Short: Lakeside Breakfast, Nikolai swims in Lake Kivu, Wonderful drive north to Gisenyi, Relax lakeside at Paradis Hotel, Dinner at Stipp Hotel, Watch a movie
Long: We woke up this morning to a wonderful view overlooking Lake Kivu. We took advantage of the setting by taking a long breakfast, and later, Nikolai even decided to take a swim. While Nikolai was swimming, I struck up a conversation with Jane, the manager of the hotel we stayed at the night before. I found out she was actually from Nairobi, and had just recently signed a contract to work at the hotel for three years. She has a sister in Boston, and another in St. Louis.
We had talked with quite a few people yesterday regarding the road from Kibuye to Gisenyi. We were told it was not a good road and to expect a drive of about four hours. As people suggested, the road was not good, but the views and the people we saw along the route made up for it. We passed less than ten vehicles over the three hours it took us to make the drive, and less than five of those vehicles were private (E.g. Not a bus). This was certainly the road less traveled. The 90 km road winded through the mountains, and we were, once again, amazed at how land that looked too steep to farm was fully farmed. We passed numerous plantations growing bananas and coffee. People, and in particular kids, lined the road as we drove. Kids would come running out of nowhere yelling “Ma-zun-ga,” or “White man”. If we waved, both adults and kids were quick to smile and wave back. It was a great drive.
We arrived into Gisenyi just after midday and made our way to Hotel Paradis Malahide, a place that was recommended to us in Kigali. We were not disappointed. The hotel is located directly on the lake, about seven kilometers outside of Gisenyi. In comparison to other hotels in the area, it is a steal at $45 a night. As can be seen in the pictures, both the room and the grounds are wonderful. Just a note: We have been forced to use hotels lately because we have found no campsites, or hostels, in Rwanda. They might exist, but we certainly haven’t seen them.
After relaxing at the hotel for the afternoon we ventured into Gisenyi and decided to have dinner at the Stepp Hotel. It was very funny. While sitting outside at the pool, Nikolai found that his I-Phone was receiving the hotel’s wireless internet connection. He received an email that two friend’s were currently living in Kigali, but he didn’t have their numbers. Alas, he texted a friend in San Franciso, who immediately texted back with one of their numbers. Shortly after, Niki was able to text the U.K. mobile phone of one of the people in Kigali, and we were soon scheduled to meet on Monday…Technology is wonderful. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and watched a movie on the computer.
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