Today we are going on an overnight trip through the countryside of Rwanda, spending the night at another guest house and returning to Kigali tomorrow. So the next two blog posts will be full of scenery pictures showing you how beautiful the countryside is.
We packed what we needed for the night in the backpack and then all piled into the bus...it was extra "cosy" with all of the additional baggage we had on board. Being a 'city type bus', it didn't have a cargo bay underneath for luggage.
Outskirts of Kigali...
Rice paddies...
Some nicer homes...
Tiered hillsides as every bit of open land is being cultivated, all by hand!
We passed through many small towns and villages...
How's that for scaffolding...all wood!
Earthen dam...
Rice paddies...
Firewood...
On the outskirts of Butare (Huye....all the towns/cities in Rwanda seem to have changed names since the Genocide. In most cases, I'm not sure which is the current name), we arrived at the
Ethnographic Museum.
Inaugurated on September 18, 1989 in Huye, Southern Province, The Ethnographic Museum was the first Museum to be opened in Rwanda and is mainly known for its Collection on Rwanda’s rich culture and way of life; that is to say Farming, Hunting, fishing, pottery, dress code and many more elements of Rwandan Culture. As community based project the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda has on site a Teaching Center of Traditional Handcrafts that works with young children with an aim of preserving and restoring Rwanda’s Culture.
Shortly after we arrived, a couple of school buses also pulled up with school kids all dressed in their uniforms...
We were given a tour of this impressive facility, however, no pictures were allowed.
Before getting back on the bus, we found some shade in the beautiful gardens and had our picnic lunch that the guest house had packed for us. Then we were on our way again. On the way, we took a drive through the University of Rwanda and continued on through Butare...
An interesting looking building...
...and then took the highway going west. More pictures of the surrounding countryside as we passed through...
...a quick restroom break and a chance to stretch our legs. Esther greeting a couple Rwandan women carrying baskets on their heads....
The roads are very windy and hilly. Our driver Annick, although very good in many ways has the habit of driving too quickly while using most of the road, even on blind corners which made much of our trip uncomfortable for some...
Couldn't imagine allowing our kids to handout beside the roadways...
We entered the
Nyungwe Forest National Park...
...and stopped at the Uwinka Visitors Centre, the park headquarters (a little over half way to Cyangugu from Huye (Butare)). It has a small but informative display on the ecology of the park and an outdoor terrace area.
Esther...
Joann, Byron and Brian...
Elephant skull...
Quite the view from here...too bad it's not a nicer day...
Our bus driver, Annick, feeding a banana to a monkey...
Annick is a rarity, one of only two female bus drivers in Rwanda so garners a lot of attention from the locals...especially when her bus is full of white folks...
There is supposed to be some great hiking in this park but unfortunately to our disappointment we won't have time to explore as it's over 6 hours to our destination and the rain has started. We were really hoping to see some Chimpanzees...
Then we were back on the road...and after a long day in a crowded bus, on a very windy road, we finally arrived in the dark at
Peace Guest House in Cyangugu. When we arrived, Uncle Gord found out that some of the rooms had been damaged in an earthquake the week before.
So it was a little stressful for him as they got room assignments figured out. Some of the fellows ended up having to be taxied to a hotel in town for the night. But we all got settled and went up for dinner.
Our driver discovered she had a flat tire so she left to deal with that. Perhaps it was that speed bump she failed to slow down for...
We shared a two-bedroom cabin with Gordon and Esther...this is the living room, complete with a TV that gets snow on every station. There was no cable connection anywhere...
Pretty cool ceiling...
Back in the cabin, we sat and chatted with Gordon and Esther before calling it a night...it had been a very long day! We're looking forward to seeing this area in the daylight tomorrow...
On the outskirts of Butare (Huye....all the towns/cities in Rwanda seem to have changed names since the Genocide. In most cases, I'm not sure which is the current name), we arrived at the Ethnographic Museum.
Inaugurated on September 18, 1989 in Huye, Southern Province, The Ethnographic Museum was the first Museum to be opened in Rwanda and is mainly known for its Collection on Rwanda’s rich culture and way of life; that is to say Farming, Hunting, fishing, pottery, dress code and many more elements of Rwandan Culture. As community based project the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda has on site a Teaching Center of Traditional Handcrafts that works with young children with an aim of preserving and restoring Rwanda’s Culture.
So it was a little stressful for him as they got room assignments figured out. Some of the fellows ended up having to be taxied to a hotel in town for the night. But we all got settled and went up for dinner.
Our driver discovered she had a flat tire so she left to deal with that. Perhaps it was that speed bump she failed to slow down for...
