Sphinx Belair Kigali

... left me with my jaw dangling.



40 dollars later I was feeling a million dollars.



And that’s when it was time to put the big back pack on and check out....Jimmy was on time at 2pm and we insisted we have lunch together before he dropped us off at Mille Collines and we had to say our goodbyes.


The name of the day was “local” and that it was (my Laico morning adventures assured me we were in a select pocket of ...

... started just after 2:30 and went until after 6. Yes, almost four hours of torture.

So sit back in your easy chair, and come along with me on this meandering ride:

2:34 pm: The Opening Prayer – The headmaster (HM) always asks someone to make an opening prayer. It’s a ritual that is repeated at just about every event throughout the country, even though this is technically a secular country with full freedom of worship. (In fact ...

... visitors about other genocides that have taken place around the world to set Rwanda's nightmare in its historical context. "Wasted Lives" is a section on Rwandan children who fell victim to the killer's machetes and other painfully horrific deaths.


After leaving Kigali we drove to the border past the town of Byumba. Crossing the border at Gatuna and walked across no-mans land (2nd time this trip) into Katuna.

So started off my day with the goal of finding a flight to Arusha/ Moshi in Tanzania to go hike Kilimanjaro. To travel there by bus is at minimum a one day bus ride but in reality is more like two days. I feel like I'm cheating a bit by flying but to get a good 7 days for the hike before I go to South Africa I need to get there soon. I was surprised to see that there aren't that many carriers that go there from Kigali but finally found out for $300 which was more ...

... when we returned a few days later I made sure we got one of the new renovated rooms.

We set off on our 4 day safari to the Maasai Mara, Lake Flamingo and Lake Nakuru. Tourism has been hit very hard here due to the tribal unrest last year and of course the world economic crisis. However, that was good for us as it meant it was just the two of us on our trip so we had the run of the Land Rover and the trip itinerary! We also just about had the run of the place in ...

... 15-17 age group. They requested that we only field two of our boys to begin with. We reluctantly agreed and Adam and Justin stepped up to the mark. The game kicked off in good spirit, but it was obvious that the home team were a class outfit as they spent most ofthe first half in our penalty box grabbing a three goal lead. As the half progressed we were able to bring on one or two boys, Ross and Ryan changed our fortunes slightly with a goal just before half ...

Well here we are at the end of what for all has been the greatest and times sadest week. The team have gone from the high of travelling to a new continent to the low of visiting the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. The memorial visit brought us all very close and encouraged us to question our own lives. The site is set on a hill overlooking the city giving spectacular views. There is a little cafe at the Memorial which serves ...

... activities. They played hard until 11:30 with one breather to rehydrate, and then we came back to the school to continue work on the wheelchair. The delivery of food for the day had been late (not uncommon), so we found that lunch wouldn’t be ready until 1:00. Daniel and Cindy had arrived by this time after a sobering visit during which they had witnessed a coffin being interred in one of the mass burial vaults. They took the campers outside to play ...

... can be carried in their turn. The last person only is dispensed from being carried. The strategy is not to leave a small person to carry a very large person at the end, and to go as quickly as possible. They had great fun and the laughter started quickly. Seeing the foreigners, the matching T-shirts, and hearing the laughter, a small crowd of local children and adults started forming to watch.

The next game was the human knot: each member of a ...

... will enjoy the colorful inhabitants that take flight across the expanse of the lake. Cranes walk side by side with guests, with the brightly feathered bird a regular visitor.

A visit to Jambo Beach need not be more than short day trip from Kigali, or as a stop over on the way to visit other parts of the country, including the savanna and African wildlife of Akagera National Park, which lies just over the ...