Touchdown in Rwanda

An early start in Johannesburg and we managed a free shuttle and a train ride to the airport, quarter of the time and price of a taxi...winner! We arrived in Kigali, capital of Rwanda 5 hours later after a short stop in Nairobi. Rwanda is 1 degree south of the equator and I expected to be in a muck sweat by the time I got down the aeroplane steps but the temperature here is most pleasant. Even a bit cool in the evening. We had a smiling Jeremiah holding up a "Lawrence X 2" sign and were quickly whisked away to our lodging at Mille Collins.......the hotel made famous in the movie "Hotel Rwanda".

 

This fellow knocked up a tasty omelet in quick time for breakfast.

 

 

 

 Our first day was an 8 hour drive in a Landcruiser on tarseal road, to the south west. We found out that 65% of the sitting politicians are females, there is free education and health service, no corruption, and the country is surprisingly clean because every 4th Saturday is a clean up day and the people are all expected to do some public tidying. It is an extremely hilly country with lots of red soil and terrace farming. In the two dry seasons all the valleys are allowed to be used by anybody who applies for a plot. With all manual labour they plant vegetables and sell some at the market. One huge river valley was planted with rice and sorghum. All the guys working those fields were wearing orange outfits - no not the work safe type  - they were prisoners and not a guard in sight. 10% of the production will go to their families. Some would be some of the 100,000 convicted genocide perpetrators who are kept separate. It is all part of the reconciliation that has taken place. I'm sure there will be more about this later on our trip.

 

 

On our way south we stopped off at the "Kings Palace" and had a close encounter with some of his cattle. This is surprisingly called a Longhorn cow and seemed tame enough. We sampled some milk which is taken a bit like the ritual of drinking kava in Fiji. There is no King in Rwanda now....he lives in exile in the States and has been invited back but says he will only come back if he is still the king. Nobody expects to see him here again.

Diana sampling warm freshly squeezed milk....the after shot wasn't quite so elegant so has been left out.

 

 

 It was a long drive to Kamembe on the southern shores of Lake Kivu. This is a stones throw from Congo, not a destination we have in mind. 

 

 

 

 

This morning we had a 5.00am start and headed 90 minutes into the jungle looking for chimpanzees. We heard them well before seeing them making all those wonderful barking and "oo..ooing and ah..ahing noises we all know! We saw mostly rear ends of bundles of black fur high in the canopy but it was an interesting experience. Chimps are quite shy....nothing like the chimpanzee tea party characters that were an attraction at the Wellington Zoo a few years ago.....about 50 I think! 

Tomorrow we are heading north with Jeremiah towards the gorillas......that should be exciting.

These are a mountain monkey, a chimpanzee and our National Park Guide

 

Johannesburg by day

Back in the civilised city of Johannesburg we were looking to catch up on washing (to be honest I wasn't looking too hard in that direction), sort some emails, pay some bills and generally see how the World was surviving without our daily input.

Johannesburg by day...as you sure as hell wouldn't go out at night! I would like to say that this is just another big city like any other in the World....but unfortunately that isn't so. Clearly, after driving in from the airport it quickly becomes evident that they are pursuing the same line of development as Len Brown, with regard to traffic management. Diabolical would be praising it too much. Cars, roads, over-bridges, under-bridges, ignored traffic lights and no bicycles, although I did see one cyclist on the dual carriage way and he must have had a good insurer, I doubt he will see the week out.

Our visit to Soweto was a saddening event. A picture here of a shanty with a new outside toilet will house at least two adults and 2 children but possibly twice that many. It looks less than 4 m X 4m, no inside water, no power, no carpet and not weather proof. It will be a long time, many decades, before these people have 3 bedrooms and two cars in the garage.

Unemployment runs at 60% in Soweto and 50% of the population are under 16. It is little wonder that these people are somewhat irritated by and angry with the government. I'm sure Nelson Mendala promised and intended better than this. The present Prime Mininster is putting the finishing touches to his 200 million rand house. With general elections only months away he may be looking to have something comfortable to live out his days. Ten rand is about one NZ dollar.

Yesterday we took a walking tour of the city centre. Quite proud of ourselves that we caught a train into town....seemed quite safe really but there were dozens of people in high vis with Security written across their back. We walked for  couple of hours with a young Indian girl who was 4th generation South African and very proud to be. But the warnings were clear, as they were from everyone, be careful at all times. We looked at high rise buildings, empty and abandoned, locked up so people could not get in. Some had squatters and others were office buildings and tenanted where rents are so high that they cram 2 families into one room, use a communal toilet on the floor and get water from the same place. 

We went right through town, saw some reasonably swish parts but also areas where dozens of people are sleeping rough. I "accidentally" nudged into one of the locals on a narrow street and turned to apologise. He turned back to shake my hand and explain that you don't need to apologise on the street. While we are doing the fingers/wrists handshake is left hand is groping my pockets. I quickly withdrew my hand to clasp a small camera in my pocket and grabbed my money belt as I felt his fingers rake downward in an effort to break the strap. Our wee Indian lady spoke to him tersely and they butted knuckles in some sort of gesture...I thought it was a friendly gesture and did likewise with the unsuccessful pick pocket. We both parted with our dignity intact and after a quick inventory intact I confirmed that it would be another sucker today if he were get his intended rewards.  Very unnerving though.

Above: a fruit seller market, an empty apartment house and a shop with animal parts for making traditional medicine.

Today we visited the Apartheid Museum which again was somewhat sobering. The people, all the people, except the whites have suffered. And suffered seriously at some amazingly arrogant and callous treatment. While Aparthied is now abolished many of the black and coloured people are still suffering and will for a long time into the future. The museum was well set out and had dozens of live action footage on TVs, press photos and names of those who died for and during the struggle. I got a feeling that the price was high and so far not everyone has reaped any reward. I was not totally shocked by what was on display and I guess I have John Minto to thank for that. It seemed fitting I should get a photo of myself with Nelson Mandela...such a big man with such a big heart. He is on display in Mandela Square, not far from our hotel in Sandton.