Gisenyi

This past weekend, I took a trip to Gisenyi - a town on Lake Kivu that borders with the Congolese border. Gisenyi is known to have sand beaches, hot springs, and a wicked view of Mount Nyiragongo - an active Volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

It was quite the journey to get out to Gisenyi. It's about a 3.5 hour bus ride from Kigali. But the view is pretty incredible:

From hills to full blown mountains

Because Gisenyi is so close to the active volcano Nyiragongo, the volcanic gases really affect the area. When you swim in the lake, bubbles come up from the ground underwater and you can feel them. It's a very strange experience. There is even a part of Gisenyi with hot springs - so so so cool (or should I say hot? haha).  This is also attributed to the high level of volcanic gases beneath the earth's surface. The water at these springs is literally boiling. Villagers are known to bring potatoes and boil them in the water! You actually see bubbling water coming out of the ground. 

I couldn't hold my hand in for more than a few seconds - the water is so hot

I was pretty pumped about the hot springs

Lake Kivu at Sunset

After spending the day beachside, I took a nice walk in the evening after the sun set. As I was walking, I noticed a very strong red haze and red clouds in the horizon. It was so strange but I quickly figured out it was the volcano...erupting!! It was wild! I tried to take a photo but it's tough at night. If you look closely at this photograph, you can see some of the glow coming off the lava:

I wish I could have taken a better picture because it was just an unbelievable site. The volcano erupted in the direction away from Goma (the nearest city) and was spewing lava towards the forest (according to a local there that was giving us the play by play - he also said this is the first time in a few years that he's seen this much activity from the volcano). The orange cloud coming off the lava was unreal. And it all made sense that the volcano was erupting because earlier that night, while on the beach, the water became suddenly very wavy. It had been calm all day and there was no wind or boats so I was stumped as to how waves could suddenly appear. The volcanic activity really impacts Lake Kivu here.

This is the view of the volcano the next morning:

Looks pretty harmless, huh?

The clouds you see to the right in the next picture indicate the area affected by the lava: 

I've now had the chance to see most of Rwanda. Although it is a small country, there is so much to see here. And each area is known for certain specialities - in the case of Gisenyi, sand beaches and delicious sambaza (little deep fried fish - so yummy!). 

This weekend, I'm heading out to Cyangugu to run with the Hash House Harriers. Cyangugu features a jungle that borders with DRC and Burundi - I will be crossing both borders as I venture out in the rainforest. I'll be running with my camera so hopefully, I can post some sweet pics when I get back! 

To everyone at home facing shorter hours of daylight and the upcoming deep freeze that is Canada, I invite you all to come and join me out here in Rwanda. You won't regret it! I even have an extra bedroom in my house, just for you....