Took an overnight bus from Kampala to Kigali two weeks ago. I wouldn't recommend unless you enjoy sweating restively near strangers and taking pee breaks in elephant grass with forty Africans dotted in your periphery. The hours of between two and six a.m. melded together like super glue on an eye socket. i woke up stiff at the border, a thick mist perforating the climates of jungle and mountain.
Rwanda is beautiful. What I saw I liked. The capital is so provincial, so suburban I had to be convinced twice at the bus depot that I had actually arrived.
"This is the capital?" I inquired incredulously.
It was an alpine village built on several sweeping hillocks, baby mountains if you will, with pines and fir clinging to their roots amidst a burgeoning group of residential areas throughout the peaceful city. Peaceful now.
I was groggy and hungry at 9 am when I finally settled on a place to stay in the city center.
I found an ATM that accepted International Debit cards (there are thousands in Uganda, in Kigali...one.).
Then I found a cafe with great blended mochas and steaming cappuccinos. I ate a heavenly fruit assortment before taking the most civilized motorcycle taxi around the capital.
I had great pizza in the suburb of Remera, was sobered by the Kigazi Genocide memorial (more on that in a moment) and pampered with pool and suds time at the Hotel Mille Collines (the inspiration for "Hotel Rwanda" starring Don Cheadle).
I met a fellow fellow for lunch on Saturday and walked around the city again, had amazing African tea at her favorite tea house, a great meal at a local buffet, and stimulating conversation at the aforementioned central cafe that became my second home in Kigali. It was fun to exchange anecdotes of our teaching experiences, living arrangements, and regional anecdotes.
Rwanda is beautiful. What I saw I liked. The capital is so provincial, so suburban I had to be convinced twice at the bus depot that I had actually arrived.
"This is the capital?" I inquired incredulously.
It was an alpine village built on several sweeping hillocks, baby mountains if you will, with pines and fir clinging to their roots amidst a burgeoning group of residential areas throughout the peaceful city. Peaceful now.
I was groggy and hungry at 9 am when I finally settled on a place to stay in the city center.
I found an ATM that accepted International Debit cards (there are thousands in Uganda, in Kigali...one.).
Then I found a cafe with great blended mochas and steaming cappuccinos. I ate a heavenly fruit assortment before taking the most civilized motorcycle taxi around the capital.
I had great pizza in the suburb of Remera, was sobered by the Kigazi Genocide memorial (more on that in a moment) and pampered with pool and suds time at the Hotel Mille Collines (the inspiration for "Hotel Rwanda" starring Don Cheadle).
I met a fellow fellow for lunch on Saturday and walked around the city again, had amazing African tea at her favorite tea house, a great meal at a local buffet, and stimulating conversation at the aforementioned central cafe that became my second home in Kigali. It was fun to exchange anecdotes of our teaching experiences, living arrangements, and regional anecdotes.
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