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Europe Iceland

Christmas Eve in Iceland

The day after my magnificent Golden Circle tour, I thought that maybe I would be disappointed with Reykjavik, but I had another excellent day. On my first day I had already seen most of the main sights that were on my list, the second day I saw spectacular snowy vistas, so the third day was an unstructured wander in Reykjavik. I strolled the city having leisurely coffees and stopping to explore new streets. It was still dark most of the day, but I was used to this already and was in the rhythm of Iceland’s short winter days.

Still in the dark, I walked to the National Museum of Iceland. Truthfully, if you aren’t a museum person or if you are lacking time, you could skip this museum, but I really enjoyed it. It had a nice collection of historical artifacts and more modern items from Iceland, including a few creepy items that I enjoyed.

Odds and Ends from the Museum

When I emerged from the museum, the sun was rising and I walked around a little, mostly frozen lake where a congress of waterfowl was floating. The sun, golden and reflecting on the ice, the little row of colorful houses, like exquisitely crafted confections, and the birds. It was magical.

I am aware that I am overusing the word “magical” in my Iceland posts, but it is just a magical place and no other word seems quite right.

It was now Christmas Eve, and most businesses and attractions were closing at noon or 2pm or thereabouts and would have found myself without much to do, had I not booked myself on to a Folklore Walking Tour. Just as it sounds, it is a walking tour that tells the tales of Iceland’s rich history of folklore and ‘hidden creatures’. Iceland has a rich tradition of elves, fairies, ogres, and monsters of various kinds. Most countries do, I suppose, but in Iceland, they traditions seem to have carried on into the present. While it seems that most people do not still believe in such creatures or magic, some still do, and many of the non-believers seem to have adopted a ‘better safe than sorry’ attitude. As we walked Reykjavik on the tour we were told stores of ancient creatures and magic, but also about how certain rocks or trees, believed to house elves or similar folk, have been left intact when road or other construction would otherwise have eradicated them. The result is a perfectly straight road taking a bizarre turn around a collection of rocks so as not to disturb them or those that may live beneath. And there were tales of construction projects being mysteriously interfered with until the enchanted place was spared.

Of course I don’t live my life believing in such things, but I want so much for some fantastical creature to be real that I was as delighted by the stories as the children who were on the tour. It was a lot of fun.

But then the tour was over. It was again dark, and most things were closed. I decided to call it an early night and went back to my hostel to sleep.

The next day was Christmas and the day I would fly home.

Assorted Reykjavik photos from my day

Europe Iceland

Iceland’s Golden Circle

As much as I enjoyed Reykjavik, I wasn’t coming all the way to Iceland and not going to see some of its heralded landscapes. If you can’t drive, it’s very difficult to see these places, and particularly difficult to see many of them in a day. As a non-driver, this left me with the only option of taking a tour. I’m never very excited about taking tours but when I do take a a tour, it usually ends up okay. What I dread is the group tour where even if the activities are acceptable, I never really want to interact with the group. That’s how this tour started, but it ended up being great.

There are countless groups offering identical golden circle tours in Iceland. ‘Golden Circle’ referring to a route of touristy spots and sites coined by the Iceland tourism board I believe. I don’t know how I picked the tour that I picked other than that it was a small number of people. It was a long day. They collected me in the morning at my hostel and dropped me off in the evening at the same place. Given that the days in Iceland at this point contained only about three hours of sunlight, much of the tour was in the dark. This is a consideration if you are going there in the winter; don’t expect to be gazing out the window at the landscapes all throughout the ride. Most of the time you’ll be looking out the window at blackness. In some ways that’s a bit of a disappointment, but I kind of enjoyed it. Once we got out of Reykjavik everything was completely blanketed in snow and snow was falling and blowing and the sky was black. At times, looking out the bus window, all I could see was the brightness of the snow and the blackness of the sky and no discernible shapes. It felt like we were in another realm.

*Picture I took from the bus window. It was originally just black but I increased the brightness to see what was there.*

And it was snowing. Hard and at an angle. I came to learn that even if you can drive, most locals don’t recommend that tourists rent cars in the middle of winter. The roads are too treacherous and the conditions too unpredictable.

Even before the sun came up, the sky began to lighten we could see the places that we were stopping.

Up first was the Kerid Crater, a volcanic crater that, in the summer, is a bright blue lake. In the winter however, it is a large divot in the earth’s crust covered with snow. Of all the sites we saw that day, this was the least impressive. I even posed in front of it for a photo but wondering why. It’s like posing in front of an empty bowl. (I have no doubt that it is better in the summer.)

Despite my ambivalence about seeing the creator, I absolutely loved getting out of the vehicle. This was the first time that we were truly confronted with winter. It was windy and snow was blowing and deep and crunchy and I had the distinct feeling that if I were left outside, I would perish. It felt very exciting. It’s difficult to capture the conditions in a photo, except that many of my attempted selfies ended up looking like this:

Back in the bus, the next stop was the Geyser. (Technically, I understand that it was the smaller geyser that we saw, called Strokkur, as the larger Geyser is no longer active.) We walked from the bus across the snowy landscape to a flat area, which was still snowy, but with crevices in the earth out of which warm water bubbled. We gathered around the geyser and waited for the eruptions. It was actually pretty impressive, as it shot into the air and enveloped us in a cloud of steam.

Strokker in action

From there, we went to the massive Gullfoss Waterfall. This was a pretty site but very unpleasant to visit. The wind was so strong that I had to lean into it and push forward with all my might to stay standing. Ice shards like tiny knives bit into my face. None of us spent much time outside. We got a quick look at the waterfall, snapped some pictures and hurried back to the bus. It was fun to really experience (albeit just for a few moments) the power of winter.

The next stop was my favourite: Thingvellir National Park. We walked from the bus on a path that led us to a corridor of sorts, with natural rock walls and trees. In the middle was hard snowy ledges and a frozen river and waterfall. It was unreal in its beauty. It one of the prettiest things I’ve seen anywhere. It did not seem real and was pure magic.

I asked a woman to take my picture. Me in my 100^th country.

At this point, I wandered off in a different direction from my group. I do not advise this. I was so enamoured with the snow that I began trudging through a deep, untouched trough of snow with the high rock walls on either side. I loved the silence and the beauty of it. …but the path didn’t go anywhere and at some point I realized I had to go back – and fast – as the bus would leave soon. I speed walked (as best I could) through the snow and past the icy river, not even bothering to stop at the place where the European continent meets the North American continent and made it to the bus as the final one to board.

*Me before I realized I was kind of lost*

Our final stop was at a hot spring. It was supposed to be at the Blue Lagoon, but a volcano had erupted nearby in the previous few days and the lagoon was closed on a lava alert. We went instead to Hvammsvik Hot Springs, a newly opened hot spring on the edge of the sea.

When we got there, it was again dark. We entered the small but stylish facility and were given wrist bands. These would open our lockers and allow us to order drinks from the bar whilst in the water. In the change room, we were to change into our swimwear and shower before entering. I am thoroughly uncomfortable with public nudity, but when in Iceland…I showered quickly changed into my swimsuit.

*View from the hot springs (with the brightness enhanced so something would be visible in the photo)*

The short walk from the change room to the pool was bracing. I had the impulse to run, but the good sense not to, as the path was slick with ice. In the water, all discomforts were gone. It was so pleasant. I’m not one for hot tubs or group bathing, but this was lovely. It was dark and warm and, in the distance, the snowy hills and frigid sea created a surreal backdrop. This was the first time on the trip that I really chatted with anyone. It was nice to get to know some of the people; particularly a father and son traveling together after the loss of their wife/mother. After we left the pool and dressed, we shared a meal in the restaurant. It was nice how in the serene environment of the springs we all opened up and shared our stories.

On the long drive back to Reykjavik there was a bit of chatter and then silence as we all gazed out into the night.

I got back to my hostel in the evening, but early enough to go out. I went out to a cocktail bar and got a drink and sat outside and had a cigar. There were a lot of stylish and cool bars open and packed with local people out in groups, dressed smartly, and bar hopping. I sat outside with my cigar and my perpetually icy drink watching the scene and reflecting on the snowy wonderland I had been in.

It was a thoroughly satisfying day. The next day would be Christmas Eve, and I had a bit more of Reykjavik to see and a magical tour of magical creatures.

Africa Zambia Zimbabwe-Zambia 2023

A Dip in the Devil’s Pool

I had arrived in Zambia from Zimbabwe ready for more adventure. My trip to Zimbabwe and Zambia was epic because it contained so many big and exciting experiences in addition to the already great experiences of seeing the cities: Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, and finally: the Devil’s Pool. There was no way I was going to go to Livingstone, Zambia and not sit atop one of the world’s great waterfalls. Did it sound scary? Yes, but that is part of the fun.

What is the Devil’s Pool? It is a natural rock formation at the top of Victoria Falls on the Zambian side that, during the drier season, you can sit in and look over and down the top of the falls as water rushes by. Try it in the wet season and it will be your final water-slide.

There were a lot of companies offering the experience, but I ended up booking with Livingstone Island.

I had to be at the launch site by 6:50am, which meant taking a taxi from my hotel. There were about 10 of us who quickly got to know each other, partly because we were all a bit trepidatious as we signed our liability waivers in case of death. While I think it is natural to be nervous, the whole experience is quite safe and very professional. We were given a briefing before taking a boat across one part of the river, passing hippos on the way.

We then stopped the boat and got out onto a rocky bit on the middle of the river and ‘swam’ across the next part of the river. I say ‘swam’, because it isn’t really swimming. There is a rope going across the river to help guide you, as the current is rushing perpendicular to you. If you are tall, as I am, your feet can touch the bottom most of the way. So it is sort of half swimming, half walking/pulling yourself across.

The setting is beautiful. If you go in the morning, you are almost guaranteed to see a rainbow created by the spray of the falls.

Then we got out onto another rock and descended into the Devil’s Pool, which really is right at the top and edge of the falls. Everyone goes in and takes turns peering over the edge.

Sitting the pool is lovely and very relaxing, even though there were tiny fish nibbling us and I was convinced that someone would jump over the edge at the shock of it.

Before you get into the Devil’s Pool, you give your phones or cameras to one of the guides and when it is your turn, he will take a series of photos and videos of you peering over the edge of the falls, while another of the guides holds on to your ankles to prevent you from being swept over. If ever a guide deserved a good tip, it’s these guys.

Looking over the edge of the falls is unbelievable. It is loud and dramatic and the drop is so far down. It was exhilarating. I actually did it twice; once at the beginning and once at the end. The second time was better because my photo was not being taken, so I wasn’t thinking about the camera and could just focus on the sheer excitement (or terror) of looking down the falls.

I found the photo part a bit awkward. I wanted a picture, but I wasn’t sure what to do. A lot of people did ‘thumbs up’ or peace signs, but that’s not really me. I wasn’t really comfortable enough for a ‘superman flying’ pose. So I just sat and lay there and tried not to look ridiculous. I think I look silly in most of the photos, but here are two.

And then we headed back where we had a fancy breakfast under a gazebo tent by the river. We all chatted and bonded over the unique experience.

leaving the falls behind

view of a different part of the falls and a plaque for Dr. Livingstone

A few tips:

While not necessary, I was glad I had water shoes with me as the rocks can be slippery and sharp.
Don’t wear a loose t-shirt out of modesty, as the force of the water when you are looking over the falls will push it all up around your neck. Wear a regular bathing suit or other tight-fitting bathing costume.
Sunscreen. Always.
I didn’t have one at the time, but I wished I had had a go pro or similar waterproof device, as it would have been nice to take photos and videos while sitting in the Devil’s Pool as everyone else took their turns.

It is super touristy, but it is also amazing and the guides were so good, there is nothing to worry about. I was returned to my hotel early in the morning to enjoy the rest of the day in Livingstone, which included a terrific zebra and cigar encounter.

Africa Botswana Zimbabwe-Zambia 2023

Beautiful Botswana: A Day in Chobe

Like just about everyone else who goes to Victoria Falls, I did a day trip in to Chobe National Park in Botswana. Botswana was a new country for me and while I would love to go and see other parts of Botswana, because it looks simply stunning, this would be the only part of the country that I would see at this time. As beautiful as Botswana is, it’s also very expensive; it is a tourism model like Rwanda has, which is fewer tourists with more money in order to better preserve the ecology. I don’t have an issue with that, but it moves Botswana further down my travel list as a place I’d like to spend a lot of time in.

I did the day tour with Africa Zim Travel & Tours there are a lot of companies who offer this particular package. They pick you up at your hotel early in the morning, they drive you across the border into Botswana, you visit Chobe National Park, you have lunch, you visit more of the park, they return you to Zimbabwe. It’s a pretty long day, but definitely worthwhile, and not very expensive considering everything that’s included.

My group was about 11 people, so not too big. I didn’t really make connections with many of the people. We spent most of the time just in the van driving and then looking at animals. But the few people that I talked to seemed pleasant and they were from all around the world.

The drive to the border was pleasant. At the border we got out of the van and walked to the building that would stamp us out of Zimbabwe and then to the building that would stamp us into Botswana. I didn’t need a visa for Botswana so there were no major formalities – just don’t forget your passport.

We entered Chobe National Park. As I mentioned in my post about Victoria Falls, I was there during the low / dry season. I think that visiting Chobe National Park during a wetter season would be more beautiful as it would be more lush. A lot of the trees were dead and leafless; of course, this provided for some interesting landscapes.

We drove all morning looking for animals.

And here is where I am going to tell you that this was the first time that I had ever been on a safari drive. I’ve always sort of wanted to go on a safari, but it just seemed cost prohibitive so I’ve never done it. And while I have seen animals in Africa, I’ve never gone a focused drive to go see animals in Africa before. And here’s where I tell you that I wasn’t 100% into it. It was interesting to see the landscape and it was nice to see the animals but at no point did I feel moved or amazed.

It was cool to see elephants, impalas, kudus, waterbuck, warthogs, gazelles, and mongooses, but it wasn’t exciting. Even lions; we did see five of them under trees, but it were not particularly exciting to me. We would we watch them sleeping or eating and everyone has their cameras out and you are all sort of struggling to get a good view of the animals, and I just found that a bit tiresome. This is not to say that I didn’t have a good time, it’s just that i somehow was expecting it to be more exciting than it was. The highlight of the morning was probably when we saw the giraffes. (A tower of giraffes.) I’ve seen giraffes in zoos before but never in real life, so when we came upon them it was pretty it was pretty impressive, even if we couldn’t get very close.

We stopped and had lunch at a resort along the river. I wish I knew the name of it, but it was fancy and in sort of a traditional style. They had a vast buffet of delicious western and African foods that we ate while looking out at the river. Not being one for group activities, I chatted with people for about 30 minutes, scarfed down my lunch, and then moved to the side of the river to have a quick cigar before the second half of the day. Time well spent.

After lunch, we boarded a boat to visit some of the park from the water. This was nice in the way that being on the boat is always nice, but again it wasn’t super exciting. We saw lots of hippos. (Did you know a group of hippos is called a “bloat”?) We saw various creatures on the land including a big lizard and groups of elephants walking along the water. Very pleasant, but not necessarily remarkable.

I don’t mean to sound grumpy. I had a good day, I just was expecting something more exciting. All the animals we saw that day paled in comparison to the excitement that I felt when I passed the two elephants on the side of the road on my previous night in Victoria Falls. I think it was the fact that I was out with the expectation of animals so when I saw the animals all it did was meet my expectations; it didn’t excite me. I am so glad I went, and I would certainly recommend it. My expectations may have just been too high.

We drove back to the border of Zimbabwe where I had to purchase another single entry visa, because I had been unable to purchase a multiple entry visa when I first arrived in Harare. And they drove us to our hotels.

More animals seem hanging out at the border crossing.
It is unclear if this monkey works for Nelson’s of Durham.

So I can now say that I’ve been to Botswana. If I wanted to get really technical I can tell you that while we were on the boat we actually crossed over the border an entered Namibia, but I’m not going to count that as a country visited, because that would be ridiculous. It is incredible that all these countries – Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana – all come together in such a small area. If one was really committed, I suppose you could visit all four in one day. Maybe that’s an activity for another time.

I went out for dinner and a cigar that night in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and the next day I was crossing the border on foot into Zambia.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Castles Mir & Nesvizh: A Day Trip from Minsk

As much as I loved Minsk, I didn’t want to stay there during my entire visit. I wanted to spend a day visiting two UNESCO heritage castles: Mir and Nesvizh. If you have a car, it makes a perfect day trip. But not having a car, I looked at the options for bus and train; it was technically possible to see both in a day travelling that way, but looked rushed and stressful, with a strong likelihood of missing connections, so I decided to hire a car. There weren’t a lot of people offering this service, but I found a company online, messaged them the night before I wanted to leave, and they picked me up the next morning. (Minsk Airport Transfer & Tours)

Roadtrip!

This was one of those days where the hiring of a guide/driver was much more than just transport. I had a great day with Sergey. A kind and interesting man who was fun to hang out with. He even does his own version of ‘carpool karaoke’ with guests.

*Me and Sergey, in our ‘buddy cop’ movie pose*

Nesvizh

We drove first to Nesvizh (aka Nyasvizh, or Нясвіж, or Несвиж) a small town (population ~15,000), which is famous for its castle by the same name: Nesvizh Castle, a lovely castle built in the 16^th and 17^th centuries and surrounded by a pretty forest. It even has a moat. What more do you want from a castle? Dragons?

Sergey waited outside while I wandered the halls, and then we walked through the forest together.

Nesvizh Castle, inside and out

We made a stop at the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh, from the 16^th century.

Corpus Christi Church, Nesvizh

Before we left Nesvizh, Sergey offered me hydration in the form of Byarozavik (бярозавы сок in Belarusian), birch tree sap. It was clear and mild tasting; unsweetened, but slightly sweet tasting. Kind of like coconut water, but not disgusting. I liked it.

Village Life

We drove through the pretty countryside, and I was ogling the villages, so Sergey took us to one (the benefit of having a private driver). I believe it was called Vishnevets, though I can’t find it on a map. It was just so charming. Almost entirely residential, with small dacha type houses; small, with peaked roofs, but they were mostly painted yellows and greens. The landscape was all gardens and farms, very green, storks’ nests on tall poles. This was time number in don’t know how many that I had a fantasy about packing it all up and moving there. I know I would be bored after a weekend, but it was just so lovely.

We stopped nearby at a well by the side of the road and drank cool, clean water that Sergey hoisted up on a rope.

We carried on to Mir.

Mir

Mir is a village of about 2,500 people. It has a turbulent history, having been attacked and/or occupied and/or taken over by Sweden, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Russians, and the Nazis (the latter of which killed off the town’s once thriving Jewish and Roma populations). Today, Mir is famous for its late Gothic, 16^th century castle.

Mir Castle inside and out

Mir castle is not as nice inside as Nesvizh, but is impressive, and the views from across the small river are lovely.

We had lunch at a nearby restaurant and I had some delicious soup and potato pancakes with mushrooms. (The vegetarian food in Minsk is not varied, but it is delicious.)

We drove back to Minsk, singing to Phantom of the Opera and My Way (some of Sergey’s favourites – and I can never resist a show or Sinatra tune) and talking about life in Belarus.

road signs

It was an excellent day; made much more fun by having company for the day and getting insights and info I would not have gotten on my own.

I really would like to see more of rural Belarus, but I also wanted to spend more time in Minsk, so I went back to my hostel and made plans for what to see the next day.

Around the World 2022 Asia Bangladesh

A Day in Dhaka

For my second day in Dhaka, Bangladesh I had hired a guide. It seemed unnecessary, in a way. On my first day I had seen and experienced so much and satisfies myself that Dhaka is perfectly fine to explore solo, but it turned out to be a great idea. Having a guide met me get a little deeper into Dhaka, to see things I wouldn’t have found on my own, and it was nice to have the company.

I booked the tour through Bangladesh Eco Adventure and had Afridi as my guide. He was great, as was the tour. I was so happy that he didn’t pick me up in a car. We started out on foot from my guesthouse and hopped in a tuk tuk to get to the market during the busy market.

Tuk Tuks

The tuk tuks in Dhaka are a little different. First of all, they call them CNGs, which stands for compressed natural gas. Unlike the colorful tuk tuks of SE Asia, or Dhaka’s blinged out rickshaw, they are a stately grey. The most notable thing though is that they have cages. When you get in the back there is a metal cage separating you from the driver, and there are cages on the sides, which are locked from the outside. So it is like a little deathtrap. (You can unlock the doors yourself from the inside if you slip your fingers through the cage, so you aren’t entirely confined.) As with tuk tuks everywhere, haggling pre-journey is essential.

Kawran Bazaar

We snaked and jerked through the traffic to the Kawran Bazaar market. And what a market! So lively and crowded, busy and colorful. Piles of produce, sacks of spices, stalls of house wares, labyrinths of raw meat. It was terrific. Men with huge, flat baskets carried fruits and vegetables, apparently acting as porters or personal shoppers for wealthier residents.

Afridi took me into the dark corridors at the heart of the market, where the lighting is uniformly green, to hide imperfect limes and squash. There were bricks of amber colored sugar and mandalas of tobacco leaves. Deeper inside were freshly beheaded goats, still leaking blood onto the floor, and blacksmith areas, where young men beat white hot molten metal into knives.

We also walked through the areas where many of the vendors live, at least during market days. Tiny bunks separated with tarps and repurposed rice sacks. From the roof we got a view over the market.

Alongside the market were train tracks, also busy with less organized commerce.

*me, on the wrong side of the tracks in Dhaka*

Dhaka University

From the market we caught another tuk tuk to the University, which was an impressible Mughal structure surrounded by a green respite. We walked around the grounds and had a bite to eat (lentils and rice) at the outdoor cafeteria. We mostly looked at the art department where there were rows of busts, sculpted by the students, graded, and then mostly left out amongst the gardens. Afridi said this is partly to do with the ban on Muslims making art depicting the human form. It was a lovely spot.

*University lunch spot & mobile libraries*

*me in front of a particularly colourful mural at the University*

Back to the Old City

We took a tuk tuk to the old city, where I had been the day before, but we stopped for local tea from a street stall and drank it in the courtyard of the policeman’s barracks.

*Tea time. Weirdly, served in a “Canada” mug.*

We visited the famous “Star Mosque”, which is beautiful but was under construction, so I didn’t see it in all of its glory. It is amazing the stunning and small mosques hidden in the ramshackle Old City streets.

*A view of the Star Mosque. Not visible are the many stars.*

To the River

We then walked to the river’s edge, near where I had been before, but this time, I got to go out on a boat. It was a comfortable, relatively small, flat-bottom boat paddled by a single boatman.

We floated along the river past commuter boats and ships. It was heavenly. There was a perfect breeze and was quiet and relaxing. The boat ride also took us past factories – the sort that make those cheap, disposable clothes and that both provide jobs and subject workers to horrible conditions. Yeah, those.

All along the river people went about their business and enjoyed the weather. I saw two very little girls standing on the end of a boat, holding up in front of then a small piece of torn cardboard; they repeatedly posed and smiled at it – pretending to take selfies.

The Ship Yards

We docked on the other side of the river and hopped out to explore the shipyards where enormous commercial ships were being repaired and painted. To look for defects or thin spot in the metal, men pounded on the ships’ hulls with hammers, creating a loud cacophony.

We also saw people making enormous propellors by digging the mould into the dirt and then pouring molten metal into it. Once cooled, they smoothed off the rough spots. All of this done without any protective gear of course. Most men wore sandals.

Back on the boat, we went to the other side and had lunch at a local spot near the courthouse where I met several barristers on break. Once I mentioned I was a lawyer the conversation turned to work before I naturally flowed into a chat about Islamic black magic and horror movies.

Wrapping up (and a few more photos)

It was an excellent day that left me exhausted and full.

My first two days in Dhaka had both exceeded my expectations. Not every place can do that. I went to bed excited for day three, where I had almost nothing planned.

Africa Rwanda

Kigali

In Kigali, Rwanda after over 36 hours of travel. I won’t go into a great amount of detail, but my flight from Vancouver was delayed by 6 hours, which would have caused me to miss my connecting flights. The airline couldn’t get me on a new flight for 3 days, which would have derailed my whole trip, so I hastily booked the next flights I could find to get to get me to Kigali as soon as possible to when I was meant to arrive. My flights took me from Vancouver to Montreal to Casablanca to Brussels to Kigali. In Casablanca I had to run at full speed to check in and to the gate. Had I not been traveling with just a carry on I never would have made it. But I did make it. My near travel disaster reduced to mere a travel anecdote.

In Kigali at 7:00am I met briefly with the friendliest border guard ever who confirmed that I had successfully paid for my visa in advance and I was picked up by a driver from my hotel.

I was still in a bit of a dash though as I had booked a day tour of the city, which was leaving at 9:30. So I went only briefly to my hotel: a welcoming guest house called The Nest in the Nyarutarama district.

The area is really nice. Mostly semi affluent residential with restaurants dotted throughout. Super safe, excellent for walking.

I don’t usually do tours, but I was only to be in Kigali a short time and Kigali seemed difficult to navigate on foot or transit. The things I wanted to see were all spread out and the whole city covers an erratic network of steep hills, so getting shown around seemed like a great idea. The company is called Go Kigali and the day was awesome. We met at the Marriot, where I had time for a breakfast cigar before heading out. There were 5 of us that did the day tour and we had an excellent guide. It was like having friends for the day. Friends I paid to hang out with me.

Our first stop was a local milk bar. They are everywhere and serve as a centre of daily life for many people. They serve milk, fresh from local cows, milked that day or the day before. The milk is served cold, warm, or fermented. There is actually a good article about them on Culture Trip, if you want more information.

We had the cold and fermented milk. Both were delicious and tasted nothing at all like supermarket milk. The guy whose place it was owns the cows from which the milk came. Single origin milk. To be clear, I do not drink milk, other than the almond variety. It is easily 25 years since I had a glass, but it was good.

From there we went to a local market and ate passionfruit, tiny bananas, mandarins, and tree tomatos. One member of our group struggled when live poultry was shuffled past us, as she has a bird phobia. Had trouble walking past them without being shielded. In her words (more or less), birds are unpredictable and can’t look at you straight in the face, and therefore should not be trusted. It was entertaining (and the fact that I felt that way surely makes me a monster).

We drove up mount Kigali for the excellent views, but due to a sudden, short, and punishing downpour, no views were had. We went to the Gaddafi mosque and learned about how the people who took refuge there were saved during the genocide.

Lunch at a local spot consisted of green bananas cooked with peas and carrots, spinach, beans, rice, various meat and fish dishes, and mango passionfruit juice. This was followed by excellent coffee at Question Coffee, growers and roasters. Female owned and operated.

The penultimate stop was at a lake where we took a small local boat (slowing taking on water and being bailed) to a poor neighbourhood on the other side. We were asked not to take pictures when there. It was definitely poor, with mud houses and rough dirt paths on the side of a hill, but it was also clean and tidy and all the people friendly, despite us being a bunch of weirdos walking through their neighbourhood. Apparently the city is moving people out of these neighbourhoods to make way for new developments – all part of the government’s goal to clean up amd modernize the city. I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing, but I am glad that I saw it before that happens.

Finally, we went to the genocide memorial. Even knowing and having studied it, it was informative and depressing. I don’t tend to feel much when I visit monuments or memorials to human tragedy. I’m not upset or moved to tears, as some are, but it stays with me – mainly our insatiable tendency to be horrible to one another. And the fact that we never seem to learn enough to stop being horrible. As I move about the city, I find myself doing mental math, trying to estimate how old my taxi driver, guide, or guesthouse manager was in 1994. Wondering what horrors they personally experienced. Because they must have been affected by those events. But it is not the sort of thing you can ask in passing.

I parted ways from my group and went back to my neighbourhood for a walk and dinner. Kigali really is lovely and unlike other African cities I have visited. It is so clean and orderly. Sidewalks, traffic rules followed, no litter. Plastic bags banned for environmental reasons. There are women whose job it is to sweep up leaves by the roadside. Apparently it is less corrupt than many European countries. 68% of the people in its parliament are women. I’m aware there are other stories and concerns, but on its face, it is very impressive. Now, I always say that my favourite cities are messy, disorganized, and chaotic, and that is true, but Kigali is lovely. The sort of place I can imagine living. Of course, I’ve only been here 2 days.

Wandering North

Tag: Tour