabbits but we didn’t see those which was fine with me.  I’d want to take them home as pets, not to eat. 

As soon as you park your car, people rush up and offer to watch it for you.  You select one person, who stays by your car to keep others away; you pay him upon your return.  The next wave coming at you are porters who offer to carry your purchases, find what you need, and barter for you.  Again, you want to hire one immediately, he’ll then help brush off any other offers.  Though some can be persistent – even after we “hired” our porter, one guy would not take no for an answer! 

As you enter the market, you are overwhelmed with the number of people, stalls, items for sale, smells, everything.  Everyone is moving, moving.  As soon as you express interest in an item, watch out: they are ready to bargain and want to make a deal.  And you need to bargain since, as a foreigner, the price automatically goes up!

Below are a couple of shots of Kimironko’s food section.

Enclosed and separate from the food items were the stalls selling fabrics, handmade items (baskets, jewelry, placemats, etc.), used clothing, you name it, they sell it here.  This part of the market also housed the seamstresses (such as these two women below) who would make up anything you wished.  They used foot propelled sewing machines – no electricity necessary. 

I purchased a bag and fabric from this lady.

I was so delighted when I caught sight of this bunch of bananas that I had to take a picture (I’m sure all the folks around thought me a loon!)  Then I came to the end of the aisle and saw that identical banana bunches filled the entire middle corridor.  I would have taken a shot of that, but there were too many folks elbowing me out of the way as I stood gawking.

I could have wandered around for several hours, but everyone else was “let’s get out of here!”  So I quickly took an outside shot which I hope gives you some perspective on the size of the Kimironko market!

Canopy Walk in the Nyungwe Forest

So, when last we parted, Marty and I were enjoying the lovely Nyungwe Forest Lodge.  We rose early for breakfast (continental for Marty - full English for me - hey, we're going hiking!) in order to be on the road by 7:30 to get to the Visitor’s Center for the 8 am walk.  Alas, the road was too rutted, and we were too distracted by the views, to make that time.  But we managed to sign up for the 9 o’clock walk and hand over, what at that time we felt, an exorbitant fee to walk in the jungle for two hours.  As it turned out, it would have been a bargain at twice the price. The guide led our group of 12 (Marty and I were by far the oldest of the bunch) down the side of mountain, on a path that serpentined back and forth, down, down, ever down, and back and forth—it seemed like we would never stop descending.  The views over the valley and canopy beneath us, in a word: spectacular (see below, though again none of these shots capture the beauty).

Suddenly above, we saw two columbos monkeys.  Then there—out in the canopy below—two blue monkeys, an adult and a baby, high in the trees but below us.  (Unlike the guy on the road, these monkeys were too fast for my camera skills.)  We finally came to point where we could see the canopy walk.  A metal catwalk, about 10 inches wide, suspended by metal wires in a V shape, with rope handholds, it ran several hundred meters long (see below) in three separate stages: two short and one long walk in between. 

When you walked on it—very, very slowly to minimize sway, and at least a meter apart to distribute weight—we were about twenty-five meters above the canopy of Acacia, Ficus, and Fern Trees that made you swear you were in Jurassic Park.  It was about 100 meters to the ground, which you couldn’t see for the lush foliage.  But it was clear, we were way up there.  Ok, this is definitely not for the don’t-go-near-the edge-crowd, and in fact a couple of folks in our group took one look at the walkway and declined to participate.  But Marty and I found it exhilarating and honestly, I think it was one of the most memorable places we have ever had the privilege to see and experience.  Again, I shot some amazing video, which I'll upload when we're back in the US.  Until then, here are a few shots from the canopy.

After we finished the canopy walk, we made our way down to the valley.  Flowers scented the air, and then we were in a forest of ferns, towering over our heads.  The feeling of lost in Eden was palpable.  Eventually we had to begin the trail back up, and let me say a few months on the Stairmaster might have helped.  It seemed as if the climb would never end and I kept thinking: “I will take up aerobics; I will take up aerobics…”  Below are a few shots I took when I needed a breather.

And finally, here I am as the intrepid hiker.  This was after only half the trek to the canopy!  Trust me, you do *not* want to see what I looked like when we returned to the visitor center.

Next up: Dining With New Friends or We Visit The Market

PS: A big thanks to Marty for allowing me to *borrow* heavily from his email describing our trip.  You are such a good writer!

On The Way Part Deux

After our visit to Nyanza, we continued south to Butare, the second largest city in Rwanda.  It also hosts the National University of Rwanda as well as the National Museum.  After lunch, guess where we headed – yup, the Museum.  We did take a drive through Butare beforehand, which is much, much smaller than Kigali with straighter and wider streets.  I really like this town, less motos zooming around as well as fewer cars, most people walked so little congestion.

The Museum told the complete history of Rwanda including background on its geology and topography, the earliest inhabitants and their methods of farming and cattle raising, provided examples of traditional household items including weaving, pottery, and leather work, a full sized hut, information about sports, games, and traditional beliefs.  We also saw a display about how to “brew” banana beer.  We’d already heard that the stuff is horrible and after seeing the instructions I have no desire to taste it!  If anyone wants to give it a go (Babak, are you listening??) here are the instructions.

While I wandered through the Museum, Marty struck up a conversation with our guide.  After a bit of coaxing from Marty, these two ended up in a fairly frank discussion about events leading up to, and after the genocide.  The guide felt, except in extraordinary cases where justice must be served (whatever that means), reconciliation and forgiveness will heal the country.  Marty said it was pretty obvious he was a Kagame man (Paul Kagame is the President of Rwanda), and he didn’t say much that wasn’t the government’s interpretation of the past.  Marty found him sincere and thoughtful, and the guide admitted there was much in his point of view that many people in Rwanda would never accept. 

After the Museum, we turned to the last part of the trek and began the upward climb to the Forest.  And when I say upward, I’m not joking.  The twisty, winding, narrow road combined incredibly high cliff faces on one side with two kilometer drop-offs on the other.  Initially the “usual” foliage, this eventually changed to rain forest which gave us the feeling we were in Jurassic Park!  Below are a couple of shots that just don’t do the perspective justice or show the magnificence of the flora. 

As we entered the park we had our first encounter with coulombos monkeys. These beautiful black monkeys have white facial hair (according to Marty, this is a measure of any handsome primate!) with a distinctive white blaze on their chests.  We saw this guy right by the side of the road and I’d swear he posed for me!

We actually passed through the National Forest on the way to our hotel, the Nyungwe Forest Lodge.  Situated smack dab in a tea plantation, it was one of the most peaceful, luxurious places I’ve stayed.  Run by Mantis their aim seemed to be our every comfort.  But my favorite item: a HUGE bathtub, which our apartment sadly lacks.  Below are a few shots of the area from our room.



Rear view from our room



Tea growing in the mountains



Another view from our room

Next up: The Canopy Walk

On the way to Nyungwe

As I mentioned in the last post, we headed out this week-end to visit Nyungwe National Forest Park.  But on the way, we made a couple of stops, the first at the Rukali Palace Museum in Nyanza.  What a fantastic visit!  The Museum houses the original 1932 palace of the Mwami (or king) as well as a re-creation of his earlier traditional palace (see below).

While the 1932 place was mildly interesting, our tour of the traditional palace (aka hut) was utterly fascinating; mainly due to our guide - shown below with Marty. 

This, and the other huts in the museum, are all constructed from bamboo, various grasses, and other natural materials.  Everything is symbolic - from the entrance, the poles on the top (only the Mwami is allowed to have three), and the interior decorations.  For the Mwami's hut (as you can see above), there are two half circles in front of the entrance - one white and one red.  The Mwami sat on a stool behind the white circle while his mother (with whom he co-governed) sat on a matt (as only the Mwami could sit on a stool) behind the red circle. Below are a couple of interior shots I took - I wish it could illustrate the quality of the work - the weaving is wonderful.



The interiors were so cool and comfortable which surprised both of us.  We mentioned that to the guide and he said on hot days, people often don't want to leave and go back outside!  The floors are completely covered with several layers of matts, and the upright woven sections between the poles are all removable to allow more light or air as necessary.  The decorated sections lead to the Mwami's bed which was, I'd guess a double king.  Here it is below, covered with bark cloth which, as you probably guessed, is made from bark, but incredibly soft.

The other two huts in the Museum compound included one for keeping the Mwami's milk and the second for his beer.  The keeper of the milk was a girl, selected around the age of about 15 and she usually stayed in that position, unable to marry, until the Mwami died.  The beer keeper was a boy who would only hold the position for a few years.  As he was required to taste all the beer, after a few years he developed such a habit, that he was no longer trustworthy.  Below are the types of containers used for the three types of beer: banana, sorgum, and honey.  The long sticks are straws so people could drink out of and share beer from the gourds.   

And finally our tour concluded with a viewing of the ceremonial cows.  Back in the day, the herders would select 70 cows from across Rwanda, whittle that number down to 40 and begin breeding (four times) to achieve the perfect animal.  None of these animals were used for either milk or meat (according to the guide, when these cows died, they were buried!) but only for parades and other ceremonies. Anyway, Texas Longhorns watch out!

Next Up - The Forest!

Dining Out

The view from Heaven

Previously under the “Food” entry I talked about several different restaurants and the food served.  Today I’ll focus on a couple recent dining experiences which are a little different; more about place than food. 

First, Marty and I went to Heaven.  Don’t get too excited, we have not grown wings or begun singing with the choir eternal.  Heaven, in this instance at least, is a restaurant in Kigali.  Besides a beautiful view from up high in the hills, wonderful food (they have filtered ICE – the first ice I’ve had since we arrived!), they also show movies on Saturday night.  As there are no theaters in Rwanda, you can imagine this is a big draw, particularly for ExPats.  The rule of thumb is the first show is geared towards kids, while the second is more adult (I mean R or so!).  The night we visited with Gwenn, Reid, and their three children they showed The Green Lantern (the animated version) followed by Barney’s Version. 

A couple Sundays back, we visited the Hotel des Milles Collines, located in the older section of Kigali.  This is the hotel referenced in the film Hotel Rwanda, where the manager, Paul Rusesabagina (a Hutu),managed to save over 1,000 people (mainly Tutsis) from the genocide. 

[As an aside, I’ve noticed several references to him recently in the news.  He is now living in the US and was one of several people protesting against the current government of Rwanda at a demonstration in Chicago.  Other mentions cast aspersions on his role at the Milles Collines.  Interesting isn’t it?  History is never clear cut, particularly when those involved are still alive.]

We came for the Sunday brunch buffet, which was fabulous, but also to see a historic place.  We ate outside by the pool/bar area and you can see below that it is a gorgeous spot, though I wish I would have shot more of the flowers. 

We ate, and then sat on the patio and listened to the DJ who played all my 80s favorites.  I was in music hog heaven, and even Marty enjoyed many of the songs. 

Before we left, we wandered through the hotel.  It does not have many public spaces, and only a small lobby.  As we passed the door marked “manager” it gave us pause.  Wow, that is where Paul Rusesabagina worked the fax machine (all the telephone lines to the hotel were cut) to keep in touch with the outside world.  Looking at it now, so lush and landscaped with people laughing, enjoying their selves, it was hard to think of what it was like during those three months in 1994. 

On a lighter note, we leave tomorrow for a trip to the Nyungwe Forest National Park. 

Shopping!

“Shopping is actually very similar to farming a field. You can't keep buying the same thing, you have to have a bit of variety. Otherwise you get bored and stop enjoying yourself."
— Sophie Kinsella (Confessions of a Shopaholic)

I don’t know that I’d consider myself a shopaholic, but I certainly have a shopping “problem” so to speak. This is not a buying issue as I can enjoy just looking. But on this day I did both.

Our group of four (Gwenn, Elena, Sevdana, and me) planned to do some serious shopping by visiting two women’s sewing cooperatives. First, though we stopped at Frulep, a local grocery store with a fresh fruit and vegetable section, along with a bakery next door. We all picked up a bit of something, and then headed over to a nearby small craft store. (Note: When you don't have a car and someone says, "want to stop at a grocery" you always say yes!)  

Bingo! The room was small, but packed from top to bottom with wooden carved masks, baskets, fabrics, dolls, jewelry, clothing, and so on. We all made purchases, but far and away I ended up with the largest haul: several woven baskets, trivets, and a variety of fabric items.

The woman in the store spoke French so Gwenn did some bargaining on my behalf. She allowed me to take her picture on the condition I would bring her a copy.  (Which I will do.)

Next we stopped at the first cooperative, Amani ya Juu headquartered in Nairobi, with centers in Rwanda and Brundi. Amani ya Juu means “higher peace” in Swahili while at the Rwanda shop they say Amahoro ava Hejuru in Kinyarwanda.

As we approached the front of the converted house, we saw several women hard at work sewing on machines that looked circa 1950s or older. (Mom and Stef, remember that black Singer machine?) Walking around the back though a beautifully maintained garden we entered the show rooms.

These contained many, many types of purses and bags from very small to huge, clothing for women and children, quilts, wall hangings, stuffed toys (there was the cutest bag that held a stuffed zebra, elephant, giraffe and other animals, along with a palm tree), aprons, placemats, napkins, etc. The decision was difficult, but I finally managed to make a selection and here are a few samples.

 



Our second cooperative was Ineza. Unfortunately, they had very little for sale as they had sent off most of their stock to a local craft exposition. I did manage to make a couple of purchases and also got a picture of the group. Again, Gwenn helped us out as in exchange for pictures, the women wanted to talk to us a bit and French was the common language.



These cooperatives were formed to either help women widowed due to the genocide or who contracted HIV/AIDS from the rapes they endured.  I found these ladies amazing and inspiring, their faith in God sustains them and the work gives them a sense of worth not to mention a livelihood.  Every penny spent felt well worth it to me. And if you would like to see or purchase items, below are links to two sites to help you do a bit of shopping yourself.

http://www.amaniafrica.org/ashop/index.php

http://www.manosdemadres.org/index.php?cPath=29