The weekend had arrived! Friday night was a stormy one here in Kigali. Lightning illuminated the night sky and there was rain on and off – Rwanda is entering into a rainy season. We still managed to go out for a laid back night though. We had a classic volcano dinner (buffet – which means people pile food on their plate– it actually does look like a volcano of food) followed by a drink. We ended the night early in anticipation of our Saturday adventure....
We got up early the next morning and headed off to meet with some people from work. Of course, most people didn’t show up until 3 hours later (in Africa 8 am really means 10:30 am). When everyone arrived, we piled into a bus and headed to Lake Muhuzi (about 60 km North of Kigali, I think). It was a beautiful drive! Lush, green hills everywhere. Got a glimpse of some farmers and cows (which is a big deal here as cows are basically the greatest thing in the world for Rwandans). On the way to the lake for our ‘picnic’ we stopped in a village to take a break.
Village we drove through
While everyone else hopped off the bus and went out for a walk, Norah, Matt and I stayed back and caked on the sunscreen (we are basically on the equator, the sun here is STRONG). Local children came up to our bus and stared at us with bewilderment. Then they started laughing. I guess we were quite amusing to them. Sunscreen is definitely a novelty here!!
The scenery around the village was awesome!
When we finally arrived, the first thing I noticed was this:
A MONKEY!!! I was so excited. He was jumping around and we gave him a banana. We watched him peel it and eat it – it was the greatest thing in the world. Kind of broke my heart to see him caged up though as he was a bundle of energy. But I’m sure he enjoyed the banana. By the time I had finished taking a thousand pictures of my new monkey friend, everyone had headed off to the dock and started dancing. Rwandans love to dance. It was quite the sight! I then went off on a boat ride. It was fun, although the boat was leaking, which made me a bit nervous!
I'm on a boat!
The afternoon was filled with games, lots of singing and dancing. People here really know how to have fun. By the time we got home that evening, I was exhausted. I was ready for a more laid back day on Sunday.
Sunday morning featured a stop at the market where we purchased a variety of fresh fruits and veges. The market was filled with people and was slightly chaotic but the fresh produce is so good and cheap, making it totally worth our while. In the evening, I went for my first run in Kigali. I met a friend from work and off we went. Thankfully, he knew a less hilly area so I survived my first run here. It was a great way to end a great weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment