May 30, 2018
My flight home was in the late afternoon, so I took a walk in the town this morning. I came upon the old train station, which looks like it had not seen a train in quite some time. However, there was a crew extracting dirt and grass from among the switches. Later, the guy driving to the airport confirmed that the railway plans to refurbish and reuse the line.
May 28, 2018
We went to the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro to a Chagga village called Materuni. On the way up, the car I was being driven in ran out of gas(1), so Alan (my guide) and I got out and walked the last mile or so up the slope. As we left the road and followed the trail to the falls, we were joined by Maze (Mah-zay), a dog who stuck to me like glue the whole day. The falls were about 300 feet high and were thunderous.
Alan showed me the wide variety of foods grown by the Chagga here on the lower slopes if Kilimanjaro, including bananas, yams, cassava, avocados, quinine, etc. The Yucca plant has particular significance in Charge social life. Tying the plant in a knot and presenting it to someone is a means of apology. If the other person unties the knot, you are forgiven.
We then hiked to the village to make coffee (from raw beans that had recently been picked). We were joined by Flaviana (Alan's daughter and some uoung men from yhr village. The process goes something like this (all accompanied by singing and dancing):
a. Twanga, in whuch the bean are pounded go remove the outer shell.
b. Pepeta to sort out the beans from the husks in a wicker tray.
c. Kaanga, roasting the beans over an open fire.
d. Saga, crushing the roasted beans.
e. Chemsha, the first and second sifting of the crushed and roasted beans to get the outer portion, then the inner portion of the beans.
f. Kunywa, boiling water over an open fire.
The coffee was quite tasty in the end.
After Alan's Aunt Agnes made lunch, some local boys found a baby gecko and put it in my hand. As it wandered off, the bous were careful to find it and put it back in the branch from whoch they had taken it.
We enough fuel to make it back to town because the driver coasted in neutral most of the way
(1) The driver said the slope was so steep that the gas all went to the back of the tank. A guy came along later with a whiskey bottle that presumably contained fuel.
May 28, 2018
A quick flight in a small plane to Kilimanjaro Airport this morning afforded fine views of Lake Victoria on the Tanzania-Uganda border. As we approached Kilimanjaro, I could see a smoking volcano, and a large crater that probably would have been much less salient on the ground.
There was an almost perfectly clear view of Kilimanjaro from the car on the way to town from the airport. Apparently, the mountain was not visible at all for the previous two weeks: "She is a shy mountain" they say locally.
The mountain remained visible throughout the remainder of the day. As the day waned, the full moon rose in east. I was looking forward to seeing the mountain-top snow in the moonlight, but the moonrise also brought clouds to the summit.
May 27, 2018
I drove back to Kigali in the morning to return the rental car, completing my circuit of northwestern Rwanda. Again, I was pleased to have a 4X4 with high ground clearance, as the road was rough at times.
I dropped off the car and checked into a hotel. A walk down the hill brought me to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, built on the site of a mass grave of an estimated 250,000 people. My heart leapt to my throat when I heard the number.
A walk back up the hill (1) whet my appetite. As I dined on a balcony, I watched the sunset over the western hills as the headlights of the moto-taxis bounced up and down the dirt roads.
(1) Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills (mille collines (a)). I think that figure represents a drastic undercount.
(a) Also the name of the fanciest hotel in Kigali and the subject of the movie: Hotel Rwanda, about the Genocide.
May 26, 2018
My kayaking guide started talking over breakfast about the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 (1). While I had not enquired, it is the defining event in modern Rwandan history, and most travelers probably ask him about it (2). He was living in the DRC (where he was born), for most of the time, but moved to Rwanda toward the end of the 100 day Genocide. The violence had spilled across the border and it was safer (a relative term at the time) in Gisenyi than in the DRC. He and his family stayed out of the house on nights with heavy rain, as this is when the Genocidaires (3) usually struck. His wife was an orphan from the genocide.
The Genocide ended when exiled Rwandan forces invaded the country (4). The country has taken strides to recover from the Genocide, including having Genocidaires try to apologize in person to the survivng relatives of the victims (5).
We returned to our kayaks and headed north back to Gisenyi. The wind had backed overnight to the southwest, so we once again had the wind behind us. Because we were at the north end of the lake, there was a lot of fetch, so the waves were 2 to 3 foot rollers that were a lot of fun to paddle through (and occasionally surf down when caught just right). It was a hot day, so I took a quick swim when we arrived back. I said goodbye to Francois and headed south.
I could have headed north on a paved road for about 6 miles before doubling back on the paved road south, or I could take a dirt road shortcut heading directly east for about 3 miles and catch the paved road further down and save some miles. Google recommended the short-cut, although I am sometimes skeptical of Google (6). Having some confidence in my vehicle (and having learned how to work the 4-wheel drive when stuck in the mud 2 days ago), I opted for the shorter route.
I soon discovered the road was steeper than any goat path I had ever seen and strewn about with volcanic rock and holes that threatened to swallow my 4X4. Despite the glimpses I had of spectacular views of the lake far below, I dared not stop to admire the view for fear of not being able to start again. My speed was such that I was able to exchange greetings with virtually every person on the road (of which there were many). I also discovered that seat belts not only protect you in case of accident, they also prevent you from hitting your head on the ceiling of the truck cab while jostling through rock-filled chasms.
Finally, I could see a guardrail: the paved road just up ahead! I and my truck were both still one one piece. A relatively flat (and less rocky section) invited me to stop and enjoy the view. A group of women and kids walking up the road see me stop: he must want to give us a ride, they think. They appear at my passenger side window, speak in Kinyarwanda, point, gesture, &c. I nod my assent and they climb into the bed of the truck. As I drive, they smile, laugh and wave at their friends as we go by. At the intersection with the paved road, I point south towards Kibuye, where I am going. They are heading in that direction also, so they stay with me. After about 10 more minutes (and a few miles uphill), one of the women catches my attention in the side-view mirror and points down, so I stop and let them off.
The road south to Kibuye was opened fairly recently. The project was done by a Chinese road construction company (7). For some reason, they had graded and paved the road before reinforcing the dirt walls surrounding the road, so I had to maneuver around a number of minor land slides.
Upon arrival at Kibuye/Karongi, I stopped to visit the Genocide Memorial Church of St Pierre. Local Tutsis were told during the Genocide to go the church as a safe haven. Thousands were killed by grenades, rifles and machetes. There is now a small memorial outside displaying some skulls and the words (in English) " never again."
The doors to the church were open, and a group was jnside praying the rosary in Kinyarwanda. I heard singing and went to find the source: outside a small chapel across the lane, 3 or 4 groups of people were engaged in what appeared to be choir practice. Soon, the grpup praying the rosary in the church across the lane began to sing as well. A young man approached, ask what I was doing in rough English. I replied "listening" and I continued to do so in the fading light.
(1) In which hundreds of thousands of Tutsis (perhaps a million) were slaughtered by Hutus, often their neighbors. Many people outside the country know nothing of Rwanda other than the genocide.
(2) A similar occurrence happened in Mostar, Bosnia when Alyssa, my guest-house hostess, told me about the brutal ethnic siege of the city in the early 1990s, even though I had not asked. Bosnia is also a place known by many people outside the region only because of ethnic violence.
(3) This word was created In French to described those who perpetrated the Genocide. The weapon of choice for the Genocidaires was usually a machete, which are still ubiquitous in the country and are used to hack away tree branches, &c.
(4) Many of the returning exiles came of age in Uganda, and thus spoke English, which is now an official language of Rwanda (a). English is slowly replacing French, especially among the younger generation. However, I have still found it handy to know a bit of French when interacting with Rwandans, especially in the western part of the country.
(a) The other official languages are Kinyarwanda, Kiswahilli (a Bantu tounge with Arabic influences that is the lingua franca throughout East Africa), and French. Many people in the tourist business speak all four languages.
(5) Foreign Affairs magazine recently had a series of articles about countries confronting their past; Rwanda was considered one of the more successful countries in doing so.
(6) Google maps once tried to send me down a drainage ditch outside Quito, Ecuador. I ignored the directions.
(7) Western institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund have traditionally funded such infrastructure project. However, the Chinese make no demands about governance reforms or democracy, and ask no pesky questions about human rights. Chinese-built railways have recently opened in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya and more are planned or underway.
May 24, 2018
The day began with heavy rain as I drove up to Volcano National Park. I arrived at about 6:30 for a 7:00 start, and there was not another soul around. About 6:40, the staff arrived en masse and the rain dissipated. Even so, I took the guide's advise and rented a pair of high rubber boots to slog through the mud and occasional quagmire.
I drove about 1/2 hour to the beginning of the trek, with Oliver the guide riding with me to ensure I found the way. Our first stop was to notice the pyrethrum daisies that are the source of bug spray (1). Oliver told us that in November, the whole hillside is filled the daisies, which are planted in rotation with potatoes to keep the soil fresh.
We arrived where the golden monkeys (2) were after an easy hike of less than an hour. Due to the heavy rain earlier, the monkeys were breakfasting late today. They were unfazed by our presence (3), jumped about in the trees, ate leaves and scurried into the fields to find some leftover potatoes (4). The monkeys will venture onto the ground with hesitancy because they are susceptible to attack by feral dogs. They also prefer not to be at the top of the trees because eagles can pick off their young.
There was a woman who joined us who is pursuing a PhD in England (5) whose dissertation is on the social habits of golden monkeys (6). Her findings so far suggest that the social life of the golden monkeys have some differences from those of blue monkeys, of which the golden monkeys are a sub-species. Being mating season, she pointed out courting displays involving monkey grooming, chasing females, and (to her excitement) visible evidence of semen on a mating couple.
After the monkey visit, I drove on to Gisenyi on the shore of Lake Kivu, and enjoyed the sunnier climate here at the lower altitude. My tent for the night overlooks the lake and the D.R.C. (7) on the opposite shore. As dusk fell, the tri-hulled outrigger canoes set out for a night of fishing. The sound of what I can best describe as sea shanties with an African rhythm drifted across the lake as the paddlers sang to keep their paddling in sync. The boats go out at night and use lights to attract the fish. Fishing during the full moon is apparently not very fruitful as the fish are not attracted to the light.
(1) The story is that a group of soldiers slept in a daisy field one night and awoke to find all of the lice on them were dead. Hence, the discovery of the bug killing properties of the daisies.
(2) In a book trilogy by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials), one of the characters (Mrs Coulter) has a deamon (a) who is a golden monkey.
(a) Basically, an external physical manifestation of the soul.
(3) The national park staff have worked to accustomize one group of the golden monkeys to basically ignore the people that come traipsing through each day.
(4) It is strictly forbidden to feed the monkeys. We had to leave our backpacks, etc. some distance away just in case the monkeys smelled a banana or some other food in the backpack. The park does not want the animals to view the people as a source of food.
(5) Oddly enough, she could not determine from my accent whether I was English or American.
(6) Despite being the subject of daily treks, very little about golden monkeys has been scientifically documented. All the research energy in Rwanda seems to focus on the gorillas originally studied by Diane Fosse in this same region.
(7) The Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire). Due to continued sporadic instability (b), the D.R.C. was not in the agenda for my trip (c)
(b) The bloodiest war since World War 2 was the long-running civil war in the D.R.C.
(c) Although later in the trip, when at a narrower part the lake, I got a "Welcome to the Democratic Republic of Congo" text message, indicating a signal from a mobile phone tower in the DRC.
May 25, 2018
There were rumbles of thunder as I awoke, but they moved off to the northeast in time for my paddle. Upon arrival at the hotel from which the kayak tour leaves, I was greeted like an old friend by the security guard. Apparently, he remembered that I had dinner there the night before.
My guide (Francois) and I paddled south along the east shore of Lake Kivu (1), helped along by a north wind. We saw the tri-hull fishing boats returning to port after fishing overnight and the largest vessel on the lake, a freighter that delivers beer and sodas from the largest brewery in Rwanda (located on the lake south of Gisenyi) to towns along the lake (2).
Francois asked how long I had been in Rwanda. "Just 3 days," I said. He assumed because I was driving around in a 4×4 pick up truck that I was ex-pat living in Kigali (3). Apparently, the Toyota Hi-Lux is the preferred vehicle in Rwanda.
After a short while paddling, Francois signalled me to stop. A screw was protruding from the kayak, and my boat was taking on water. I recommended we bring the boats ashore, as there appeared to be a missing nut. We did not find the nut, but we jury-rigged a patch for the hole. However, the foot rest was not functional (4), so Francois suggested I take his yellow kayak (5). After paddling in his boat for a short while, I turned to him with a scolding finger and said "I know why you wanted the yellow kayak: it is much faster!" He assured me the extra speed was only needed in case he needed to rescue someon.
The lakeside towns in this part of Rwanda are not well connected by road (6), so there were frequent boats plying the shore picking up and dropping off passengers, each of whom donned a brightly colored life vest (7). I passed a boat carrying bananas and paddled by two kids; they were the first to ever call me a "mzungu."
We stopped at a small island, and I got my first look at the Volcano looming over the north end of the lake behind Goma, D.R.C. The clear conical shape was visible above the low clouds, with steam rising from the volcanic crater. The last eruption was in 2002, and my guide remembers sleeping outside in case the house fell in during the earthquakes accompanying the eruption.
After a few hours paddling, we arrived at the guest house at Cyimbili. I was surprised to notice the North-American style electrical outlets and switches (8). The guest house is a development project associated with a Baptist Church in New Jersey (9).
After lunch, we headed out on the water again. With my usual grace and agility, I slipped, flipped the boat over and fell in the water when I tried to get back into the boat from the beach. At least I provided some entertainment for the school boys next door, who laughed heartily as they watched over the wall during their lunch break.
We paddled to Nkora, the next village south, where there is a Friday market. We saw the cattle market on the hillside, and watched porters carrying bags of river sand on their heads to an old iron vessel moored at the Nkora river's mouth (10). Some colorful vessels had come over from the D.R.C. to trade at the market. As we were leaving, the muzzein sang out the call for Friday prayer from a mosque in the village and the call echoed across the hills surrounding the town (11). A quick paddle around an island with many kingfishers' nests brought us back to Cyimbili.
I as I was enjoying the sunset later, the school boys popped their heads over the wall again, this time to practice their English. The normal things you first learn in a new language: What is your name? Where are you from?, How old are you? One boy was aghast when I told him I had two girls: "you need a boy" he said.
(1) Lake Kivu is one of African Great Lakes spanning the great rift valley. The lake is about 50 miles long and 30 miles wide. Lake Kivu's outflow reaches the Atlantic via Lake Tanganyika and the Congo River. Unlike most other bodies of water in this part of the world, there are no crocodiles or hippopotami in the lake. The theory is that they are more sensitive to the methane deposits below the lake.
(2) The brewery is called Brasserie et Limonaderie de Rwanda, more commonly known as Bralirwa. I later drove to a town halfway down the lake and can see why delivery by lake would be much easier..
(3) Every tourist I came across in Rwanda was being driven about by a guide on a pre-packaged tour. There is not even a car rental place at the airport. At many lodges, I thought I was the only one staying as mine was the only vehicle. There were other guests; they had been dropped off and would be picked up in the morning.
(4) You use your legs more than you might think while kayaking. The legs steady the rest of the body and help transfer the power of the stroke from the paddles to the kayak.
(5) I was curious how the kayaks got to the lake. Francois told me most of them were shipped by sea to Mombassa, then overland through Kenya and Uganda to the lake. The yellow kayak had more recently come from the UK by air to Kigali.
(6) Although there is a trail along the lake called the Nile-Congo trail. The watersheds of these two rivers meet in Rwanda
(7) Wearing a life jacket is mandatory in Rwanda. My guide told me that, while the bright orange life vests look good from a distance and keep the police from stopping the boat, they probably would not actually keep someone afloat.
(8) Rwanda uses the European, two-round-pin style plugs, a legacy of the Belgian colonial era. More recently-constructed hotels seem to use a one-size-fits-all plug that seems able to deal with many different plug styles.
(9) No, the explanation does not make sense to me either. Even if a church in NJ provided funding, it makes sense to me to purchase plugs, etc in Rwanda.
(10) Francois surmised that the sand was to be used for beach replenishment on the south end if the lake. I was a bit skeptical of his explanation, but I had no other guess, unless perhaps there was a cement plant somewhere on the lake.
(11) Most Rwandans are Christians, mainly Catholic.
View of Volcano behind Goma, DRC (look closely)
Loading sand at Nkora
Beach at Cyimbili
Lake-shore water taxi
Sunset at Cyimbili
May 23, 2018
After a short walk to the airport from my hotel, I went looking for the rental car counter, without success. Asking three different people led to the same perplexed response, until I showed someone the paperwork I had and they called for me. The car rental company does not have an airport location, but will pick you up there.
They sent a guy in a jalopie to pick me up. I then discovered that they intended to rent me this beat up old car. I was uncertain whether the car would make it across town, let alone halfway across the country (1), so I let them talk me into a 4-wheel drive pick up truck. I later realized this was a really good choice (and gave me street cred in Rwanda).
The two hour drive to Ruhengeri (in Northern Rwanda) was up and down some very big hills. The drive was not dull, with pedestrians walking everywhere (2), and bicycles and motor scooters all competing for limited space on the road. I saw two bicyclists hanging on to the back of a dumptruck for a lift up one especially long and steep hill. I arrived safely at Ruhengeri and settled in for the night.
(1) The car also had an automatic transmission, which I find confusing to drive.
(2) Rwanda has a very high population density, and it appears that much of the population routinely takes to the road on foot. Even some distance from any towns, there are still many pedestrians on the roads.
May 21 & 22, 2018
After an overnight flight to Copenhagen, I had a 7 hour layover before my connection to Brussels. I saw a train map for southern Sweden (across the bridge) and grabbed a train to Trelleborg, which is a small with a big ferry port. It was a pleasant town with lots of sculptures. On the way back to Copenhagen Airport, I stopped in Malmö, a larger city just across the strait from Denmark and had a nice walk in Kungsparken (King's Park).
I had an overnight stay in Brussels, which is a pleasant city. The day flight on the following day (May 22) took me directly from Brussels to Kigali, Rwanda (1). The highlight of the flight was my first view of the Nile (albeit from 39,000 feet).
(1) Belgium was the former colonial power in Rwanda, hence the non-stop flight.
