Rwanda
Rukiri i

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    • Day 4

      Campaign Against Genocide Museum

      February 3, 2018 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      Woke up finally around 10:00 am, effect of last night’s clubbing. Called up Joshua my car man and negotiated a per drop rate of RFW 4,000 with him as I didn’t want to hire him for the entire day. Had breakfast at the sky lounge after bathing.

      Headed out for the Campaign Against Genocide museum located within the Parliamentary building driving through the neat and beautiful city of Kigali. Security at the gate was tight, had to come down from the car for a thorough check, and then pass through a scanner. The museum was opened late last year by the president and gave in a chronological order the battles fought by the RPF to recapture the country from the genocidal forces of the government in power, it also shows the connivance of the French government in providing cover for the genocidal forces under the disguise of providing humanitarian services, this probably prompted the government to switch from a French speaking to English speaking country years later. The visit was well worth it even though I had to pay RFW 6,000 as entry fee (foreigners entry fee into all museums in Rwanda)

      Left the museum stopped over at the hotel to pick up my power bank before heading off to Afrika Bite for a local meal of rice with beans source and beef, with a helping of mashed plantain. It was a nice meal, but the mashed plantain was too hard to eat.

      After lunch I visited Kigali Height, bought an interesting book on Rwanda and had a 3 flavor ice cream at Java Café. Eventually left the Kigali Height for the hotel at 6:00 pm
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    • Day 2

      Arrived Kigali, Rwanda

      February 1, 2018 in Rwanda ⋅ 23 °C

      Woke up at 6:00 am to get ready for the trip. Went down for a buffet breakfast. Left for the airport at 11:30 am arriving 11:52 am. Check in was smooth. Luggage were scanned at the entrance into MMA. Not much queue at the RwandAir checkin counter. No queue at the immigration counter just before the security scanners.

      Flight took off at 13:45 hrs naija time and after traveling for 4 hrs we landed at Kigali airport at 20:45 hrs local time (19:45 hrs naija time). Joined the visa queue, no visa form to fill. On getting to the immigration official I was asked nature of my visit, duration of stay and where I plan to stay and if I have any local contact, thereafter I was asked to pay $30 for the visa which was then stamped onto my passport.

      Met an old colleague, Norbert on the Visa queue. Says he runs a business here and visits 6 times a year. He was a bit guarded with information so I didn’t press him for more info.

      Taxi driver was at the arrival hall waiting for me with my name on a cardboard paper.

      Changed $200 to RFW 170,000 and then wasted a lot of time buying an MTN sim card. Paid RFW 600 (RFW 200 for sim, RFW 200 for 1 week 1.5GB data and RFW 200 for voice calls). Phone refused to recognize the sim card and kept showing emergency call all night till next morning.

      Asked the driver what he would charge to drive me around the next day and he called out RFW 60,000 after much discussions he agreed for RFW 45,000. I insisted for RFW 30,000 not sure he accepted but he said he would come for me at 10:00 am next morning. Eventually got to the hotel quite late almost 10:30 pm, went to the restaurant order a rice and beef meal with a bottle of sprite. The room is very big and spacious but looks old and worn out.
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    • Day 3

      Kigali Musuem & Memorial Visits

      February 2, 2018 in Rwanda ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Woke up at 6am tried to sleep again but no luck. Ivans, Juliet’s friend called to tell me he has organized a taxi to take me around all day for RFW 35,000 but if I do half day I can pay RFW 20,000. So I sent an SMS to the airport taxi guy cancelling our arrangement, but he later called after Ivan’s driver had arrived stating he was also available. I thank him and promised to use him on subsequent outings.

      Left the hotel at 10:00am. Our 1st point of call was Kandt house / museum of Natural history. Paid RFW 600 as a foreigner, was assigned a guide. The museum was nicely arranged, with picures from 1907 depicting the life of the people and the conquest of Rwanda 1st by the Germans and later by the Belgians who took over during world war 1 when Germany was defeated.

      Other places visited were in the following order:
      • Drive around Nyamirambo
      • University of Rwanda
      • Belgian Soldier Memorial
      • Kigali Genocide Memorial center

      After which I met up with Ivans for lunch at Java coffee shop at Kigali Heights.
      After lunch I continued to the Presidential Palace Museum, a large palatial house built for the Belgian administrator and later occupied by the first 2 presidents of Rwanda, also visited the crash site of the presidential plane shot down in 1994 while carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, this act is believed to have triggered the genocide.

      Got back to the hotel at 16:40 hrs. Waited endlessly for Ivan to pick me up he finally came at 22:30 hrs with his cousin and namesake. We headed off to Riders Lounge at Kampala height for drinks. I ordered Skool larger bear, tasted nice like naija beer, another cousin of his Phina short for Josephine working with GT Bank joined us. We left Riders at 1:30 am for Sundowner Lounge and spent another hour there before they announced that they would drop me off at Cocobean night club. The club was packed full no space to move, I couldn’t locate Norbert so I told my host (Ivan’s Cousin) we should leave. We later stopped over at Papayrus to buy Brochete (Goat suya). I couldn’t taste the goat in the meat. Took a taxi for RFW 5,000 back to the hotel at about 03:30 am
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