http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Rwanda en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:08:03 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 08:08:03 BST Bon avant de commencer a discuter de mon safari dans l'Akagera il faut s'entendre sur un point bien que situe a la frontiere de la Tanzanie le parc national de l'Akagera n'est pas le Serengeti. Ceci etant dit l'expression in the middle of nowhere y prend tout sons sens. N'abritant aucun rhinoceros pratiquement aucun felin ni elephant l'Akagera est boude par la plupart des touristes qui lui http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-de-L--Est/blog-301510.html Short version check blog title. Truly one of the most amazing things you can do in this world.Long version I secured a permit through the Rwanda tourism board while I was still in the US back in March which involved the seemingly sketchy process of wiring money to the National Bank of Rwanda in Kigali. I must have been crazy trying to plan something like that more than 3 months in advance. Th http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/blog-300042.html I've just finished spending two weeks in Rwanda the land of a thousand hills. Its size decent roads tarmac is a wonderful thing comparatively efficient busses make it an easy country to travel in compared to Kenya and Uganda. Topographically the east apart Rwanda's numerous hills mountains valleys are intensely cultivated terraced in many places. Bus drives especially in the north http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/blog-299626.html we leave monday morning at like 5am for arusha tanzania. i'm in an internet cafe trying to work on my paper that's due tomorrow but i'm managing to avoid it by spending time doing other things... like typing this out. the keyboard is totally throwing me off because the enter and shift keys are shaped different super annoying. i went to church today for the second time in many many years. t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-295998.html RwandaSeveral people that wersquove met on the trip to date have said that Rwanda was the highlight for them so I had high hopes for our few days there. Unfortunately I was slightly disappointed.We arrived via the border post just outside Kisoro on the edge of the same string of Volcanoes that wersquod climbed the day before. Met a very official border guard who wasnrsquot particularly amuse http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/blog-295556.html Si Dieu avait rellement cr un paradis pour l'panouissement des premiers humains il l'aurait certainement fait au Rwanda. Nul endroit au monde ne ressemble plus au jardin d'Eden que ce minuscule pays verdoyant. Chaque ferme sur les pentes des collines avec ses eucalyptus ses hibisucs ses bananiers et ses champs luxuriants au milieu desquels se dissimule une petite maison en brique est a elle http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/blog-294829.html let's see... i'm feeling a bit better today aside from being really hot and sweaty. last night was the first night since i moved into my homestay that wasn't super extra awkward. that was nice. today is independance day here and friday is liberation day trying to find things to do with my free time that involve me being alone or at least out of my homestay family's house. got a paper co http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/blog-294003.html Deja la deuxieme et derniere semaine de mon stage de chirurgie vient de se terminer. Ce fut une semaine beaucoup plus tranquille et nettement moins eprouvante que la precedente hormis pour une legere indigestion qui m'a forcee a passer la journee au lit apres avoir perdu connaissance durant une chirurgie de greffe de peau sur une plaie ulcereeMe sentant soudain tres faible et nauseuse j'eus a pe http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/blog-293998.html this weekend was really rough for me. my friend died last week and i didn't find out until thursday. it's really hard being away from home right now especially being i rwanda looking at peace and conflict and genocide stuff. i had a rough time getting ahold of anyone to find out what the hell actually happened. i don't feel like writing anymore... http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/blog-293554.html From the TanzanianRwandan border we drove about 150km to Kigali the capital city. It was along drive as the country is very mountainous so we drove around winding roads passing small communities and watching the beautiful scenery. We soon discovered that the Rwandans were the friendliest people the most proud and the most hardworking of the African countries so far. There was no rubbish around http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/blog-293150.html with another keyboard in arabic. it's very beautiful here. actually really beautiful. i was glad to hear back from so many people it makes my day because no one calls me and i haven't been able to call the us from my phone now that i'm in rwanda. tomorrow night we move into our homestays it's starting to go by quicker and i guess i have to admit i'm getting a bit sick of being around peopl http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-291575.html Etant finalement arrive Butare jeudi jrsquoavais particulirement hate de dbuter mon travail lrsquohopital universitaire de Butare. Je me suis donc prsente le lendemain matin prete suturer des plaies drainer des abcs rduire des fractures et assister des oprations. Bref prete accomplir toutes les actions qui font rever les tudiants en mdecine dbutants un stage de chirur http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/blog-290813.html ldquoItrsquos time to cut down the tall treeshelliprdquo and with these words on 6 April 1994 a genocide of brutal ferocity and speed was inflicted upon the people of Rwanda. The tall trees comment was the code word for a carefully calculated campaign that saw one million people butchered by the crudest of weapons mostly the machete within 100 days. With the exception of the only tw http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/Gikongoro/blog-290212.html Drove 70 kms to the Rwandan border. It opens at 8am so we have to wait a bit meanwhile money changers are hounding us. Everyone else in the truck got free visas except for the Aussies who have to pay 60From there we drove up and down beautiful green fretile hills valleys lots of crops planted in this obviously fertile land the soil is rich red in color quite verdant scenery. We stopped at http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/blog-286833.html Au moment ou j'ecris ce texte sur un clavier sans accent francais comme vous l'aurez remarque cela fait deja 2 jours que je suis arrivee au Rwanda. Selon le plan initial je devrais en ce moment etre en train de travailler au CHUB centre hospitalier universaitre de Butare en chirurgie depuis hier.Evidemment this is Africa comme me l'a rappele Farouk un rwandais originaire de Toronto que http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/blog-286460.html Why is it that few people mention how physically challenging it is to view the gorillas as vertical climbs precarious precipices incredibly dense foliage and stinging nettles by the hundreds all awaited our intrepid party. A crisp morning saw people of varying nationalities assemble for our briefing at the Tourism Office in Kinigi a small village nestled amongst some beautiful mountain scener http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Nord/Parc-National-des-Volcans/blog-284466.html Hi Again Jess Ive officially kicked Matt off blog duty hahahaha.... OK so We are now back in Uganda after about a week in Rwanda. We went to the genocide memorial centre in the capital Kigali which is the most civilised city we've been to thus far the mototaxi drivers all wear helmets and people obey the speed limits which was incredibly emotional. The first floor gives amazing details http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-279974.html You'll be pleased to hear things at Nsinda Vocational School and Pre School are progressing well. Below are links to my most recent photos taken back in March and April.httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid32065l5012bid672901388httpwww.facebook.comalbum.phpaid32061lf835bid672901388We all really appreciate all the support we've received so far Thanks to all of you.With rising food http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-de-L--Est/blog-279970.html Hi Everyone We're now in Rwanda. The last week has been awesome. We spent a few days up in the mountains of the southernmost tip of Uganda tracking golden monkeys but unfortunately it was too windy to see any. So we ended up going caving in this cave that used to be inhabited by a village of pygmies. After the government gazetted the area as a national park they were forced to leave thier lan http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-278319.html There was a time when Butare in the south was on track to become capital of a postindependence Rwanda. Home to the countryrsquos first university a busy center of intellectual life it seemed as good a place as any to plant the roots of a new nation. It was however buried deep in the south just a few miles from the border with Burundi and in the end Kigali was chosen because of its more http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/blog-274047.html Upon our return from Egypt we were met with a very very wonderful surprise Tubby the cutest chubby puppy My roommate's bosses had a littre of puppies and voila...we ended up with Tubby. Although presented as a trial period all three of my roommates had instantly decided we would keep Tubby. I readily admit I wanted no part in being responsible for the dog...I can't even take care of the gua http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-273129.html March 15 and 16 we took a bit of a field trip east to Akegera park which borders Tanzania. There we stayed at the park lodge camping is an option but frankly the possibility of being crushed by a hippo as it grazes in the night does not sound appealing to me The baboons are bold and there are warnings to lock your slidding door even on the second floor as they are agile and have sufficient http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-271548.html Early in March the girls and I moved into the Gishush house aka the fish bowl We are the neighbourhood spectacle entertaining the locals. From the road you can see straight up onto our porch if you come up the hill. Often small children will yell from the bottom of the road up to us Muzungu white person I often like to point out the irony of the name but well...I'm be nice. While i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-271235.html Most of March was spent setting up my life in Rwanda buying a cell phone bed and mattress kitchen stuff putting up the bathroom curtains and of course celebrating in style. I live with three other young women in a house at the top of one of the thousand hills of Kigali. We have a beautiful porch which also doubles as my kitchen table living room and dinning room i.e. I sit on my behind at http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-271223.html After catching my connecting flight in Addis Abba I finally arrived in Kigali just after noon. After breathing a sigh of relief at the arrival of my lugguage I was greeted by two other interns Marissa and Ally I was able to eat take a shower and settle down at the guest house where I stayed until moving into my house. A few hours later I was zipping on the back of a moto heading to the UK http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-271212.html To read Forgiveness is from God. I am only human please click herehttpwww.travelgator.comdoblogsTheTravelinGatorTourstheWorld http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-271165.html Irsquove hooked up with an American staying at the auberge a PhD student researching her dissertation on gender and postgenocide justice in Rwanda. Having put in time at the genocide tribunal in Arusha and planning to spend the next month interviewing survivors around the country Jenna proves to be good company for a few days around Kigali. She tells me about the Kagame governmentrsquos http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-269623.html Rwanda packs a fair punch for a small country sometimes beautiful sometimes grim but always fascinating. Here's a tale I wrote about a trek in the national park... Oliver stood peering over a slimy wall into the bamboo forest of Rwandarsquos Parc National des Volcans wearing khaki trousers and glossy black gumboots. With his buffalolike constitution he looked more like an African dictator http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Nord/Parc-National-des-Volcans/blog-269520.html Most people apparently have to trek for hours to see the gorillas in the Parc National des Volcans. They come back with tales of slogging uphill through ankle deep mud and stinging bushes. But when my sister and I visited the gorillas were out visiting their relatives in town.After just 15 minutes of walking from the cars we came across the thirteen group of gorillas in the terraced fields. Up http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Nord/Parc-National-des-Volcans/blog-269515.html Itrsquos a short easy crossing at the border the guards grinning and bashful pump my hand and welcome me to Rwanda and the drive to Kigali is long cramped scenic. The road winds along a lush valley carved by tea plantations and lined by eucalyptus trees. Villagers stoop in the afternoon heat plucking tea leaves from the low branches. Women with colorful headscarves walk singlefile dow http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Ville-de-Kigali/Kigali/blog-267005.html