Goats and soccer balls

Michelle has been bringing soccer gear to a club in Gisenyi.  She is a local hero.  Today some members of the club hired a boat to take us to the soccer field down the shore of Lake Kivu.

The field was full of kids, teens and young adults. The ref took his job seriously, whistle and all. The young team went first (1- 0). Then it was the young men and Michelle.  She only played for a few minutes (this is a seriously talented and strong group) but she managed a forceful kick. Better yet, she showed a whole lot of people that soccer is not just for males. A great role model.

The soccer field is right next to the water so from time to time young kids had to swim out to retrieve the ball. People walked their goats along the field. A young man tooted his vuvuzela.

Michelle enjoying a large Mutzig

Soccer players, spectators and goats

Michelle and her team

Having fun and retrieving the soccer balls

Congo Nile Trail

The Congo Nile Trail is a world apart from Kigali. The trail is a rough dirt road but sufficiently off the beaten path that in two days we only encountered about 5 cars and 10 motos. Our trip to Kinunu was an out-and-back of 40 km per day.  Because of the hills, altitude and extremely rough road, we were on the bikes 7 hours each day. We are now back at Paradis Malahide resting our weary bodies.

Cycling is a fabulous way to see this rural area in a raw and rugged way.  Life here continues as it has for centuries. People grow bananas, mangos, avocados, beans and corn.  They fish in wooden boats. They walk their goats to market. But that is changing.  Rwanda has developed a number of hydroelectric plants and is also converting methane gas from Lake Kivu into electricity.  Power is coming to these villages. Cell phones are already ubiquitous.

The cycling experience is entirely earthy.  The country is a visual feast: green cultivated hills, red earth and Lake Kivu shimmering below.  We saw and heard an enormous variety of birds, the most interesting one had a long black feathery tail. The smells are powerful: rich earth, eucalyptus trees and charcoal fires.

People greeted us constantly.  Of course, the children call “muzungu” but so many people wishing us “good morning”.  If we greeted them in Kinyarwanda, they beamed. A few phrases go a long way.  Calling someone “old man” or “old woman” is a huge sign of respect.  One old man called out to our guide to “take care of the old woman” (me), all in Kinyarwanda, of course. I am honoured.

At one point it started pouring rain.  We gathered under a tree for shelter. A minute later, the woman in the nearest house ushered us into her covered courtyard until the rain had passed.  We sat there with her chicken, who was as tame as an old cat.  Even the chickens in Rwanda are friendly. 

We will be in Paradis one more day, then back to Kigail on Thursday.  Then the hard work will begin.

xo
Patty (more from Michelle, below)

heading out on the trail - still feeling fresh

shores of Lake Kivu

homemade wooden scooter at the waterfall

fishing village where we had lunch

lunch - we even ate the heads

shelter from the rain with a domesticated chicken and a new friend

There are not enough words to describe the beauty of the Lake Kivu area in Rwanda.

We have just returned from 2 days cycling and riding the through the remote villages and experiencing the joy of humanity on it's most basic level.

All you have to do is say "muraho" (hello) and the Rwandan's face breaks into a radiant smile that gives you energy to power up the grueling hills on a mountain bike.

We had two wonderful guides Marcel and Mansuette who filled the ride with details and language lessons.

The views of the lake, the lush banana, avocado, mango, coffee, lime trees,  the goats, the waterfalls, fishing boats, the amazing terrain and most importantly the hard working Rwandans and beautiful children fill my heart.

I was very proud of Derek for going way out of his comfort zone and eating the only choice at lunch "sambazes"....basically sardines with their heads on.  That is even out of my normal eating repertoire but anything goes in Rwanda.

I am enjoying sharing this experience so much with Derek....very special.

Patty is an inspiration in every way!

At  one point during the ride were welcomed into a villagers home to get out of the rain and we are now great friends.  

Tomorrow morning Derek and I have been invited to the home of one of the staff of Paradis Malahide ( where we are staying in Lake Kivu) to meet his family....can't wait.

Happily exhausted from the ride.

Lots of love from Africa,

xo Michelle  

photos from Jan 3

transport  by bicycle

happy kids playing soccer

tea plantation

waiting for the wedding

Michelle and Derek in Paradis

Lake Kivu

at Paradis

It’s nearly sunset at Paradis Malahide. We hear singing across the water, fishing boats are heading out for the night, the lake is calmly lapping and Michelle is sitting down to a large pot of coffee. The Paradis waiters welcomed us back with open arms.  This is possibly the most relaxing place on the planet.

Emmy drove us from Kigali, Derek in the front seat receiving life lessons from the master.  Emmy knew just the place to stop for Michelle and Derek to give a soccer ball and jerseys. The children were thrilled and immediately started playing.

At the goat brochette and roasted potato stop, we started chatting with a Rwandan man.  Where are you from? Canada. Where in Canada? Halifax (people usually know only Toronto).  Then the young man tells us he is a Dalhousie grad.  He’s been away for 15 years and now with his degree he is returning to help rebuild Rwanda. Emmy explains a little about our work.  The young man asks “Are you the doctor from Dalhousie because I e-mailed you to thank you for the work you have done?” Yes, indeed. We have already been in touch by e-mail about the sim centre. Amazing small world.

Tomorrow we head out on the bikes for an overnight at the Kinunu coffee washing station.

We have photos but will have to wait till we are back in Kigali to post them as the internet here is impossibly slow.  Stay tuned.

message from Michelle

Hello everyone in chilly Canada,

we are so happy to be back in beautiful Rwanda with the warm sun making us sweat.

The journey was long to get here this time.  Who would have imagined a snowstorm in Istanbul!!

Derek is a trooper and was unable to sleep at all in the 36 hours it took to get here and then I kept him moving for the first 12 hours.  He had a great sleep last night so he is ready to enjoy the country and the experience. He did an amazing job of collecting soccer supplies for the kids in Rwanda.  He will have many new friends by the time we leave :)

There is nothing like being greeted at the airport by Emmy and his warm smile.  He is a special person.

Because our plane was so late we arrived at 5am and the sun was coming up on the New Year as we drove into Kigali.  

It is wonderful to have Derek here experiencing Rwanda for the first time....it allows me to enjoy the journey in a special way.

We enjoyed spending time with Christophe this morning.  He recently graduated from Mount Kenya University and we are so proud of him.  Yvon, he was thrilled with the jacket you sent him...he said only the "bosses" have nice jackets like that here.  Patty taught him how to tie a tie and he looks so handsome.

Our adventures begin tomorrow as we travel to Lake Kivu.

I am happy here drinking my Rwandan coffee.  So grateful to have this opportunity again!

love michelle

raindrops and the Guma Guma bar

New year's day was incredibly quiet in Kigali.  The streets were strangely empty but today they are full of life. The shops are open, motos are zipping around and beautifully dressed people fill the streets. I'd love to take their photos but it would be impolite without permission.

We were so tired yesterday that I nodded off in a chair at the MTN cell phone office (head bobbing and all) while Michelle set up her phone.  Derek was in bed at 4 PM and slept about 15 hours.  Michelle and I stayed up a bit to purge the apartment of some detritus people have left behind.  Who needs Metamucil in Rwanda? We fell asleep to the quiet patter of rain on the metal roof and lively sounds from the Guma Guma bar across the street.

This morning Michelle and Derek sorted soccer supplies they gathered to give to children. Derek has also used his own hard earned money to buy colouring books, crayons and treats children.  We hope to arrange for him to bring these gifts to the children's ward at CHUK.

Now that we are rested and the apartment is sorted, Michelle and I need to get to work on designing a team simulation scenario for next week.  There might also be a salad nicoise in our immediate future.

Tomorrow we will drive with Emmy to Gisenyi for a few days of cycling and hiking. Derek has traveled very little before so it will be wonderful for him to see the Rwandan countryside.

The  lively Guma Guma bar across from our apartment (music all night long)

View from the apartment

Our new kitchen - all cleaned and sorted

Michelle and Derek's generous offering of soccer gear

with Christophe (new jacket, shirt and tie from Michelle)

New streetlights with the Rwandan colours

Happy New Year from Kigali.

This is Derek and Michelle during our very long layover in Istanbul.  After escaping Canada with no snow issues, we ran into a major blizzard in Istanbul. This caused extensive delays (circling over Istanbul for two hours before landing, hours on the tarmac with no info...) but we ended up bonding with a number of our fellow passengers who were also waiting to fly to Kigali.  One of them made brazen food forays into the business class lounge for treats for the gang.

Despite it all, we arrived safely in Kigali this morning around 6 AM.  Emmy was there with hug smiles and hugs.  This was the only time I've done the trip in from the airport in daylight.  Christophe was waiting at the apartment to welcome us.

First impressions of Rwanda for this visit. Welcoming, friendly, soft, sensual, open, clean and still refreshingly slow.

This is my first time staying in the third floor apartment.  It is much better than the former second floor flat.  We immediately checked the water taps and thankfully a little water came out.

The streets are incredibly quiet but still immaculate.  We hear the New Year's partying went late last night. How did they manage to leave no garbage?

Poor Derek doesn't seem to be able to sleep on planes and is still running on this youthful energy.  We are trying to make it through the day without napping. It felt like afternoon already at 9:00 AM but we're going to keep moving. Fortunately we have a nice buffer period before the hard work begins.