Mendoza and eastward

We were late into Mendoza Casino and Intercontinental following a fractious border crossing and a magnificent drive down through massive rock formations of the eastern side of the Andes. The sun was setting, as we descended through wide valleys and narrow gorges, casting magical light and shadows across the landscape. A quick dinner in the casino, a few pesos in the pokies and we staggered into bed looking forward to an early start....wine tasting at 10.00am. By noon we were mostly inebriated however a well organised tasty lunch was beckoning followed by a continued city tour of the 1 million inhabitants then a 2 hour drive across a desert to San Juan airport.

 

       

29th Sept 

We arrived in our lodgings in Buenos Airies around 11pm, tired teddies. We had a full day tour of the 12 million populated capital of Argentina. Diego, our guide, is top notch and shows us a great many things with lots of interesting stories to add. The River Plata runs through the town translated it means river of silver. It looks as though it should be river of rusted tin such is the colour and we were a bit surprised to discover we can drink from the tap in our hotel and the river of mud supplies all requirements.

We saw the contrasting housing areas.

 

It was interesting to visit the Recoleta cemetery, set out like a small town. It is a cemetery for wealthy people and is full of tombs where entire families lie, coffins visible through doorways and stained glass. Eva Peron lies here and although there is no space left it is sometimes possible to buy a tomb where a family, now fallen on hard times, sells the site. We saw a recent sale site of US$100,000 however had the site been on the main thoroughfare it could have been $50k more. There is no premium for those with a river view.....makes sense I suppose.

Our tour took us through three distinct districts, lower, middle and upper class. Our guide, who tells us he is middle class, can spot the lower class or the upper class citizen a good way off. It is very difficult to move through the classes but it does happen, as was the case for Diego Maradona. He is still treated like a god here. Very few middle class people can afford their own home, most rent. Inflation is running at 35-40% and the peso is almost worthless. They do not save in the bank as the savings depreciate so quickly. Instead, money earned is quickly changed to US dollars and kept under the mattress. 

In the evening we were treated to a 3 course dinner with tango show to follow. The food, we all had steak, was excellent but the show was fantastic. Partly due to a magnificent theatre, highly trained dancers, a talented five piece band and a never ending supply of wine we totally enjoyed 90 minutes of sensual entertainment.

Today is rugby day and we don't start until 3.00pm. The morning is for catching up on sleep, washing, allowing the kidneys a short rest and writing blogs. We are looking forward to kick off and being involved in what will be a new type of crowd experience for us. Hopefully the All Blacks win but it seems Steve Hansen is giving the locals every chance by bringing in so many changes. Whatever happens, we are all excited to be here for sure.

No Chilly in Chile

We flew out on Lan air line on time (26 Sept) heading into the night sky which we quickly eclipsed and landed in Santiago 12 hours later at 2.00pm the next day...all as scheduled. While we flew out of rain in Auckland we arrived into a temperature and humidity sitting in the mid 20's.....choice.

Chile it seems has a strong history of battles, evident by monuments of dead heroes on practically every corner. It seems that on arrival, the immigrant Spainards quickly forgot their heritage and began mumbling about independence. Once this news filtered back to their homeland an armada was dispatched to sort things out. Generally the head man in newly colonised Chile was executed, the masses faith restored in their motherland and a monument erected. Usually the dead hero was placed on a horse, often with sword drawn leaving little to the imagination of where it would be thrust if said hero came close enough to the enemy. They have a serious over abundance of dead heroes although now most corners are used for a completely different passion. At all times of the day it is not uncommon to see a young couple inspecting each other's wisdom teeth with their tongues! This created an uncomfortable feeling when waiting for the green man, difficult to find somewhere to put your hands, folded? In your pockets? Green man! let's cross! Tricky situation averted. The adage of "..do in Rome as......" was quickly dispelled following a short eye contact with my dearly beloved...grey hair and no pdoa were mentioned. Worth a crack though, I thought.

Our first hotel was the Ritz, a posh start to our journey indeed. A tad over done for our small group of agricultural type kiwis. I wouldn't have been surprised on waking up to find a young lady standing by the bedside with a warm face cloth; service, fittings and food were all first class.

 

We had a full day tour of Santiago and surrounds which included a trip to the sea town of Vaparaiso. We walked on the beach on the eastern seaboard of the Pacific Ocean and it was here a potential tragedy almost overtook us. One of our team decided to dip her toe in the 12 degree Antarctic current when a rogue wave appeared and knocked her off her feet. A quick rescue team had our toe dipper back on dry ground albeit with dampness around her nether region which she hadn't experienced for over 70 years. Lessons were learnt one of which will be that a Canon EOS does not work after a bath in salt water...but could have been worse. This was a laugh or cry moment and fortunately our victim chose the former option which helped dispel some of the anxiety of what could have been. Ross Cooper, our team leader, who trained in the engine room of the All Black scrum, showed little sympathy.
 

Our small team, there are seven of us, have been treated to expert guides and drivers and we have been dined at fine vineyards. They mostly grow red grapes but all seem to know that Sauvignon from New Zealand is different but the best in the World.

After two nights in the Ritz we headed for the Andes in our 15 seater bus. Recalling events of crashed airplanes in these rugged mountains our tour company had opted for road transport rather than flight. The road is in excellent condition through the mountains and down into Argentina although not without challenges. To climb out of Chile up to the pass and the border a zigzag switchback construction is used where there are no less than 28 curves. It would appear that Mr Goodyear and Mr Michelin had considerable influence on the route. Vehicle braking companies must also be a major beneficiary of this engineering masterpiece.

Progressing through border control was a step back in time, or at the very least a stopping of time, an extreme test on ones patience. It took over two and a half hours to clear customs due to back logs, and front logs, and general inefficiency of the officials. Strong advice would be given to avoid this fiasco and opt for the far more dangerous flight next time. However, Mendoza is in our sights, Argentina here we come.

Last day in Rwanda

There is no way that we can say that our itinerary left the best until last. 
We had a good night in the Mille Collines, quite a swish abode for us and a far cry from a canvas walled mansion in the Botswana desert.

Theogene our guide picked us up and took us to an artisan market. Here we had to bargain for goods which is never pleasant...we find ourselves aggressively trying to save 50 cents on a $2.00 sale item. They had a heap of carved animals in ebony wood and other material which will no doubt cause eyebrows to raise when we hit NZ Biosecurity.

 Following shopping we had a quick lunch in a very nice restaurant, as clean and well managed as most kiwi premises. Then we were off to the Genocide Museum which has to be one of the most appalling history stops we have had. Nazi Germany and the concentration camps were never a thrill but this place is even more uncomfortable. For 100 days in 1994 the "Hutus" planned and killed 6 people per minute, every hour, every day.........for the entire 100 days. They killed the rival minority tribe of "Tutsi's". Men, women and children were massacred often with a machete and not just by army and militia but by civilians and neighbours. There are reports that some victims were given the option of paying for a bullet if they wanted a quick death. The Museum holds the mass graves of 250,000 of the dead and relatives are often visiting to remember lost family members. 

Over 125,000 people were accused after a new government took control. This was taking ages in the Court system. The National Courts still dealt with those who planned or raped but they decided to return to 'grassroots' justice systems. "The Gacaca trials served to promote reconciliation by providing a means for victims to learn the truth about the death of their family members and relatives. They also gave perpetrators the opportunity to confess their crimes, show remorse and ask for forgiveness in front of their community." 

The convicted included two Catholic priests who encouraged people into their church, then allowed Hutu renegades in to murder them. 

After our visit our guide told us his father and brother were genocide victims while he was at school. His mother is Hutu and was spared though her own brother said she should die for marrying a Tutsi.

 

Rwandans move forward to the future all equal it appears now but they still have a memorial day in every village in April. 

How the country has got itself back on track, is peaceful and safe and where there is no corruption, all in a very short time is quite amazing. Unfortunately the scars will remain for many decades but it appears that their government is doing their very best to put the atrocities behind them. We can hope for the best and encourage anyone who enjoys travelling in the third world to visit and contribute to their economy. The people were extremely friendly and very respectful. The country is very clean (plastic bags are banned), the food very good, the climate as close to perfect as it could be and the National Parks are all different with amazing highlights. Rwanda deserves more travellers...we had a wonderful time and were quite sad to leave.

It is now time to fasten our seatbelts, stow our tray table away and prepare for the journey home with short stops in Johannesburg and Perth, and even shorter stop in Auckland and if all goes to plan we will be back in Blenheim by noon on Thursday this week. Hope you enjoyed your virtual trip with us.

Akagera National Park

After a long drive on one of the better roads in Rwanda, through the capital Kigali, we arrived at the Akagera National Park gates at 7.00pm. Unfortunately, due to new rules (that had not been explained to the guides or notified to the company), we were an hour late and entry had to be denied! Our guide, Theogene was very embarrassed. He rang his boss while the gate guard rang his...they spoke then swapped their phones. They finished on their phones and continued discussion for 15 minutes. Then we were let in......an inconvenience we didn't really need in the middle of Africa, at night after a 5.30am start and 6 hours of driving. But...we are here for different experiences.

Our Akagera Lodge on the edge of Lake Ihema was really nice. Food was fantastic, a bit of Africa mixed with pasta...and other recognisable stuff. Our room was along a board walk just high enough to ensure hippos wouldn't cause interference. The restaurant second to none that we have stayed at with three courses by lamplight in the evenings and our lodgings in the tented bedroom were very comfortable.

 Up early and away into the park looking for wildlife. This park is fenced with solar electric down one side with a river and Tanzania border the east side. There are full time Rangers and fence maintenance teams along the boundary and they proudly released a pride of 7 lion last year and now have 14, of which we saw 3. Later this year they are hopeful of getting 5 rhino from South Africa and that will add to the attraction. Our guide did a great job of finding animals and we couldn't be happier with the safari in Rwanda. It seems rude to be driving past Impala, water buck and zebra in the hope of seeing a lion or an elephant. 

 

The good times have to end and after a short morning run through a small part of the park we lunched and headed back to the capital, Kigali. About 40kms of dusty road made sure that anything that was dirty is worse, and anything that was clean...isn't. We had two short stops on our 120km, 3 hour journey back into the big smoke. First to give a group of boys a soccer ball from NZ.....it was a thrill to see the smiles on their faces. They had been kicking a flax type covered roundish thing prior to our stopping....you might have thought they had just won the World Cup.....a small step closer maybe. Our second stop was to visit our guides 75 year old mother...very humbling. She lost her husband in the 1994 genocide, murdered in front of her! There is free medical care for her now but no social security or pension payment.Theogene supports her financially and his sister lives with her.

Water is a big problem in Rwanda....well getting it is. A few houses have reticulated supply but mostly the people trek to a communal well with yellow jerry cans. That could be several kms away. Bikes are used. It seemed to us that carts, donkeys or sack barrows would be a giant leap forward. Even digging more wells would surely mean way less car versus cycle accidents. I struggle keeping myself balanced on a bike...add 100 litres of water would be suicide for sure. Most of the children will carry 2 x 2litres before and after primary school and a 20 litre on their head once reaching high school status. In fact nearly every item can be balanced on a head in Rwanda.

Our last night back in Des Mille Collines Hotel, leaving tomorrow night for Johannesburg.  Tomorrow we will do a city tour, visit the genocide museum and an artisan market.

 

King Kong's homeland

We left Kamembe in the south west corner of Rwanda for a two day drive north to Kinigi, the base for gorilla tracking. The main roads are fairly impressive and the country is getting to work in developing a main arterial system within. The driving is diabolical. Mostly no white line in the centre which seems to mean you take the shortest path. Fortunately there aren't too many cars and obtaining a license is quite difficult. Having the money to buy a car is probably even more difficult.

We passed through dozens of little villages and enjoyed stopping off in one to give some local lads a football and a pump that we had bought with us from NZ. What started as 3 boys ended up with about 20 in 2 minutes. They were very excited and very polite....it was a nice experience to see them all so happy.

We did have a stop over on our way north. Distances are not great but roads are very windy and hilly so we rarely get into top gear.

Our stop over in Kibuye along the eastern edge of Lake Kivu was at a resort type place which was very relaxing spot. We had a quaint little cottage on sticks and a beautiful sunset...with a glass of rum or two. Fishing boats head out in the evenings, a sort of catamaran affair and they use nets to catch a little fish like a sardine. The fishermen sing to welcome fishes and keep their spirits up...voices carry clearly to the visitors along the edge. Local beer with dinner is a good end to the day.

We had a long drive to Kinigi but a very comfortable resort full of other white skins, mostly Americans it appears. An early start was required for our gorilla trek. About 8 groups of 8 people plus a guide need to be organised prior to departure. Groups are sorted by fitness level which was guessed at by our guide. We headed off with 6 Americans in pleasant conditions. The morning got warmer and the hill a little steeper, it took us two hours to reach our family of 15 which included the oldest silver back in Rwanda....he didn't show any excitement in seeing us! We had an hour with the gorillas, so close that two people were touched by them. Most of the time we were less than 5 metres away, just sitting, trying not to stare directly into their eyes but it was very difficult to refrain from saying "...so how's  your day been?...". 

The two hour walk in required a two hour walk out and a young American couple who had staggered a bit getting in were having difficulty getting out. They appeared to have had an overdose of calories to an extent that they now couldn't summon enough energy to burn off latent calories and they were in a continuing to grow phase. I mentioned the rescue helicopter and was astounded when the guy began considering it seriously. No one else in the group broke into a sweat ....but then we were "resting" every 30 metres! I'm sure their holiday was ruined when they discovered that there are no fast food joints in Rwanda. It is pleasing to drive through a city without seeing the big red M or old Colonel Sanders smiling at us, however the ubiquitous Coca-Cola sign is seen from time to time.

 

The following morning we visited golden monkeys which was a lot of fun. They are completely unphased about visits from humans and we could get as close as we liked. They wouldn't touch us but just carried on their chores as though we weren't there at all.     

From the monkeys we raced back to our lodge, showered, lunched and set off on a 6 hour journey to a lodge in Akagera National Park. Never a dull moment.

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.