Reflections of Rwanda

Feeling a very long way from Rwanda

Some of us have phone signal #Kigali #Rwanda #travel

A pleasant flight from Brussels to Birmingham International brought our Rwanda adventure to an end for the time being. It has been great, but normal life beckons. 

Final holiday club. 150 children at Gikondo

My last night in Rwanda, and for the first time since being here I'm struggling to get to sleep...

Sunset over Kigali #Rwanda

Mission partners with the Eglise Methodiste Libre au Rwanda

A really good but tiring day at the Akagera National Park. We aimed to get the park as soon after dawn as we could manage and so the bus was booked for 4am. In the end we were late setting off - if life came with a rewind button I'd get an extra hour in bed, but afaik that hasn't been invented yet. The park is substantially smaller than it had been pre-Genocide, and the animal population suffered a major disruption. In particular, lions and rhino were completely eliminated. There's a good fence now to protect local livestock and thanks to a gift from South Africa a small pride of lions has been reintroduced. I understand that there is a plan to bring back black rhino next year. Our guide (the excellent Phoebe) explained that they expect the presence of lions in the park to increase the antelope population. That seemed counter-intuitive, but the explanation made sense: apparently the antelope respond to the extra risk of predation by forming larger groups, which leads to more successful breeding. I think there might be a sermon there somewhere. The tour round the park was very worthwhile and we managed to see most of the animals we'd hoped to. Giraffes and hippos were an obvious highlight. There was no sign of lions or elephants, but as it's a park and not a zoo, there's no cause for complaint. There are a number of campsites in Akagera, and if I get to come to Rwanda again I'll be spending at least one night in one of them.

Zebra!

Lunch!

Lunch at Simba #Rwanda

Had a really fun morning in a country pre-school a little way out of Kigali, The President's motorcade roared past us on our way back into the city.

Could be the dullest photo ever. It's a tea plantation, shot from a moving vehicle with an inadequate camera. And I really need a cup of tea.

Visited 2 health centres (one without water or electricity), was welcomed by Twa dancers, prayed at a Genocide memorial and talked with survivors (some witg terrifying injuries to the head and neck), watched a football final and shared in presenting prizes, and travelled on some particularly "interesting" roads. A Good Day.

Twa dancing a welcome

Western civilisation? #Rwanda #lakekivu #kumbya

Fishermen on Lake Kivu