Rwanda: The Country of 1000 Hills

My first trip to Rwanda was in 2012 and I blogged about my experience (http://idontcarewherewego.blogspot.com/2012/04/destination-rwanda.html).  My second trip to Rwanda was a year later in 2013.  I did not blog about the experience as I went closely after the Mourning period and again my time there was quiet with visits to memorials on the weekends.

My amazing hostess, colleague and friend - Ashley

Three years later I found myself in Kigali, for work, but I advised my hostess, and supply chain colleague, that I needed to hear the music of Kigali, taste decadent foods and enjoy naturally beautiful views.  Ashley perfectly complied.

PLAY, PLAY, PLAY

If you are looking for a place to have a nice drink, another amazing view, gather with friends, please visit Pili Pili (https://www.facebook.com/Pili-Pili-922213764525908/).  Even after the venue closed, they stayed open until 4:30 am to serve us!  Who does not LOVE great customer service and a well stocked bar! ha

If you are looking to dance, dance, dance the night away, make your way to K-Club! I don't even know what time this club closes but when I stumbled outside of the club I was not expecting to wander into the morning sun, birds chirping at almost 8am!  The club is sound proof, no windows, the bartenders are friendly, full of energy and ready to pour the next drink!

And for those who believe all I do is party I will have you know that I do enjoy quiet day safaris.  We so happened to enjoy such a day on Saturday morning.  Only 2.5 hours from Kigali is Akagera National Park (http://www.rwandatourism.com/destinations/akagera-national-park).  To enter the park as a non-resident will cost you $35.  I would suggest hiring a driver with their own 4x4 as safari can be rough on your vehicle!

FYI, RWANDA:  When you are in Akagera Park, please keep the windows UP!  There are a TON of tsetse flies in the park and they BITE!

Look at him sitting there, welcoming us!

Can we STOP having gorgeous views in Rwanda! LOL

After 2 hours we FINALLY saw our first animal
on safari!

Come out to play hippos!

Hippos on land!

Rwanda sun has me looking good -- even on safari!

SIP, SIP, SIP

On Thursday evenings in Kigali you can enjoy quite the HAPPY hour at Inema Art Center.  Not only is there a great view but the drinks are buy one, get one free for the cost of 5,000 RWF (approximately $8).  Also, each week the featured cocktails change and so you know: the bartenders pour quite heavy!  The DJ is also pretty great so after a few rounds, get up and dance!

Inema Art Center

Happy hours views

So we decided to use both hands haha

Also, in Rwanda you can enjoy quite a few local beers.  When you order your beer, request it COLD as Rwandans enjoy their drinks, in general, warm or room temperature.  There are three I quite enjoy: Skol Malt, Turbo King and Primus (not pictured).  Enjoy with friends, enjoying the view or with an amazing burger!  

EAT, EAT, EAT

During the Mourning Period many restaurants in Rwanda are closed or close early. Therefore, I did not get to experience the amazing food that can be easily found in Kigali!  I have not weighed myself since returning to Lusaka and I will probably wait until a week after my return from Cape Town (next blog alert)!

If you are able to walk up 6 flights of stairs, then make your way to Shokola Storyteller's Cafe.  The view is amazing, so catch your breath and gaze!  The food is also fresh and delicious.  Definitely worth the climb!

FYI, RWANDA:  Leave your high heels at home!  Walking is popular in the country of 1000 hills -- uphill, downhill, diagonally .... just leave the heels at home!

Fresh lemonade and the view at Shokola Storyteller's Cafe.

I enjoyed the chicken quesadilla.  Also, if you enjoy avocado -- you will
LOVE eating in Rwanda!

If you are looking for a place to enjoy goat or fish brochette, then make your way to Nyarutarama Sports Club!  The brochettes will cost about RWF 1,500 and will be absolutely worth it!  I enjoyed two of the goat brochettes. Also, Nyarutarama Sports Club is one of the few places you can find all six local brews ... cold!  Great place to enjoy views, brochettes and cold beer on a nice Friday afternoon!

Goat brochettes - delicious!

Upon arriving in Kigali, my amazing hostess introduced me to Mr. Chips.  Now, if you know me you know I LOVE A GOOD BURGER!  And let me tell you an amazing burger has been hard to find in Lusaka. But on night #1 in Kigali, my friend introduced me to Mr, Chips.  If you are in Kigali, make your way to this open air, friendly burger joint!  You will not regret it! (The burger is not pictured as I ate it before taking a photo *oops*).

Mr. Chips -- one of my favorites in Kigali!

Americans ... what do we like?  Burgers and pizza!  And in Kigali my gracious hostess took me to an expat favorite claiming it to be the best pizza in town:  Sole Luna.  The pizza is perfectly baked in a woodfire oven leaving the crust crispy. The restaurant also boasts of amazing views and hosts trivia night regularly!  My only critique is the lack of sauce.  Pizza is nothing without an amazing sauce and this pizza did lack sauce.  But the crust, cheese and pepperoni (yes, pepperoni, not spicy salami) was satisfying.

Another amazing view

7/10 pizza ... I would go back!

I have not enjoyed a savory crepe since Cote d'Ivoire and now I find myself in Rwanda with a delicious crepe in my possession!  One night afternoon my friend introduced me Kimy Gourmand for lunch.  Their crepes are made with wheat so less guilt? haha ... it is a small venue but the menu is extensive!  For lunch I ordered the prosciutto ham, cheddar and goat cheese crepe.  It was salty but really good! For dessert, of course I ordered a child's portion of nutella crepe with Amarula. Quite a decadent lunch!

Nutella crepe and Amarula on ice is
ALWAYS amazing!

Now for the grand finale! I knew Ashley was my friend when she took me to her favorite restaurant and hands down some of the BEST food I have ever enjoyed in East Africa:  Republika Lounge.  The atmosphere is quaint, romantic, homey and sexy. And the food is decadent!  While we were all hungry, Ashley advised to not order appetizers as the food is served family style and will be enough to completely fill our bellies and souls!

Ashley is a vegetarian so she ordered french beans tossed in onions and garlic with a side of garlic potatoes.  Her friend, Bob, ordered Liboke (stewed) chicken and green salad.  I ordered steak Republika and ginger rice.  #noregrets  While I enjoyed the steak republika the next time I enjoy dinner at Republika, I plan to order Liboke chicken and ginger rice. My goodness, my good God in heaven ... if you are ever in Kigali, please find a reason, a time, a date to enjoy dinner at Republika Lounge!

Liboke chicken

Steak republika and garlic potatoes

BEFORE plate.  Notice the chicken and ginger
rice.  

AFTER plate.  I was so full and it was so so good!

Rwanda is known as the "Country of 1000 Hills."  These "1000 hills" provide gorgeous landscape made up of hills, nature's staircase.  You can find colorful homes built on each stair, cars climb cobblestone roads built on these hills and when you are at the top - whether you reached their by foot or vehicle - you will always be amazed.  

Being at the top of any building or hill, stopping for a moment to notice the views, those views will also leave you grateful and speechless.  In my last blog about my first visit to Rwanda I wrote that standing at the memorials left my speechless.  So does the beauty of Rwanda, the country of 1000 hills.  

Destination: A Memorial in Rwanda

Hello Rwanda!  Rwanda is my newest African country - yes, it is my first time in Rwanda.  The weather is quite nice, the streets of Kigali are clean and the city is actually very quiet.  Even when I passed by a bar or am at the pool bar in the hotel, there is never any music blasting, people hanging out and cheering with large cold mugs of the local beer or dancing.  I soon came to find out why the streets were so quiet, the people so distant and "lights out" was early.

April 6 marked the 18th anniversary of the beginning of the genocide here in Rwanda.  April, is therefore,  the country's mourning period.  The "pretty" purple billboards, which I did not understand because the message is written in the local language, are actually billboards in the color of mourning (purple) and remind the people of Rwanda to remember the genocide ...

In 1994, Rwanda’s population of seven million was composed of three ethnic groups: Hutu (approximately 85%), Tutsi (14%) and Twa (1%).  The number of lives lost during the 100 days of this horrific event is estimated between 800,000 - 1.2M.  If we take the "average" we get an estimated 1M people who lost their lives in 100 days.  That is 1/7 of the entire country's population ... approximately 10,000 people a day. 

During the month of April businesses tend to close early so that people can be with their family to remember and / or attend church or remembrance gatherings.  Wearing purple during this time is as a sign of respect in remembrance of those who lost their lives.  Purple is not only the color of mourning but also represents HOPE.  HOPE that even though so many lost their lives in those 100 days it provides survivors HOPE of unity and reconciliation amongst all Rwandans.  Bars will not blast jovial music, it will be somber and ex-pats will probably be drinking alone or amongst themselves.  Movies and speeches of remembrance will be seen / heard every evening throughout all parts of the countries.  Where lives were lost you will find bouquets of purple flowers.  Entire families were lost so it will be up to their friends and neighbors to keep their memory alive.  Some bodies, while found, were so unrecognizable that families may never have closure since identification is impossible.   Memorial sites will be visited by those who wish to remember, honor their loved one.  You can understand why the country becomes so quiet, the people so distant.  They are remembering, they are mourning and the emotional scars are still present.

My colleague and I visited one such memorial site:  Ntarama (http://www.rwandanstories.org/genocide/ntarama_church.html),

Previous to the genocide, in times of disruption between the Hutu and Tutsi, Tutsi elders, women and children were safe in the neighborhood church. They brought food, supplies and waited for the next moment of peace when they could return to their homes. However, on April 15, 1994 an "exception" was made. This church was invaded and everyone who thought they were safe were killed. Approximately 5,000 lost their life by means of machete, guns, grenades, fire or being thrown against a brick wall. I never thought this much hate was even possible, let alone to see the evidence of it with my own eyes...

To memorialize the church they did nothing.  Walls blown in by grenades still stand, damaged.

Wind still blows through the stain glass windows which were blown out by gunfire.

A blood stain covers a large portion of a wall in the Bible study room where babies and small children were killed by throwing them head first into that very wall.  Burnt remnants of supplies, notebooks, mattresses, shoes and clothes lie on a floor of the room that was burned down.  The garden which now beautifies the memorial served as a graveyard for those who tried to run for their lives and were killed.

Tattered clothes and shoes can be found "decorating" the main room of the church in which you will also find approximately 300 skulls which still tell the story of how lives came to end:  evidence of bullet and spear holes and even the tip of a machete are still seen in the skull.  

Coffins which serve as the final resting place for dozens are draped in purple and lace, adorned with crosses, can also be found in this room.  After visiting that memorial I now understand why it is so quiet here in Rwanda (I am staying in Kigali).  It is "different" for a social person such as myself but I am glad to have experienced this moment in this country.  I spend my evenings and weekends quietly.  No dancing.  No happy hours.  No karaoke.  I spend a lot of quiet time reading, learning more about the genocide, talking to my loved ones, letting them know how much I love, miss them, learning new words and phrases in French (another French speaking country!) and watching movies on Movie Magic 1, Bible Mysteries on National Geographic or Nigerian soap operas on MNET (I have been reunited with Tinsel haha).  It has been 10 days of reflection, understanding and mental relaxation.  I have enjoyed a massage since my arrival, had my hair done for $50 (this included tip) and plan to get a body wrap this weekend (first time!).  Unfortunately, I will not be able to get a permit in time to see the gorillas.  Perhaps this will be on the list when I am blessed enough to visit Rwanda for a second time.

If you are ever in Rwanda, take the time, take a day to visit the memorials, silent, in reflection.  Out of respect for the average of 1M people that lost their lives in the country's genocide.  Also, take the time to enjoy the people, the food, the sights and if you can make it, the gorillas!