Sim Centre Opening: From cycling to Paradis

After a lovely quiet night at Africa Rising Cycling Centre, Kitt and I cycled again this morning. Kyle is feeling a little under the weather (lingering cold from Canada) so he stayed behind to work on his teaching program for Monday. We cycled about 30 km round trip on mountain bikes – long,fast descent on a paved road, flat for a few kilometers, then 7 km of steady climbing on a dirt road to La Charité convent, high on a hill overlooking Lake Ruhondo. Lake Ruhondo is one of the Twin Lakes in northern Rwanda (the other is Lake Burera). I’ve heard of these lakes but have never seen them before. Kitt thought it looked like Lake Como (despite no personal experience with Lake Como).

Impressions along the way:

Ladies shading themselves with rainbow coloured umbrellas as they walk to the waterfall to wash clothing

Green terraced hills and valleys where people work in brightly coloured clothing

Children carrying large bundles of grasses on their heads to feed their cows

Quiet…only bird sounds, our breath

Kitt flying up the hills as I huff and puff

Bleating goats

Rich smells of eucalyptus and fertile earth

Rafiki, our guide, is one of the best cyclists in Rwanda. He was gentle, patient, speaks great English and even gave me a push towards the end of the ride, when I was experiencing extreme dyspnea (true confession here). Fortunately, I had no chest pain so my acute MI has passed.

This afternoon we drove to Gisenyi, at the north end of Lake Kivu. Gisenyi is right next to the Congolese city of Goma but they are worlds apart. Gisenyi feels as close to a resort town as any place I’ve seen in Rwanda. There is a long sandy beach bordered by tall trees with dramatically interwoven branches. People are swimming and children are happily jumping into the water. It is a lovely scene, so peaceful after the bustle of Kigali.

We were warmly welcomed at Paradis Malahide, a small hotel about 6 km south. It is on a peninsula jutting into Lake Kivu. Many of us feel this is our favourite place in Rwanda. It is so peaceful: fishermen sing as they head out each evening for overnight fishing and as they return in the morning, the gardens are delightful and the waiters are friendly. We delivered soccer gear that Michelle has been gathering for the local team, the Black Eagles.

Now we are sitting by the fire in the main hut. Kitt and Kyle are working away as they contemplate the 4:50 AM departure for gorilla trekking…