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Kamutwa

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    • TravelerStage Rwanda
      1
      Day 1

      Kigali Week 1

      September 13, 2019 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      Coucou,
      De eerste dag zat direct vol met verrassingen, op z'n "Afrikaans" zoals we zouden zeggen. Onverwacht opgepikt tijdens mijn ontbijt door een 'driver' van de VVOB en vervolgens heel het kantoor ontmoet. Daarna een rwandees nummer kunnen regelen na een paar uur rond te keuvelen omdat het "systeem" plat lag (haha).
      Momenteel is het een ware verwennerij in het gezin waar ik verblijf. Elke dag ontbijt voor een leger en heel vriendelijke mensen. Voor deze vetzak in wording wordt dus momenteel zeer goed gezorgd. Het enige waar ik nog aan moet wennen is het koude water dat uit de douchekop komt.
      Ik heb twee nieuwe broeders en een zusje. Met Christi, één van de broers, ben ik een Memorial van de Genocide gaan bezoeken. Zeer aangrijpend en hartverscheurend...

      Het weer in Kigali is echt aangenaam, niet te warm en niet te koud. Overdag max 30° en dan meestal regen in de namiddag, afkoeling en rond de 16° 's nachts.
      De stad zelf bestaat uit verschillende heuvels, met op elke heuvel een andere district, prachtig. Een grote stad met toch wel wat Westerse invloeden te bespeuren.

      De school waar ik nu stage loop is een opmerkelijk welvarendere school dan de meeste scholen in Rwanda; pc's, engelse boeken, bijna al de lessen in het engels en wederom toffe collega's. Om er te geraken, pak ik de motorbike 😎 (de taxi van Kigali, +-50 cent per rit, JAJA IS VEILIG (genoeg)).
      Volgende maand ga ik de rest van de scholen in 'den boerenbuiten' van Rwanda bezoeken.

      Ik ga het hier bij houden. Ik ben sowieso dingen vergeten te vertellen en wil hier ook niet alle details in zwieren omdat dat te lang duurt en saai wordt voor jullie hahaha.

      Groetjes van jullie Muzungu (blanke)

      PS: indien levensbelangrijke vragen: Facebook of rwandees nummer raadplegen (+250788951427).
      Ik kan op deze app maar 6 foto's plaatsen dus als je meer foto's wil, stuur me maar.      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerAfrica 2023
      1
      Day 55

      45. Rwanda: Genocide Memorial +

      July 1, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

      We popped over the Ugandan border to Rwanda for the day, to visit the the Kigali Genocide Museum.

      The museum commemorates how, in 1994, the country was driven into a genocidal civil war by the Hutu dominated government against the more successful and prosperous Tutsi ethnic group. Nearly 1,000,000 Tutsis (of Rwanda's total population of about 8 million) lost their lives in brutal massacres not just by government troops, but by neighbor against neighbor and friend against friend. Men, women, and children were bludgeoned with clubs, hacked with machetes, and shot to death...no one was spared.

      The RPF, Rwanda Patriotic Front, consisting of Tutsis and moderate Hutus, defeated the Hutu government and brought an end to the killing. Rwanda exists today (only 29 years later) under a nationalist ideology, where people do not identify by tribe, but rather as just "Rwandan".

      The museum houses 250,000 victims of the genocide in a mass grave. Pix were not allowed inside the museum.

      Afterwards, our group briefly toured a memorial to 10 Belgian soldiers that died fighting the genocide, then we had lunch at Hotel Des Mille Collines (hotel of a thousand hills), the real life hotel depicted in the movie "Hotel Rwanda." It is the true story of the hotel manager who saved the lives of 1250+ Tutsis ensconced in the hotel during the genocide.

      Worthy of note: Kigali is immaculate. Not one piece of plastic, paper, or garbage anywhere. We haven't seen anything like this throughout the rest of Africa.      Read more

    • TravelerSafari Ostafrika
      Day 10

      Tagesausflug nach Ruanda

      August 5, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

      Wenn man schon mal in der Nähe ist... 2-3 h nach Kigali, die Hauptstadt Ruandas, gefahren und 1,5 Stunden am Zoll Schlange gestanden, um das Genocide Memorial Museum und das Belgium Commander Memorial anzuschauen und in einem Hotel Mittag zu essen. Da danach alle zurück wollten, damit es nicht zu spät wurde, fuhren wir nach dem Mittag um ca 15 Uhr wieder zurück. Der Rückweg dauerte zum Glück nur noch 2,5 Stunden, da es am Zoll schneller ging. Hat sich trotzdem gelohnt und mir ein ganz anderes Bild gezeigt, das ich von Ruanda hatte. (Siehe Fotos)Read more

      See translation
    • Darren and JanetRwanda 2017
      Day 7

      It's all about the cache!

      July 6, 2017 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      We had a later start today for the trip to Nyungwe Forest, with breakfast scheduled for 7.30am... but I've had my eye on a nearby cache, so this morning was our opportunity to attempt it. It is only 500m from our hotel, as the crow flies, but considerably longer following roads, so I discussed the best route with our tour leader, Aloys. He thought it was too far to walk and suggested taking a moto taxi, but Oliver wasn't keen on sitting on the back of a motorbike in Kigali's traffic!

      He offered to go as a detour on the way out of town, but I didn't want to delay the whole group, so he offered to meet us at 7am and take us alone, then come back for the group after breakfast. So we met him at 7am and drove to the cache site, at the entrance of a hotel. Amazingly, the road off the main road was rougher than any we encountered in Akagera! The streets were teeming with children on the way to school (7.30am start) and the hotel staff were interested to see what we were doing. They knew there was an "item" in the area, and that previous finders had looked on the gates, but didn't know exactly where it was. After a few minutes searching, we had it in hand, much to the delight of the hotel chef, gardener and security guards!

      We got back to the hotel in time to squeeze in some breakfast, and still made the 8.30am departure time with ease.      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Africa
      Day 36

      Library coffee shop and super heavy rain

      March 2, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

      Today we decided to spice things up and work from another place that was recommended to us. A coffee shop on the top floor of the Kigali Public Library. They had good drinks and snacks there, which we gladly ordered while we were working there. For lunch, Anne would head back to IH for a lunch meeting, while I decided to stay at the library place, as it mattered less to me where specifically I'd be working from.

      A bit before lunch the blue sky suddenly turned gray, and there were super strong gusts of wind. I recommended Anne to consider leaving immediately so she would make it to her lunch meeting at IH in the dry, following which she immediately packed up and left. Well... Less than five minutes after she had left for her 8min journey the flood gates opened up with a gigantic downpour. The coffee shop on the top floor where I was got flooded, as the rain was pushing in through the windows, and a rainwater pipe burst in a wall and suddenly the wall became a fountain and flooded our spot from the inside.

      Regarding Anne, it turned out that the 8min trip turned into 45min, she got drenched, the moto ran out of gas, she ran out of battery on her phone, they got lost more than once without GPS because her driver didn't know the way, and she arrived way too late for her lunch meeting. But it all turned out alright 😊      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Africa
      Day 38

      Start of the road trip in an art gallery

      March 4, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      For the next eight days we would be doing something we had been looking forward to do for several weeks already. We rented a car (not a camper) to explore more of Rwanda. We had also both shifted our work schedules around, which meant that we'd have one and a half weekdays free for explorations as well, with no work scheduled then.

      I had done a bit of research into reputable rental car agencies and ended up with the best one, at least judging from the reviews. I had agreed with the agency to deliver the car to our Airbnb at 8am, as we wanted to go and visit an urban art gallery in the morning before heading on a 5h drive with heading southwest to visit a large rainforest National Park.

      Eventually, with more than an hour of delay, the car was delivered, and we were already super impatient. The delivery driver had apparently not been briefed, as he expected cash payment in USD. I had to call the agency again and tell them that I don't have cash, and that we had agreed on a payment by card. We were running late, so I rejected the owner Frank's invitation to come to the head office and pay by card there. Instead, I told him he had 15min to send someone with a card terminal to the art gallery, and from there we would depart at once.

      We went to the gallery and marveled at the displayed art, several of the pieces really spoke to me. Unfortunately they were usually very large and cost 10 000 - 15 000 USD, haha. It did give us a good opportunity to do an intense dive into the Kigali art scene, which is quite developed.

      While we were there an agency guy showed up with the payment terminal, and I was able to pay as planned. I pointed out to the guy that several check engine lights in the car were on and that I didn't appreciate that the car seemed stuck in 4WD, but I was reassured that this is normal on these imported cars and that they were no reason to worry. A bit of a red flag there, but I decided to roll with it, seeing how we were almost 2h behind our intended schedule.      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Africa
      Day 37

      Visiting the Genocide Memorial

      March 3, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

      From Annie we didn't really know how to leave again, as the motos had dropped us far from the main roads. We ended up calling our trusted taxi driver, who took some 20min to come for us, but came when he said he would. We drove straight to the Genocide Memorial.

      Rwanda had a major disruptive event happening as recent as 1994, when the Hutu majority called for all of the Tutsi minority to be killed. Husband's killed their wives, friends killed each other, people set their neighbor's house on fire... In 100 days of genocide in 1994 over one million people died, while the global community stood by and did essentially nothing to intervene.

      The genocide memorial was opened in 2003 as a permanent reminder for the world to better identify situations similar to those that led up to the boiling point event, and make sure it is never repeated again. During the genocide, a lot of kids lost their parents, which is one of the main factors why Rwanda nowadays is such a forward thinking and innovative country.

      Now there are a lot of businesses run by 30 year olds, who are reinventing how business works. There is a thriving tech scene, and Rwanda is actively working to establish itself as the tech hub of Africa. And they are doing well on their journey!

      The genocide memorial is a powerful display of how horrible humanity can be. It illustrated in both text and pictures all the events before, during, and after the 100 days. It is definitely a must visit when in Kigali. Over 125 000 people are buried at the memorial ground in mass graves.

      We had been advised of this, but our moods were definitely very somber when we left the museum. All I could do is shake my head at the brutality that us humans can conjure up when led by immoral leaders.      Read more

    • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
      Day 24

      Rwanda - Too Short, Wanting To Return

      November 6, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

      It was time to visit the third country on this trip and our travel plan led us to Rwanda - the country of a thousand hills. Similar to Kisoro, the drive to the Rwandan border and through its countless hills was spectacular, but what was most striking, was how clean the country is. No trash, no litter on the streets or pavements. Rwanda has banned the use of plastic bags, so that is a big plus.

      After a few days of relaxing in Red Rocks and spending the afternoon lounging at a nearby lodge or having a few drinks in the pub, it was time to drive to Kigali, the capital. There, we visted, what i wanted to see/understand since I saw the movie 'Hotel Rwanda' - the Kigali Genocide Memorial/Museum. It provided an insightful, shocking and devastating account of the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994.

      The genocide was triggered by the downing of a plane with the Hutu leader on it and was the shocking result of decades of propaganda and surpression of the Tutsi minority.

      Within the span of 100 days, the Hutu tribe tortured and murdered over 1 million people of the Tutsi minority in the most brutal ways possible - machetes, hammers, sticks, brute force, etc. Over 2 million people fled the country in that time. Basically, a country of roughly 8 million people lost almost 40% of its population with less than 3 months.

      By now, the country and its people have forgiven (or so at least it seems) - a remarkable feat - and Rwandan now live peacefully next to each other with the Hutu and Tutsi classification eliminated and forbidden.

      With such sad, devastating and horrific insights, we headed out to have some dinner before it was time to say goodbye to Rwanda and hello Tanzania. However, Rwanda and especially its clean and buzzing capital, Kigali, certainly makes me want to come back and explore the country more properly. It feels it has a lot more to offer than I have seen.      Read more

    • Vee LEast Africa
      Day 38

      Rwanda!

      February 8, 2016 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      We're in Rwanda! Kigali to be exact! We treated ourselves - I'm writing this blog while laying in bed, eating my first chocolate bar since I've arrived, and drinking from our mini wine bottle. Simple pleasures.

      To save on the details, we took a boda-boda for 10 minutes, a minibus for 2.5 hours, another minibus for 3 hours, a shared taxi for 30 minutes to the border, and this same shared taxi for another 2.5 hours. And done!

      As you'll notice in the photos, the first bus stop we were dropped at this morning was very official. Obviously they pack the minibuses very well - 12 official seats, with up to 23 people in them at any given time.

      Timing was flawless though, we'd get off and there was another bus leaving... And we scored big time with the last shared taxi! For the same price as what our book was telling us it would cost for a ride to Kigali after crossing the border, this taxi picked us up in Kabale, brought us to the border, where we all crossed by foot, then picked us up and we drove into Kigali. And this time, unlike the one on the island, Jack and I shared the back row of the car with one person, one seat per person! Luxury!

      The border was hilarious. A wooden gate lifted by a person to let the car in, which pulled over to the side to let us out. We all go in line at the exiting Uganda office, where we filled out an exit card, got a stamp, and were told to go on. We had our east Africa visa so no charge for us. We then walk about 6 minutes on a dirt road surrounded by construction trucks over to the Gatuna Immigration office. We hand over our passports, simple questions, thumb print and photo and that's it. We walk back to the car, they looked through our bags really quickly, and off we go to Kigali!

      We've been told by many travellers that Kigali was something special! It was organized, and clean, and welcoming. I was expecting to be wow'd. Meh. It was hot, we decided to walk up to town from the bus station, which even the book says you need "gorilla legs" if you decide to walk it instead of taking public transportation. I do not have gorilla legs. But we made it! One soaked freshly washed t-shirt later we were at the top of the hill! We asked about 5 different people where this central roundabout was called Place de l'unité Nationale. We were pointed in all kinds of directions. Turns out, if Rwandans don't know where something is, they point somewhere anyway.

      A 3km walk took 2 hours. And at this point, with all the transportation, my last meal was an egg and chapati at 10am. It's now 5pm and we've just dropped our bags off at our room. I'm hungry! FYI our lonely planet map blows for this town, nothing makes sense on it. Restaurants aren't where they should be. Roads entirely are missing or just wrong... It was so frustrating.

      The town appears at times just as disorganized and chaotic as any other city we've seen, and at other times there's street names displayed, actual roundabouts, street lighting, well manicured landscaping along the streets all making it appear organized.

      Our home for the night - a nuns convent! We're room A1, that means the very first room after passing the group of nuns sitting at a table reviewing the Bible together. How perfect! It's the cheapest place in town, and quite the ambiance! Once we got back to our room in the evening after diner, we could hear their choir practising, seranating us!

      I got to call my mom from a coffee shop today, best Wi-Fi we've had yet! Felt nice to hear her voice. Jack was asking me the other day if I missed anything from home, I told her I didn't miss anything at all, just people. My friends, my family, being surrounded by people I love and I know love me... A month into this trip, and I don't miss any foods, or my bed, or my shower or clothes, just my people.      Read more

    • Tobias StrohbachUganda
      Day 94

      Kigali Day & Night

      January 4, 2017 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      Nach der Landung in (Ruandas Hauptstadt) Kigali vertrauten wir uns zwei Boda-Boda (Motorrad) Fahrern an, die uns flott zum nahgelegten Hostel bringen sollten. Was folgte war jedoch absolutes Chaos. Denn unsere Annahme die Fahrer würden unser Hostel kennen, bzw. zumindest untereinander kurz Absprache halten, stellte sich als naiv heraus. Und so verloren wir uns irgendwo auf der Strecke und weder mein Bodafahrer konnte seinen Kollegen erreichen oder ich Corinna, da wir beide nicht ins örtliche Mobilfunknetz eingewählt waren. Glücklicherweise kam zumindest ich am Hostel an und wählte mich ins örtliche WLAN-Netz ein. Corinna hatte jedoch schwer zu kämpfen, da ihr erstaunlicherweise weder Englisch noch Französisch bei den mittlerweile in größerer Anzahl versammelten Gruppe an Bodafahrern weiterhelfen konnte. Nach über einer halben Stunden Wartezeit konnten sie mich aber glücklicherweise (über den Internetzugang eines ein freundlichen, der englischen Sprache mächtigen, Passanten) erreichen. Nachdem wir wieder vereint waren, erfuhren wir zu allem Überfluss dann noch, dass meine (zwei Monate zuvor ausgeführte) Buchung nicht im System vermerkt war. Doch glücklicherweise war das Personal vor Ort sehr entgegenkommend und uns wurde eine nahgelegene Pension zu gleichen Konditionen angeboten. 
      Da Kigali nur der Zwischenstopp auf unserer Reise in den Volcanoes National Park war, hatten wir uns lediglich einen Programmpunkt (für den darauffolgenden Vormittag) vorgenommen: das Genocide Memorial. Die Gedenkstätte mit Museum behandelt einen sehr dunklen Teil der ruandischen Geschichte, den im Jahr 1994 eskalierte Völkermord an den Tutsis, die sich selber als höher gestellte “Rasse” ansahen. Trotz der schrecklichen Bilder und Erzählungen hat das Museum einen guten Aufbau und setzt thematisch wichtige Impulse, inklusive der Beschäftigung mit anderen grausamen Völkermorden auf unserem Planeten.      Read more

      See translation

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Kamutwa

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