Sunday, October 30, 2016 (Travel to Solace Guest House, Kigali, Rwanda)

I took this picture as soon as I got out of bed this morning...a beautiful sunrise, its going to be another beautiful day!
After packing our suitcases, we left them outside the tent and went up to the dining tent for breakfast. Steve still wasn't 100% but he was doing "okay". We think that the cause may have been the thermos of water next to the sink Steve mistakenly used to wet his tooth brush before brushing. He discovered that the water was quite warm, not cold. Apparently it was for washing. The previous tent lodge had a flask of water next to the sink for brushing your teeth.

We've noticed a number of these blue and black 'flags' hanging in various areas all over Tanzania...well, they are Tsetse Fly "traps". The flies are attracted to the colours blue and black, so insecticide is put on the material.

All of the luggage was loaded into the four Land Cruisers, but before we piled in, we said goodbye to all of the staff at the camp. The staff had shown great concern for Steve's well being and we can't thank them enough. This is a picture of the staff and our guides....

John, Raymond, the camp manager (unfortunately, I cannot remember his name) and Bahadi...

So our time of travelling daily on some very rough roads and trails in our trusted Land Cruisers comes to an end as we arrive at the Seronera Airstrip to catch our flights to Kigali, Rwanda. We would be flying Auric Air...on two planes each carrying 12 passengers. Our plane is on the right.

Waiting in the hot sun to load up...

Steve had heard that our plane didn't have a co-pilot. Uncertain how his stomach would handle the flight he mentioned this to Gordon who checked with the pilot and managed to snag that spot for him. Thanks Uncle Gord! Steve used to be a private pilot over 30 years ago so this really helped keep his mind off of not feeling well.

This is the other plane with a co-pilot...

Steve was in his glory sitting in the co-pilot seat...

Steve up front, talking to the pilot...

Alan checking out the scenery...

Steve found out our pilot is 26 years old and has been flying for 6 years, the last 3 with this company. He said he had an Aunt living in Canada and that he will be upgrading his commercial flight training in Vancouver, BC. Cool!

Goodbye Serengeti...

The pilots decided to give us all a good look at each other...

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa...

We had to land in Mwanza, Tanzania to present our passports and visas to exit the country. With that done, we were back on our planes and continuing our flights to Kigali. We had a different pilot and a co-pilot this time so Steve had to move back.

We continued over Lake Victoria...

The landscape gets greener the closer we get to Rwanda...

Rwanda is looking very green and lush!

Approaching Kigali...

We landed at the Kigali International Airport where a bus came and picked us up and whisked us to the terminal...

It took awhile for us all to get through Customs...but when we did, Emmanuel and his wife, Athanasie, were waiting for us along with staff from the Solace Ministries Guest House and Conference Centre.

Emmanuel has been to Edmonton a number of times as he pursues his Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Trauma Counselling in Canada...that is where Gordon and Esther met him.

Emmanuel and Athanasie founded an organization called YEGO Rwanda Foundation...
The Rev. Emmanuel Gatera and his wife, Athanasie Gatera, are native Rwandans who witnessed the great suffering of their people and have a vision for a better future. Filled with love and compassion for those who live in the margins of society, they began dreaming of an organization that would assist survivors of the 1994 Genocide – orphans, vulnerable youths, widows, and victims of HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse, or natural disasters. In 2011, the Gateras joined with friends Charlotte Mukamwezi, Celestin and Genevieve Buhuru to make their dream a reality, and the YEGO Rwanda Foundation was born. Today they provide oversight for the organization and provide counselling for orphans, widows, and vulnerable youth.

Uncle Gordon is also on the Board of YEGO Canada which helps support the work of the Gateras and their team in Rwanda.

Emmanuel assisted Gordon in securing accommodation for the tour group in Rwanda. Hotels in Kigali are very expensive and would have made the cost of our 'African Adventure' far too high...we would not have been able to include it. However, Emmanuel suggested the Solace Guest House with a very reasonable cost. Now, the accommodations are no where near what we had experienced previously...however, they are clean, comfortable and affordable.

Here we all are outside the Kigali Airport about to board the bus to the guest house...

This is the road to the guest house...

 Security gate to go through...

The main building directly ahead where we stayed with additional accommodation plus the conference centre on the left...

We arrived at Solace and sat on the veranda until our rooms were sorted out and assigned. After getting settled in our room, we relaxed for a bit. Steve still wasn't feeling that great and was very tired, so he laid down until it was time to go down for dinner.

They had a long table set up for us and we could have either bottled water or a bottle of pop. Oh...that's another thing...no alcohol is served here or allowed in the complex. It was a little frustrating for a number of us who enjoy a cocktail before dinner, but there was a couple of spots a short walk away where folks could go for happy hour!