RWANDA
Cick on photos for album
Wednesday 9th September
We headed off for Rwanda today, only about 20kl to the border so had a nice leisurely breakfast, packed everything up and left for about 11. Arrived at the border within the hour. We had our passports stamped at immigration and through the first barrier into customs. There they stamped the Carnet de Passage, a quick visit to the police to say bye bye (as we don’t know what else we did there). Then we were free to go through the second barrier into no mans land (why is it called no mans land?) Continuing on to the Rwandan first barrier, which let us into customs and immigration. Getting our visas, passports and carnet stamped and out into Rwanda true took all of 45 minutes, it was a pleasure to do business with them. Learning to drive on the wrong side of the road again we headed the 60 kls to Kigali. First port of call was to obtain tickets and a date to go and see the gorillas. This is when it started to go very wrong. Firstly it is expensive to go and see the gorillas, ($500 each) but we may never be back here again. It is far too expensive, but hey what’s the point of being here if we do not see things. As we tried to pay using Visa no cards would work. (not even a credit card) Sugar lumps and honey sprung to mind. We went off to find an ATM, hoping to get enough cash to make up the balance we needed. Trying umpteen ATMS, you guessed it, none would work. Panic started to set in. We were in a country and unable to get cash, having about $200 in our wallet of which $100 was needed to get into Tanzania for the visas. Holy, golly, golly gosh! It looked like we were going straight to Tanzania (or getting son to Weston Union cash out). Fortunately the last bank advised us to go to the bank of Rwanda. Finding their ATM did not work either I went and asked one of the tellers for help and did I need it. They said they could draw cash on the cards from the business section upstairs. Yes there was a catch, they charge for the privilege 4.5%. OUCH BLOODY OUCH!!!. But having Hobson’s choice (to see the gorillas or not to see the gorillas) we had to do it. But somebody tell me, if the machine on the desk works, why didn’t the ATM work? Or are we being cynical in thinking they rip the tourists off. The explanation given is that no International Visa works in Rwanda in ATM’s. Thinking out aloud, this makes it very hard for any tourist to stay for long or spend any cash. The tourist board need to do some joined up thinking on this one. So, having got our hands on money it was now too late to book as they were closed. By now we were in great need of a coffee. Whilst we were sat in the café we rang and booked a hotel. The next thing we new the Dutch turned up (Roy and Sandy), it turned out that they were staying in the same hotel.
Thursday 10th September
Getting up early and down to the booking office by 9’ 0 Clock. Before this we had breakfast and been to the money changers to convert the Rwandan Francs into US Dollars. By 9.30 Jackie had her sticky fingers on two tickets for the 11th. Meaning we had to put our backsides (Polite expression) into gear and get to the park today as it is a 7 am start on the 11th which is tomorrow.
Friday 11th September.
Breakfast at 6am, (it’s still dark) as we have to be at the reception centre for 7 0’ clock. On arrival we were put into groups of eight, we were assigned to the Sabinyo Group whose territory is within the Volcano Park. We then had a short drive to the outskirts of the park after which we had to park up. Our guide then informed us of things we should not do, like have the flash on your camera on, if any of the gorillas do come to near we were told not to panic and above all not to run. So we set off once more making our way to the edge of the forest, which took around forty minutes. Once there the walking got a little steeper and we were having to make our way through the under growth although they did provide us with sticks for this purpose. After around an hour we were told to stop while the trackers came to us to tell us the gorillas are just behind us but higher up, at this point we had to leave our bags and sticks.
Click on photo for album
 There in front of us was one of the silver backs; there are two in this group and another 11 individuals also. You are only aloud an hour with them from the first sighting but we had way longer than that. The silverback decided to move so we made our way through the dense forest until we came upon more gorillas. We could not quite believe that we were seeing these incredible creatures so close up. At one point one came rushing past and Jackie felt his paw on her back, it’s just as well she had not seen him coming. But he just carried on, he was more interested in finding more food than Jackie. We spent well over an hour with the Gorillas and what a magical time it was. They are so powerful, and the looks that you get from them are unbelievable. You could almost go and talk to them. They look at you and it is as if they want to make you understand. It is so hard to explain. The photos are not brilliant but considering that we were in the middle of a bamboo forest in ½ light. Just getting a clear shot of the face was down to luck. Afterwards it was the walk back to the car and return to the hotel to download all the photos.
Saturday 12th September.
We left for Kigali some 90kls. Taking out time as the roads are not the best and with two extra people loaded in the back with luggage made us a bit on the heavy side. Arriving in Kigali we started to look for hotels. Eventually we found the Castle Hotel (now called the Imanzi) as quite good value for money at $25 a night (12500 frw £13.00). Heading back to the coffee shop for lunch we downloaded all the photos and updated the web site. The rest of the day was spent visiting the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. This is a place that you just have to visit for all the wrong reasons. It is not a tourist attraction. Is a Memorial so that the past events are never forgotten. And having visited we could see and understand why. It is quite harrowing reading and seeing the horrors of the past. It is a tribute to the people that they can turn the past around. In the evening we had planned to go up into Kigali for some dinner but due to the sudden thunderstorm we elected to stay in the hotel for the night.
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Sunday 13th September.
Today our plan is to visit the Genocide Memorial at Nyamata. It was only 40kl away so it was a slow start. Leisurely breakfast and arriving at about 10.30.
From the outside it looked a bit different with ribbons around the fence. But nothing prepares you for what you are about to see. For this is, was a church where thousands were massacred. We were met by a guide (If anybody goes DO take the guide) who took us inside. The whole of the inside was covered in old clothes in piles on the floor. Clothes of the people killed, still covered in the blood. Bullet holes in the walls and floor. Shrapnel holes in the roof from the grenades. Yes! Grenades that was thrown into the crowd of 6000 or so people. This was in 1994, civilised times supposedly. Where was the rest of the world? Our guide was 23 years old. A survivor, one of only 7. His story is horrendous to say the least. His vivid description of the mass slaughter, the carnage. People hacked to pieces with clubs, hammers and machetes. Children killed by swinging them with the legs and smashing them against the church walls in front of mothers. Under the church they have a grave with some of the remains. Sculls that are in bits, broken arms and legs. It is not pretty. Jackie had found the upstairs quite distressing so elected not to visit any of the graves. The other three graves were outside. All the people who died are buried on the site. The outside graves are worse still. Only then can you see the scale of people killed. I only visited one of the outside graves, the other two I elected not to visit. It is something we had to do. And not being prepared for what we were about to see and hear it was very disturbing and upsetting. Not being an emotional person myself, I found it disturbing and very emotionally upsetting. How they can manage to live with the memories is beyond belief and a credit to a nation that they can try to heal such wounds within the communities.
This is one of the quotes taken that shows how thay are working to heal themselves as to the trials and punishments of the ones who inflicted all the pain and suffering.
"There will be no humanity without forgiveness,
there will be no forgiveness without justice,
but justice will be impossible without humanity."
Arriving back a Kigali we came back to the hotel and sat for a while. Then plans to move on to Tanzania have to be made so we intend to leave Rwanda on Tuesday.
Monday 14th September
We want to visit the Serengeti Park so we have to obtain US $. So we visited the bank and then to Nakumatt for shopping after which we left Kigali and headed to the Tanzania border. About 130kl later we arrived at the border to what looked like total chaos with trucks parked all over the place. Finding the customs and immigration was a piece of cake within ten minutes we were by the bridge ready to enter Tanzania.
Thoughts on Rwanda.
What a different place. All hills. You only need 4 gears to get about in the car. Driving is not as bad as it’s made out to be. They exploit the gorillas to the full financially but do look after them and see that they are ok. The memorials are awesome and make you think, maybe a bit too much. The people are once more nice people, but they will sometimes try to take advantage of you as you are the tourist especially in the hotels. Boarder controls were helpful and quick. Overall, a nice place, not one you could spend too much time in, maybe a week or a bit more as it is such a small place.
See Tanzania.
More later.
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